The Village Cakery Surrey's TERMS & CONDITIONS

THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS DO NOT IN ANY WAY AFFECT YOUR

STATUTORY RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER.

The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and

use only and is subject to change.

Please take a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions as these

form the basis of the contract. Further information can be provided on

request, simply contact The Village Cakery Surrey.

DEPOSIT & PAYMENT POLICY

• Special celebration cakes booked in advance require a minimum deposit of 50% (unless otherwise agreed). All deposits are non-refundable.
• For celebration cakes, final payment will be due ONE WEEK before the delivery / collection date, unless otherwise agreed.
• All orders under £100 are paid for in full and in advance.
• Deposits and full payment can be made via bank transfer or cash.
• When placing an order for wedding cakes, I require a £100 booking fee; this is a non-refundable and non-transferable fee to secure the date you require - and is also to cover the necessary time given to your order prior to your wedding date - this may include some of the following; administration, emails, phone calls, consultations, wedding cake samples etc.
• Final payment for wedding cakes is due no later than ONE MONTH before the wedding date.
• If the final payment is not received a reminder may be sent, if no further payment is made I will consider the order cancelled and the deposit lost.

FOOD ALLERGY DISCLAIMER

The Village Cakery Surrey is NOT an allergy-free kitchen.  We cannot guarantee that our products are free from ingredients that may affect those with food allergies.

• The Village Cakery Surrey recognises the seriousness of food allergies and Irecommend that you contact me before you place an order, to inform me of any food allergies that you or your party may have.
• I reserve the right to decline any orders for clients with serious food allergies.
• The Village Cakery Surrey will not assume any liability for adverse reactions to my products.

The following ingredients are regularly used in my kitchen:

• Milk and a wide variety of other dairy products
• Eggs
• Nuts: peanuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, coconut
• Wheat and gluten
• Please note that some food colourings may have an effect on behaviour in children

DELIVERY POLICY

• Any delivery charge will be explained at the time of ordering.
• Collection of orders is free.
• Please note that all wedding cakes / any cake 3 tiers or more must be delivered to the venue by myself

TRAVELLING WITH THE CAKE

• DO NOT place your cake on a seat in the car - seats are slanted and can thus damage the cake
• The cake should be placed either in the boot or in the foot well of the car, ideally on a non-slip mat. Extra care should be taken when driving as some elements may be delicate.
• The Village Cakery Surrey cannot take any responsibility for damage to cakes when collected and transported by their customers

STORAGE

• All cakes and cupcakes should be placed on a flat surface and stored at cool room temperature in the box provided. They should be kept out of direct sunlight.
• Freezing or refrigerating our cakes or cupcakes is not recommended.
• Please note cupcakes should be consumed within 2 days and cakes within 3 days

CHANGES TO YOUR ORDER

• The Village Cakery Surrey aims to meet your requirements and understands that sometimes situations occur which can result in you wanting to change your order.
• Please contact me as early as possible to ensure any changes can be accommodated
• In general four weeks notice is required for any change and these changes might result in a cost change, depending on the design details.
• Please note a reduction in costs is only allowed up to a maximum of 10%

CAKE STAND HIRE

• Please note all hired items must be returned to me directly in my Leigh Village base within five days of the event.
• Please do not leave any items at the venue unless I have agreed otherwise.
• In cases where a cake stand has not been returned to me within five days, or when it has been lost or damaged, I will issue an invoice for the replacement cost, which is to be paid within 5 days.
• Cake stands if invoiced vary from £40 to £90

FRESH FLOWERS

• I use food safe specialty dry flowers in my designs as well as home grown, free of pesticides, food safe, fresh flowers. These are not a regular feature in finishing our cakes and are highly dependable on the season and the natural growth if the plants. Subject to availability.
• I cannot provide a large enough crop for Wedding Cakes unfortunately
• If a customer would like fresh flowers on their wedding cake, it is the customer’s responsibility to source the florist/flowers, unless specifically agreed with The Village Cakery Surrey
• Once the cake has been set-up at the venue, and has been accepted by the customer, The Village Cakery Surrey does not take any responsibility for any damage to the cake from the fresh flowers, or from the placement of the fresh flowers on the cake
• You, the customer, acknowledge that fresh flowers are not a food product, and may contain pesticides, insects, dirt, or other contaminants
• It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that any fresh flowers displayed on or next to the cake do not contain pesticides and are food-safe (nontoxic).
• The Village Cakery Surrey can take no responsibility for the flowers being food-safe
• There may be a charge for arranging flowers on the cake if you prefer The Village Cakery Surrey to do this, as it requires additional items such as flower picks, flower tape and I will also charge an hourly rate

CHOCOLATE

• I recommend extreme caution if you are considering a cake decorated with chocolate for a summer event (May-September)
• I cannot accept responsibility for any melting of the cake once it has left my possession, as I have no control over the environment or venue temperature
• I can, however, advise you of designs that are less susceptible to melting and do everything within my control to reduce the impact on the cake

NON-EDIBLE ITEMS

• Some cakes contain small proportions of inedible items; it is the client’s responsibility to ensure these are removed by your you, your caterer or guests before consumption
• These can be support dowels in tiered cakes, ribbon, wires in sugar flowers, Swarovski crystals, flower picks & flower tape etc

DESIGN and COLOURS

• You may wish to supply me with sample colours (i.e. ribbon / material) in the case of a Wedding Cake order
• Whilst an exact match cannot be guaranteed, The Village Cakery will endeavour to meet your requirement as far as possible
• This also applies to food colourings, decoration and icings
• I can only create your finished order from what I interpret from the wording of your order; therefore it is vital you check everything is correct.
• Please remember it may not be possible to create exact specifications when modelling food, however I will work with you, using sketches if needs be, to ensure you are happy with the design

THE VILLAGE CAKERY’S PRODUCTS

• Products made by The Village Cakery Surrey are made by hand and accordingly there will be minor variations in appearance.
• All photos, illustrations and descriptions displayed on my page and social media accounts are for guidance purposes only.

PHOTOGRAPHY

• As standard practice I will photograph my cakes and I reserve the right to use any photographs for display or promotion without compensation to you.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Cancellation by the customer:

• If the order is cancelled, your deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable, payment is required for any and all expenses already incurred on behalf of the finished product

• Wedding Cake orders:
• if you cancel within one month of the date, full payment will be retained
• if you cancel within three months of the date: 75% of the full payment will be invoiced
• if you cancel within six months of the date, 50% of the full payment will be invoiced
• This is to cover monies lost as The Village Cakery Surrey will have turned away other business for your order and it is very unlikely I could re-fill the date at such short notice

• Celebration Cake orders:
• if you cancel within seven days of your event, full payment will be invoiced
• If you cancel within two weeks of your event, 50% of the full payment will be retained
• if you cancel within four weeks of your event, 50% of the full payment will be invoiced

• For cancellation of small dessert items and other cakes for events where a deposit has been paid, the deposit payment cannot be used as payment or even part payment for any other order or part of order, unless agreed in writing at the time of booking.

Cancellation by The Village Cakery Surrey:

• I shall not be liable for any failure to perform, where such failure or delay results from any circumstances outside my reasonable control including, but not limited to, any:  fire, flood, explosion, accident, adverse weather conditions, traffic congestion, mechanical breakdown, obstruction of any private or public highway, riot, government act, act of war, terrorism, act of God, or from any industrial dispute or strike whatsoever.
• In the event of exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness, The Village Cakery Surrey will give as much notice as possible if I am unable to fulfil your order.
• I will endeavour to find someone else who can produce your order and will refund you any monies already paid

Postponements:

• In the event that you wish to postpone your wedding, please let me know as soon as possible; your previous booking will be considered cancelled, will be subject to the cancellation policy above and a new booking will be placed for the new date
• If you wish to re-book for a new date this will be subject to a further booking fee to secure the new date.
• All new bookings will be subject to any price increases since the original booking was made
• Any monies paid over the booking fee will be carried over to your new date

COMPLAINTS

Complaints are extremely rare in the world of cakes and I am extremely pleased that The Village Cakery has never had a complaint as at time of writing

• I take pride in the quality of our work and the feedback I receive from my customers confirms this. Therefore I do not accept complaints for not liking the taste of my products simply because individual's tastes differ
• The Village Cakery Surrey is a small local business and cannot afford to refund customers who have simply changed their mind, or if the cake has been damaged out of my care

• All cakes require approval on delivery or collection; accepting the cake indicates you are happy with the product received
• If you are not happy, please ensure you make this known when accepting your cake. This gives me the opportunity to correct any problems
• The Village Cakery Surrey is not responsible for mistakes made by the customer, i.e. incorrect / misspelled names or incorrect choice of cake
• I always keep samples of my products for a reasonable time. In addition, I always take photographs of the cakes prior to delivery or collection
• Should you have a complaint, please be aware that this may require further investigation and an immediate refund may not always be possible
• Cakes and cupcakes must be returned to me within 24 hours to ensure I am able to fairly assess the nature of the complaint
• The cake must have been stored at the correct temperature and in the box I supplied - out of the sun and away from damp conditions or heat.
• If you are complaining for a refund or a replacement, you must return at least 85% of the uneaten product within 24 hours of its original delivery.
• Please note icing may crack as it dries out, this is out of my control and why I recommend you consume your cake as soon as it is cut.
• For Wedding Cake orders I can offer a tasting service for a small fee, which allows you the opportunity to taste my products should you wish to do so prior to ordering

ACCEPTANCE OF WEDDING CAKE UPON COLLECTION or DELIVERY

• In the case of large orders and wedding cakes, customers will be asked to sign a sheet that will state the following:
• I confirm that this cake has been collected / delivered (delete as applicable) in good and undamaged condition
• no responsibility can be taken by The Village Cakery Surrey for any subsequent damage once the cake has been handed over to the customer or venue
• The Village Cakery Surrey will not be liable should the customer believe there are any problems with the cake once it has been accepted, this includes design, colour, signage, toppers and decoration pieces

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