INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Starbucks Customer Upset When Coffee Comes Labeled ‘Diabetes Here I Come’

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 00:05 PST, Apr 9, 2016

A customer at a St. Augustine-area Starbucks outlet recently ordered a grande white mocha, but where his name would normally be, he found an upsetting message instead.

Starbucks is well known for personalizing your coffee order with your name and while it is often misspelled, most people appreciate the practice. However, this particular customer got something other than his “handle” on his mocha cup. The barista had printed the words, “Diabetes here I come” where his name should have been.

While it wasn’t reported how many sugars the unnamed customer ordered with his Starbucks coffee, reportedly the 16-ounce white chocolate mocha has 470 calories when it’s made with 2-percent milk.

The reason why the Starbucks customer was particularly upset about the label was that both his sisters reportedly suffer from Type 1 diabetes. The man told the story anonymously to Action News Jax, saying, “That first word just automatically brought the picture of both sisters in my head, and I was taken aback.”

“Just the struggles they went through and all the doctor appointments they had.”

Reportedly both the store manager at the Palencia outlet and Starbucks corporate headquarters were told of the incident and both assured the Florida man they would investigate the incident.

Action News Jax first contacted the store manager, Kent Miller, and showed him images of the mocha cup with its offending message. They asked Miller if this kind of thing is something Starbucks condones, but the manager said, “No, we definitely don’t condone, but let me find more about this, and I will talk to my boss.”

According to Miller, the only thing that should be printed on the label is the name of the customer and the drink type.

When contacted by email and a telephone call by the news outlet, Starbucks corporate headquarters said, “We strive to provide an inclusive and positive experience for our customers, and we’re disappointed to learn of this incident. We are working directly with the customer to apologize for his experience, and with our partners (employees) to ensure this does not happen again.”

As reported by Mashable, the customer said he didn’t order the drink in person at the outlet, as an employee at his workplace collects coffees for everyone in his office. However, he did personally return the cup of coffee to the Palencia Starbucks with a note, writing directly on the cup, “2 of my sisters are diabetic, so… not funny.”

While he said in the interview he isn’t seeking an apology from Starbucks, he just wants to ensure that this kind of incident won’t happen again, and he said he wanted to stress the reason why he had complained about the label.

“Seeing and knowing the struggle my sisters went through by third, fourth grade, it definitely struck a nerve, and I didn’t just want to let it go.”

Meanwhile this Florida customer is not the only one upset with Starbucks in recent weeks. As reported by The Inquisitr, there is currently a class action suit being launched in California against the coffee giant, accusing the company of under-filling their latte cups by as much as 25 percent.

To make matters worse, one Auburn customer revealed that it is not just the lattes that are being under-served. He made a video showing there’s a problem with the espressos too. Using his own, properly marked shot glass, he proved that for every two-ounce espresso he ordered, he only received one and a half ounces.

[Photo via Flickr by Open Grid Scheduler/Grid Engine/Public Domain]

Share this article: Starbucks Customer Upset When Coffee Comes Labeled ‘Diabetes Here I Come’
Starbucks
More from Inquisitr