Cake maker refusing to make my cake!

[fartoobiled]

Unless I pay £15 more than o originally agreed

I paid a £15 nonrefundable deposit and now she wants another £15 on top of the £50 I was due to pay for the Cake so a total of £80 instead of the £65 I was going to pay in total

Am I being unreasonable to think this is really unfair? She says this is due to the increase in cost of living for example petrol prices and the price of ingredients

Thing is though I paid the £15 which is nonrefundable. So if I don't pay the extra I lose my money

My mum thinks I'm being unreasonable! As does my sister

They insist she's in her rights and I'm being unfair given how much things have gone up

You agreed a contract.
She would provide you with a cake at the cost of £65
You would provide a deposit of £15 to secure the cake.

Those are the facts.

She is changing the details of the contract, and you do not wish to agree to those changed details and would continue with the current agreed contract therefore if she cannot fulfil her side then she must return the deposit

She could agree a tiny price for a cake with 100 people and charge them £15 deposit and then tell them all the price has doubled and they can pay the extra or lose their deposit. They'd all say no and then she has made £1500 and done no work.

That's just running a scam.

For £15?

Did she specifically say in her FB messages it was a quote, or an estimate?

I'd tell her that I'd pay the extra money and then when she's made it, I'd tell her I don't want it any more and to keep the original £15.

Tell her you want a refund or you will name and shame her on FB, Nextdoor and every social media venue you can find.

she is being vv unreasonable

She is not right. This is business. She needs to run her business properly. That means abiding by the law.

When you message her, make it simple and professional and just tell her the law and what she must do to abuse by it.

The message says 'that'll be £65. If you could pay £15 deposit now, non refundable, then £50 at collection hun. I'll confirm nearer the time you want it for that date still'

Word for word, that's what it says

That is outrageous OP.
She isn't much of a business woman either, as she must know she will lose work once you review her.

*abide by it, not abuse!

As a baker I do have to say that ingredients prices have soared over the last few months. Even the bits I pick up in the cheaper shops have gone up to almost double.

BUT it's been 2 weeks. And £15 is a bit of a stretch for how much ingredients have increased by.

Maybe offer to meet her half way?

No. Don't offer to meet her half way.

A quite is binding. She makes the cake for £65 or she returns your deposit.

I think giving her the benefit of the doubt, if she has realised now she won’t make any money on it I can just about understand her coming back to you and explaining she can no longer do it at the price agreed.
BUT if that was genuine then she’d also be apologetic and offer to return your deposit.

She’s taking the piss and I wouldn’t give in.
UNLESS in truth you would’ve been prepared to pay the higher price from the beginning and she’s an amazing cake maker and you don’t want to go elsewhere

Maybe offer to meet her half way?

Absolutely don't agree to meet her half way! You've done nothing wrong so why should you be out of pocket l, especially when you have a quote. She wouldn't reduce the price and let you pay less if the ingredients had gone down in price so the same principle stands.

Do not offer to meet her halfway. The cake maker is completely in the wrong. I don’t see why your mum and sister think she’s in the right-she isn’t. She needs to give you your deposit back or make the cake for the agreed price and the agreed quality/standard.

For calling you hun take it all the way..
Review her business.. Honestly. What a con woman.

I'd say, 'We agreed £65 in total. I paid a deposit in good faith. You are claiming your costs have gone up 25% in the two weeks since we agreed this. If you refuse to return my deposit I will leave reviews explaining this to your potential new customers so they know what to expect. Up to you.'

OP fuck her off. If you live near London (as not sure they deliver or bake further afield than there) Lola's cakes do some great cakes for as little as £40 with some great flavours www.lolascupcakes.co.uk/SubMenu1/6/Cakes.htm

Tempting!!!

It's refundable because she is making a significant change to your agreement, you don't agree, you get your deposit back.

Tell her she only has 2 choices: to stick to her quote or to turn down the job and return your deposit. You will happily move to a money claim online if she does neither

And then come back and ask us how to do that if she makes a daft choice.

CF. Never use her again. Small claims if not. She being a bully. She has order only 2 weeks ago.

I think now it’d be best to just get your deposit back and not have her make the cake, even at the original price. She might do a rubbish cack-handed job on it.

This does sound genius tbf and my kinda level of pettiness

Yes. Because it is quick and easy to do. Will have a measurable affect on her business and she needs to be shown what the consequences are of her ignoring consumer law.

I'm a sole trader and people like her give us self employed people a bad name. She has no excuse. The law on her specific terms and conditions are easily available via all sorts of reputable organisations, clubs, Facebook groups.