Customer disappointed by $98 'award-winning' durian cake, bakery offers replacement but not refund

When you fork out nearly a hundred bucks for a cake, you probably want it to wow you. Or at the very least, meet your expectations.

That was far from the case for Stomp contributor Christine, who paid $98 for The Durian Bakery's Award Winning Signature Mao Shan Wang Mille Crepe Cake.

The 15cm cake is described as having "20 layers of thin handmade crepe skin that is generously filled with our signature MSW SilkyGold™ Durian Puree within each layer" on the bakery's website.

It has also been "rated as the #1 durian cake in Singapore by many foodies and food critiques", according to The Durian Bakery.

A disclaimer on the product page states that sizes of the cake may vary due to it being handmade.

Christine told Stomp: "We were looking for a good durian cake for our Christmas Party and saw that lots of food bloggers had actually recommended The Durian Bakery as their Top One, especially their famous Award Winning Signature Mao Shan Wang Mille Crepe Cake. Not to mention that they have a rating of 4.5 stars on Google Reviews.

"In the end, we ordered that cake and another durian sponge cake from them. Everything went well until we opened up the cake upon receiving it on December 24.

"The cake was not even 15cm. It also looked nothing like what is on their official website and pictures from those food bloggers. It tasted old and nothing near Mao Shan Wang too. You can see from the photos that the durian looks greyish.

"In the end, we had to go downstairs to get another cake from a different bakery."

Christine shared a photo of her measuring the cake, which came up to less than 15cm.

She also noted that the cake looked flat and vastly different from what she had seen on other blogs, such as this October 2021 review:

Christine's cake:

Christine said she immediately contacted The Durian Bakery to "show how disappointed we are".

She shared screenshots of their conversation and added: "Their customer service is terrible. They dragged the issue all the way to December 27 and we patiently waited.

"In the end, they said they would not do a refund and kept repeating that they are constantly improving blah blah blah. They even said that they believed we have consumed the whole cake when in reality, there were still a few slices in the fridge because nobody wanted to eat it."

In one screenshot, the bakery is seen saying, "We are sorry to learn that our crepe cake did not meet your expectation."

It also acknowledged that the cake's height was indeed not up to its "normal standard" due to a "production issue".

However, The Durian Bakery declined to provide a refund and offered a replacement cake instead.

Stomp has contacted the bakery for more info.

ALSO READ: Diner complains about $10.30 nasi padang at food court, cashier says 'this is Orchard Road'

This article was first published in Stomp. Permission required for reproduction.