How Does Luckin's Function Coffee System Drive Tier Abuse?

Luckin Coffee has rebuilt its position in China's coffee market through low prices and a membership tier rewards system, but that same system is now being gamed. Employees report receiving frequent orders of more than twenty cups with near-identical notes asking staff to call before brewing, followed by refund requests or negative reviews when the upgrade goal is not met.

Second-hand platforms now host services promising a direct jump to the Nine-Color Deer or Black Gold Deer tier. Staff and customers alike question the value of those badges, noting the perks are largely cosmetic. The practice shifts costs onto store workers while raising questions about where a loyalty program ends and manipulation begins.

Luckin Coffee has achieved a strong comeback in the market thanks to its affordable prices and membership tier benefits system, but this has also given rise to tier-boosting chaos. Recently, an employee revealed that some consumers, in order to quickly upgrade to the Nine-Color Deer or Black Gold Deer tier, pressure stores by placing large orders and then maliciously requesting refunds or leaving negative reviews. "Nine-Color Deer tier-boosting" services have even appeared on second-hand platforms. This battle over membership tiers not only adds to the burden on store employees but also sparks discussions about consumer ethics and business rules.

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Luckin Coffee has now successfully made a comeback and become one of the important leaders in China's coffee market, with every cup sold adding to this status. With its highly attractive pricing strategy, Luckin continues to attract new users while building a membership tier benefits system at the consumer experience level.

Recently, a Luckin employee posted bluntly on social media: "Want to get the Nine-Color Deer for free? Impossible!" The trigger was that the employee had recently been receiving frequent large orders of more than twenty cups at once, and the notes on these orders were highly identical: "Call me before making it, thanks."

Another Luckin partner, while browsing online, found a post titled "Luckin Nine-Color Deer 0-level instant upgrade new tutorial latest method," which detailed the steps needed to directly reach Luckin's highest membership tier.

Many people say they find it hard to understand why some netizens are so obsessed with the Black Gold tier. They believe that Luckin's Black Gold Deer and Nine-Color Deer membership statuses have quite limited practical use beyond being displayed prominently on screens. Some netizens said bluntly, "Boosting this tier feels pretty useless," while others complained, "I don't even care about my Nine-Color Deer, so why is this Black Gold Deer so special?"

In the comments section, some netizens also shared what they had seen: at a certain Luckin store, several university students became dissatisfied because a section in the middle of the in-store display screen was broken, and then "immediately left a negative review, saying they suggested the store rectify it immediately and report back to them." In fact, if the inability to take a screen-dominating photo was caused by a screen malfunction, they should first communicate and negotiate with the staff before deciding how to review, rather than directly leaving a negative review.

At that point, a Luckin worker in the comments section offered advice to fellow employees: "Luckin friends, remember, when they come, don't worry about it, make as much as you can, and leave the rest to 4000-100-100 (Luckin customer service phone number)."

In addition, this Luckin employee also complained: "If it had no impact on us employees, you could do whatever you want," but the reality is that such actions cause the partners on duty that day to get off work very late. Therefore, everyone should appreciate the hard work and dedication of Luckin partners and give them the respect and attention they deserve, rather than boosting membership tiers by maliciously placing orders and then requesting refunds.

Not only that, besides discussions on social platforms, keywords such as "Luckin Nine-Color Deer boosting service" have also appeared on certain second-hand trading platforms or other search channels.

Ultimately, we should respect enterprises' commercial practices and make purchases through official channels or consume in stores, which is the basic prerequisite for maintaining market order and fair competition.

At the same time, we should also strengthen our self-protection awareness, not readily believe untrue rumors and false information, and avoid harm to our own interests. I hope everyone can make the right choices and jointly create a healthy and orderly consumption environment.

Image source: Internet

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