Velvet Cakes London
Terms & Conditions
Full terms & conditions for Velvet Cakes London are detailed below. By making an initial payment it will be deemed that the terms are understood and accepted as applying to your order.
Payment Conditions
Quote
Celebration cakes
Following your consultation/enquiry for celebration cakes and other bakes, your quote is valid for 48 hours. Paying your initial payment (see below) secures this price and prevents any further price increases, except in exceptional circumstances beyond our control e.g., exceptional fuel price increases etc.
Wedding Cakes
Following your consultation/enquiry for wedding cakes, your quote is valid for 5 days. Paying your initial payment (see below) secures this price & prevents any further price increases, except in exceptional circumstances beyond our control e.g., exceptional fuel price increases etc.
Initial Payments
Celebration cakes
A non-refundable initial payment of 50% (total of the cake & delivery price, if being delivered) is required in order to secure the commission of your cake and chosen date with Velvet Cakes London. If the cost is less than £50, payment must be paid in full to secure the booking. Celebration cake dates are held for 48 hours following quotation.
Wedding Cakes
A non-refundable initial payment of 30% (total of the cake and delivery price) is required in order to secure the commission of your cake and chosen date with Velvet Cakes London. Wedding dates are held for 5 days following delivery of quotation. After the specified time the date is opened and therefore availability is not guaranteed.
Final payments
Final payments for celebration cakes and other bakes are due 72 hours before the final date your cake is due.
Final payments for wedding cakes are due 2 weeks before the final date your wedding cake is due.
Save The Date
If you wish to secure the date, without yet having a cake design and final price, a £50 payment can be made.
For celebration cakes, the design and final price will be agreed at least a month before the date of your event. Once a full quotation and price and been received and agreed on, the remainder 50% initial payment is then due (unless less than the £50 already payment). Full payment will be made 72 hours before your chosen date.
For wedding cakes, the design and final price will be agreed 3 months before the wedding date. Once a full quotation has been received and agreed on, the remainder of the 30% initial payment is then due. Full payment will then be due no later than 2 weeks before the wedding date.
Consultations
Wedding cake consultations are available, including a taster box, which can be arranged at a mutually agreed venue, date and time. It is complimentary if an initial payment has been made, otherwise a cost of £30 is payable in advance. This cost is deducted from the total cake amount should you go on to book. (Value of £300 or more).
Hire of cake stands, macaron towers and cupcakes towers.
These can be hired at the time of booking, on receipt of a returnable deposit. The deposit will be returned on receipt of the equipment in the condition it was hired, and must be within one week of hire, unless otherwise agreed in writing with Velvet Cakes London.
Payment
Payment should be made by bank transfer; proof of payment will need to be sent via email. A receipt or email will be sent to you confirming that we have received your payment.
Payment may be made by cash if previously discussed and agreed.
Late Payments
If your Initial payment is not paid within 48 hours (10 days for wedding cakes) of quoting then we reserve the right to cancel any previous arrangements. If full payment is not received and cleared in our account before the event then the order will not be released.
Privacy Policy and Acceptable use policy
Personal data and other information provided by you is subject to our Privacy Policy and shall only be used in accordance with it. For more information, please go to our Privacy Policy, which can be found on our website: www.velvetcakeslondon.co.uk
Limitation of Liability
- We are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our negligence or our breach of the Terms, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Loss or damage is foreseeable if it is an obvious consequence of our breach or if it was contemplated by you and us at the time we entered into this contract.
- Exceptions to Limitation of Liability Our liability does not exclude or limit in any way:
- i) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;
- ii) death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors;
Cancellation
Before we begin to provide the services, you have the following rights to cancel our services:
- a) Subject to clause d) below, you may cancel any order for services at any time within 14 days of the date of our email confirmation of your order and initial payment. Cancellation must be made in writing by email. We will confirm your cancellation in writing to you;
- b) if you cancel an Order and you have made any payment in advance for services that have not been provided to you, we will refund these amounts to you;
- c) however, if you cancel an order for services and we have already started providing the services by that time, you will pay us any costs we have reasonably incurred in providing part of the services, and this charge will be deducted from any refund that is due to you or, if no refund is due to you, invoiced to you. We will tell you what these costs are when you contact us. However, where you have cancelled an order because of our failure to comply with these Terms (except where we have been affected by an Event Outside Our Control), you do not have to make any payment to us.
- d) If we have completed providing the services, you have no right to cancel, even if this is within 14 days of our email confirmation of your order.
Celebration Cakes
If cancellation takes place less than 72 hours before the event of booking, we reserve to cover 100% of the value will be retained to cover costs of the production of the cake.
Wedding Cakes
If cancellation takes place less than 2 weeks before the event of the booking then we reserve the right to keep 75% of the total price, or if cancellation occurs 7 days prior then 100% of the value will be retained to cover the costs of production of the cake.
Cancellation must be made by email to Velvet Cakes London and will only be deemed to take effect from the date your email is received and acknowledged. If you postpone the event, we will endeavour to transfer your order providing the date is suitable for ourselves, otherwise it shall be treated as a cancellation.
Should there occur very unusual circumstances beyond our control, such as fire, bereavement or ill health, we will endeavour to engage another baker on our behalf from within our network. In the unlikely event that this is not possible, we will refund all payments in full.
Design Condition
Alterations & Changes
It is your responsibility to read and check the quote thoroughly; any amendments should be made in writing by email. If requested, we will endeavour to adjust the design where possible, but sometimes this is not possible according to the nature of the request or amount of notice given. If the alteration affects the cost, or preparation work for the original design has already been undertaken, then your balance will be adjusted accordingly. Please warn us when you pay your deposit, if you are undecided on the design. Velvet Cakes London reserves the right to charge 75% of the initial quoted price should any changes or alterations reduce the final cost to less than 75% of the original price.
Any cake ordered from a picture or photo of a cake produced by any other cake maker, can only be reproduced as our interpretation of that cake and will not be an exact reproduction of the cake in the picture or photo.
Please note any changes deemed considerable that alter the original design will result in a change of price.
Chocolate
We recommend extreme caution if you are considering a cake decorated with chocolate for a summer event (May-September). We cannot accept responsibility for any melting of the cake once it has left our possession, as we have no control over the environmental / venue temperature. We can however advise you of designs that are less susceptible to melting and do everything within our control to reduce the impact on the cake.
Allergies & Special Dietary Requirements
Special Diets
Please discuss with us if any of your guests have special dietary requirements. Cakes can be made gluten free / egg free / vegan / alcohol free / without nuts by request. Please be aware that although these ingredients can be removed from the cakes, they are still used in our kitchens so we cannot guarantee that any of our cakes are completely free of all traces for people who are highly sensitive.
Non-Edible Items
Most cakes contain small proportions of inedible items, it is the client’s responsibility to ensure these are removed by yourself/ caterer/guests before consumption e.g., support dowels in tiered cakes, ribbon, wires in sugar flowers.
Delivery Conditions
Delivery charge
Delivery charge is calculated on a mileage and time basis. If you choose delivery, it is our intention that your cake will be delivered in perfect condition prior to the start of your event. However, we ask for patience with factors that may be beyond our control (e.g., traffic conditions) as we cannot be held liable for any such delays. In some circumstances, we may recommend the cake is delivered 1 day in advance. It is your responsibility to inform us of the correct date and address you would the cake delivered. For timings, we will try to deliver as close to your desired time however a 3-hour window will be agreed on beforehand. Tiered cakes will always be delivered as they will need to be stacked correctly at the venue. If you choose to collect the cake, we will not be held liable for any damage to the cake once it has left our premises.
For wedding cakes, it is your responsibility to ensure you inform us of your correct ceremony and reception time plus the address and postcode of the venue.
In the unlikely event of late delivery, the maximum compensation will be a refund of the delivery price. We cannot be held liable for any damage that is rendered to the cake at the venue once we have left the premises. It is with this in mind that we require somebody responsible, to check that they are happy with the cake before we leave.
Late requests for delivery (after securing the booking based on collection) will take priority.
Cake Set up
Celebrations cakes
Most celebration cakes will be collected or delivered and will not require any type of set up, this will be for the customer to set up as they see appropriate. For tiered celebration cakes, we will require time to set up at your chosen location.
Weddings
It is the client’s responsibility to ensure arrangements are made for the cake table, linen, cake stand & knife, although we will liaise with you and the venue beforehand to check these will be in place on our arrival. If any delay is incurred due to these not being set-up, we reserve the right to charge for any delay incurred (labour costs at £25 per hour, plus any compensation required to pay to other brides whose wedding cake delivery has been delayed as a result) or leave the cake with the event manager to assemble / move into position as appropriate. Please take extra care to ensure a stable cake table if you are having a marquee wedding, as surrounding floor boards can easily rock the cake once stood on.
Travelling, Storage & Consumption
Damage
Please remember that cake decorations are very delicate items, and we cannot accept responsibility for damage that is done to the cake after it has left our possession. We will always ask you to check the cake once it has been collected/delivered to ensure you are happy with the condition. On occasions we will ask the venue or a family member to sign a document to state the cake has been set up/left in ‘good’ condition.
If any damage is rendered to the cake after it has left our possession, we will always try our best to repair any damage, however this may not always be possible. Any additional costs which occur due to repairs will be costed accordingly, including transport costs if appropriate.
Travelling
If you are collecting the cake, please make sure the air con in your vehicle is on for at least 20 minutes before arriving to collect your cake. Please carry your cake from underneath, using both hands to keep the cake upright and level. The cake should be placed in the passenger footwell or the boot ensuring that there are no loose items that could fall on the cake. We cannot accept responsibility for damage that is done to the cake after it has left our possession.
Storage
Once your cake has been collected/delivered, your cake needs to be stored the correct way in order for it remain stable and as fresh as possible. For fondant covered cakes, we advise you to keep your cake in the box provided in a cool room, away from any type of heat source. For buttercream cakes, we normally advise you to keep the cake in a cool room away from heat and direct sun light. In warmer weather, we may advise you to store your cake in the fridge. We advise you to take your cake out of the fridge an hour before cutting in order to get it back to room temperature.
Best Before Date
Your cake is baked to ensure it is fresh for the date of your event. We will always advise that cakes are best consumed 48 hours after your event. Our cakes are made entirely of natural ingredients, so we’d like to remind you that because of this they will not have the extended shelf life of most supermarket cakes, which contain additives and preservatives to ensure their prolonged life. Cakes should be stored in an airtight container to retain freshness. In warmer weather, we will advise you to store your cakes in the fridge.
Complaints
If you have concerns about your cake, please notify us upon delivery / inspection so that we have the opportunity to address any concerns in time for your event.
For wedding cakes, we highly recommend a member of the family / event manager as the designated point for the day, to help ensure all runs smoothly. All other concerns should be made in writing, and evidence of the fault should be included. A refund is only given if the uneaten cakes are returned, and are unsuitable for consumption / not as described in the written quote. No refunds are given due to change of mind. In the unlikely event of late delivery (defined as delivery after the start of the wedding breakfast or reception), the maximum compensation will be a refund of the delivery price. We ask for patience with factors that may be beyond our control (e.g., traffic conditions) as we cannot be held liable for any such delays. We pride ourselves on our personal yet professional service. Thank you for using our services. Please note all complaints must be received within a maximum period of 24 hours after the cake has been collected or delivered.
January 2025