But in February 2023, what was meant to be a normal coffee run turned into a nightmare.
What should have been their usual $10 order ended up costing them an astonishing $4,456.27.
Unbeknownst to them, their order included a gratuity fee of $4,444.44 tacked onto the usual cost.
Deedee didn’t realize anything was wrong until she was out shopping at the mall with their four kids and her card was unexpectedly declined.
Once they figured out what had happened, Jesse reached out to the Starbucks district manager, who told him that the issue might have been caused by a glitch with the card machine’s network.
Jesse shared that on that day alone, they contacted the customer service line “probably 30 or 40 times” until they finally spoke to a representative who promised to send new checks. At the time of the interview, the new checks had still not arrived.
Jesse and Deedee had been planning a trip to visit Deedee’s sister in Thailand, a reunion that had been years in the making.
They also encouraged other Starbucks patrons to double-check their receipts whenever they make a purchase.
“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,” Jesse said.
“This was an unfortunate situation that has since been resolved,” the spokesperson said.
“The tip was entered by the customer in error.”
