Heavenly Cupcakes

The customer stated in her email complaints that she showed us photos on her phone at the time of the tasting, which I agree was most likely was the case, yet I rejected her statement that she ever emailed the photo to usThe client sent proof of sending the photo to her florist, but no similar proof has been supplied to us showing that the same photo was ever sent/given to our companyHer most recent statement is different from her first, and says that she brought in hard copy of the photoIf that had been supplied at the time of the tasting, it would have been attached to her contractThis was not the caseHer consultant sketched a photo of the cake onto her contract and the cake was done according to those specificationsBelow are three photos:The sketch of the cake on her contract.Her actual wedding cake which was delivered, and consumed in it’s entirety by her guests.The screen shot from her phone of the cake she emailed to her florist(Note: Flowers are provided by the florist, and in no way resemble the flowers from her inspiration photoOur delivery person placed the flowers in accordance with this photo, supplied at the time of delivery by the banquet captain.) As I previously stated, in my professional opinion we executed her cake according to the specifications of her contract, and to the information we had available, and I’m unclear as to how these photos show “that we produced “the exact opposite” of what the client had in mindHad we been in possession of the “inspiration photo” (#3) from the beginning, I feel confident the cake would have been decorated in the same manner, with of course slight variations based on which of my cake artists would have actually been handling this orderI see absolutely nothing messy or cheap about the appearance of her cakeIt was well executed and very beautiful.Again, I am always saddened when we can’t completely satisfy a customer, but all we can do as a reputable company is follow our written contract, and supporting documentation/notes to the very best of our abilitiesThe thousands of happy brides that we have serviced over the years make me feel very confident that we are doing an excellent job in the celebration industry.Sincerely,

I am writing in response to the complaint lodged against my company (Heavenly Cupcake), ID # [redacted]. As a custom bakery, we work with clients on their event cakes, and do between 400-600 wedding cakes each year, in addition to an equal amount of designer celebration cakes for birthdays,...

anniversaries, etc. In each case, we discuss with our clients their desires, and clearly explain to them that we are artists working with edible materials, and will do everything in our power to match photos as closely as possible, but do not guarantee an exact match. Our policies and procedures clearly states this, and each client is presented with this policy as part of their contract. (see insert below).Matching Designs-Often we are asked to duplicate pictures (either ours or from outside sources). First and foremost, we make decisions based on the qualitics of our bakery and the San Diego area. Some designs are unwise in this part of the country. There are many factors which determine replication of a design; including, but not limited to, available supplics, skills, and local health department regulations. We use our best effort to provide each client with as close of a duplication as can be attained. As with any handmade product, variations in each celebration cake arc natural and desired. Every client wants their cake to be unique, However, we reserve the right to determine the level of replication and creative license that we create. (initial consent)Our client, in this case, states that she received the wrong cake on her wedding day, which is a completely incorrect statement. The cake that she received was done according to our contract with the bride, and was an extremely close representation to the agreed upon design. The cake was beautifully executed in accordance with our high quality standards of excellence, was delivered on time to her venue, and was cut and served to her guests. I have verified with the venue that the cake was indeed delivered to the correct room, and the banquet captain reported no issues or complaints of any kind in regards to the cake.Whenever I receive a complaint such as this, I take it very seriously. I pour over every email, all details of the contract, and all supporting documentation to see if indeed we have made an error. The bride, in this case, has complained that the design of the bottom tier of her cake was not done according to her provided inspiration photo, however, we have no email verification of any photo every being sent to us. Many of our brides show us photos on their phones during their tasting appointments, and email them to us for closer representation. Our client claims that she sent us a photo, however, the only verification she has supplied to us is a screen shot from her phone of her inspiration cake, as well as an email to her florist that has the photo attached. Even after seeing her inspiration photo, I am confident that we executed the cake, solely from our contract and tasting sketches, in a professional and accurate manner. Had the photo been provided to us prior to decor, I am confident that the cake would have been executed in exactly the same manner.When the bride reached out to us after the wedding, her complaint was with the décor of the bottom tier of her cake. We tried, in good faith, to address her concerns and disappointment in her cake by offering her a partial refund. The bride originally reached out to us regarding a tasting appointment, and identified herself as a bride with a contracted venue of ours, which entitled her to various complimentary services. As a "contracted bride", she received a complimentary tasting appointment ($25 value), as well as complimentary flower placement ($25 value). We were later informed by the venue that she was not a contracted client, and that all costs associated with the cake should be charged directly to the client, and complimentary services would not pertain to this order. As a sign of goodwill, we chose not to chargeback the client for the tasting which had already occurred, or the pending flower placement on her cake. The cost of the bottom tier décor was $100, however the bride felt that she was entitled to a full refund of the cake, even though it was beautifully presented at her reception, and completely consumed by her guests. The bride had already received $50.00 in complimentary services, even though she was not entitled to those "contracted services", and in addition to that we offered a refund of $75.00, bringing her total compensation to $125.00. I feel that this was an extremely fair offer, however it was flatly refused. Instead it was met with threatening and insulting emails.Our reputation in the wedding industry is excellent. Our product is of the highest quality, and I employ some of the best decorators in San Diego. We all take pride in our work, and I stand behind our products. Cake decoration is edible art, and we let our clients know that while occasionally our reproduction of their ideas may vary slightly from the ideas they carry in their minds (or even on paper), it will be executed as professionally as possible, according to the contract, and it will be delicious. In this case, we fulfilled our contractual and professional responsibility to ourclient.While I am always saddened when we cannot 100% please a client, I cannot provide refunds for services that were rendered accurately without putting my business, and the employees that rely on me, in jeopardy.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I did receive the wrong design on my wedding cake.  I brought in a hard copy photo of the design I wanted and the complete opposite was done on the bottom layer.  I was charged additional for the type of design I requested.  Your establishment was unprofessional from the start since my file kept getting lost when I would call to confirm details.  I did not receive the cake that I wanted on the most important day of my life and it is extremely upsetting.  I would expect that you would address this issue by providing a full refund as that is the least that could be done in this type of situation.  If I supplied the email to my florist that was to prove the design I had in mind the whole time.  My florist can confirm to you that this was the case as I also mentioned to them several times that it was the design I was going for.  The design looked nothing like the picture.  In fact, it looked cheap and messy.  I do not appreciate your lies and dishonesty as an establishment.  If I had known this was going to happen I would have NEVER contracted you for my wedding cake.  My memories and photos are forever ruined with that hideous looking cake.
Regards,
[redacted]