A Couple's Coffee Run Leads to $4,000 Charge
An American couple was charged over $4,000 at their favorite coffee shop due to an error. This mishap forced them to cancel a long-awaited family vacation, which was non-refundable. "We won't go to Starbucks again; we make better coffee at home," they expressed.
Jesse and Didi O'Dell went to their favorite Starbucks for their usual cappuccino and iced Americano, something they had done every morning for the past 16 years. But this time, their morning beverage cost them thousands of dollars.
The couple visited the coffee shop last month and placed their usual order. The total should have been $10.90, but they were actually charged $4,456! The reason? An incredible $4,444 tip appeared on the receipt.
Jesse explained that he never intended to tip such an amount on his credit card. He only discovered the mistake days later when his credit card was declined elsewhere. After speaking with his credit card company, he found out about the astronomical charge and contacted the Starbucks manager. The manager indicated it was most likely a network error by the clearing company.
They received their money back through two deferred checks for the transaction. However, when they requested new checks, they never arrived. Due to this technical glitch, Jesse and his family had to cancel the eagerly anticipated family vacation, for which they also did not receive a refund.
According to American media reports, a Starbucks representative stated: "This was an unfortunate situation which has since been resolved. The tip amount was mistakenly entered by the customer. The two deferred checks were rejected due to a typo, so we issued new checks on January 31st, which were cashed by the customer on February 6th."
Reacting to the incident with sarcasm, the couple said: "We won't go to Starbucks anymore; we make better coffee at home."
