Coffee Spat Forgiven

If you know me, you know I can't live without coffee at some point during my day... or tea basically anything caffeinated.. well, not soda though. Also if you know me, I frequently get my fix at Starbucks. I've tried to frequent more local coffee shops but I usually end up back at Starbucks for one reason or another. I fully admit I am a fan girl. I even have a tshirt and several cups from them and frankly I don't care that they are a chain. They use to be small once and they have great lattes and fun drinks!

It should be no wonder then that I decided to fold and register a gift card I had and start putting money on it. This would allow me to earn free drinks and prizes. Sounded tempting enough... why not? I go almost every other day.... okay every day... sometimes...

I had been filling my card for about a month and had only refilled it with cash at stores when I realized I could reload it online. This sounded easy enough so I went online and placed a generous amount on my card. Later that same day (okay, an hour later) I went to my local Starbucks and bought my drink of the moment; iced, grande soy latte. I went home and enjoyed.

The next day, after some hectic researching and writing, I decided the dog and I needed a quick drive to Starbucks for a break. I went through the drive-thru as usual, handed the barista my card, but he came back saying that my card was not valid and the account had been closed. I must have looked devastated because he gave me the latte for free. It was very kind of him to do that especially since I was already so fried from school work I couldn't really wrap my thoughts around what had happened till I got home.

Once I was able I placed a call to the Starbucks help line. It took me three times of being disconnected and a lot of random number pushing to get through to someone to talk to. To get right to the point, the woman I talked to seemed flustered and unsure of how to handle my situation. She tried her best, but I got annoyed when I heard her supervisor telling her what to tell me in the background, which basically was that they had canceled my account but I needed to call my bank to figure it out. I did not understand why this supervisor just didn't get on the phone with me and had to put the representative through a grapevine interaction where she obviously was having trouble. I just wanted to be rid of them by the end of the whole thing so I hung up and called my credit card company.

My credit card company is amazing. USAA has the nicest people working for them. In the end of my conversation with them, it became obvious that for some reason, there was a panic about the transaction and my Starbucks card was canceled due to worry it was a false transaction.

Okay, that's cool. I appreciate the concern. But what about the remaining, huge balance on the card? I had only ordered one drink and there was quite a bit left. As far as my credit card statement read, I still was being charged for the amount I had placed on the Starbucks card. Hmmmm.

I decided to let it sit for a few days since this all happened over a weekend. I figured it would show up refunded soon enough.

I waited... nope. Still not refunded.

Calling began again. I first called USAA and talked to someone at length as to what had occurred on their end so I had my facts straight. I then called Starbucks. It took me three more tries of being hung up on and some number pressing to get someone.

Luckily, this representative was much more willing to work with me. He was patient and thorough, but in the end I had to write a letter to contest the transaction to my credit card company.

So I went back to USAA, informed them of my contesting, received a letter from them, wrote them a VERY detailed letter of what had happened and swore to NEVER get another Starbucks card. Sheesh!

(Que sappy violin music here) I still went to Starbucks, but not as regularly and would flat our refused any pushes to register a card. I was miffed, bitter and angry that my little haven that would brighten my day had been tainted by this hassle. I knew it wasn't my stores fault, or the nice young man and woman who always know my order when I walk into the store, but I couldn't help it. It was like I had a fight with someone I loved and all I wanted was an apology or some conformation that they had done me wrong so I could forgive and we could move on. I wasn't holding my breath though cause really, do you think that would ever happen?

Well I didn't... that is until today.

Out of the blue, I received a call from a Starbucks representative who wanted to check in on what had occurred with my Starbucks card and make sure that things had been resolved. He was very kind and apologetic. After our chat, he stated he was glad things had worked out and that Starbucks was thankful for my patience in the matter. He informed me that from this experience they were going to change some policies and as a thank you for my patience, he asked if he could send me some free gift cards.

I said yes.

Also, I did get my refund approved prior to this phone call and all is well on the credit card side.

I'm a big fan of patience after this. All seems to have turned out well, but I still will not be registering another card anytime soon. It is good to forgive, but doesn't mean you should always forget. Frankly, I really don't want to go through this ever again and I'd rather just enjoy my latte without the mistrust.

New drink to try recommended by barista: iced, double, tall, caramel macchiato with a pump of raspberry. Enjoy!

New Place and Changes

Bobo took a trip up to the North Shore for a few days and found us a place. We will be downsizing from our huge two bed/bath to a one bed/bath. The apartment is a good size though and we already have friends offering to take the extra furniture and items we will not be needing.

I'm getting more excited about moving especially after all the raving Bobo did about the area. We are close to the train station which will be great for trips into the city and there are a number of parks and forest preserves around. He even found a dog park for the pup.

Something I am not accustomed to though is that we are in a pet designated building. Having lived in a complex that has been so accepting of pets of all shapes, breeds and sized in all the building, this will be an adjustment. Am I not allowed to walk the dog in front of these buildings? Am I restricted to our little area? We will see how this goes since I like my long walks with the dog and I know I will want to be able to wander.

I am excited and ready for graduation this weekend. This time around is different in a lot of ways.

1. I am alone. This is in the sense that for undergrad I walked the hill with both my brothers. I have some amazing ladies I've gotten to know through our program that I will be walking down that hill with.

2. I have had straight A's. I have NEVER done this before till now. I graduate with a 4.0 under my belt. As someone who gradated undergrad with a MUCH lover GPA, this means the world to me.

3. I have no plan what to do next. Well, maybe the little one of moving to Illinois, but in undergrad I had a job and was moving to Massachusetts for it. Now I am moving, but will have to do the job search. Best part though is that it is okay with me at this point. I will get a job, whether it be teaching or Target or Gap or Starbucks or dog walking, who knows.

4. I belong to a specified department! Last time since I was with my brothers, we went with the College of Liberal Arts which is a clump of many different areas. This time I am walking with the Education department...and I am specifically in education.

Those are just a few off the top of my head.

A lot changes in a few years and a lot is gonna change. I'm excited though to see what happens... and probably freeze my bum up in Illinois. Haha!

Chi-Town

Life doesn't stand still at all. It is always changing and pushing you off the edge into a whole new experience. Sometimes this can be exciting, thrilling, sometimes scary, or downright dreadful. Luckily, this recent push that came to us is very exciting for Bobo and I both. This past Friday he received confirmation on a transfer to a store up north of Chicago. We are both very excited and shocked how quickly it went through from him requesting it (2 hours) and also how fast we need to be up there. I will be graduating with my Masters and licensing in about 3 weeks. A lot is changing and in a very good way.

We've been expecting this for some time. We planned that we might move but have known that it also might not be in the cards. Guess God is agreeing that yes, this is where I want you now.

I'm sad to leave so many wonderful friends and also a pending niece (or nephew... either is good) that will be coming in the fall, but this seems to be such a clear path it is silly to ignore.

I'm also sad I won't be working where I'd hoped to be but I know that there will be many opportunities up there. With all the cuts coming to teachers and especially special education in Kansas, it seems that it would be better to be somewhere else at the moment.

If you think about it, send up a little prayer for us to find a place quickly and also for me in finding a job and getting my licensing in Illinois. It will be a bit easier since I have my Kansas license but I still will have to take at least two tests there.

We know we will be up north at least 5 years but after that, we are not sure. Lots could happen between now and then. Heck, lots can happen in just one day.

I want to say a huge congratulations to my Uncle. This past Friday was his last day of work and is officially retired. Congrats to you Unkie Rick and watch that fixed income. Love you.

Instant Coffee

As most of you know, I love coffee. I am loving the Pumpkin Spiced latte that is back at Starbucks lately also. I lost count after a dozen. I also have been looking for an instant coffee that I like enough to actually use. I've tried some store bought ones but the one I've liked best are Starbucks. Recently they have come out with more then just the little packets. They came out with the iced coffee version this summer and I only recently have tried it since Bobo likes it. I saw this past week that Starbucks has come out with multiple flavored versions including Vanilla, Caramel, Mocha and Cinnamon Spice. A promotion has also been going on in which if you buy a packet of one of these new flavors you can get a free Tall drink so of coarse I grabbed a Vanilla Via and got my free drink (Pumpkin Spiced please...).

This morning we woke up and both were too lazy to make our usual french press so we busted out the Vias. I realized how each one of them is of a different size. Basically the size increases with added amounts of sugar. The vanilla is very good by the way and Bobo has been using milk in his iced.

So I'm curious if anyone I know has used these and what do they do with theirs?

Also, I have been meaning to blog about stuff and have written several entries but have not posted them because... well, I never have finished any of them. Whoops.

So this is the one that gets finished.