Starbucks Coffee — Restaurant in Ontario

This place is THE WORST STARBUCKS I HAVE EVER BEEN TO. If i could give it zero stars I would. I called Starbucks customer service line to talk about getting the money on my account back. After a short conversation I was told to go get the money at a store front. (it was not much- 13 dollars I just don't go to Starbucks much anymore so I wanted my money back, it has been on there for months) A younger 20 something boy was at the counter. I explained the situation to him and he said they do not do those types of refunds there. ( I worked retain for over 10 years so I always try to be compassionate to customer service workers) I said politely "Can I speak to the manager then to see if I can get more information" He then replied snidely " She won't want to talk to you" I sad " Well can I talk to them anyway just to see what we can do" He then gets the assistant manager. The assistant manager gives me even more attitude than the previous worker. Again saying it can not be done, and they are not allowed. After going back and forth she said she would go check. Only to send the same 20 something boy back to me. He then said "she can't talk to you anymore she is in a meeting and she still can't help you" with lots of attitude again. I then very calmly said "Okay, can I please have her name so I can talk to customer service about our conversation and hopefully get my money back after it is sorted out?" He said it is private information, he can't give it to me" I then replied " I see the picture of the manager here with their name, I see your nametag on your shirt. I can use the manager's name but they were not a part of this interaction and I am only asking for a first name for resolution purposes" He then shouts "Well ma'am if you are going to start cussing at me, I am going to have to ask you to leave"- I was shocked because I have never had such an aggressive interaction with a service worker. Especially after I made sure to keep my cadence regulated, I know what customers can be like during the holidays. I never want to be that person. Both the staff workers were unprofessional to the point of being embarrassing. I have never used profanity or strong language when it comes to retail stores- much less a coffee place that I wanted to get 13 dollars from. If your staff is too emotional to do their jobs properly then perhaps they need to be retrained. It was an outlandish and offensive, but mostly avoidable aggressive interaction. I have never left a store front so confused and offended. I am offended and I feel bullied. If the assistant manager does not know how to bring tangible solutions to the table without lying about being in a meeting, why is she in that position? A meeting about what? Matcha lattes? I am sure the president of the company urgently needed to speak to an assistant manager about cake pops? So much so that she left a customer on the floor neglected and mistreated. I am sure that would not be the best plan of action for the situation or any customer service situation. Mostly, I didn't deserve the mistreatment. I was being amicable. If she is in management I can see why there are so many bad reviews on this...

Today at approximately 3:19 PM, I submitted a mobile order through the Starbucks app and arrived at the store about 4–5 minutes later, as recommended. Upon arrival, I noticed 4–5 cars ahead in the drive-thru, so I joined the line. When I reached the ordering speaker and provided my order details, the employee informed me that I should wait 12 minutes before entering the drive-thru in the future.

I politely explained that I was following the app’s instructions, which state to arrive within 4–7 minutes after placing an order. Instead of acknowledging this, the employee responded by saying he would call the manager.

When the manager, Shelley, arrived, I expected the situation to be clarified or resolved. Unfortunately, it only escalated. Rather than addressing the discrepancy between the app instructions and their policy, Shelley immediately stated that nothing could be done and reiterated the 12-minute wait rule, which I had never heard before. Her tone was dismissive and unhelpful. Without offering a real solution, she offered a refund. I accepted the refund, but when I mentioned that a manager’s role should be to help resolve customer concerns, she responded with, “Get out of my drive-thru.”

This level of rudeness and lack of customer care was shocking—especially from a brand like Starbucks, where I’ve always received courteous service. The behavior from both the employee and the manager was unacceptable and not in line with the standard of service I’ve come to expect.

In addition to this review, I’ll be reaching out to Starbucks corporate to ensure this situation is addressed and that the employees involved receive appropriate training. Excellent service should never...

This location started out well with me as it was my go-to on the way to work, but these last couple of months it had been a hot mess. There were times when the store had to close early due to understaffing. Then, because they hire on a lot of green beans (newbies), they make a lot of mistakes. I asked for a venti, so of course the display screen in the drive-thru says "trenta." I asked for almond milk in my iced coffee, and it has been coming out extremely bitter. This leads me to believe that either the milk is expired or the barista made the drink incorrectly. Either way, this seems to be a common theme lately at majority of the locations in Ontario. To be honest, I don't think I will be returning until something is done to fix this. I hate the feeling of initially sipping my straw to see if it's going to be a hit or miss. You're honestly better off making your own drinks at home or going to your local 76 and making your drink...