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A Double Charge for a Double Espresso
A Double Charge for a Double Espresso
By Dan Mitchell
Posted Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 11:14am
Because of a computer glitch, Starbucks accidentally charged about 1 million customers double for their coffee purchases on May 22 and part of May 23.
This revealed two things: Starbucks needs to maintain its computer systems better, and way too many people are using debit and credit cards to make tiny purchases.
The glitch occurred in the United States and Canada. Starbucks is working to reimburse all overcharged customers.
The problem was made much worse by the fact that receipts showed that the proper amount had been charged. Consumers saw the error, if they saw it at all, only when they looked at their statements after the transactions were processed. Starbucks is crediting the accounts.
But, really, people: I know Starbucks can be pricey, but it's not that pricey. You don't carry enough cash with you to pay for a cup of coffee?
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Comments
I suppose...
...paying with a card is a lot faster than it used to be. Still, in my experience, paying with cash usually seems to go more smoothly. And in many stores with substandard equipment, a LOT more smoothly. It's probably at least partly a function of age, but in those (rare) circumstances when I'm forced to pay for transactions under $10 using a card, I feel a little embarrassed about it.
I pay for my coffees with
I pay for my coffees with plastic because it's *faster* than handing cash over to the overworked register goon and waiting for a small mountain of pennies to be returned to me.
carrying cash
I suspect carrying cash is not nearly as common as it once was. I have had the same 20$ bill in my wallet for the past two months. I use my credit card for convenience and not credit. Even small purchases, when made with a credit card allow me to better track my spending habits retrospectively. Also, it may sound trivial, but the cash back i get with my credit card also encourages me to use plastic over cash as often as possible. One caveat to this: every credit card user should scour their monthly statement to ensure that there aren't any fraudulent charges or mistakes.