Throwing $4 Drinks At Unfriendly Starbucks Managers Is Not Misdemeanor Harassment
A Portland jury recently found Latasha Curry not guilty of misdemeanor harassment for throwing a $4 venti iced mocha at a Starbucks manager who accused her of running a free drink scam. Curry was initially offered a free drink after she complained that her iced tea was too bitter. When she tried to redeem her freebie two days later, store manager Ryan Smith decided that Curry looked suspiciously like a woman who redeemed a free drink from a different store 11 months earlier. Smith accused Curry of running some elaborate drink scam, prompting Curry to serve Smith a free venti shower.
When asked by Curry's defense attorney how he recognized Curry from 11 months ago, Smith said it was her glasses and her voice.
Curry later testified that she doesn't wear glasses and produced a driver's license as evidence.
Upset because she felt targeted, Curry said she began to raise her voice as Smith raised his.
Curry said when the other employee placed the drink on the counter, she grasped it, then let go when Smith grabbed it and tried to pull it toward him. He spilled the drink on himself, she said, when she let go of the cup.
"I was very much upset," she said. "He accused me of going to a store in Jantzen Beach and in his words running a scam. I was offended. . . . I don't need to steal for or scam for a $4.20 drink."
Smith called 911 after the incident, claiming that "a customer [just] assaulted me with a hot drink." We'd like to think that Curry would be entitled to a freebie if her iced tea was served scalding hot.
Starbucks' corporate office essentially sided with Curry, saying: "Providing great customer service is part of (the company's) commitment and if a drink isn't perfect, we want customers to let us know and we'll make it right."
Dispute over spilled Starbucks mocha ends up in Portland court [The Oregonian]
(Photo: ka3vo)
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Comments:
Go to your rooms and face the corner for 15 minutes.
Chick in photo -> hawt.
I can't get my recipe quite right. Whenever I pour the boiling water in the cup, the ice cubes melt.
I can't believe the DA actually took this to court. What an incompetent boob
@rellog: Private citizens can act as private prosecutors.
And re: photo. Her shirt is so apt in this article. "Must have Been My Evil Twin"
You know the judge really wanted to say: Not Guilty due to mitigating circumstances. I.e., Starbucks coffee is so bad it is understandable someone would lash out in violence after drinking a few sips.
Starbucks sided with Curry only AFTER she was acquitted. Where was their public support before and during the trial? Chumps.
Abuse of the police is out of hand and this is the perfect case for an example to be made. Normally people can get away with filing a false police report, but this person said it was a hot drink when it was not. That means this should be a clear cut case of filing a false police report. This manager needs to be jailed. People need to know you can't use the police to get someone in trouble for a situation you started.
Private citizens can act as private prosecutors.
So what? In this case it was a county DA that took the case to court.
This case was riddled with errors, and the DA got his ass handed to him. First, there's the "victim" who couldn't even properly identify the defendant. Second, the "victim" called 9-1-1 to report that he'd been assaulted by a customer who threw a "hot drink" at him, but later admitted it was an ice mocha. Third, apparently the store lost the only real evidence they had of the event - the store's surveillance video.
I think the defendant has a pretty good argument that she didn't throw a drink at the manager.
You'd be surprised how many people steal free drink coupons though...sometimes employees will take them and sell them online, etc.
But pretty silly for the MANAGER to accuse someone in public that way without any proof.
wait a minute..... so this manager assumed she was some free drink scamming mastermind because he THOUGHT he recognized her from a DIFFERENT STORE 11 MONTHS earlier????
I am just trying to figure out if this guy is a barney fife type or just a prick.
Maybe both.
This manager needs to go to jail for filing a false report. It's guys like this who make it impossible for me to get cops to respond when I've had situations in the past of people breaking the law.
I even had someone ram my car about a foot and a half away from me because they wanted me out of a parking space. This was intentional. The guy even threatened to kick my ass before doing so. The cops said "Well, we won't respond to an accident tonight. It's raining." while I stood outside of the restaurant that the jackass was eating at.
It's like morons all over.
I know the *$ in question and they're, ahem, awful.
You know what's really freakish about this (to me, anyway)? Last night I had a dream about a really pissy Starbucks manager who offended me so much, I threw my iced coffee at her. I never even heard of this case until now, about 20 hours later.
OVER $4.20?!?!?!
Of course this is a serious matter! We're talking about money that could buy a gallon of gas!
Hmm... 16oz of sh*t water, or a gallon of gas, let me think about that one...
I've done worse stuff and haven't had the popo on my ass yet.
"I am just trying to figure out if this guy is a barney fife type or just a prick."
What kind of person tries to grab a cup of coffee out of a customer's hands?
Well, I don't know about the lot of you, but I sure am glad that our justice system is looking out against unscrupulous individuals who would callously steal from such a respected national establishment, many of which often struggle to cover the losses that they incur when they give their outgoing administrators their relatively modest severance packages for their tireless work to makeup for the lost profits from the aforementioned would-be thieves.
Obvious sarcasm is obvious.
Private prosecutions are usually not allowed in the U.S. I doubt that has anything to do with this case.
@donkeyjote: Seconded. I never comment on the photo but that woman is smokin'.
Regarding the case, it was no wonder it was dropped. The guy must be a nut to say he recognized someone from eleven months earlier when he probably deals with hundreds of customers a day. Than he lied to the police about the temperature of the drink. There's a huge difference between a hot and cold drink.
I believe her that he put it on himself when they both grabbed it at the same time. He probably tried to yank her drink and it flew on him. He's a big overreacting neurotic baby and he should've been charged with filing a false police report.
You kids behave or I will turn this Starbucks RIGHT around and go home.
@strathmeyer: What kind of person tries to grab a cup of coffee out of a customer's hands?
Or worse yet, what kind of idiot *expects* a customer to take the cup out of his hands? I've lost count of the number of employees who "think" they are doing me or others a favour by handing the cup with their own hand wrapped around it.
How exactly is the customer supposed to take hold of it? Is it too much to ask that the employee put the drink down so the customer can pick it up himself, especially when it's hot and there's a cardboard "protector" around it?
Bad conflation of "very long drawn out low-budget scam" and "elaborate scam"...
1. Complain about your drink and get a free one.
2. Wait 12 months. Repeat once.
3. PROFIT!
The Starbucks I go to gives out free drink coupons regularly for simple things, like if they think you're waiting in the line too long, and I got four of them for asking corporate a question about the starbucks card giving you a discount.
I've used maybe seven of them in the past two months as a result - but this girl who the manager thinks used two twice in one year is being called a scammer? Ha!
If my iced tea was too bitter (from Starbucks? really?), I would be wanting my money back.
If you're willing to pay 4.20 for a cup of iced tea, there are several much better tea selections to be had in most any convenience store, typically for less than half of your 4.20.
I believe 2.39 gets you a GALLON of Publix sweet tea, which kicks the shit out of anything you get in Starbucks.
$1 for McD's new Sweet Tea...
99 cents gets you 'fresh bewed' fountain tea at most fast food restaurants. The stuff at Panera is fine and dandy. Au Bon Pain have amazing Peach Icead Tea for $1.99.
Dunkins are a little more expensive... I think they charge up to $2.60 for a large fresh brewed iced tea. And they don't give a shit if you spill stuff in their store... and when their credit card machines go down they just give the drinks away!
Read this to my husband (a Starbucks manager) and he was appalled. I go to Starbucks quite a bit and am not afraid to complain when I know something is wrong. I often get the coupons. Recently got two, and in order to use them in the Epping, NH store I had to put up with the third degree. I was happy to tell her exactly what happened and how I didn't appreciate being accused of theft.
any putz who pays $4 for that crap is a moron anyway
@mgy: put a metal spoon into it...it attracts the hot ions. The ice still melts, but not as quickly.
disgusting. My wife was assaulted by two customers who didint like that they missed their call for seating and after a hour it was given away. The woman went right up to my wife and threw the beeper at her. Brinker not only bent over backwards to give free stuff to the customers who ASSAULTED my wife, they tried to fire my wife for FOLLOWING SEATING POLICY that THEY MADE. It was only through her manager that she kept her job, because he went back to them and refused to fire one of his training staff because a customer assaulted her.
Right then and there was when I realized that most major corporations
are run by disgusting individuals who have no care for their staffs well
being. My wife now works with the worst of the worst of students in a
public school system and she flat out tells me that her job is a gem
compared to serving customers. Yep thats right she likes working with
gang members, drug dealers, and pregnate underage girls MORE than she
did serving food.
I brew my own tea and it is better than anything I can get from a restaurant.
She began to raise her voice when she "felt targeted". Why did you feel targeted? That is what destroyed her argument in my mind.
Also, individuals need to learn to pick and choose your battles. On both parts, customer and manager, this was not worth picking. I don't blame the customer, and I don't blame the manager.
Just wanted to note that basically being accused of being a thief on extremely shaky & unfounded evidence..... can be infuriating & offensive. You call the wrong person a thief & if all you get is a beverage in your face.... then count yourself lucky. Not saying its right, but....
@OletheaEurystheus: I just left retail sales after twelve years for that reason. Not only do people mistreat staff in all kinds of service positions in all kinds of crazy ways, but employers (on average) either outright blame their employees, or do a really half-ass job protecting us.
Sales staff where I was working are jumping ship in droves after pay cuts added insult to injury. I shouldn't mention the company in question by name, but they have a huge Thanksgiving day parade every year...
"Starbucks sided with Curry only AFTER she was acquitted. Where was their public support before and during the trial? Chumps. "
They're not going to stand by someone who allegedly threw hot coffee on one of their employees. Once they found it was neither "thrown" nor "hot", they can certainly support her then.
This IS the silliest story I've read in a while. It's like a satire detective show.
Imaginary eyeglasses
Some evil coupon racketeering organization
Scalding iced coffee
Three Stooges caliber "letting go of the cup so the other guy spills it on himself"!
Unsubstantiated black-on-gay harrassment
Nixon-style evidence tampering
Thank goodness the writers strike is over so we can get such brillian comedy scripts!
Man, why didn't I think of this. Scamming $4.00 every 11 months!! In 1000 years I'll have over $4 grand. What a SWEET scam.
Ah yes... I have discovered the secret now. I will scam Starbucks for a cup of coffee EVERY YEAR. When I retire I will have amassed a fortune of $48.00. No more debts.. BAHAMAS HERE WE COME.... Bwahahahaha.
I'm a SBUX employee. I have to say, if you're scamming us out of $4.20 it's more worth it to me to just give you the drink and get you out of my face than to argue with you. Seriously? What is $4 in my day?
If I let you make me mad and ruin my day, no matter how awful you are, how much your drink is a joke or how demanding you can be...there is a good chance that the next few guests will receive crappy service. It's better to know that someone is bourgeois trash and move on than to risk having a drink thrown at you.
Having said that: If you eve did throw a hot drink at me, you better be fast. Because for $7 an hour? I'm going to make a violet citizens arrest.
That is all.
Manager needs to be fired now!
@P_Smith: NEVER NEVER NEVER hand a cup of anything to a customer. NEVER!
"Caution: The beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot." People will burn themselves and blame you. Honestly? I burn myself so many times a day now, my hands look like they've been run thru a potato peeler.
@forgottenpassword: There are 2 types of employees at SBUX. This guy, who takes his job WAY too seriously. This is the same guy who asks, "How's your day going so far?" (Which I hate because it's so annoying. I also hate when they ask what you're doing with the rest of your day. UG! How is that your business? Why are you asking? What if I say, "I'm going home to make love to my wife...or I'm going to go have hemorrhoid surgery?)
The other type is a person who is just passing through on their way through college. These are the people I like working with. The over serious ones are the ones destined for managership. I keep hoping the manager ship will leave without me.
@HungryGrrl: You have not tasted sweet tea until you've had real home made sweet tea.
Or go to White Castle. Their sweet tea is store brewed, and orgasmic. THe McDonald's tea taste like everything else at McDonald's... Like sour old ass.
@P_Smith:
I've seen people get offended if they hold out their hand to take a cup of coffee and the employee puts it on the counter instead.
What if I say, "I'm going home to make love to my wife...or I'm going to go have hemorrhoid surgery?
I would then offer you a ginseng tea, or prune juice, respectfully.
They both need a time out.
The manager was WAY wrong of accusing her of being a thief.
The customer was WAY wrong to throw it at him.
Both needed to do the STAR Stop > Think > Action > Reaction instead of being ass clowns.
I agree that the manager doesn't sound too believable in this situation.
I do have a bit of sympathy for him though. Having worked in this field before, I do know how frustrating it is to have a "Latasha Curry" kind of customer demanding that you "Push the button on the register and do my job."
Sure glad I don't have to deal with any of that anymore.
On another note. She's black and won. He's gay and lost. Does this mean the "race card" trumps the "gay card"?
Wow, what a bunch of clowns.