cake at wedding not what i ordered

milkdoctor

Hello brides,i need some advice.  We were just married oct 10 and nearly everything went as planned.  The 3 important things to me in order were the dress, cake, and honeymoon.  We ordered our cake in March and picked a baker in the city based on reputation and skill.  I went all out for this and it was expensive but after a few taste tests we decided on the flavors.  We went over the cake several times, I had a contract with the layers and flavors  (my flavors were pumpkin spice and grand marnier)  I spoke with the baker and his assistant/receptionist several times to review the flavors and layers and everything was a go.  Well on our wedding day we had the cake cutting and when we cut the cake i knew right away the layer was not what i ordered the pumpkin spice we tested was a brown color cake and this was yellow and it tasted like vanilla.  2 layers were wrong and 2 were right.  when i spoke with the baker he apologized and found that the problem was he changed the source of his ingredients and did not compare labels to make sure they were the same.  he is offering to make a top tier in the correct flavor at no charge so that we can have that for our anniversary.  I am upset as this cost a lot for a cake and it was not what i ordered and it ruined the moment.  i feel that as a professional in the cake buisness you should not change recipes for a wedding cake without another taste test.  what are your thoughts, do you think i should demand a refund on the layers that were wrong or do you have any other thoughts?sorry for the long posttracy

mindiosu

I agree with you on this. You need to decide what you feel is fair compensation for this mistake and present it to him. Obviously he knows he was wrong. If you leave it up to him, of course he's going to short change you on the offer to make it up to you- he doesn't want to lose money. Write out what you think is fair and give him a call. I would say something like, "I understand we can not go back and change the cake, but I paid xx amount and expected what was in my contract. Since that expectation was not delivered, I want to ask for xx to compensate for the fact that my contract was not fully honored." GL! Hopefully he wants to make things right.

AmandaK2010

That stinks that they messed up.  That is very nice of them to offer to make the top tier in the correct flavor for you.  I just want to offer a few suggestions.   Was the cake in-edible or a bad flavor?  I would suspect no one besides you and your immediate wedding helpers (mother, MOH, etc) would notice.  Also, while the new cake would be in the correct flavor, it won't be your wedding cake.  What is more important to you, the memory of the wedding or the flavor of the cake?  Just some food for thought!  (pun intended)

kmmssg

I agree with the first PP.  Wedding cakes are very very expensive and as with anything else you buy, you have the right to what you ordered, you checked many times to make sure everything is on track, and his offer is feeble.  It is his fault for this and he has owned up to that part.  He just isnt' offering a fair refund.

gretchen333

Personally, I think he owes you a 50% refund since your cake was 50% messed up. Now actually getting that money might be next to impossible, but if it were me, I would write a letter telling him I feel this is fair compensation. I once watched a 20/20 or something about complaint letters and how to get what you want. They recommended you always start out with a compliment. Then layout the problem in a factual and non-emotional manner. Then close with what you want.  There are lots of website to help you write a strong letter. ;)Good luck!

KathyandDave

I really don't think thats a fair compensation. Our cake baker is giving us a new top tier to our wedding cake on our 1st anniversary at no cost. I don't think the top layer accounts for messing up half the cake...I wouldn't be too happy. As you said, cakes aren't cheap!!

MesmrEwe

I also agree with the PP in that what he's offering is a little on the light side of things...  I'd recommend negotiating for a 2-tier anniversary cake in the right flavors since it was more than one tier that was messed up or a sizable discount on a future order (say 50% on an order above $100)...  Point out that the top tier only serves 8-10 and that it's not a fair offer on a major mistake on their part.  I highly doubt you'll get 50% refunded to you...  But I really would say that a 6" top tier on your anniversary just isn't quite enough in this case where it was confirmed and ... what less than mentally genious person can't tell the difference between VANILLA and pumpkin spice or grand mariner...If it's any consolation, we had not only the flavor messed up (ordered spice cake for 3-tiers... got rather flaverless pound cake instead) AND it wasn't the decoration we ordered either or smooth finish (the pictures actually show the bakers hand & finger prints all over the faux fondant)...  Definitely do some more negotiation here...  Don't expect a huge amount back, but something that's reasonable as a fair compensation to you...

deepcovejackie

Well what if you ordered a dress and it turned out to be the wrong one?  Would you pay for it and wear it down the aisle?  No!  It was not what you ordered!  I agree with at least a 50% reduction.  I also agree that a letter is a good idea.  There was a contract, and it was not done correctly.  Good luck!

chosen175

If the cake was 50% wrong, he owes you that 50%.  You paid a lot for that cake.  His "apology" will set him back all of about $10, if that.  No way - he owes you a lot more.  I would write him and tell him that you want a 50% refund.  If he refuses, I would file a complaint with the BBB - sometimes when they get involved, the person in the wrong is more willing to negotiate so they don't get a black mark on their reputation.

squirrly

It sounds like 50% of the cake flavor was wrong.  100% of the cake tasted fine, was edible, and looked good.  Just not the flavor you ordered.  So, I would consider the flavor to be about half the value of the cake.  Since the flavor was half wrong, that's 25% of what you paid.  I'd ask for that amount back as a refund for the error.