C O M P L A I N T S   P O L I C Y   &   P R O C E D U R E

In the unlikely event that you need to make a complaint about your cake or service received, the following policy and procedures will apply to all bookings. The procedures stated below must be followed in order that your complaint may be fully investigated and resolved.

TO MAKE A COMPLAINT
Contact The Berkshire Bakesmith in writing at all times in respect of complaints by email. Complaints will not be discussed in person, over social media or over the telephone. Please note that The Berkshire Bakesmith does work with a legal advisor and they may be copied in to any complaints where deemed appropriate.

COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE VISUAL APPEARANCE OF YOUR CAKE
Your acceptance of the finished cake is final. Acceptance of the finished cake is made by:

• Responding to the correspondence containing photos of the finished cake without complaint
• Not responding to the correspondence containing photos of the finished cake
• Accepting the finished cake at the time of delivery
  

Upon receipt of the photo/s of your finished cake, you must notify The Berkshire Bakesmith immediately by email if you are not happy for any reason with your finished cake. Before delivery of your cake, if you are unhappy with the finished design of your cake, the following procedures will apply depending on the reason for your complaint:

• If the visual appearance of the cake is not satisfactory due to a poor standard of finish or is not accordance with the cake design selected at the time of booking, you must notify The Berkshire Bakesmith immediately by email and The Berkshire Bakesmith will remedy the issues, whilst adhering to the design of cake booked at the time of ordering. Please note that The Berkshire Bakesmith cannot guarantee each cake will be created identically to any inspiration photos provided as each cake created is a bespoke piece of edible art. Please note that all design sketches are rough designs only and these are the basis of the cakes created, colours may have some differences in edible colours to a pencil sketch. If you are in any doubt about the colours or style of the final cake design, these must be clarified at the time of booking. These cannot be altered once the cake is complete.
• If you are requesting additional decorations to be added to the cake once it has been completed, The Berkshire Bakesmith will accommodate these wherever possible, at an additional cost for time and ingredients. This will depend on the time frame you have allowed for the alterations and the availability of The Berkshire Bakesmith and any ingredients required being readily available to complete your request.
  
• If the cake has been created to the specification requested at the time of placing the order, The Berkshire Bakesmith is under no obligation to alter the finished design of the cake and the full remaining balance of the cake is payable prior to delivery of your finished cake. If you choose to not pay the remaining balance, the cake will remain the property of The Berkshire Bakesmith and your booking payment will not be refunded.
• If during the ordering process you granted The Berkshire Bakesmith artistic license to complete the cake design using their professional skill and knowledge, The Berkshire Bakesmith is under no obligation to alter the finished design of the cake and the full remaining balance of the cake is payable prior to delivery of your finished cake. If you choose to not pay the remaining balance, the cake will remain the property of The Berkshire Bakesmith and your booking payment will not be refunded.
• If you have changed your mind on the design of the cake once it has been completed by The Berkshire Bakesmith, no alterations will be made and the full remaining balance of the cake is payable prior to delivery of your finished cake. If you choose to not pay the remaining balance, the cake will remain the property of The Berkshire Bakesmith and your booking payment will not be refunded.

COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE EDIBLE QUALITY OF YOUR CAKE
If you are unhappy with the edible quality of your cake for any reason, you must notify The Berkshire Bakesmith in writing by email within 48 hours of delivery with photos of the inside of your cake. The remnants of the cake will be collected and inspected. If the cake is deemed to be faulty in any way upon inspection, The Berkshire Bakesmith will provide an appropriate refund only if 75% of the cake has remained unconsumed and is returned to The Berkshire Bakesmith. The Berkshire Bakesmith reserves the right to determine any relevant refund according to the amount of cake that has been consumed once the cake has deemed to be faulty upon inspection by The Berkshire Bakesmith.

No refunds will be given for cakes that are not deemed to be faulty upon inspection, or where the cake cannot be inspected by The Berkshire Bakesmith within 48 hours of the original delivery.

SAFE HANDLING & TRANSPORTATION OF YOUR CAKE
If the cake has been damaged during delivery, The Berkshire Bakesmith will not deliver the cake and repair any damage before re-delivering.

Please note that The Berkshire Bakesmith accepts no responsibility for any damage caused during onward journeys you may make with your cake after delivering the cake.

Please note that The Berkshire Bakesmith accepts no responsibility for the safe handling of your cake once delivery has been made.

CUSTOMER SERVICE COMPLAINTS
If you have any complaints about the customer service you received during your interaction with The Berkshire Bakesmith, please contact us by email as soon as possible in order that these may be amicably resolved.

Complaints Policy & Procedure Updated on 4th August 2020