Terms & Conditions

The Gingerbread Lady Terms and Conditions 2020

Ordering Process

  1. We accept orders via email and WhatsApp only. We advise all clients who call or come in for personal consultation to send through and order via email or WhatsApp so there is a paper trail of the order so for in the case of any mistakes, we can track where the problem was, to better our quality and service for you.
  2. We require at least 4 days notice for all orders, bar if we can squeeze a small order in before that time. This ensures we have the time to fulfill all clients orders as per their personalized needs. Wedding orders need to be placed at least 4-6 weeks before the time so we can secure the day, making sure your wedding is as stress free as possible. 
  3. There is no minimum order amount, however when it comes to custom products/colours, there is a minimum order of 10 per item. 

Designs

  1. We accept custom cake orders. Please keep in mind when sending us reference photos, or choosing something from our website, that no two cakes are the same and we endeavor to make the cake as close as possible to the reference. Please be very clear on any changes or additional details you need, so that we can make your dream cake a reality. 
  2. We will endeavor to best replicate a cake found online, however, we cannot make any guarantees the cake will be identical to the photo. We will replicate to the best of our ability. 
  3. Please make sure you give us as much detail/reference to the cake you have in mind so we can create your dream cake. Should you not have references or are not sure of what you would like, we can design a cake for you with the guidelines you give us. 
  4. All cakes will have a design sent beforehand for you to approve, ensuring we are on the same page after discussing your design. This will not be necessary for cakes chosen from our menus, unless other detailing and work is needed on the cake.
  5. Occasionally for our monthly and seasonal special promotional advertisements, we use reference shots from Pinterest, Instagram and Google as an example of what to expect from the specials items. We endeavour to make our products as close to the reference as possible, however no two orders are the same.

Serving Sizes

  1. We offer our cakes in various sizes and tiers. All orders beforehand will be questioned as to how many people you would like to feed. We like to be generous with our slices, so we make sure there is enough cake for everyone at the party, unless otherwise stated by you. Certain items on our menu, such as Chocolate Torones and Cheesecakes have a much smaller “recommended” serving size as they are quite rich. Should you wish to have more to go around, we can make a larger size or bigger quantity of such items. 
  2. All of the cakes on our standard menu are a 23cm size. Should you want something bigger or smaller, we can accommodate this for you. Our cakes range from 12cm to 30cm. 
  3. We can guide you when it comes to size for your event, basis it upon your needs and amount of guests. 
  4. Our  novelty shaped and carved cakes may have different servings sizes to their regular shaped counterparts of the same size. We will advise upon design/quoting of the cake how many you can expect to feed from the cake. 

Consultations and Tasting Sessions

  1. We offer our clients a free first consultation at our bakery to discuss the needs of your event or wedding. Our time is quite constrained, so for any extra consultations that need to take place, there is a R150 per hour fee payable for each hour spent on consulting for your event. We do not do consultations outside of the bakery, unless specially requested and approved. 
  2. Our clients can contact us anytime to enquire about catering for their event, but no closer than 3 weeks to the event should we be doing a wedding or full cater. We require 50% deposit upon final approval of the order, and the rest paid 3 weeks before the event date. If you require a quote for your event more than 6 months before the time, we will have to re-quote at least 3 months before the time as prices for supplies change all the time. 
  3. We offer cake tastings for clients for their wedding or event. Our standard tasting method is to make 6 cupcakes in the flavors desired for the cake, to replicate the end product. For tastings of other sweets, we make mini versions of each item, with a minimum of 6 per item. Cake tastings are R90 per 6 cupcakes, and other tastings are quoted accordingly. We also offer free tastings if an upfront non refundable deposit of 50% of the order is paid beforehand. 
  4. Our consultations can last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the complexity of the order. 
  5. All quotes are done via email after the consultation. We can give a ball park figure, but for a more accurate quote, we email our clients after we have had time to work everything out for them. 

Deposits 

  1. We require 50% deposit on all orders over R3500 beforehand, otherwise all orders under R3500 are required to be paid in full when the invoice is sent out. 
  2. Our orders and deposits are non refundable. We work on a tight schedule, so please make sure you are 100% sure of your order before placing it with us. We can do date changes within 5 days of the event. 
  3. Orders are considered as accepted and booked out when the payment/deposit has cleared into our account. 

Refunds and Transfers

  1. Deposits and payments are non-refundable. We work on a tight schedule, so to cover all costs, please make sure you place your order for the correct date for the correct items. 
  2. Payments and deposits are not transferable, however, you may make 1 date change, within 5 days of the event. 
  3. If a client is unhappy with his or her order, they are to please bring it to our attention before they have signed the delivery note and left the bakery. Once you have left the bakery and signed the delivery note, it is signed that the client is happy with his or her order, and no exchanges/changes/refunds will be made. Should you bring it up with us at the bakery, we can happily make amendments where needed. 

Final Balance Payments

  1. Final balances are due 3 weeks before the event or wedding date. 
  2. All payments need to be made via EFT or cash at the bakery before the event date. 

Non Payments 

  1. All orders needs to be aid within 3 days of the invoice date, unless otherwise discussed and approved. If the invoice is not paid, the order will be assumed as cancelled and any deposits paid beforehand will be lost. A new order will need to be placed, with a new invoice issued for the order. 
  2. If payments are made after the fact, we will have to check our schedule to make sure we still have space for your order, so we do not disappoint our other clients who have paid beforehand. 

Changes to Orders

  1. We will accept design changes, 3 days before the intended date of the order. Should the design change cost us more, we will issue an invoice for the outstanding balance for the changes made. Changes needed closer than 3 days to the event are subject to availability. 
  2. Should we have already purchased supplies for the original design, and the new design is completely different or requires new supplies, the client is not subject to a refund for the cheaper design secondarily chosen.
  3. Should something come up that the date for the event or wedding needs to change, we will accept date changes up to 5 days before the time, with changes up to 6 weeks from the date, subject to availability. 
  4. Should the date needed not be available, you will not receive a refund. Please give us an alternative date to try and book for you, so as not to lose out. 

Cancellations

  1. We do not offer refunds for cancellations. We run on a very efficient and tight schedule. All design work and supplies are made on a schedule, so we invest our time and ingredients into our clients cake/confectionary. We can offer a date change to your order, said for 6 weeks before/after the intended date, so as not for you to lose out on your order/payment. Please advise us ASAP when you would need to cancel/do a date change so we can best accommodate your needs. 
  2. In the unlikely event we need to cancel an order, we have back-up suppliers who we try to get to accommodate your order, transferring it completely to them, along with your payment. Should you want to find your own supplier, we will issue a refund into your account. 
  3. Cancellations need to be sent to us on WhatsApp or email. No other cancellations will be accepted. 
  4. We accept cancellations up to 5 days before the event. 
  5. We can discuss cancellation terms should there be a possibility we can accommodate the needs of the client. 

Collections

  1. All collections of orders must be within our business hours, as stated on our website. Collections are done from the bakery, at 109 Van Riebeeck Avenue, Edenvale. 
  2. A delivery note must be signed before leaving the bakery with your order. 
  3. We can arrange out of hours collections where possible, but this is very rare and subject to availability. 

Delivery

  1. Clients may request to change their order from collection to delivery but this is subject to availability. Please let us know 3 days before the event to check our schedule for delivery.
  2. Our rate is R6.50 per kilometer from the bakery. We would need a delivery address to be supplied so we can quote accordingly. Any changes to delivery address will have the additional km fee apply. 
  3. We also offer courier services with The Courier Guy, to areas outside our normal delivery parameters. This is at the risk of the customer. We package the goodies as best we can, but we cannot guarantee how the courier will handle the package, and cannot be held responsible.
  4. We need to be supplied with a contact person at the delivery address who we can call to arrange any opening of gates, where to display the goodies, etc
  5. If there is no-one available to receive the cake at the agreed delivery time, we have a 10 minute grace period to wait for someone to receive the cake, otherwise we need to return to the bakery. Said order will need to be collected from the bakery’s address. The delivery fee will not be refunded. Should you need another delivery, we can arrange this subject to availability at the nominal rate of R6.50 per km. 
  6. We will not be held for any consequential loss due to non-delivery as a result of a customers fault. 
  7. The contact person will be required to sign a delivery note that the cake has been received. This also serves as confirmation the client is happy with the cake. 
  8. Once the cake has been collected/delivered, set-up and signed for, The Gingerbread Lady Bakery cannot be held responsible for any interference or damage to the cake. Photos are taken after setup to ensure the state of the cake once we leave the venue. 

Set-up

  1. We provide a setup service for our confectionary. This can be inclusive of equipment to setup with or without. A fee is charged accordingly for the items rented from The Gingerbread Lady, along with a refundable deposit for the items, refunded upon collection of the goods. Setup is free alongside delivery, unless the setup is complicated and will take more than 20 minutes to set-up. In the case of a long set-up, there is a R100 charge per hour of set-up. 
  2. The Gingerbread Lady has a waiting charge, should we be held up at the venue when they are not ready for us. We run a tight schedule, and every minute is important in our schedule. After 15 minutes, there is a R30 waiting fee per 15 minutes. This will be charged to the clients account and an invoice will be issued to the client. 
  3. If the cake is to be setup by staff at the venue, the delivering person will explain how the cake is to be handled and displayed. A signature will be required to verify we have done so.  

Cake Display

  1. Customers are responsible for the location of the cake. They are also responsible for a stable and leveled cake presentation table upon which the cake is to be displayed on the day. 
  2. Summer day conditions can melt chocolate, fresh cream and buttercream, so should our clients choose a delicate cake for outdoor display, The Gingerbread Lady cannot be held responsible for any mishaps. 

Hired Equipment

  1. We offer equipment hire for certain types of functions/displays. 
  2. We require a deposit for our equipment hire. This is quoted upon accordingly for which items will be hired. 
  3. The deposit must be paid in cash upon delivery/collection of the items.
  4. The deposit is returned upon collection/delivery of the items, back into the possession of The Gingerbread Lady Bakery. Should there be any breakages or defects of the equipment, it will be deducted from the deposit. The deposit will be paid back into your account within 5 days of return. 
  5. Damage to the equipment is anything that renders the equipment no longer usable or aesthetically pleasing, as our equipment is used for event function displays. 
  6. There is a R200 per day penalty charge for equipment not returned on the signed date. 

Allergies

  1. The Gingerbread Lady Bakery is a kitchen which uses nut, soy and dairy. We endeavor to keep the workplace as free from these allergens as possible when making items that are free from the above, however traces may still remain. 
  2. The customer is responsible in informing The Gingerbread Lady Bakery when placing their order of any allergies they may have. We are not held liable for any allergic reaction resulting from consumption of our goods. 

Flavors or colors outside our regular menu

  1. Should the customer require a flavor, filling, finish or color that is not offered on our regular menu, we will do our best to accommodate your needs, however, we cannot be held responsible for any problems resulting from the request, including but not limited to structural or quality issues with the cake/goods. 
  2. In the production of the cake/goods, if a custom recipe, flavour, finish or color fails to perform well or risks compromising the stability or overall quality of the goods, a more suitable menu option will be chosen. The Gingerbread Lady Bakery will notify the client in this case. 
  3. Dark food coloring on cakes and goods has the potential to stain linens, clothing, furniture and teeth upon contact. The Gingerbread Lady Bakery cannot be held responsible for issues resulting from the customers choice of dark colour/s. 
  4. The Gingerbread Lady Bakery wills strive to accurately match the clients color tones, especially deep reds, vibrant blue and purples, violet tones, shades of pink, white and other metallic tones. The Gingerbread Lady Bakery may not make an exact match due to the natural base colors of cake, frosting, and other goods including decorating ingredients. 

Quality and Storage of Goods

  1. The Gingerbread Lady Bakery will inform the client of the best way to store their goods/cake. All goods are supplied in a box or bakery bag. 
  2. The Gingerbread Lady Bakery will inform the client till when the cake/goods is safe to consume after initial serving, after which it is at the customers discretion and therefore becomes their responsibility. 

Right to the photographs of the cake

  1. At all times, The Gingerbread Lady Bakery has the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use and publish photographs of customers cakes/goods or pictures in which they may be included eg. advertising, dispaly, website and internet promotion, photographic contests, public display, cake industry publications, studio display, TV advertisements and magazine advertising. 

Right of Withdrawal

  1. The Gingerbread Lady has the right of withdrawal for any placed orders due to contributing factors for eg: non-payment, non-cooperation, changes to order, etc
  2. No refunds will be offered upon withdrawal of an order