Order Enquiries
Orders are taken on a strictly first come first served basis and are not secured until a deposit or payment in full is received.
Owing to the large volume of enquiries received every day, it is possible that another customer could book a cake for the same date you are enquiring for at any given time, meaning we would be then become unable to make your order. We regret that even if you are in the enquiry / quoting process this does NOT automatically guarantee that we can make your order. We must work this way in order to prevent losses and recommend securing your order as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Cakes are very time heavy and must be produced no more than a few days before the delivery date therefore we reach a maximum capacity for orders each week and can become fully booked for specific dates well in advance.
Order Deposits & Payments
For order and event bookings over a month away a £95 deposit is required to secure your order with us.
The remaining balance for your event (less your £95 deposit) is then due a month before your order/event date. Please contact us to make your payment at this time. For bookings under a month away, or where the value is less than £95, payment in full is required immediately upon booking.
Owing to the large number of enquiries for cakes we are unable to ‘pencil in’ any orders and we do not offer any credit services for payments after delivery.
We will turn down all other customer enquiries from the moment you make a booking with us and therefore deposits are non refundable and non transferrable under all circumstances, regardless of the notice given or the reason for cancellation.
Order Date Amendments
Changes to your order collection or delivery date more than 24 hours either side of the initial agreed date are rarely possible owing to other work commitments we will have planned in around your order. If you wish to amend your order date please contact us as soon as possible but we aware that changes cannot be guaranteed. If we are unable to amend your order date, and you are unable to accommodate the original agreed date, your order will be cancelled and your deposit will be non refundable. If you are changing your order date within a month and have already paid your order balance, only 25% of the total order value will be refunded to you when we are unable to make the new date.
Any order date amendments over 24 hours either side of the initial agreed date will be classed as an order cancellation and a new order will need to be placed. The deposit from your first order placed is non refundable in this case and a new deposit will need to be left for your new order or if it is under a month away payment in full will be taken to secure it. We are unable to guarantee new order dates will be possible as other customers may have already booked these.
Order Design Amendments
We work hard to provide you with a clear design idea and cost before taking your deposit to make sure you are happy to proceed. Once you have booked, we will reserve the required amount time in our schedule to make that specific cake design, which will vary greatly depending on how labour intensive your order is. If you wish to amend your order in any way please let us know as soon as possible but bear in mind there may not be capacity to make a design that is more time heavy as it will depend on what else is booked in. We will also re quote you on design additions and amendments and normal payment terms for the increased labour/materials apply.
Order reductions or down sizing may not be for more than 20% of the original order value as we will have turned down other customer orders for the time we had booked out to make your specific order, and the time that would have taken.
Delivery & Collection
Your delivery time bracket will be discussed with you before taking your order and following this changes cannot be guaranteed as our staff drive cakes and often work on a tight schedule. We will always take photos of your cake(s) when they are delivered and/or set up at your address or venue and are not responsible for any damages that occur after our safe delivery.
If you are not in to take your delivery as arranged or if it is refused on site or by the venue, or if it is not possible for us to make your delivery for any reason outside of our control, your cakes will be left in the most secure place we can find at the time and you will be notified of this by email or telephone. We are not liable for any damages or losses and no refunds or compensation in part or in full will be given under these circumstances.
We will provide you with specific times for collection at the time of ordering to make sure these are suitable for you and also within our working shop hours for that specific day. Our working hours vary therefore changes to collection times may not be possible. If you do not turn up for your collection before shop closing time no refunds will be given.
On collecting your order the cake/cakes will be shown to you by our staff. The staff you are collecting from may not be the same as those who took or made your order therefore it is your responsibility to check that it is made as expected. We are unable to provide any refunds partial or in full regarding any issue that is brought to our attention after collection.
When transporting, cakes must never be placed on a tilted seat or held on laps unless completely flat. They must always be transported on a flat surface and driven with the utmost care. We take no responsibility for damages to cakes after they leave our possession. If you are unsure about your ability to transport your cake safely you can ask us for a quote for delivery. All deliveries are subject to availability.
If you are sending somebody to collect the cake on your behalf it is your responsibility to inform them of the above information.
Cake Classes
Once you have booked a class the space is held for you. Like anything with limited seating capacity, we lose money providing new places on future classes for no-shows therefore in this case no refunds or new class dates will be given.
We have a very limited capacity on our cake classes. Owing to the losses we suffer as a result of people cancelling and moving at shorter notice periods, we have a sliding scale of fees to move your dates. This fee is charged per person:
3 weeks notice or more – free of charge to move classes
2-3 weeks notice – £10 fee
1-2 weeks notice – £15 fee
1 week – 1 days notice – £20 fee
You must let us know in writing by email as soon as you know you need to move your class. If you let us know later than 8am on the day of your class as per the above schedule, this will be deemed a no-show and we will be unable to provide a new class or refund.
If you know you can’t make a class but are unable to commit to a new date right away, or none currently listed on the website suit you, the value of your class will be converted to a voucher and you will have 6 months to use this credit after which it will expire.
When you move classes, any loyalty discount you have received off the cost of the class will be carried forward. If you choose to change to a different class of a higher value, the same loyalty discount you received will be applied to the balance to be paid. If you choose to attend a different class of a lesser value, your credit will be transferred to a gift voucher and can be redeemed on any future class within 6 months.
No refunds on classes will be given under any circumstances, only rescheduling options as detailed above unless we cancel a class in which case you will be offered the choice of a refund or to reschedule.
The Gourmet Cake Company
4 Eckersley Road, Chelmsford, UK
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