Question 1

General Terms and Conditions

Accepted Answer

The following terms and conditions are subject to change and are accessible on our website at all times.
Payment of your deposit or full cake price, indicates the Client accepts the Terms and conditions outlined below:
Cake by Susanne certifies the following:
The cake provided has been prepared in a Council Registered and appropriately insured kitchen.
Cake by Susanne holds public liability insurance for $20M which specifically covers cake activities including the setup of a cake at a venue and floral application as part of our cake decorating activities.
A food safety supervisor is on site at all times in the Cake by Susanne studio.
The cake provided has been created in accordance with the required Australian Food Safety Standards.
The cake provided has been created in accordance with the current QLD Government COVID safe plan for the Wedding and Hospitality Industry.
All staff employed by Cake by Susanne have completed appropriate food safety qualifications.
All staff employed by Cake by Susanne have completed additional COVID-19 Hospitality Best Practice Training.
Delivery: The cake provided has been transported in a sealed box in a refrigerated carrier.
Pickup: Cakes picked up from our studio have been appropriately packaged for transport on a flat surface by our clients.
Any flowers or adornments applied to the cake have been applied by Cake by Susanne in accordance with food safety standards and in line with our insurance requirements.
Cake by Susanne does not take responsibility for the following:
The condition of the cake following successful setup of the cake onsite. This includes any damage incurred at the venue by a guest, caterer or any other supplier not employed by Cake by Susanne.
Clients collecting their cake are responsible for the safe delivery of their cake. Cake by Susanne does not accept responsibility for damage to the cake once collected.
Inappropriate storage or display of the cake by the client or venue following completed pickup or delivery.
Decorative or floral application by a client, provider, vendor or venue employee as this poses a serious food safety risk.
The condition of the cake where the cake is setup in an outdoor environment. This includes but is not limited to environmental factors such as unstable ground, undesirable atmospheric items (incl but not limited to sun, wind, dirt, leaves, branches, rain), insects or other wildlife.
Handling or serving of the cake by clients or venue staff where appropriate food safety standards are not met.
Handling or display of the cake by venue staff where it is not in accordance with the QLD Government COVID safe plan for the Wedding Industry. To ensure compliance, Cake by Susanne offers its wedding clients a fully enclosed Perspex box to allow their cake to be displayed in a safe and compliant manner.
Handling or display of the cake by clients where it is not in accordance with the QLD Government COVID safe requirements.
Contamination of the cake by the venue or clients when serving.

Question 2

How much notice do I require to book a cake?

Accepted Answer

Celebration cakes
We generally prefer 2-3 weeks notice for all our celebration cakes. This allows us sufficient time to order supplies especially where other suppliers are involved. We can often accommodate last minute bookings however there are generally restrictions around what we can produce last minute.
 
Wedding Cakes
3-6 months notice is generally required as we only take 2 bookings a weekend which means we have limited wedding availability.

Question 3

What is required to book a cake?

Accepted Answer

Celebration cakes:
For orders over $250 a 25% non-refundable deposit is required to secure your booking.
 
Wedding cakes:
All wedding cakes require a non-refundable deposit of 25% to secure your booking date. This is due to the very small number of wedding bookings we take each year.

Question 4

Final Payment

Accepted Answer

Celebration Cakes
As most of our celebration cakes are collected from our studio, we are happy to accept payment on pickup by credit card or cash. For larger custom cake designs (greater than $150) final payment is required 7 days prior to collection.
 
Wedding Cakes
All bridal orders need to be finalised 7 days prior to your event. This allows us sufficient time to purchase your ingredients and prepare your cake for your big day. If payment is not made by the due date, we will not commence work on your cake.

Question 5

Cancellations and Postponement

Accepted Answer

We understand that life happens. In the event of a cancellation please let us know as soon as possible, we are a small single person business that takes limited orders so a single order cancellation greatly impacts our business and our family.
 
CELEBRATION CAKES:
Cancellations for cakes less than the value of $250 up to 7 days prior to your event will not incur a penalty. Where the cake value is over $250 and a deposit has been paid, this will be offered as a credit note against future orders . It your cake is cancelled within 7-3 days of your event you will forfeit 25% of the value of your cake or your full deposit regardless of the value of the cake order. All cakes cancelled within 3 days of your event will require full payment. Postponement will not incur a penalty and we will endeavour to rebook your cake for your desired date.
COVID TERMS FOR CELEBRATION CAKES: Due to the uncertain nature of events at present, we have amended our terms to allow the opportunity to cancel or postpone your event due to a QLD GOVT COVID directive up to 3 days of your event date ( ie for a Saturday event, cancellation must be made by no later than 9am on Wednesday) and no penalty will be incurred. Where a cake is cancelled or postponed WITHIN 3 DAYS of your event, FULL PAYMENT will be required as this is the point at which we incur costs for ingredients and labour, as will have commenced baking and preparing your cake.
Where a cake is postponed due to QLD GOVT COVID directives (prior to 3 days of your event), we will do everything we can to meet your new event date. If we are unfortunately booked out we will refund your celebration cake deposit (less the cost of any personalised items such as toppers or cookie embossers which you will be welcome to collect) or offer your balance as a credit against a future booking.
WEDDING CAKES:
All wedding cakes require a 25% NON-REFUNDABLE deposit as we take limited orders for our wedding services. If you need to reschedule your wedding we will make every endeavour to accommodate this where we can. All cancellations will forfeit your deposit. If you have paid your balance in full, we are happy to provide the balance as a credit against a future cake.
COVID TERMS FOR WEDDING CAKES: Due to the uncertain nature of events at present, we have amended our terms to allow the opportunity to postpone your event due to a QLD GOVT COVID directive up to 3 days of your event date (ie for a Saturday event, cancellation must be made by no later than 9am on Wednesday). If your event is postponed inside 3 days due to a QLD Govt Directive, we will determine the costs incurred at the point of postponement and only additionally charge for perishable costs incurred ie cake ingredients, flowers etc, we will not charge for our time incurred, should your cake be baked and stacked, you will be welcome to collect this.
Postponement: Where a wedding is postponed to another date within 14 days of your event date, your deposit and/or balance will be credited against your new wedding date. We do reserve the right to re-quote your cake based on the new event date due to shifts in supplier costs.

Question 6

Refunds

Accepted Answer

In the case of an error on our part or an issue with your delivery we will take every measure possible to rectify the situation. If you are unhappy with your cake for any reason, please call us immediately to allow us the opportunity to resolve the issue. If you would like a refund, we require the cake to be returned to us, the next business day, as proof that your cake was not used for your event. If we are unable to rectify the issue, we will happily discuss the refund of your payment.
We take the creation of our cakes very seriously and the happiness of our clients is incredibly important to us. In some instances, we do need to make creative changes to your design for the sake of stability, structural integrity or availability of adornments especially flowers. Please note the colour and design of your cake may vary due to the nature of edible items and availability of floral components.

Question 7

Cake Changes

Accepted Answer

Changes to your order will be accepted up to 2 weeks prior to your event. We cannot guarantee changes after this timeframe.

Question 8

Fresh Flowers

Accepted Answer

We are happy to work with flowers provided by your florist however arrangements must be made to have these flowers available for placement on your cake when we arrive onsite or provided to our studio. We require all flowers to be wet wrapped, unwired and uncut. We DO NOT allow placement of flowers on our cakes by other suppliers as this can compromise the look, and ultimately the food safety of our product. Whilst we ensure your flowers are prepared in a safe and hygienic manner and in line with our insurance policy, you acknowledge that fresh flowers are not a food product and may contain pesticides, insects, dirt or other contaminants especially where we are not responsible for sourcing these ourselves.

Question 9

Allergy Cakes

Accepted Answer

We offer a variety of cakes that cater for allergies. We will always ensure these are created in an approved food safe environment however all our cakes are prepared in a kitchen that handles allergens and hence we can only guarantee these by ingredient and cannot guarantee the possibility of cross contamination. We can also not be held responsible for how the cake is served by your venue or host.

Question 10

Hiring and Returning Items

Accepted Answer

If your cake requires hired equipment such as cake stands, serving boards or cake knives a security deposit of $50 is required. We will return your security deposit when the equipment is returned cleaned and in its original condition within 7 days of your event. If you are unable to return the equipment within this timeframe, please contact us or you will forfeit your security deposit.
COVID Boxes for weddings: We currently have 2 large Perspex boxes available for use by our wedding couples. These boxes allow for your cake to be displayed at your wedding in a COVID safe environment. These boxes require a $100 deposit and need to be returned within 48 hours or within an agreed timeframe as we need to recycle these boxes for other events. We ask for you complete cooperation and understanding as these boxes are in high demand.

Question 11

Delivery and Pickup

Accepted Answer

Delivery is required for all cakes over 2 tiers. Delivery costs are priced based on delivery time, tolls and accessibility to your venue.
 
If you are collecting your cake, please make arrangements to collect the cake at a specified time. We are a home based business so please respect our family time, and arrive in a timely manner. Prior to arrival also ensure that your cake can be transported on a FLAT surface in your vehicle. We can happily advise how best to transport your cake. All cakes will come boxed ready for transportation.