United States: A mess at Starbucks deprives them of their vacation

This is called a salted bill. On January 7, Jesse O’Dell and his wife Deedee made an early morning stop at the Starbucks drive-in in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which they usually frequent. The father of four ordered a $5.95 caramel frappuccino and his wife opted for a $3.95 iced coffee. Mechanically, the American paid without checking the total, which should normally have been around 10 dollars. In fact, the establishment had accidentally charged the couple $4456.27.

It was while shopping for groceries a few days later that Deedee realized something was wrong: her credit card was being declined everywhere, says WNEM. After checking the famous receipt, the couple broke into a cold sweat and immediately contacted the establishment. “We called customer service about 30 to 40 times that day,” says Jesse. The coffeehouse chain sent checks to the O’Dells, but they were dishonoured. A typo would be involved, according to Starbucks, which corrected the error and sent new checks a few days later.

“I didn’t press that button”

By the time the problem was resolved, the family had to cancel their vacation in Thailand, as they could no longer afford to leave. To make matters worse, the trip was non-refundable. According to a spokesperson for the chain, the fault lies with Jesse, who accidentally recorded a huge tip while ordering his drinks. The American denies it and assures that a manager explained to him that the error came from a network problem. “I know how to press a button. I did not press this button, ”annoys the father of the family.

The couple had initially filed a complaint, but the case was closed once the good checks were issued, explains the “New York Post”. “Our family has been put in difficulty and I hope that others will not have to go through such a situation”, concludes Jesse.

(joc)