Full terms & conditions for Sparkles Cakes are detailed below.
By paying your deposit it will be deemed that the terms and conditions are understood and accepted as applying to your order.
Payment conditions
Prices
All prices are non-negotiable and priced according to your exact design and the size of your cake and additional items. Following your consultation / enquiry, your quote is valid for up to 1 month (Wedding Cakes) or 14 Days (Celebration Cakes). Paying your deposit will secure this price & the slot in the diary.
Deposits
A non-refundable 20% (for wedding orders) or 50% (for celebration orders) deposit of the total quote (cake, accessories & delivery price) is required in order to secure your order on your chosen date with Sparkles Cakes. A verbal agreement only will not secure your order.
If your deposit is not paid within 1 month (for wedding orders) or 14 days (for celebration orders) we reserve the right to cancel any previous arrangements., verbal or otherwise.
Cheques are not an accepted payment method for the final payment but can be used to pay your deposit as long as this is done more than 2 months prior to your required final payment date. This gives enough time for the cheque to clear or to resolve any issues with the cheque payment that may arise.
Cheques should be made payable to Sparkles Cakes
Bank transfer payment should be made to Sparkles Cakes, Lloyds, Sort Code 30- 95-42 Account no 00101000. Please email us with confirmation of transfer in order to prompt acknowledgement of the payment.
Final payment for your wedding order is required no later than 7 days before the collection/ delivery date. It is your responsibility to remember to send this payment, as a reminder invoice is not issued.
Final payment for your celebration order can be made on the day of collection (card or cash in store).
If full payment is not received in store and/or cleared in our account before your order is due for collection / delivery, then the order will not be released.
Cheques cannot be used as payment method for the final payment.
Cancellation
If cancellation of an order takes place, we reserve the right to retain your non-refundable 50% deposit. If cancellation takes place less than 7 days before the event, then we reserve the right to seek 100% of the order value.
Cancellation must be made in writing (by email or letter) to Sparklescakes@ntlworld.com or the store address (586 Broadway, Chadderton, Oldham, OL9 9NF) and will only be deemed to take effect from the date your letter/email is received at our premises.
If you postpone the event we will endeavour to transfer your order providing you inform us in writing a minimum of 1 week prior to your original completion date is due and subject to us being able to accommodate your new date/venue/time etc., otherwise it shall be treated as a cancellation (see above).
We retain the right to cancel the booking in very unusual circumstances beyond our control, such as fire, ill health or verbal, physical or mental abuse from any member of your party, during which we will refund any money taken in full.
Alteration & changes
It is your responsibility to read & check the quote thoroughly; any amendments to design should be made in writing or in store with a senior member of staff.
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 that has already been undertaken, then your balance will be adjusted accordingly. Please warn us if you are undecided on your final design or may need to check on any details after securing your order with your deposit.
We reserve the right to change the design at any point if circumstances beyond our control may compromise the quality of the finished cake, e.g. melting due to weather, display table at venue will not accommodate original design structure safely, breach of copy right etc.
Each cake is made individually by hand, so although every effort is made to ensure consistency, a small amount of variation may occur from the design requested / picture supplied. This will affect any copy right infringements your original design/picture may have.
Chocolate
We recommend extreme caution if you are considering a chocolate items or cake decorated with chocolate for a summer or abroad event (May-September for UK events). We cannot accept responsibility for any melting of the cake or items once it has left our possession, as we have no control over the environment / 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.
Home baked cakes
We understand the sentimental significance of having a family member bake your cake but as we cannot guarantee anything about this product we cannot decorate it for you. We do however sell a range of product for you to decorate your cake yourself if you wish.
Flowers
If your cake requires fresh flowers, then these are not included in the price. We can work with your florist but expect you to make all the necessary arrangements with the florists. Please note Sparkles cakes are not responsible for any problems with your fresh flowers.
We cannot take responsibility for any damage rendered to the cake caused by a floral arrangement that was implemented by your florist or venue.
If fresh flowers are used, the cake will be set-up as late as feasibly possible to ensure their freshness throughout the day, but depending on the varieties used & the weather conditions at the time, it may be necessary to cut the cake relatively early on in the proceedings to ensure their freshness for the photography.
Allergies & special dietary requirements
Please discuss with us if you or any of your guests have special dietary requirements. Cakes can be made gluten free / egg free and alcohol free but other ingredient may contain these product e.g. icing contains egg albumin.
Please be aware that although ingredients such as nuts can be removed from the cakes, they are still used in our kitchen so we cannot guarantee that any of our cakes are completely free of them.
Materials used
It may be necessary to produce items for your cake which need to be structurally sound. Handmade icing flowers, plaques, models, figures etc. (made from and/or modelling pastes) and additional none edible items (such as model bikes, glasses, shoes etc.). These will be made (where necessary) with the appropriate food grade materials.
Non-edible items
Most cakes contain small proportions of inedible items; it is the client’s responsibility to ensure these are removed by your caterer/guests before consumption e.g. support dowels in tiered cakes, fascinators, ribbons, wires in sugar flowers, crystals, flower picks & flower tape etc.
Some flowers (e.g. Ivy) are poisonous and not suitable for use on food products, you should notify your flower supplier of your intention to use the flowers on food to ensure that non-poisonous flowers are used.
Delivery conditions
Delivery charges are calculated on a mileage and time basis. Alternatively, cakes/accessories can be collected from our premises.
If you choose delivery, it is our intention that your order 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, balloon faults) as we cannot be held liable for any such delays. In some circumstances, we may recommend the order be delivered 1 day in advance. It is your responsibility to ensure you inform us of your correct ceremony and event time plus the postcode of the venue/delivery destination. 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 delivery 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 delivery before we leave and/or we will take photographic evidence of the delivery in situ.
If you chose to collect your order, we will not be held liable for any damage to it once it has left our premises. Tiered cakes are most at risk during transport; we highly recommend you check your wedding insurance covers cake damage. To ensure your cake is as fresh as possible, we recommend it be collected the day before the wedding.
Late requests for delivery (after securing the booking based on collection) will be accommodated where possible, but cannot be guaranteed, as earlier delivery commitments must take priority.
Cake setup
It is the client’s responsibility to ensure arrangements are made for the cake table, linen, cake stand & knife, where necessary which should all be set- up prior to 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 / time costs at £20 per hour). Alternatively, please arrange for the cake to be left with the event manager to assemble / move into position as appropriate. Please take extra care to ensure a stable cake table is available if you are having a marquee wedding, as surrounding floorboards can easily rock the cake once stood on.
Storage & consumption
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.
If any damage is rendered to the cake after it has left our possession, then you can advise us and request a repair, which will be costed accordingly, including transport costs if appropriate.
Portion Guide
Our portion guides are intended as a guide only. This will vary dependent upon the shape, type of cake and how the venue cuts the cake.
Best before date & storage conditions
Your cake is baked to ensure it is fresh for the date of your event, we cannot guarantee its quality if it’s consumed more than 48 hours after the 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 same texture, colour or extended shelf life of most supermarket cakes, which contain additives and preservatives to ensure their prolonged life. Freezing the cake will preserve it however upon thawing the quality and texture will decrease due to the breakdown of the particles and the icing may melt due to the sugar absorbing the condensation caused when defrosting.
Food hygiene recommendations recommend that food should only be frozen for a maximum of 3 months
If you plan to keep any of the cakes tiers, please advise us what cake boxes you would like to be left on site (so that you can safely transport them the following day). Otherwise we shall remove all cake boxes from the venue to ensure we leave it as tidy as possible.
Sugar paste cakes should not be refrigerated, as it will cause condensation to form on the surface of the icing. Refrigeration also accelerates the staling of the flour in the cake.
Hire of stands / accessories
If you would like to hire a cake stand or decorations, then a cash deposit is required prior to release.
Deposit amounts vary dependent upon the value of the item being hired.
Please make arrangements to ensure items hired are safely returned to us within 3 days of the hire date.
Once we receive the hired item back we will release the security deposit held subject to no breakages.Any none returns within the dates hired will still be needed to be returns but your deposit will be withheld as this may affect other orders which relayed upon the return of the hired item within the dates agreed. Extended hire periods may be possible but must be agreed with a senior member of staff prior to hiring and may be at a high rate.
Complaints
If you have concerns about your cake, please notify us upon collection / delivery of the cake so that we have the opportunity to rectify it in time for your event. All other concerns should be made in writing and or in person in the store within 24hrs of the item release. Evidence of the fault must be presented. No refunds are given due to change of mind, date, venue or unforeseen circumstances.
In the unlikely event of late delivery, 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.
Refunds are at the discretion of Sparkles Cakes.
We are human and not machines therefore human errors sometimes happen. Know ones perfect! We pride ourselves on our personal yet professional service but any form of abuse or aggression will be reported to the appropriate authorities and recorded on our CCTV if in store.