@AT203: Starbucks calls their employees partners because they are all business partners. They all own stock in the company. Starbucks is an employee friendly company and their employee's voted them onto Forbes Best Company to Work top 10 list in 2007. So I guess their "partners" enjoy the term.

Hmm, "retail-speak". . .? I guess the moon walk was staged as well.

In a two week period prior to this rewards card launch I worked 65 hours each week so I could personaly train 121 Baristas on how to ring it up the benefits (they don't need to know if the card is registered and you don't have to change the way you order). We went through as many as 10 transactions each. I walked away very confident in their abilities. What I DON'T have control over when I am not there is their willingness to do a job right.

You don't need to order a certain way, ask for benefits before hand or tell them your card is registered. What you DO need to do is raise your kids to want to work an honest day in an honest job and stop this entitlement attitude that the world owes you a living for nothng or that they really are going to be the next American Idol.

There are two Me's in this thread...

*looks around suspiciously*

@mike6545: People who are not trustworthy in small things are not to be trusted with large things, either.

I have worked in corporate offices for twenty years. Ten of those years I was an office manager (I've been a software trainer for the past five). I hired and fired and promoted secretaries. Say you were the manager of five secretaries, and four of them regularly pilfered small things... a few packs of Post-It notes, a couple pens, the creamer from the break room, an open package of copier paper, a quarter from Petty Cash... which secretary would you trust to manage the office if you had to be out on a business trip or sick?

Of course, I'm infamous for not liking the amount of syrup I get. Makes the drinks way too sweet. I order a "grande non-fat 2-pump vanilla latte"

@chiieddy: well they have been updated but the button is easy to miss. Also, they might not have been trained on it.

@betatron: THANK YOU! My opinion exactly.

@speedwell: well these people arn't being ripped off, they're just being quiet and not saying anything. All you have to do is say "it's registered" god is that soooo hard. i mean seriously. You're not getting ripped off, your being charged for being lazy and thats all it is.

@leapingliz: eventually it will be automatic. they are working on it. be aware that this program was just rolled out and they are still working out all the kinks. just mention for the next few months and in the summer it will prob be automatic since stores are much busier in the summer(atleast from my expierience).

@suzy-q: they are delivering, but baristas cannot take it off without seeing your card and swiping it BEFORE you pay. if you have your card in your wallet right up untill they tell you the total, they won't mention it cause they don't know if your paying with an sbux card or if it's even registered.

@betatron: i know, it's like $.40 your screwed out of. big deal. and people actually go through the trouble of making a barista give them a $.40 refund.

@BII: That line of commenting is so tired. Stop it already.

Training issue is new retail-speak for "Damn, we got caught. We hoped to get away with it for a little longer".

It's never a training issue when it comes to taking customers money--stores have employees trained very well to do that. But always training issue when it's time to issue customers a refund, discount, etc.

I've noticed more than a few companies using lack of communication or training as an excuse for why they snaked their customers. Execs are sure quick to throw their frontline employees under the bus as sacrificial lambs to take the fall for corrupt and snakey business practices:

If only Shirley had bothered to attend the training seminar she would have known that customers don't want to pay for shoddy merchandise.

If only Chris had read his training manual he wouldn't have kept the customer on hold for 20 minutes while he ate his lunch to then come back to say "we can't help you."

My baristas have told me that if you see someone swipe it only once, you aren't getting your free stuff.

This month, I've gotten slightly better results. When I go to Starbucks, I have to start out by telling these folks that I have a registered card...even if they know I do...and I have to ask about the rewards first. When they tell me what I can get, I place my order, and then they'll put the reward through. Oftentimes, the baristas will tell me that for now, the reward is something that has to be put through manually, but they'll soon get some kind of automated program so it'll be a lot easier to process the discounted drinks. I guess it's their way of apologizing for the way I have to jump through hoops to get my discount? But yeah...until they get their stuff worked out, I won't be adding any "modifiers" to my drinks.

In my case, I'm saving almost $1 per drink since I opt for both a syrup and milk option.

I wrote Starbucks too about it, since four out of my last seven purchases didn't give them to me for free when I used my registered card.

I got the same response, and they're sending me a free drink coupon.

Of course the next time I went, they still didn't give me the free options.

@ChuckECheese: I hope you have your tin foil fastened tightly to your head.

Thats what you get for drinking Starbucks.

But I don't want to have to ask about my discount every time I order, it's a hassle.

So, simply remind them you get your freebie. They're human too.

disclaimer: my husband works for Starbucks.

That being said I do like the taste of their new Pikes Place Roast coffee. (I don't like syrups in it anyway). Oh, and I'm glad the old logo is back, the one with the boobies. See, I'm not a Starbucks hater!

This has happened to me too. I keep telling the baristas that the card is registered and still no discount. The only time I got it was when I complained and held the entire line up as the shift supervisor manually deleted all modifiers. After six transactions, I had to draw the line.

I'm fine with paying full price for the drink, but if I'm giving Sbux the free market research (because they are surely tracking my habits through the card), I expect something in return.

The fact that in Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Romanian or Portuguese, the word for mermaid are respectively Sirena, Sirène, Sirena, Syrena, Sirenă and Sereia creates visual confusion, so that sirens are even represented as mermaids. "The sirens, though they sing to mariners, are not sea-maidens," Harrison cautions; "they dwell on an island in a flowery meadow."

Think "attractive harpy". :)

And yes it does matter if it's 40 cents vs. 400 dollars. I would expect a competent consumer to be able to solve this problem with a quick word at the register.

Elevating a forty cent oopsie to the same gravity as a $400 problem trivializes the greater issues. One might imagine then, that it trivializes the value of this blog, too.

We are here to give an outlet for taking care of other customers who have received service that is not as promised. This is also an outlet to remind us customers of what to watch out for in this big bad world of dollars and cents. If you're only wanting to gripe at people, I suggest Digg.com. There are people on there that do almost nothing but.

@betatron: Have you read the name of this blog? Jesus Christ, I'm sick and tired of all the posts on this blog that are simply and frankly anti-consumer. If you aren't on the side of the person getting ripped off, then why are you bothering? Go post on some "I hate people" blog or something.

After registering my card, I've ordered at least 3 drinks with a syrup that is supposed to be free from one Starbucks location, and was charged each time for it.

I ordered from another Starbucks in between those purchases above, and without mentioning that I had registered I was not charged for the syrup, which leads me to confusion on if the barista just didn't charge me, or the system saw what was going on.

What would the point be of registering your card online if you still have to tell the barista not to charge you for syrup? It should be automatic, just as how I would expect the free drip coffee refills to occur within the same day.

@betatron: Are you really that naive? The point isn't the customer is paying 40 cents more than they should be. Starbucks advertised a service and they're not delivering. It doesn't matter if it costs 40 cents or 400 dollars.

Seriously, what !@#$ing planet to MBA/Marketing people come from!?

Just let the barista know that your reward card is registered online before they ring you up. You must have a reward card that has been registered online to get the reward, and it really helps if you let them know ahead of time since not all cards are registered. That's what I was told by a barista.

I work at starbucks and we do give you free syrups and milk. The problem is we don't know if your card is registered or not. Please mention it to us. We are currently working on a way to get the register to prompt us for the cards and check for registration. These rewards are still being worked out. I know a lady in my store that comes in all the time and forgets to mention it. If i'm there i just do it for her but others forget. If you ask, they will issue you a refund as long as it's the same day or else it's hard to look up the order and do it.. Also, the sooner you mention that it wasn't free, the easier it is to remove.