Starbucks Under Fire for Charging a Couple Thousands of Dollars for Two Cups of Coffee
An Oklahoma couple claims they were charged over $4,000 for their usual coffee order.
Starbucks is in hot water following claims that one couple's regular coffee order cost them a little more than usual—or a lot more.
An Oklahoma couple says they were charged over $4,000 for just two cups of coffee at their local Starbucks drive thru, where their order usually comes out to around $10.
According to a report from WSMV4, Jesse and Deedee O'Dell were hit with a $4,456.27 tab on Jan. 7, as seen in a copy of the receipt obtained by the outlet. But it wasn't until days later that Deedee realized they were overcharged.
She was reportedly at the mall with her four children when she tried to make a purchase using the same card, which was unexpectedly denied. The couple then realized that Starbucks had somehow charged $4,444.44 in gratuity to their coffee order.
Jesse said he contacted the Starbucks district manager to rectify the situation, and was told that there was an issue with the network. He was assured that Starbucks would send them two checks equaling the total gratuity amount they were overcharged, but when they tried to deposit the reimbursement checks, they bounced.
"We contacted their {Starbucks] customer service helpline probably 30 to 40 times that day,” Jesse stated. “We got a call from a representative who said they are sending new checks. But as of today, we still have not received checks.”
The couple has since filed a report with the Tulsa Police Department, though the issue is still not resolved, forcing the O'Dell's to have to cancel their family vacation. "We had planned to take a trip but had to cancel and the tickets are non-refundable,” Jesse explained.
"This is something that has caused duress in our family and hopefully others don’t have to go through something like this,” he added, urging others to double-check their Starbucks receipts.
A representative with Starbucks said the company is aware of the situation and attributed the incident to possible human error, per WSMV4.
