Terms & Conditions
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
All cakes/displays are priced based on your requested size, flavour (cakes only), and final design and are non-negotiable. Following your consultation / enquiry, your quote is valid for up to 14 Days (for all cake types, accessories, additional items such as balloons, room decorations etc and delivery prices) and expire there after. Failure to make this initial payment may result in loss of the order, preferred delivery/collection slot, or incur a recalculation of your order to include any price increase on items required or services provided during the interim. Only paying your deposit in full will secure the original price quoted & the slot in the diary.
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Deposits
A non-refundable 20% (for wedding cakes only) or 50% (any other order) 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 14 days of your provided quote we reserve the right to cancel any previous arrangements, verbal or otherwise.
Failure to make this initial payment may result in the total or partial loss of the original order, preferred delivery/collection slot, or incur a recalculation of your order to include any price increase on items or services required in the interim. Only paying your deposit in full will secure the original price quoted & the slot in the diary.
Cheques are not an accepted payment method.
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 or delivered orders are required no later than 14 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 all other orders 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.
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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 14 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 Sparklescakesoldham@gmail.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 14 days 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.
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Amendments
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, services required 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 any details before securing your order with your deposit, however this may result in the postponement of the order as we can't guarantee all the details until they have been confirmed by the client. For example if the date your order is needed is in question this will need to be confirmed before your order is secured with your deposit payment, not after.
We reserve the right to change the design at any point if circumstances beyond our control may compromise the quality of the finished product, e.g. damage caused by weather conditions, display area at venue will not accommodate original design structure safely, breach of copy right etc.
Each cake/display 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.
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Displays
We recommend extreme caution if you are considering the use of high risk items or areas such as icing prints, chocolate or sweet items, naked or semi naked buttercream/fresh cream cakes, dark coloured balloons (latex or foil), fresh flower/foliage/fruit use as part of your cakes and/or displays or use of outside or none climate controlled vehicles or presentation areas for a summer event (May-September for UK events). We can advise you to the best of our knowledge of designs that are less susceptible to damage and do everything within our control to reduce the impact on your order, however we cannot accept responsibility for any damage caused to your order once it has left our possession, as we have no control over the environment /venue/or persons we release your order to.
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Our cakes and consumption
All our cakes are baked fresh on the premises from traditional recipes and therefore do not resemble mass produced cakes provided by other retail establishments. Our cakes are darker in colour, heavier in texture and weight and we recommend consuming them within 3 days of leaving the premises as a freshly produced product doesn't have the same shelf life as a mass produced cake would. Cakes should be stored in the box provided, on a well supported level surface, out of direct sunlight or heat source, in a dry environment (not a kitchen or room where moisture could be at a high level) and at a cool temperature (ideally between 10c - 15c). This helps keep your cake at peak condition and prevents, as much as possible, any unintentional damage coursed by change of environment, miss handling or high risk transportation. This is only a guide and we ask you use your own judgement on consumption, storage, transporting and displaying you cake once it is release to you. We also understand the sentimental significance of having a family member bake your cake or reuse of a tier from a previous cake ordered from another company, but as we didn't produce these cakes ourselves under our conditions we cannot take responsibility for them and therefore cannot decorate them for you as part of your order from us.
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Flowers
If your cake requires fresh flowers, then these are not included in the price. We are happy to work with your florist to advise on the sizes, structural supports, high and design of your cakes but expect you to make all the necessary arrangements with the florists to have them provided to us to use. This is in the form of pre prepared posies using plastic picks or bowls to prevent cross contamination as much as possible between the flowers or their water source and your cake. Please note Sparkles cakes are not responsible for any problems causes by using fresh flowers on our cakes. This includes, but is not restricted to toxins or pesticide cross contamination, allergic reactions cause by the flowers, their sap or pollen or the use of none recommended none edible flowers on our cakes. Your trained florist or the foods standard agency should be able to provide you with all the information you will need in making an informed decision on using the best fresh flowers for your occasion.
We cannot take responsibility for any damage rendered to the cake caused by a floral arrangement that was implemented by your florist or venue once the cake is released from our care.
If fresh flowers are used, we advise the cake to be set-up as late as feasibly possible, in a cool environment on a structurally sound platform that can withstand the total weight of the display. To help ensure the freshness and safety throughout the day, and taking into consideration the weather conditions or room temperature at the time, it may be necessary to cut the cake relatively early on in the proceedings to produce the best results for your selves, your photography and your guests.
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Allergies & special dietary requirements
Please discuss with us if you or any of your guests have special dietary or allergy requirements. We can advise on the use of item containing common allergens such as latex or powders that may cause an allergic reaction if used. Our cake recipes can be amended to accommodate common allergens such as gluten / egg /diary or alcohol but other ingredient may contain these product or are being used on other orders in the vicinity of your cake such as icing / buttercreams / fillings etc. Please be aware that although ingredients such as nuts/gluten/dairy etc can be removed directly from the cakes, they are still used on our premises therefore we cannot guarantee that any of our products are completely free of them.
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Materials used
It may be necessary to produce/provide items for your order which need to be structurally sound or are none edible (such as plastic figure/flowers, glasses, metal structures, plastic supports (such as dowels in cakes or hoops in balloon rings) and/or fixing points using magnets, adhesive tacks/cable ties or wires etc, along with hardened edible handmade items such as flowers, edible pearls, plaques, figures etc. (made from and/or edible pastes) that have the potential of being a choking hazards or causing personal injury. These will be used where necessary (with the appropriate food grade materials when required) to secure/create your commissioned piece and will be discussed with you before using at the clients own risk. Some elements may need to be removed before use or consumption and are the responsibility of the client. Sparkles cakes take no responsible for any damage coursed to properties or persons by the equipment or products used for commissions by the client. It is your responsibility to pre arrange, where necessary, the use of the anchor points to secure commissioned displays of any kind, soundly to structures such as walls or ceilings and/or the use of highly vulnerable material such as latex balloons that may cause injury if damaged. This includes the use of adhesives, magnets, ties and anchor points that could damage the surface they are attached to or balloons which could have a potential risk of personal injury if popped or inhaled.
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Delivery conditions
Delivery charges are calculated on a mileage and service rendered basis. Alternatively, orders can be collected from our premises. All orders will be packaged where possible and a visual check by a responsible person will be required. We also take photographic evidence of your order prior to collection. 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.
If you choose delivery, it is our intention that your order will be delivered and set up 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, venue issues) 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/event time plus the full address of the venue/delivery destination. In the unlikely event of a delayed delivery occurring after your event has started, 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 we will take photographic evidence of the delivery in situ.
If you chose to collect, we will not be held liable for any damage once your order has left our possession. Tiered cakes and balloons are most at risk during transport; (we highly recommend you check your wedding insurance covers cake/decorations damage if collecting for this type of event).
To ensure your cake is as fresh as possible, we recommend it be collected the day before or the morning of the wedding. Celebration cakes are recommended for collection a few hours before the event. We advise you to transport the cake in the box it is provided in, on a flat surface, (not a seat as these have a dip and tilt to them or put on someone knee as this is dangerous for them and can restrict the driver vision of the mirrors). The boot is the best place, up against the seats as to reduce the possibility of the cake moving around if you have to break suddenly. Extreme caution is advised when transporting your cake. Do not drive at excessive speed and take care on corners, roundabouts and and uneven surfaces such as speed bumps, hills or gravel tracks.
In hot weather an airconditioned vehicle is advised for transporting your order.
Balloons will be weighted and bagged for ease of handling (unless otherwise requested) and are inflated in advance to check for any damage cause in manufacturing, this allows us to correct any damaged balloons before releasing from our possession. Take care when opening the vehicle as the natural of the balloons will want to float away or with their lightness; are easily taken by the wind. When closing doors or boots take care not to trap the balloons or packaging, and ensure there is enough room and the balloons are not squashed excessively or stored tightly up against a window or hot spot of the vehicle. This increases the risk of breakage, reduces the drivers vision and bursts may startle the driver when in motion. Balloons should be transported inside the vehicle at all time.
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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 prior to our pre arranged arrival, we reserve the right to charge for any delay incurred (labour / time costs at £20 per hour). Please take extra care to ensure a stable cake table is available if you are having a outside set up or the venue has an uneven floor as this can easily rock the cake and may cause damage. We do not recommend moving your cake once it is in situ. We will only leave a cake not on display where advised by the event co-ordinator with the clients prior knowledge.
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Damage
Please remember that cakes and balloons are very delicate items and we cannot accept responsibility for damage that is rendered after they have left our possession.
If any damage is rendered after they have left our possession, then you can advise us and request a repair, which will be costed accordingly, including transport costs if required, but this may not always be possible in the time frame or if we can not accommodate it due to prior commitments.
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Portion Guide
Our portion quotes are intended as a guide only. This will vary dependent upon the shape, high and type of cake and how the you or your venue cut the cake.
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Shelf life, storage and display conditions for cakes
Your cakes are baked to order to ensure it is fresh for the date of your event, we cannot guarantee its quality if it’s consumed more than 24 hours after the event. Our cakes are made using traditional recipes/ingredients, so we’d like to remind you that because of this they will not have the same texture, colour or the extended shelf life that most supermarket/mass produced cakes do, which contain additives and preservatives to ensure their prolonged life. Freezing the cake will preserve it for later consumption, however upon thawing the quality and texture will decrease due to the freeze/ thaw process. For example icing details may melt due to the absorption of condensation caused when defrosting, food colourings used may run, buttercream/fillings may split or break, etc.
Your local food authority can advise you further on storage/freezing instructions.
If you plan to keep any of the delivered cakes tiers, please advise us to leave the cake boxes, otherwise we will remove all cake boxes from the venue to ensure we leave it as tidy as possible.
We don't generally advise our cakes to be refrigerated, as prolonged exposure to such a cold and moist atmosphere can cause condensation to form on the surface and harden the cake itself. Refrigeration can also accelerates the staling of the cake and it can also take on smells/ flavours of other items stored along side it. In extremely warm weather it may be unavoidable to refrigerate your cake to prevent elements such as buttercream or chocolate from melting. In this case the cake should not be put on display for a prolonged period of time as the extreme temperature change from cold to hot will result in damage to the cake and or structure. It should be consumed as soon as possible but please note that the reduced temperature of the refrigerated cake will result in hardening of the sponge, fillings, coverings and/or icing and may result in damage to the design. Details such as icings, printed items, chocolate, structured pieces (such as sugar figures) or wafer paper decorations may deteriorate in the moist and cold atmosphere of a fridge.
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Shelf life, storage and display conditions for balloons
Latex balloons vary in float time depending on the size and quality of the balloon and helium used. As a guide only an 11" latex balloon has a float time of 12-18hr unless a float extender is used (such as Hi float) which increases the float time to between 3-4 days. The balloons may float for longer but the size and look of the balloon will be significantly effected. Warm weather increases the rate the latex deteriorates and can swell the balloon beyond breaking point. Exposure to the air has a reaction with the latex creating a velvet like skin to form on the exterior. Latex balloons have natural weak points and are prone to popping as they are fragile, so proper handling is advised.
Foil balloons have a varied float time depending on their size and shape but an average 18" foil should stay looking freshly inflated for 3-5 days and then deteriorate for up to 2 weeks after. Where pre-ordered we aim to inflate our foil balloons in advance to ensure no leaks or faults are detected and that they leave our possession in peak condition. Exposure to a hot temperatures may increase the pressure in the balloon or if placed in direct sunlight may result in a hot spot cause damage to the body, seams or valve possibly resulting on the balloon failing. In cold temperatures the helium contracting in the balloon resulting in shrinking/deflating. In this case exposing the balloon to a body temperature environment will re-expand the balloon back to its original state. Hairline faults are sometimes present at manufacturing and can not be detected upon inflation. If there is a fault on the balloon once it is out of our possession please inform us of the problem as soon as possible where you will be required to return the balloon for us to check over and if no obvious fault is detected a replacement may be offered at an additional cost. We are not responsible for balloons once out of our possession.
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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 or in conjunction with your hire agreement contract.
Once we receive the hired item back we will release the security deposit held within 24hrs subject to no damage or breakages being found upon inspection. Where possible this will be checked in your presence but this may not always be possible due to time frame or prior commitments. Any items not returns within the agreed time frame hired will still be required to be returns but your deposit will be withheld as a result of the contract terms being breached. This may also affect other orders which relied upon the return of the hired item within the dates agreed. Extended hire periods may be possible but must be agreed upon with a senior member of staff prior to signing your hire agreement contract and may be at a higher rate.
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Complaints
If you have concerns about your order, please notify us upon collection / delivery so that we have the opportunity to rectify it in a timely manner and where possible 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 in person. No refunds are given due to change of mind, personal preferences, design, date, venue or other unforeseen circumstances but where possible we will endeavour to work with you to reschedule your order within 1 year of the original order date.
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 management.
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Abuse
We understand that we are all human and sometimes human errors happen. Some situations can be frustrating, tempers may fray and people may act out of character. However any form of abuse or aggression shown towards ourselves, staff or patrons in store will be recorded on our CCTV system which has voice recording properties and covers all areas of our premises. Abusive behaviour will not be tolerated and will be reported to the appropriate authorities with the CCTV recording be used as evidence. Service will be permanently revoked and you will be banned from the premises.