A couple has been charged almost $4,500 by Starbucks for just two cups of coffee.
Starbucks is the world’s largest coffee chain house and it employs almost 400,000 staff.
Jesse O’Dell and his wife DeeDee, from, Tulsa, Oklahoma, US, recently popped into the iconic chain for a drink.
They ordered an iced Americano and a cappuccino, which is what they’ve ordered for the last 16 years.
What should have been a cheap expense has now led to a massive financial headache that has significantly impacted their personal lives.
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An order that should have only cost the couple $11.83 ended up costing them $4,444.44.
At the time, the couple didn’t realise that they had paid so much.
It was only a few days later that Deedee noticed the mix-up – as her card got declined while she was at the mall with her four kids.
Jesse said he contacted Starbucks about the incident immediately and was told that there was a system error.
Recalling finding out, Jesse says: “I felt disbelief.
“I don’t have that kind of money sitting around to just play with.”
The couple has now taken this matter to the Tulsa Police Department, but the situation has had an impact on their personal life – including cancelling a family vacation.
Jesse explains: “We had planned to take a trip but had to cancel and the tickets are non-refundable.”
They are now urging everyone to check their receipts when purchasing something.
“This is something that has caused duress in our family and hopefully others don’t have to go through something like this,” Jesse O’Dell comments.
The final bill was charged at $4,456.27 because of an added gratuity cost.
However, Jesse claims he remembers selecting ‘no tip’ when paying for the drinks.
Speaking to the Kansas City Star, Jesse says: “I know how to press buttons. I didn’t press that button.
“If it wasn’t the barista then it’s definitely your network, which is a really big issue.”
To make up for their loss, the coffee chain sent the couple two cheques that equalled up to the total amount.
However, the cheques allegedly were declined when they went to deposit the money.
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Speaking to WNEM, Jesse says: “We contacted their customer service helpline probably 30 to 40 times that day.
“We got a call from a representative who said they are sending new cheques.
“But as of today, we still have not received cheques.”
In a statement to the Daily Mail, a Starbucks representative says it was a typo on the cheques that caused the funds to not go through.
They added that the company worked ‘quickly’ to fix the error with the situation.
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