Starbucks accidentally charged this man a $4,444 tip — and the first refund check bounced
A coffee tour in Oklahoma turned out to be far more expensive than one family anticipated, according to The Sacramento Bee.
An Oklahoma man was charged nearly $4,500 for a coffee order, the vast majority of which was a tip, and then, according to reports, he and his wife had to go through a little odyssey involving bounced checks and calls to customer service to get it back.
In early January, Jesse O'Dell drove into a Starbucks drive-thru in Tulsa and ordered coffee. Later, while his wife was shopping with their children, one of her credit cards was declined. That's when the family discovered a Starbucks charge of $4,456.27. The bee has confirmed receipt.
"I was in disbelief...I don't have that kind of money to play with," he told the outlet.
Related: 'Tipping culture is going crazy': Starbucks customers are furious with the company's new tipping system
Starbucks added a tipping system to its stores last year, much to the chagrin of some customers who spoke out online. It offers customers the option to add $1, $2, $5 or a custom amount.
"I know how to press buttons. I didn't press this button," he told the Bee.
O'Dell first went to the store to try and get a refund, where he was told he had given the tip. Then he claims he had to contact the local district manager several times. Finally, he said Starbucks reimbursed him by paper check.
They bounced back.
"We had to ask for help, we had to cancel trips," O'Dell told the Bee. O'Dell told local outlet KOKI that they called the company's customer service lines about 30 to 40 times that day in a panic.
A Starbucks spokesperson told Bee that the checks contained a typo and that they returned the money. He also told the outlet that O'Dell accidentally entered the $4,444.44 tip, which O'Dell disputes.
O'Dell told the Bee that he is currently waiting for the repositories to be cleared.
Starbucks did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur's request for comment.
A coffee tour in Oklahoma turned out to be far more expensive than one family anticipated, according to The Sacramento Bee.
An Oklahoma man was charged nearly $4,500 for a coffee order, the vast majority of which was a tip, and then, according to reports, he and his wife had to go through a little odyssey involving bounced checks and calls to customer service to get it back.
In early January, Jesse O'Dell drove into a Starbucks drive-thru in Tulsa and ordered coffee. Later, while his wife was shopping with their children, one of her credit cards was declined. That's when the family discovered a Starbucks charge of $4,456.27. The bee has confirmed receipt.
"I was in disbelief...I don't have that kind of money to play with," he told the outlet.
Related: 'Tipping culture is going crazy': Starbucks customers are furious with the company's new tipping system
Starbucks added a tipping system to its stores last year, much to the chagrin of some customers who spoke out online. It offers customers the option to add $1, $2, $5 or a custom amount.
"I know how to press buttons. I didn't press this button," he told the Bee.
O'Dell first went to the store to try and get a refund, where he was told he had given the tip. Then he claims he had to contact the local district manager several times. Finally, he said Starbucks reimbursed him by paper check.
They bounced back.
"We had to ask for help, we had to cancel trips," O'Dell told the Bee. O'Dell told local outlet KOKI that they called the company's customer service lines about 30 to 40 times that day in a panic.
A Starbucks spokesperson told Bee that the checks contained a typo and that they returned the money. He also told the outlet that O'Dell accidentally entered the $4,444.44 tip, which O'Dell disputes.
O'Dell told the Bee that he is currently waiting for the repositories to be cleared.
Starbucks did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur's request for comment.
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