Starbucks

YAY Got an immediate answer to my need.

This is a review of Starbucks corporate and it’s responses, OR lack of them, to chronic customer service issues in their stores in Orange county CA (Cities of Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and/​or Orange). First, Starbucks keeps their stores WAY too cold no matter what time of year it is … this is a BIG waste of money and energy. Aside from that, they have remodeled the local Starbucks and the chairs are so uncomfortable I could not sit in them EVEN if I wanted to. Next, Starbucks staff members are not enforcing the NO SMOKING policies which were much publicized earlier this year during a NATIONAL campaign. LAST, my FAVORITE summer drink is a simple iced coffee — an old American stand-​by. HOWEVER, 90% of the time, the order is somehow fouled up. I want BLACK iced coffee — no room and I only want the cup ½ full of ice. VERY Simple right? WRONG! After receiving the order wrong continually last year, Here is what CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST told me to say in order to ASSURE that I get a black iced coffee in my personal (eco-​friendly cup). Yes, this corporate contact had the NERVE to teach someone who is over 50 how to order a simple drink she has ordered MOST OF HER LIFE.
Personal cup, Grande, BLACK Iced Coffee, no sweetener, no milk, no room, cup ½ full of ice. … SERIOUSLY!
No, I do not order that way. I either give them the cup or not and ask for a ICED BLACK COFFEE, no room, cup half full of ice. If they don’t get it RIGHT, I just send it back.

Worst company we have ever dealt with as consumers! No customer service whatsoever.
We contacted them last April 2013 about some bad Tazo Teas that we purchased, right after they had changed the packaging & diluted the formulations. Starbucks representatives Frank D. and Louise M. offered to send us a gift card in the amount of $ 20.00 on April 29 and June 3 respectively, which we never received. Every time they failed to honor their promise, they demanded that we contact them by phone, so you talk to a different person every time you call. But we complied with their requests and when we still hadn’t received a gift card by July 2013, three months later, we filed a BBB complaint. In response to the complaint, Starbucks representatives again promised to send the $ 20 gift card on July 17 and August 11, demanding each time that we contact them to confirm the address, which we did. But we have never received the promised gift card now five months after it was originally promised to us.
Something’s seriously wrong when a $ 35 Billion company, whose CEO makes $ 22 Million annually, can’t honor a promise to send a customer a $ 20.00 gift card! We’ll never purchase a Starbucks product again.

Company has YET to respond to my suggestion emailed to them recently. I don’t know how many letters they receive with constructive criticism, but I am confident that mine could be something I be reckoned with. See below:
I have been drinking ‘Bucks coffee since an ex gf and I had our great Nordstrom coffee lifted from our weekend breakfasts at Nordstroms at South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, California, back in 1993ish. Since then, I have grown (or better put), I «had» gotten to appreciate a Seattle-​based coffee roaster with really great coffee and bakery items.
THAT, …has almost all gone away, due to reaching out to serve the masses, unfortunately, like a typical fast food chain, with drive-​up windows, numerous fufu-​drink combinations, there is really only a few choice coffees that ‘Bucks offers. Pour-​overs are TRULY, the only way to go, if you want something what guys like Peet taught the boys to craft so well in the early years.
With that run down of my interpretation of Starbucks’ memory lane, I would welcome a new concept store for true coffee and culinary enthusiasts. A location in various markets that have in-​house roasters, quality baked-​goods like the suppliers use to have back in the day, ie; (I believe in the Southern California market, it was La Brea Bakery). Hazelnut sticky buns, big, bold blueberry muffins and a number of other really-​well done bakery delights. Have you seen the current (for the past 8 or so years), Starbucks’ image and offering of good products? Both baked goods and drink containers made in mass-​producing countries (the big one right next to Russia).
I want to see an upscale place with upscale coffees and teas, coffee roasting, fresh baked whole food ingredient goods from carefully selected local Bakers to each location, custom-​made ceramic mugs, sustainable products, too! The company just seems to cater to a class of people that don’t care about «REAL» quality, just price. And you know what? That’s fine! It’s been a tough economy. But don’t punish the rest of us that want a good coffee or tea, a good, nice and warm baked good with a nice, American unsalted butter cube that’s not ONLY an «Irish Butter» offering. It’s WAYYY too creamy and NOT always the right butter for every baked good. Keep up the good pour-​over work, and if you decide to go my direction building exclusive coffee shops, I’d pay $ 4 – 5 dollars for a consistent quality coffee, where I could go enjoy and socialize with other coffee and bakedgood gear-​heads.

Starbucks got back to me and added 6 free drinks back on and gave me an expiration date… i still won’t remember unless we could see it electronically (on the card, our phone, register, online, etc)

I love the gold card. Love it.
I love being bonded to other coffee drinkers.
I love that every coffee I buy earns me something back (future free coffee. yum).
I love that at every starbucks I’ve gone to, if I spill my drink (something I do QUITE a bit), the barista will remake it for me, no extra charge, no questions asked. they’ll even clean up the RIDICULOUS mess I made.
I love going to starbucks and having my drink made by an energetic person no matter how many times I VOW to just make my own damn coffee.
I love going to a new city, and knowing that I can order ‘mah drink’ in just about every airport and every city.
I love seasonal drinks. summery ice blended drinks, spicy fall drinks, and cozy winter drinks. (no spring drinks… me feelsy…)
I love that Starbucks runs have become a go to at work… a game changer … a necessity at 2 pm.
But …
no more soy milk /​syrup privileges? whhhoa.
Wow. My digestive system just shed a little tear. No more «add soy please» and knowing the .60 is comp’d.
from

«We are no longer offering syrups, soy milk or breve on the house. Nor are we offering a free Tall beverage when you buy a bag of whole bean coffee. We know this might sting, but we hope the happy new benefits will help ease the pain.»
I know s*bucks can’t make EVERYONE happy. We’re coffee drinkers!!! We’re always going to complain about something !!! But I’m going to exaggerate my feelings for now (even though I mostly drink my coffee black these days).
At least I don’t have to wait for postcard to come in the mail anymore for my free comps!

Here’s the deal… This is a love hate relationship and right now, I’m not feelin the love!
Been a HUGE starbucks fan since I was stompin ground up in the PNW of Puget Sound. We’re talkin roots here people… I was in my teans looking for a way to get a buzz, yeah… this Starbucks place is pretty kewl.
HOWEVER! A company that has branded themselves to be the leader in their industry, CANNOT count the number of coffee’s on a single transaction… In other words, your Starbucks rewards only account for 1 coffee for EVERY transaction. You still don’t get it… If you want to reap the benefits of a «Gold Member» go buy your office coffee on your rewards card and pay for each coffee separate, while you’re doing that, go ahead and give the people standing in line behind you the bird and tell them to take a hike to the other starbucks around the corner then!!! Bitches (that goes for men too, don’t want any panties in a bunch)!
I LOVE COFFEE AND GOOD SERVICE! But this rewards program is a bunch of crap if you ask me!
Oh, yeah, thanks for the free coffee after 15 transactions. I guess the other 40 coffee’s I got in the meantime mean $hit to you…
I’m not mad, just blowing a lil steam… Call me a Barista…
O

Everyone has read my (unfavorable) reviews of Starbucks shops, employees and drinks. Well, I just returned from Spain and will be here for a month, and in the stack of mail awaiting my return, is a Starbucks postcard announcing my FREE (birthday) DRiNK! wow, they remembered! hahahaaa It’s because I am registered through their website as I have one of their Starbucks cards which I use while on the road but they are not useable outside the USA (don’t try — I did already!). How nice, but the bday freebie is good only till 17 January and here we are past that date! So I called up the company and they are resending me a new card for a free drink! Great!
Yes, I cannot believe I am giving
three stars but this courtesy and replacement card warrants it! Though many may not agree, I give credit when deserved and due, and in this case, no matter how much I hate their coffee and service, they are deserving.