Vent: A local bakery's 'apology' for a moldy cake just made things worse

I ordered a birthday cake from Sweet Hearth Bakery in Portland last Friday. When we cut into it, there was visible green mold along one whole side. I emailed them photos on Saturday morning. Their first reply, sent Monday, said 'sometimes natural ingredients look different' and offered a 10% off coupon for next time. After I posted the photos on my town's Facebook group, they finally called me Tuesday to say they would 'look into their fridge temps'. No refund, just more excuses. Has anyone else had a brand try to explain away a clear health issue instead of just fixing it?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret_gonzalez254h ago

That's the part that gets me, how they tried to gaslight you about the mold. "Natural ingredients look different" is such a wild thing to say to a customer with photo proof. It shows they care more about protecting their image than fixing a real problem that could make someone sick. Why is a refund so hard for them to do, do they think people will just forget?

finleyh894h ago

Exactly, that gaslighting attempt is the real red flag... it means they knew it was wrong and tried to talk their way out of it instead of doing the right thing. A simple refund and a real apology would have cost them one cake, but this bad word of mouth will cost them way more. They're betting people won't make a fuss, which makes you wonder how often this happens and gets brushed under the rug.