POLICIES | Melissa's Bakery

Terms & Conditions

By choosing to do business with Melissa's Bakery customers agree to all terms and conditions listed on this page.

Cancellation & Refund policy

All food product sales are final. Orders cancelled within three days of the due date will result in no refund, only the option to postpone the order. Orders cancelled before three days of the due date will result in a store credit only. Melissa's Bakery only issues refunds in the form of store credits. Orders not picked up within two business days of the order due date will be disposed of and no refund or replacement given. Quantity disputes must be made prior to leaving the store with the product. No refund or replacement will be made in a quantity dispute once the items leave the store. If you would like to postpone an order for another date it must be rescheduled within one year of the initial payment date. After the year all credit is forfeited.

Artistic License

While Melissa's Bakery makes every effort to provide exactly the flavors, fillings, decorations, sizes, shapes and colors you have requested, the creation of our items is an art and may be subject to slight variations and/or errors by the creator(s). We will not guarantee to match colors or duplicate an item exactly. We hold all final say in decisions regarding the creation of our products.

Methods of Payment

We accept cash, credit cards, and most "tap to pay" cellphone platforms. Credit card payments may be placed over the phone or via invoice if needed.

Booking Policies

Melissa's Bakery requires payment to finalize all orders at the time of booking. Any communication about your proposed order is only a inquiry until payment is rendered. Our schedule is often booked 5-10 days in advance. We highly recommend getting your order placed with payment as early as possible. Some weeks we hit our order capacity sooner than others. We cannot take orders past that capacity due to the quality of work we strive to place into each order. If you have inquired about an order, but have not placed your payment to secure your date by the time our weekly limit is reached we will not be able to add your order to our schedule at that point.

Order Changes

You may make reasonable changes to the design of your cake up to 5 days prior to your event. Changes in product design after order placement may result in an increased balance due. Complete redesign of an order could result in a consultation being required to meet your design expectations. Consultations are subject to potential schedule availabilities and fees. Order changes can only be made by the person who placed the initial order.

Balances Due

Although our policy is that orders are paid in full at the time of booking, special circumstances may arise in which a balance is due after the initial payment. Any additional balance will be discussed with the customer and approved prior to being added. This payment can be made at the time of approval or if Melissa's Bakery agrees, the remaining balance can be paid at the time of pick up. No order will be allowed to leave without payment in full for the original balance and any additional balances added after the initial price quote.

Fresh Flowers

If you wish to have fresh flowers arranged on your cake, it is your responsibility to supply the flowers (whether they are self-sourced or ordered through your event florist). In choosing to have fresh flowers arranged on your cake, you acknowledge that fresh flowers are not food products, and may be toxic or contain pesticide/herbicide residues, dirt, insects, and/or other contaminants. If we have been informed prior to the event date that fresh flowers will be supplied for your cake, we will gladly arrange these flowers on your cake for you. However, all responsibility for the freshness, color, overall condition, and cleanliness of the flowers rests with you (and/or the event florist).

Customer provided decorations

If you choose to have a decoration not sold by Melissa's Bakery placed on your ordered item, it is your responsibility to provide the product to us. We will not place any food items obtained outside Melissa's Bakery on any order. It is illegal for us to place any form of alcohol on a cake. We will be happy to leave a spot for you to place it yourself. Any non-food products must be cleaned and properly sanitized before we receive them. We will place items on the order as is. All customer provided decorations must be delivered to the bakery no less than three days in advance to allow for planning the execution of design.

Dietary Preferences

We make every attempt to accommodate dietary preferences. Though best practices are used in the manufacturing of our baked goods, inadvertent cross-contamination may occur. Customers should exercise judgment in consuming our products, especially if it is a life-threatening condition.

Photo Release

We reserve the right to take and use our own photos of your cake(s) to use for marketing and promotional purposes without compensation to you. We may also request photographs from your photographer for the same purpose. All pictures that we are tagged in or posted to our social media accounts are subject to the same terms.

Cake Pick up

When opting to pick up a custom cake instead of having it delivered you understand that transporting this type of cake requires all of the defined pre-arrangements, and you agree to prepare your vehicle in advance accordingly. If you do not feel comfortable transporting your cake, Melissa's Bakery will be happy to deliver it on your behalf. Cake delivery is an additional fee that is determined by the distance of the delivery.

Instructions for preparing your car and transporting your cake:

Generally, your cake will be packaged in a sealed box to protect your cake from dust, rain or foreign objects (with the exception of extremely large or gravity defying cakes that may not fit packaging)
If your cake is in a box with the lid propped open, sometimes with or without a paper drape, do not by any means close the lid to the box. Do not remove the paper drape or the cake from the box until time to display the cake. Certain colors of icing, especially shades of purple and pink, are photosensitive and will fade.
The best way to transport your cake is in the back of a van, station wagon, or SUV on a FLAT surface. If none of these options are available, it is possible to transport smaller sized cakes in the floorboard of a car, however this is a last resort due to the potential for damage.
Under no Circumstances should a cake be transported on a vehicle seat. Cake should never be transported on someone’s knee/lap.
Please prepare the back of the vehicle in advance of picking up the cake by clearing out any loose objects and vacuuming/shaking out any debris.
On warm days, it is imperative that your vehicle has a working cooling unit (air conditioning). Please run it before your pickup until your car’s interior is cool
Allowing pets to be in the car during a cake transport is strongly discouraged.
Driver must take extreme caution, keeping the vehicle level at all times, especially when turning corners, and must avoid any sudden acceleration, cornering or aggressive braking.
Please adhere to the agreed-upon pick up time.
Upon arrival at the event location, be sure to set up the cake in a cool display area away from sunlight (and away from anywhere sunlight might move to) without delay.
Picking a cake up the same day of serving is highly encouraged. This keeps the cake in our possession as long as possible and lessens the chance of any accidental damage.

You acknowledge that once you have picked up your cake, Melissa's Bakery cannot be held liable for any damage or failure that may occur once the cake leaves our store or during transport, handling, set up or display. Once you have the cake, it is your responsibility to transport it directly to the event location and not leave it unattended in your vehicle or anywhere outside.

After you or Your Designated Party has picked up an item, it is considered “Accepted”. Accepted means that you, the client (or your designated party), has looked at the item and was satisfied with it. If a cake is picked up and no design issues are expressed at that time, no refunds or partial refunds will be given. It is your responsibility to address the discrepancy at the time of pick up, giving us the opportunity to make any necessary changes.

Cake Repairs

If you bring a cake back to us, we may be able to repair it if time allows; but you may incur a repair charge, which will be disclosed prior to repair. Depending on the extent of the damage, the original cake may not be suitable for repairs and may need to be replaced. In such instances, additional charges may apply. After hours repairs are at the SOLE discretion of the owner. Please contact us and send pictures of the damage, so we can ascertain whether or not we will be able to repair it for you.

Product quality

Melissa's Bakery takes great pride in the quality of products we produce. Although we make every effort to maintain that quality, sometimes the stars just don't line up in the correct manner. We are only human. If you deem a product sub-par and seek to rectify it, please contact us. We require that you bring the remaining portion of the product back for our examination. This allows us to do our due diligence in the claim. If it is determined that something did go wrong in the manufacturing process we can choose to replace the item or give credit for a future purchase. It is your responsibility to retain the item for examination. If no product is able to be returned for examination, no matter the reason, no compensation will be offered. All quality disputes must be made within one day of pick up.

Obligations

We take our obligation to provide your cake very seriously. However, should an unforeseeable event occur that prevents us from fulfilling our obligation and forces us to cancel our agreement with you, we will refund your payment in full.

Email and SMS Contact

By providing Melissa's Bakery with your email address and phone number, you agree to give us permission to contact you via those methods. Messaging rates may apply and are not the responsibility of Melissa's Bakery. If you choose not to be contacted by one or more of those methods, you can unsubscribe from emails at any time and notify us of your SMS preferences by calling the bakery at (228) 563-5111.

Limited Liability

Melissa's Bakery will endeavor to perform its services in a professional manner and provide the best customer experience possible. In the event that our products or services do not meet our high standards, or the client is dissatisfied, we may--at our discretion--refund the whole or a partial amount paid for those products and services. Melissa's Bakery's total liability is hereby limited to amounts paid to Melissa's Bakery for its goods and services. Melissa's Bakery will not be liable for any special, incidental, punitive, or consequential damages, whether foreseen or unforeseen, regardless of whether liability is based on breach of contract, breach of express or implied warranty, negligence, strict liability, tort, or otherwise.

Customer Equal Opportunity

Melissa's Bakery shall not discriminate against customers or employees on the basis of race, sexuality, religion, national origin, color, or sex.

Weddings

A wedding consultation is required to obtain pricing and to secure a wedding date with Melissa's Bakery. No dates will be secured without receipt of both a signed contract and the initial balance due. Dates are subject to availability. Any missed consultations, without prior arrangements, require the booking of another appointment and will be subject to an additional consultation fee.

Melissa's Bakery will not provide a groom's cake if the wedding cake is not provided by us. If it is deemed, at any point, that a cake ordered has the intent of being a groom's cake and we are not providing the wedding cake, we reserve the right to cancel the order and refund your money at any time.

Weddings booked through Melissa's Bakery are governed by the contract that is signed at the time of booking, not the policies listed on this page. Melissa's Bakery's wedding cake contract supersedes and replaces all previous oral or written agreements, memoranda, correspondence or other communications between the parties relating to the subject matter. If no contract is deemed necessary by Melissa, all term of agreement listed on this page are applicable.

Right to refuse service

If any customer becomes disrespectful, irate, disruptive, or violent, Melissa's Bakery reserves the right to refuse service and to make them to leave the premises. Cursing and yelling at employees is not tolerated in person or by phone. If any of the aforementioned occurs, Melissa's Bakery revokes the right to be of service to said customer and anyone in their party. If felt necessary, Melissa's Bakery will call the police to escort said customer from our premises.