Can Starbucks Accommodate my Birthday Wish? Not really....
Trenta Green Iced Tea Mango Dragonfruit Base Disaster
On my birthday I had big plans for the day. With a 5:30 PM appointment with my personal trainer, I needed to ensure I got there on time amidst the notorious traffic to and from my hospital contract. My plan seemed foolproof: head to work early, leave by 4 PM, and have plenty of time drive to my gym, change and meet my trainer.
As I woke up, I remembered that Starbucks offers a free drink on birthdays via their app. I have said app. Excited, I considered stopping for my favorite iced tea en route to work. However, the nearest Starbucks was a detour of eight minutes—I decided against it to avoid being late.
I'll just have to try and stop after work on the way to the gym. Hmmm, it is also Thursday and Starbucks has buy one get one free (BOGO) drink from 12 to 6pm. What a great birthday extravaganza of Starbucks. I could literally obtain 3 trenta green iced teas for the price of 1. I really liked where my mind went with that.
Finished my day at work and while walking to the parking garage I moved forward with my aforementioned plan. I pulled up the Starbucks app on my phone and found one that was about a mile and a half away. Perfect.
I ordered my drink and used my birthday coupon to pay for it. I was in the process of ordering my buy BOGO but I saw a red alert indicating they were out of my favorite ingredient: mango dragonfruit base. Could my original order have used the last of the syrup? Oh no, I don't want the iced tea if I can't have my mango dragon fruit base in it.
I attempted to cancel my order on the app but did not see that was an option. I called the store for assistance. The phone rang 72 times before it was answered with a simple hello? I then asked if I reached Starbucks. The person informed me that I had. I explained my situation. He stated he could not assist me with cancelling my order nor replacing the free drink coupon on my app. He directed me to call customer service. Enter eye roll here.
At this point, I was driving the car, so I asked Siri to call Starbucks customer service. Siri replied: I do not see them in your contacts. Oh Siri, just google it! Apparently Siri doesn't google, at least not for this birthday girl.
I was able to find the phone number all by myself (LOL). I was placed on hold for 34 minutes while I was continuing to drive. The representative finally came on and was able to reinstate my birthday coupon on the app after I admitted I hadn’t picked up the previously ordered drink.
OK, at this point, I am almost to my destination. I recalled that there was a Starbucks in a Target across the way from the gym so I decided to pull in. I was feeling pretty confident I would have success at making my birthday wish come to life now.
Placed my order. Explained to the fella behind the counter my Starbucks birthday plan. He shared: We are Target. We don’t do the BOGO. I added: really?!?!, but it’s my birthday can we make an exception? He wasn’t budging. I requesting the cancellation of the two additional drinks and moved forward with my free iced tea only.
I moved to the pick up area and noticed there were two drinks that looked very similar to what I usually order. I did not see a name on either one of the cups. There was a gal behind the counter making another drink that also appeared similar to what I typically order. I inquired if there was a drink for Michelle and she said yes. I asked which one it was. She replied, didn't you order three? To which I replied yes, yes I did order three. It appeared that the fella who took my order caved to it being my birthday and I was beyond thrilled with that. He continued to be behind the counter, but his back was towards me the two times I attempted to thank him. No dice there. But sent my appreciation mentally.
I snagged a cup holder for 2 of the drinks to assist carrying the 3 total to my car. I placed two of the drinks in my car’s cupholder upon arrival. I did not have another place to put the last one, so I put it on the floor in the carry container next to my gym bag. Not two minutes into the drive, disaster struck and that drink tipped over and spilled all over the passenger’s side floor. Disheartened, I took a sip of the remaining drinks, only to find they weren't as satisfying as I'd hoped-not enough mango dragonfruit base, despite ordering “extra”. Ugh, whatever. At least I did not pay for any of these mishaps as instead of getting 3 for the price of 1, I ended up with 3 free for my birthday. That’s a gift.
Despite the constant mishaps, I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Sometimes, birthdays don't go as planned, but they still make for memorable stories!