Cake gone wrong

s_b

im a bit confused here
is she knocking these cakes up at home or does she run a legitimate business
does she have a health certificate
what kind of vehicle did she deliver the cake in
more than one way to skin a cat here;):)

Chimpofdoom

s_b wrote: »

im a bit confused here
is she knocking these cakes up at home or does she run a legitimate business
does she have a health certificate
what kind of vehicle did she deliver the cake in
more than one way to skin a cat here;):)

There's also a fact that if there's no address on her website, she's violating rules set by the EU's Distance selling regulations.

Although a trusty "Whois" can provide an address of the domain's registration.

I also tend to find submitting a google review useful, to warn other users of your experience!

angelil

Her customer service sounds dreadful. I would keep pursuing this if I were you.

(Although just one question: if you make cakes yourself quite regularly and are happy with the results then why on earth would you buy one in to begin with - and for £70 at that?! I personally would never spend this kind of money on a cake unless it were something like a wedding cake...!)

flea72

angelil wrote: »

I personally would never spend this kind of money on a cake unless it were something like a wedding cake...!)

wedding cake £70? - i think you dropped a '0' off the end there

F

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

TBH i spend roughly £60 -£80 on DD1's birthday cakes (She's 5 this year) and now we have DD2 we will probably still spend the same amount on both of them.

The reason we spend so much is quite simple - The cake does both parties (we have two every year - one for family only, the other is for about 20 odd kids from school who can run riot without great grandma complaining!) and then it leaves some left over which i take into my work (small company! but it's a "done" thing in our office) and obviously I can afford to. I'm lucky the cake maker i use is brillaint and never complains despite my best efforts to give her something complicated lol (She often jokes she dreads my calls and threatens to retire!)

She too uses syrup but nothing like your describing! She often has to make the cakes in advance as we ask for some outrageous things!

I think in all honesty if it had been me - I would have done exactly the same as you - However, if the cake maker is refusing point blank to budge then i would put it down to experience and do things a lot diffrent next year

HTH x

P.S Angelil - i regulary make cakes too - but i CANT decorate them which is why I pay the amount of money i do.

This is my attempt:



And this is what we got last year for DD's 4th birthday



Spot the difference... lol

minimacka

Ive just read this and wondered if this had been resolved?

x

hoxtonbabe

Hi Folks, Sorry for not getting back on this sooner, fighthing with the LEA also and that is keeping me super busy, but thats another matter, lol

Angelli - I can make cakes but I cant decorate, and I am a perfectionist, something I have knocked up looking shoddy would not sit well with me.

Anyhoo, after basically telling her we will be going to small claims she begrudingly (sp?) refunded me £50, that was fine by me as I wasnt looking for the whole thing initally anyway as the outside of the cake was fine and she clearly spent time on it, it just tasted wrong, lol.

The best part of all this and shows just how much of a rubbish business woman she is, after she offers the refund, I then say fine here is my account number, she replies:

" I just want to put an end to all this, I still stand my my cakes and I feel as if I did everything correct and to your requests, but a goodwill I will refund you the £50, and do not contact me again"

The flamin cheek! I then replied, that she is a rubbish business woman and there was no need to antagonise the the situation by saying that as we had come to an agreement and I had no reason to contact her after this, however I am quite happy to take this to small claims and let a judge decide so she should pass on her address details to serve papers!!

She refunded the money and never heard back from her, LOL

hoxtonbabe

flea72 wrote: »

wedding cake £70? - i think you dropped a '0' off the end there

F

LOL, exactly!

For what the cake was (had it come out correct) that was reasonably priced, people don't realise how much time goes into the decorating and that is what usually makes the cakes expensive, then when it is made using fresh ingredients from scratch then that too cost more rather than the ready made sponge mix, if it was a packet sponge mix, then there is no way I would be paying £70, the cakes in the link below are nice, but expensive and from packet mix.

http://www.thecakestore.co.uk/index.html

hoxtonbabe

s_b wrote: »

im a bit confused here
is she knocking these cakes up at home or does she run a legitimate business
does she have a health certificate
what kind of vehicle did she deliver the cake in
more than one way to skin a cat here;):)

It was my super digging that led me to find out that she is set up as a business, her website is a business website, she has said it is a business, BUT she does not want to play by business rules, she does not want to advertise her address, however WHOIS have put an end to that and have taken her out of the option to hide address as she is clearly running a business, I have found out that she is not registered with the health and safety folks who are now going to contact her, as well as the buisiness rates people/ tax office.

Common sense would make me say, knowing I am doing everything illegal, I should keep a low profile and not antognise my customers, but no, she wanted to go downe the difficult route, but hey, I have my money (well some of it) she can now deal with her Local Authority.

hoxtonbabe

GIK wrote: »

I think you have been extremely lucky.

I think she has been lucky, I was more than prepared to go small claims on this and was not a simple threat. Her attitude was disgraceful and that is what made me dig my heals in even more. She has far more to lose than me as it would have opened up a bigger can of worms.