Starbucks accidently double-charged over 1 million customers

If you had Starbucks over Memorial Day weekend this year -- specifically on May 22 or May 23 -- and you used a charge or debit card instead of cash, you should check your finance statement from that period.

Starbucks announced that on those two dates, they accidently withdrew twice the amount for debit and credit card transactions, which occurred at over 7,000 of their store locations. Over the next several days that followed, they worked hard to credit back this financial transaction error, but even so, some customers were complaining they did not receive a due credit to their account.

Customers would not be able to detect any problems from the printed receipt received in the store at the time of purchase, because the transaction amounts were correct in print. However, the actual monetary transfer was double-charged. In an effort to quickly rectify this error, Starbucks had completed processing most refunds by May 29th.

A spokesperson for Starbucks claims that they have completely processed all the refunds.  There were no published accounts of customers who were aware of the situation, that were still claiming to be awaiting recompensation.

News media picked up on this story immediately.  And yet, there was no subsequent public outcry of concern over this financial mishap.  Apparently, people are willingly forgiving of these accidental corporate situations, even when it might affect their wallets.

But consumers should remain vigilant.  Financial experts report that debit and credit charges for incorrect amounts are disturbingly common. The best advice given is to review your bank or charge card statements regularly and in detail.