People who had spent over £100 on Kosher L'Pesach baked goods received nothing - except an apology email saying the patisserie would respond to people after Passover
April 14, 2017 14:07
A specialist bakery offering kosher for Pesach cakes and pastries has left customers fuming after failing to fulfil their orders
Weiss Patisserie promised to make deliveries by Sunday April 9, the day before the start of the festival.
But many customers did not receive the goods they paid for, and said they were given different excuses by the bakery, which is supervised by the London Beth Din (KLBD), when they called to find out what was going on.
One woman said she was told that there “had been a problem with their third-party delivery company”, while another was told “the freezer broke”.
Customers who said they had each paid Weiss Patisserie over £100 expressed their shock and disappointment via Facebook.
“I'm entertaining for 15 plus every meal and ordered everything”, said one customer.
“Two Pesach birthday girls will be disappointed. Such a shame”, said another.
One disappointed shopper, Cindy Collick, of Edgware, said she paid £150 for cakes she never received.
She told the JC: “It was my son’s 21st and we’re having a big party for him on Sunday [during Pesach] so everything had to be Kosher L’Pesach.
“I ordered gateaux, cakes and whatever. They’ve walked away with mine and I don’t know how many other people’s money, and we’ve got no goods at all.”
Mrs Collick said her delivery was arranged for April 9.
She said: “About 1pm on the day I phoned Weiss, saying: ‘Is everything ok, is it still coming’. I was told: ‘You’ll get part of your order…this bit…that bit…the mashgiach hasn’t been in for the strawberries so you won’t get that bit.
“He then said: ‘oh there’s been a problem with the freezer, the freezer broke down, so everything that we made we had to throw away and we had to restart. But you’ll get at least part of your order’. I was actually still quite calm then.”
But that evening, an email in the name of Samuel White, managing director of Weiss Patisserie, was sent to customers attempting to explain why it was unable to deliver their orders.
It apologised for “the inconvenience in our delivery system” and blamed “a technical difficulty with in [sic] our kitchen which was beyond our control”.
The email added: “In regards to any question that you may have please email us and we will respond to all corespondents [sic] after Passover.
“If there is anything else we can help you with please don't hesitate to give us a call.”
Mrs Collick said: “At quarter to seven we all got an email, saying: 'Dear loyal customer, as you are aware you didn’t get your full order.'
“Well, bearing in mind that we hadn’t got any of the order that was irritating to say the least. And by then they weren’t answering phones, they weren’t answering emails, they just vanished.
“The email said they would sort everything out after Pesach. Well, this is a bakery that is supposed to be kosher l’Pesach, so why are they closed anyway? They had another full day, if they had so desired, to fulfil everybody’s orders, because they didn’t have to be delivered on the 9th, they could have been delivered on the 10th.”
She added that she had been in contact with other customers let down by the bakery.
Mrs Collick said: “The majority of people I’ve talked to haven’t ordered cakes for the Seder, they were having parties.
“If the patisserie had been honest and on the morning said: ‘Sorry, we can’t do it’, then we could have made alternative arrangements. But they left us completely in the lurch. No orders, and this email that says: ‘I’m sorry you only got part of your order’ – well, that’s absolute rubbish, because I haven’t yet heard from anybody who says they’ve got anything.
“So I’m left wondering; is the whole thing a scam and they’re just taking the money and running, or are they just completely and totally inept – and I don’t know which is worse, to be honest”.
In response to a request for comment, Mr White sent the JC an email which he said he had sent to all the patisserie's customers.
In the email, he said he was "truly sorry for the failure to deliver some orders" and planned to refund customers' money.
He wrote: "On Thursday 20th of April, I will be able to identify those customers that suffered a failure in service and they will receive a separate personal apology email together with arrangements for refund."
He went on to describe how a car accident had prevented him delivering the orders.
He wrote: "Due to a major equipment failure over the weekend of Shabbos, 8th April, most of our ingredients were destroyed. All orders were freshly produced in the following 24 hours, some of which were delivered during Sunday 9th April.
"Unfortunately on Sunday evening, whilst out doing deliveries, my car rolled over in a major collision. Fortunately I was wearing my seatbelt and was lucky to escape with only cuts and bruises. However the car and all the patisseries were damaged beyond repair or recovery.
"My personal condition combined with the lack of time made it impossible to start again and to add to my difficulties I travelled straight from the accident to the airport to join my family for the chag."
Mr White pledged that he would "try to make it up to those who did not receive their order".
The bakery, which is based in Mill Hill, north-west London, describes itself as “London’s finest dairy-free patisserie”. A link to an advert promoting it is including on the KLBD’s Facebook page.
KLBD has been asked for comment.
