Starbucks Responds To The Couple Charged Over $4,000 For 2 Coffees

Typically a morning coffee run is pretty straightforward — you order your preferred cup of joe from your local Starbucks and spend anywhere from $2 to $5 a drink. While this is pretty pricey for one beverage, it's nothing compared to what happened recently to a family in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Jesse and Deedee O'Dell told Fox 23 they are regulars at their local Starbucks and order their usual iced Americano and venti Caramel Frappuccino almost every day. However, when Deedee went shopping a couple of days later and used the same card that was used to purchase their java, she discovered a terrible mistake had been made when her card was declined.

"I tried it again because I know for a fact I have the money in the account," she explained to the outlet. "I do it again and again and again until I realize you know what, this is very embarrassing. So I walked out the store and I told them I'll be right back and I checked my account." Deedee said she then called Starbucks and, to her surprise, found out the coffee shop had accidentally charged her card an extra $4,444.44.

When Jesse and Deedee O'Dell notified Starbucks about the bogus charge, which is listed on the receipt as the gratuity, the company said it was a network issue and that they would send them reimbursement for the incorrect charges, as reported by Fox 23. Unfortunately, the couple said the checks the business sent bounced. The husband and wife explained they continued to call customer service at the coffee brand to get the issue resolved, but it took over a month to finally get the money back.

In the meantime, the pair had a family vacation planned that they had to scrap because they didn't have enough funds to cover the cost. With four children, Jesse said they live on a tight budget. "My wife is originally from Thailand and grew up in the States," he shares. "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."

Starbucks has since rectified the situation and given them the cash back and said the issue was due to a stuck button on the card payment pin pad. However, Jesse admitted that he's learned his lesson and warned customers to always ask for a receipt and to make sure to check it right away. That sounds like solid advice if you want to avoid paying thousands of dollars for your next morning brew.