What do the Starbucks China coupon refunds mean for its reputation?

Starbucks China issued automatic refunds after a "0.01 yuan for two Flat Whites" promotion failed to deliver coupons, triggering complaints and attention from the Shanghai Consumer Council. The company denied cutting orders or pursuing zero-cost customer acquisition, saying it had mistakenly activated an internal test link, fulfilled more than 10,000 orders and left over 900,000 uncompleted.

Lawyers note that payment forms a contract, so a unilateral cancellation may amount to breach; the council has not released findings. The episode tests the brand loyalty built through starbucks success in china, and the Douyin voucher was later listed at 61 yuan. Apologies have so far failed to quiet discussion of why some buyers redeemed while others were refunded.

Starbucks' "0.01 yuan for two Flat Whites" promotion sparked controversy after coupon issuance failures led to automatic refunds, drawing continuous complaints and dissatisfaction from netizens, with the Shanghai Consumer Council stepping in to communicate. Starbucks China denied "order cutting" and "zero-cost customer acquisition," claiming over 10,000 orders were fulfilled, while more than 900,000 orders were not completed. Lawyers pointed out that upon successful payment, a contract is formed, and Starbucks' unilateral cancellation may constitute a breach. The incident is still unfolding, and the Consumer Council has not yet released investigation results.

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According to reports from other media, before the activity link was taken down, about over 900,000 orders were sold. Currently, on Starbucks' official Douyin account, the price of the "Flat White Double Cup Redemption Voucher" has been adjusted to 61 yuan.

Many netizens successfully grabbed the coupons but were then told that coupon issuance failed and received automatic refunds, which made them very dissatisfied. They complained, saying, "If you can't afford to play, don't run the activity; it's too stingy." Related discussions heated up and surged into the top five on the trending list.

That evening, Starbucks China issued a statement in response, explaining that the company had mistakenly activated an internal test link that morning. They have now corrected the system settings, automatically initiated refunds, informed customers via text message, and expressed apologies.

However, Starbucks' apology did not calm the public opinion. Netizens felt that if it was an internal company issue, consumers should not bear the consequences. Some pointed out that some earlier buyers had successfully redeemed, so why could later buyers only receive automatic refunds due to "internal issues"?

Subsequently, the focus of discussion shifted from "Starbucks automatic refunds without redemption" to "some have already redeemed successfully, which is unfair to others who received automatic refunds." Many netizens also stated that they had complained to the company through the 12315 platform, with the following reasons:

On November 28, the Shanghai Consumer Council communicated with Starbucks China regarding the controversy over accusations of "not redeeming the one-cent two-cups coffee activity and zero-cost customer acquisition."

Starbucks China told the Shanghai Consumer Council that the claim of Starbucks "cutting orders" is not true. On November 23, Starbucks' Douyin agency operator mistakenly launched the "0.01 yuan for two Flat Whites" activity. For the over 10,000 orders that were completed, Starbucks fully fulfilled them, and consumers can redeem the coffee at stores with the redemption code.

Additionally, more than 900,000 orders were not completed, so there is no issue of order cutting. At the same time, this Starbucks activity did not require following the Douyin account or joining as a member, so it does not involve "free customer acquisition."

In response, netizens said that their orders had indeed been successfully paid, which means the transaction was completed. But the text message notification they received stated that due to coupon code issuance failure, the system automatically refunded them. How can this be considered not completed?

Regarding this matter, a lawyer pointed out that Starbucks' internal operational issues should not affect its fulfillment of corresponding responsibilities and obligations to consumers. After consumers successfully paid 0.01 yuan to purchase coffee coupons, they entered into a corresponding contract with Starbucks. Therefore, regardless of the reason, Starbucks should perform its obligations as agreed. Its statement unilaterally canceling the contract clearly constitutes a breach.

As for this matter, the Shanghai Consumer Council has not yet made an investigation response. Image source: Internet

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.