Coffee is a daily ritual for many, but imagine if your morning brew came with a $4,500 price tag. That’s exactly what happened to Jesse and Deedee O’Dell from Tulsa, Oklahoma, when their usual Starbucks run turned into an unbelievable financial fiasco.
Jesse and Deedee are Starbucks regulars. For 16 years, they’ve been grabbing their favorite drinks: an iced macchiato for him and a venti caramel frappuccino with an extra shot for her—typically a $10 splurge. But one day, a shocking error turned their routine coffee order into a nightmare.
When Jesse checked the receipt later, he discovered the staggering charge: $4,456.27. A Starbucks employee had accidentally added a $4,444 gratuity fee to their bill. The mistake went unnoticed until Deedee’s card was declined while shopping with their four children.
Frustrated and confused, the couple contacted Starbucks. The district manager blamed a network issue, promising a refund. Two checks totaling the overcharged amount arrived—but when they tried to deposit them, both checks bounced.
“We called Starbucks customer service 30 to 40 times that day, trying to get answers,” Jesse explained. “Finally, a representative from Seattle assured us new checks were on the way. But as of today, we still haven’t received them.”
The financial strain forced the family to cancel a long-planned trip to Thailand to visit Deedee’s family. “The tickets were non-refundable, so we lost even more money,” Jesse shared.
Dissatisfied with Starbucks’ handling of the situation, the couple filed a police report with the Tulsa Police Department, hoping for a proper investigation.
This ordeal has left Jesse hesitant to return to Starbucks. “It’s been incredibly stressful for our family,” he said, urging others to always double-check their receipts to avoid similar disasters.
A Starbucks representative has since stated that replacement checks were issued to the couple, and reports suggest the issue has finally been resolved.
Let this serve as a reminder: a small mistake can turn into a big headache—so keep an eye on your receipts, no matter how small the purchase.
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