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Starbucks Confirms One Million Transactions Double-Charged

Written by Evan Schuman
June 10th, 2009
What is it about holidays and double- or triple-charging customers? Starbucks now confirms that it double-charged customers on Memorial Day weekend to the tune of one-million transactions, which follows 8,000 customers who were double- and triple-charged at Macys during Christmas week and an unspecified number who were overcharged at Best Buy in March.

The Macy's and Best Buy situations only involved debit card transactions, but the one-million Starbuck transactions involved both credit and debit cards, said Starbucks spokesperson Trina Smith, who wouldn't break down how many of each card type was involved.

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4 Comments | Read Starbucks Confirms One Million Transactions Double-Charged

  1. John Burnett Says:

    For bankers and their debit card customers, it’s great that Starbucks identified the errors and reversed the duplicate charges. But as noted, how many bank debit card customers were tipped into overdraft territory by the double latte debits? How many banks will be scrubbing their files to find customers whose OD fees need to be reversed? How many other debits and checks were wrongfully bounced?

    That’s a hell of a lot of aggravation for debit card customers and their banks for a retailer’s lapsed controls, all of it over (personal opinion) overpriced, over-hyped coffee.

  2. grasshopper Says:

    this is bad timing for Starbucks… the last thing they need right now is more bad PR

  3. Evan Schuman Says:

    As Master Po would have said, “Perhaps, young Grasshopper, but is there ever a good time for bad PR?”

  4. Marcy Says:

    Did starbucks think that the banks should absorb the cost because of the mistake? The bank have to pay employees to go over NSF list and extra reports, paper, storage, and the time of the customer service rep or office that had to take the customer’s phone call. A simple error like that can cost a bank alot.

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