Strange Chain Coffee Shop Experienve

[rocketman84]

Went into a very popular coffee shop chain today and ordered a medium iced latte, (clearly said medium, twice). The server said £4.35 please and I tapped my card before the price on the wall behind him stated a medium iced latte was £4.00. I questioned this and the server looked nervous and stumbles over his words, at which point the barista jumps in and said “oh we’ve had price increases that haven’t been updated yet”. I thought this was bizarre as the prices were shown on tv type screens. She started making my MEDIUM latte (in a medium size cup), at which point I glanced at my receipt to see the server had rung through a large (which in fact was priced at £4.35). I immediately said “hang on you’ve charged me for a large”. Both the till sever and the baristas faces seems to drop and the barista started rambling about price rises, miscommunications (all of what she was saying didn’t make sense), then shouted to the till server “ok give her a refund, GIVE HER A REFUND”. I had paid by card so expected to be refunded this way, but instead a very panicked and guilty looking server dived into the tip jar to pick out 35p refund. I again questioned that there weren’t any price rises… as the price on the screens was, in fact, correct. To which I got bombarded with loads of verbal diarrhoea which didn’t make sense. So I left with my coffee and my 35p.
It was all very very bizarre, and from the reactions and behaviour of the staff I’m pretty sure it was some type of scam (I’m not sure how but I am convinced that it was), and that they probably get away with it all the time.
Edit: apologies about the typo in the heading, it was obviously an experience

Surely if the prices are displayed with medium at £4.00, thry have to charge you that? If price rises are coming through, they shouldn't apply until updated, and if they haven't done whatever is needed for that, be it clicking some computer button or manually rewriting a display board, that's on them, even if they were told it must be done before start of business on day X and hadn't.

I can understand using the tip jar for a small refund, too, whether fair on the other staff or not. But the way they handled it all does sound dodgy, especially if there was nothing like, "really sorry, it's my first day, I'm still learning some of this." They made it sound dodgy, so at the very least, thry need to work on their customer service.

This particular one didn't - I'd checked the price and the calories before ordering! I assume she didn't hear me rather than chose to ignore me..

Some of the people in my local have quite the air of self importance (despite being about 19 years old and clearly a bit dim).

She’ll just have started prattling as she thought it better than admitting the mistake. To process a refund through the till they would’ve had to get the manager so they gave it from the tip jar to avoid that.

You’ve hit the nail on the head. Very odd way to handle it in any case

Yes - but when you've got that customer, you go for the easiest route of refund so you can proceed to serve the next customer and get on with the rest of the day

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity

Hanlon's Razor!

I've had so many takeaway cups that are all foam and light as air, with an inch of cup above the foam when you open the lid, then two inches of foam above the coffee...haven't had a takeaway coffee in years for this reason

Have you never told a white lie when flustered? And then can't get out?

Note to self: getting far too invested in a thread about 35 pence

Where and on what will you spend your 35p please?

I'm trying not to be rude and say get a life before you report this to HO or the CEO. But get a life.

Maybe to super size her next drink?! 😜

Maybe 'a friend' was going to get a large for the price of a medium?

I nearly got caught in a garage once, went in to pay and noticed someone eating a sandwich talking to the person on the till, paid for my fuel and for some reason looked properly at my receipt rather than just rushing out, lo and behold there was a sandwich on my bill, they refunded me 'don't know how that happened', I think we all knew!

I bet this was Costa.
for a long while, every time I went to Costa, I would order a small hot drink then when they recapped the order, would ALWAYS say ‘so that’s a medium…’ and I would correct them. Countless times, would meet my mum in Costa and she’d say, having sat down with her drink, ooh this is larger than expected…. Clearly after being unknowingly upsold. Drove me up the wall, more because my mum was being fleeced and I bet countless other unaware people too. Fortunately lots of other, much better coffee shops in area now so no more Costa!!

Who knows what I could spend it on, it is MY 35p after all. 35p or £35… it doesn’t really matter anyway. It’s the principle
And, ummm, when did I say I was going to report it?

Spot on. Must be a thing they do then.