Starbucks — Restaurant in Dallas

On Sunday, Feb. 23, my sis and I went through the drive thru to get something hot to drink.

As we drove on to our next stop, we noticed that my sister’s drinks was leaking. We decided to return to Starbucks & ask them to either remake the drink or put it into another cup. I decided to taste my drink only to find that the lid wasn’t secured and the cup was damaged. Had I tilted the cup just a little more, the hot contents would’ve been all over my lap and I could’ve been burned.

Instead of going back through the drive thru, I decided to go in. I went over to one of the baristas to explain the issue and ask if they could just re-cup the drinks but the white female that was standing there just ignored me. She looked up at me and called someone’s name for an order and spoke to another person who walked up. I stood there patiently waiting for her to acknowledge me but she did not. I finally said excuse me, and she slowly looked up, stared at me and then said: oh yes, how can I help you. I stood there a few seconds in disbelief before telling her about the drinks. The girl replied that they’d put the drinks in new cups. But a Hispanic person standing beside her (couldn’t tell if they were female/male), who was cleaning out the machines, said they’d just remake the drinks and took the drinks I had. They first handed back the tea but then took a really long time with my drink, holding it down so low that I couldn’t see what was being done to it. Eventually they handed my drink back and I left. I later took a few sips of my drink & my stomach became upset and started hurting. Since we were now nowhere near the Starbucks, I decided not to drink anymore of it and threw it out. Nothing would settle my stomach and it stayed upset for days.

I called and reported the matter to the manager, Liliana, who apologized for what happened and who said she’d remake our drinks and give us two $4 gift cards. She jokingly added: “I’ll make sure they don’t do anything to your drink and that there’s nothing in there.”

Her demeanor on the phone she was personable and talkative but when I went in person she was not friendly and acted like she really didn’t want to keep her word. I told her that my sis was out of town but before I could finish my sentence she cut me off and said well, I’ll just give you the gift cards. Frankly, I did NOT want them to remake ANOTHER drink for me ever again. But I still wanted was promised to me. So I asked: well can I at least get a drink for myself out of the refrigerated area? She then looked at me like she’d seen a ghost and said: oh, yeah. She gave me the gift cards and scanned the drink and I left.

I think they did something to my drink. And the manager’s demeanor in person makes me think she knows they did. It makes me wonder if they’ve done this to other people and if this was racially motivated.

I decided to post this bc since that day my stomach has not been the same. And I will be going to the doctor to have them check me out. If I end up with some STD, AIDS/HIV or any internal damage as a result of this, I will hold those 2 employees, that manager and Starbucks responsible. I am posting this review to alert other people who may go there so that this does not happen to them.

UPDATE/FOLLOW UP: I reached out to Starbucks regarding this incident and was told by Starbucks to go get checked out and send the bill afterward. I did; the bill which ended up being $750, money that I paid out of my own pocket. Starbucks refused to honor their word to pay it, instead adding insult to injury by offering me a $50 gift card. After all that I had gone through, this was unacceptable. This company, which makes millions of dollars from people cannot pay for an issue that one of its own employees caused. This tells me that they do not care about their customers; they're only interested in profit. While I can't say that I will NEVER get another drink at Starbucks because sometimes it's the only place available, I will say that I will definitely pick everyone else...

If this is the Starbucks at Gaston and Haskell, this was unfortunately the worst Starbucks experience I've had in terms of poor customer service and ineffective management. It was a Sunday, busy inside and the drive thru. Service was very slow. The manager complained and engaged in snarky comments to the employees while they inefficiently revolved around their workspace, often pausing to figure out what order went where. The manager failed to deescalate a conflict situation with an employee in front of customers. The manager chose to have a conversation with the employee that would have been better to have had in private, as it involved mentioning the customers "watching and listening" to the employees while they engaged in their negative, somewhat personal conversations within earshot of the customers, while we all waited an average of 10 minutes each for our orders, because they had forgotten to make several of them. One employee was noticeably disgruntled and unhappy, and was unable to stop complaining about just about everything. The cost of my drink was over $10 (I forgot to get a receipt. I would have had to ask for it, and I wish I had. That was my fault). I finally asked about my order after waiting for 10 minutes, just to have an employee identify it, and it hadn't been worked on and was left sitting on the counter next to the blenders half-complete and unattended to while they worked on drive thru orders and complained about their jobs. At one point the manager just disappeared into the back. When a barista noticed my drink sitting on the counter unfinished, the other barista said, "oh I was wondering why that was sitting there." ?? Really? Possibly because it was someone's order that needed to be made. Sorry you hate your job so much, but some of us would gladly trade you our unemployment for it.

I hope you're all having a much...

I don't usually leave reviews (this is my second, ever) but this Starbucks was especially disappointing. I am traveling through the country and visit Starbucks wherever I go because of their convenient locations, delicious snacks, and easily accessible WiFi, and typically have a great experience.

In the span of time I was there I saw three people walk out, one request a refund, and two different employees speak very disrespectfully to guests. Employees were standing around chatting instead of making drinks and when a gentleman asked if they had started making his beverage, the associate rolled her eyes and said "Sir, it will get made, you already placed your order so I am aware you are waiting. I will start making it right now". He commented that they were all just standing, and she rolled her eyes again. He then requested a refund from the front counter (stating it would be faster, as he was in a hurry), and the desk clerk didn't utter a single apology, but just refunded the money and stared him down. When he left, they proceeded to complain about him. Absolutely unacceptable, and very bad for business.

Twice these employees commented to customers that the delay was because they were "understaffed"...but 5 employees on a Tuesday from 11:30am-1:00pm (with the queue never exceeding 5 in line) should easily be able to accommodate all requests.

The bathroom wasn't properly stocked, the front sitting area was dirty, and even the counter where we receive our consumables was dirty.

I hope management finds this review helpful and can make appropriate changes to help...