Customers’ anger over Saffron Walden Starbucks delayed payments

Starbucks in Saffron Walden, which has left customers angry over lump sum withdrawals from their bank accounts Archant

Starbucks customers are furious with the coffee chain after some found over £100 going out of their bank accounts - months after they had drunk their coffee.

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Patrons of the Saffron Walden coffee shop have found their card payments have been delayed and taken out in a lump sum.

Dozens of people have been affected by the withdrawals, with some regular customers of the Market Street shop seeing as much as £150 removed from their accounts in one go for purchases dating back as far as February.

The unexpected withdrawals have caused havoc with customers’ banking, and some have even been charged for falling into their overdrafts and missing direct debit payments.

Starbucks says the issue has been caused by a technical fault, which has meant a delay to customers’ debit and credit card charges, and has apologised to those affected.

Lucy Trimnell, 32, who has seen £130 taken from her account for drink purchases at Starbucks dating back to March, said: “I’m very, very upset about the situation.

“I’m a full-time carer for my disabled son and I go to Starbucks twice a week, and it’s a chance for me to relax for a short period of time with friends.

“I have to manage my money quite carefully and this large amount coming out has seen me fall into my overdraft, for which I have been charged. A direct debit payment, which comes out of the same account, also bounced and I got charged for that as well.

“I do check my balance quite regularly, but I can’t say I look through my statements that closely, so I had no idea that they hadn’t been charging me for coffee since March.

“I contacted my bank but they said companies have six months to claim payment so there’s nothing they can do. I contacted Starbucks and they offered me some free drink vouchers, which I politely declined.

“It’s such a shame because I like going there, but I won’t be anymore. There are loads of people this has affected and I think they will lose a lot of customers in the town over this.”

Another customer, Keeley Kenzie, saw payment for 19 Starbucks transactions come out of her account on May 20, and a further 20 were removed on May 26, dating back to February.

In total so far, £150 has been taken out of her account, and Ms Kenzie says there could be more to come.

She said: “I probably go to Starbucks five times a week and I always have the same thing, so as soon as I saw all the charges, I knew what it was. I hope there isn’t too much more to come.

“I completely understand people’s frustrations about it, I have been in there a few times when the card machine has been down so I can’t say I’m that surprised. I’ll be sure to pay cash in future.”

A spokesperson for Starbucks said: “We are working hard to rectify this delayed transaction issue caused by a technical fault, which meant a delay to some customers’ authorised debit and credit card charges, in some of our UK stores.

“We are very sorry to those customers affected and ask anyone seeking assistance to contact our customer services team as we resolve this problem.”

Have you been affected by the situation at Starbucks in Saffron Walden? Contact us at editor@saffronwalden-reporter.co.uk.