Starbucks Has Responded To That Infamous $4000 Charge

An incident during a routine coffee run to Starbucks resulted in a couple canceling their upcoming trip to Thailand. In January, Jesse and DeeDee O'Dell did the same thing they've been doing for 16 years — ordering two cups of coffee from Starbucks for around $10 total. Days later, DeeDee's card was declined while shopping at the mall, prompting her to check her bank account. That's when she noticed that Starbucks had charged her $4,444.44. Not only did the event cause the couple emotional strife, but it also led to the cancelation of their vacation. "My wife is originally from Thailand and grew up in the states. We had planned to take a trip to the country as a family on January 27 but had to cancel and these tickets are non-refundable," Jesse said.

Redditor users were understandably shocked after hearing of the $4,000 tip added to the bill. One commenter accused the Starbucks' manager of committing fraud, while others questioned why Jesse didn't immediately contact his credit card company. "This lady should ALSO be mad at her bank. My credit union would not let a 4.5k charge go through on my debit. Especially at a Starbucks," wrote one commenter. Starbucks has since responded to the claim, but so far, the results haven't been totally helpful.

Almost a month after the overcharging mistake, the O'Dell family has finally received a refund for the nearly $4,500 charge. According to Fox 23, the company sent Jesse O'Dell two separate checks to cover the amount, but both of them were declined. "But after a day we get a call from the bank and they said the checks bounced and we're like how can Starbucks not have the money?" Jesse said (per Fox 23). He contacted customer service numerous times, before he finally reached someone who agreed to send replacement checks.

Upon being contacted by Fox 23, a Starbucks representative claimed they didn't know what exactly went wrong, but contributed it to human error. The company provided no further updates or explanations.

Though the family is happy to finally receive their money, they still aren't thrilled with the experience. "We're extremely happy and ecstatic, I don't appreciate Starbucks holding onto my money for a month but I'm glad to finally get it back," Jesse said (via 102.3 KRMG). The couple claims they never received a gift card or even an apology for the month-long mistake.