S'pore couple's wedding cake cancelled by Carouseller 6 hours before ceremony due to 'fridge problems'

A couple in Singapore had to scramble to get a new wedding cake just hours ahead of their ceremony after their original cake order was suddenly cancelled.

On the morning of the wedding on Jun. 26, they received a photo of what the seller claimed was the finished cake, which they had ordered for S$145 via Carousell.

Along with this photo, the seller, known as Dream Bakery, informed them of an unexpected problem.

The fridge at their shop was "under maintenance", so they needed to deliver the cake hours earlier than scheduled, according to screenshots of the conversation seen by Mothership.

The couple eventually got help from the wedding venue to receive the cake early, but Dream Bakery abruptly messaged again to say they had refunded the couple's S$75 deposit and would not be delivering the cake.

"I really cannot arrange [the delivery] due to my fridge," they wrote. "My apologies."

This was at 1:04pm, about six hours before the ceremony.

The fridge issue

The bride had been communicating with Dream Bakery about the cake via Carousell.

Initially, she told Dream Bakery she and her fiancé wanted the cake delivered at 3pm on the day of their wedding, she told Mothership.

But after she explained that they could not use the fridge at the hotel of their wedding, Dream Bakery advised that they receive the cake later, at 7:30pm, to prevent any melting.

That would be just an hour before the cake cutting as scheduled, but the couple agreed to this revised time.

At 10:50am on the morning of the wedding, the seller dropped the news about their fridge.

They apologised and said that their fridge "suddenly" had problems, so they had to deliver the cake by 3pm.

Negotiations

The groom then took over communications with Dream Bakery via WhatsApp.

"My fiancé asked if they could speak over the phone, but she replied that she was busy arranging other cakes and would call later," the bride said.

"She then repeatedly asked us to find an alternative delivery location or somewhere with a fridge."

Shortly after, the groom managed to get the hotel to let them use their fridge. At 11:41am, he told Dream Bakery they could send the cake at 3pm.

The bakery allegedly did not respond to his message.

The next time the couple heard from them was a 1:04pm message on Carousell, when the bakery said they had refunded the deposit.

When the bride replied that they could receive the cake at 3pm, the bakery simply apologised and said, "No, I refunded."

They refused to answer any further calls or messages, according to the bride.

As the bride was having her make-up done at the time, she only saw this message at around 2pm.

"I also do not understand why she did not inform my fiancé via WhatsApp that she had decided to cancel the order, especially since he was also communicating with her throughout the morning," she said.

Finding a replacement cake

Fortunately, the couple's wedding went smoothly.

Several other bakeries were willing to take on a last-minute order, and they eventually got a replacement cake.

At S$290, it was twice the cost of their original cake, but it "turned out beautifully" and got many compliments from the guests, the bride said.

"In the end, everything worked out for us despite the experience."

'No responsibility'

Nonetheless, the bride was frustrated by the incident with Dream Bakery.

Although her fiancé has since moved on from it, she said she has still been thinking about it from time to time.

"I cannot understand the seller's thought process or why she took no responsibility and offered no sincere apology," she told Mothership. "This can be handled more professionally if she was genuinely facing a fridge issue."

She called the bakery's actions "completely unprofessional and unethical", adding that the sudden cancellation created "unnecessary stress during one of the most important days of [their] lives".

Reported

The couple originally thought Dream Bakery would be reliable, given its 4.9-star rating from 91 reviews on Carousell, where it also has a Premium Service badge.

After the incident, the bride reported the seller to Carousell.

According to her, Carousell said they had issued the seller a formal warning in accordance with their policies, and would continue to monitor the account for any future issues.

They allegedly added that there was little else they could do since she had received a refund.

Checks by Mothership on the afternoon of Jul. 15 found that Dream Bakery's account appears to have been deleted on Carousell.

The bakery also did not respond to any of Mothership's WhatsApp messages or calls.