Featured Image Credit: FOX23
Topics: Food and Drink, Money, US News
Ali Condon
A couple say they were forced to cancel their holiday after being charged almost $4,500 for two cups of coffee in their local Starbucks.
Jesse and Deedee O'Dell from Oklahoma have gone to Starbucks every morning for the past 16 years and ordered the same two drinks: an iced americano and a cappuccino. Take a look at what happened with their order:
The order usually sets them back by about $10, but one day last month, it cost them an eye watering $4,456.27.
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Without realising, the couple was charged a gratuity fee of $4,444.44 on top of their regular coffee order.
The weird part about that is, Jesse says he remembers selecting the 'No Tip' option on the card machine.
It wasn't until days later that Deedee noticed the mix-up, when she was at the mall with her four kids and her card declined.
After getting to the bottom of the missing funds, Jesse got in touch with the Starbucks district manager, and was told there must have been an error with the network that the card machine uses.
The couple was told they had been sent two checks that would add up to the full gratuity amount, but when they arrived, the checks bounced, they told CBS reports.
That day, Jesse says they contacted the customer service helpline 'probably 30 or 40 times that day' until a representative assured them that they'd be sent new checks - though they have yet to arrive.
Jesse, Deedee, and their children had been planning a trip to Deedee's home country of Thailand to visit her sister, who she hasn't seen for years.
But the couple have since had to cancel the non-refundable trip.
The couple have said that they're now working with Tulsa Police Department to try and get the issue resolved.
They're also urging other Starbucks customers to check the receipt every time they order a coffee.
"This is something that has caused huge duress in our own family, and hopefully other people don't have to go through something like this," said Jesse.
When contacted by UniLad, a spokesperson from Starbucks confirmed that Deedee and Jesse's problem has been sorted.
"This was an unfortunate situation that has since been resolved," they stated.
"The tip was entered by the customer in error. While the original refund checks had a typo and therefore did not go through, we issued new ones on January 31, which were received and cashed by the customer on Monday, February 6."