I saw this idea on MyStarbucksIdea.com, and I had to agree that it’s a good one. I have heard about instances of confusion associated with promotion codes, and experienced it myself. Here’s the idea:
Be More Clear With What the Promo Codes Work For.
If you’re a reader of this blog, and have an MSI profile, I hope you’ll consider voting that idea up.
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I’d already voted that up. I agree, it’s a messed up issue. Shouldn’t be so difficult. As an example: on my rewards page I have: $1.00 off. In an email, same promo code, it says $1.00 brewed coffee. I thought I’d used it yesterday, which happened to be on a brewed coffee and didn’t notice til I got home, it didn’t come off. It will come off today, one way or other…but it’s annoying. Same thing with some confusing things like: “buy 3, get the 4th (not exact wording, I don’t think) free. I always get 4 shots in a tall bar drink so, I assume the 4th shot will not be charged? Will see.
It is too confusing.
Thank you for bringing this idea up – I agree, and indeed voted it up.
Will be voting up 🙂
Thanks for writing this ,
I just became a member of my starbucks idea 🙂
Yes, this is a long time coming and changes need to be made by SB corporate. I really wonder if people at corporate read what they write? I get frustrated when I get emails way after the fact that they have added the rewards to my account, but then when I go to redeem them I find out I have none because they have already been used! Will go to MSI too.
Thanks for bringing this up. I just thought it was just me reading the emails quickly, which I do partly because I get a lot of emails and partly because the offers are never very clear/very limited application. I have noted a marked decline in the communication aspect of the deals. I’m also a bit disappointed by the idea you have to print and bring the offer or show on your phone, then click over to the sbux app. My phone is slow and I don’t like to keep people waiting in the line. The POS register should intelligently know, not relying on the barista to input a code. That would make it so much easier for everyone. I guess they are working on the kinks to get more specific deals for each person–I just feel like I’m just 1 in 100,000 people who got the same email–and that the “deal” is to drive sales–not to reward me for my patronage. Just my $1.00. :o)
I had voted this up, but did not comment at the time. @Melody, thanks for expanding the view of this idea.
My only question is…… Is anybody at Starbucks paying attention to what customers are complaining about to CS or on msi? It’s nice to see some intelligent conversation going on about it on here Melody, but I’m not sure it amounts to much by talking about it if there is no change. I see a Starbucks where I question who the Captain is sailing the ship. I hit highs and lows in terms of how I feel about the way things are going. I’m not having any problems with the coffee or the partners, but I’m not thrilled about the way things are going on every other level. Right about now, the roller coaster is heading downwards and I’m nowhere near the bottom.
I forgot to mention. It’s been a few days since purple1 discussed it in the thread: http://www.starbucksmelody.com/2013/12/05/starbucks-steel-card-2013-a-limited-card-through-gilt-com/
But…. Has anybody received an email yet to redeem their bonus stars for the 25 Days of Coffee Promo?
@Chgo – I haven’t received any emails regarding the 25 days of coffee. I hope I have enough. This was an odd promotion to me…2 free drinks and halfway to a third free drink?
I wasn’t sure if those big balls with numbers on them were the days or the number of stars I earned. It appears to be the number of stars. There seems to be a incongruence with those and the rewards calendar of how many stars I have earned this month. :/
@Bob – I earned a bonus star after I reached 25, and they gave me an additional reward. Just to be clear…. I didn’t have 11 stars where that bonus star gave me a 12th star for that reward. I received an email telling me that they were adding an additional reward to my card on top of the bonus star. It doesn’t sound like anybody else received the same thing. I didn’t understand 2.5 rewards neither, but I will graciously accept it.
On second thought…… I didn’t receive an email. It was after I entered the promo code for the 25 Days of Coffee, that it told me about the bonus star and additional reward. And….. They informed me that an email would follow to redeem those stars in a week. I believe that’s how it happened.
Re the 25 stars by dec 25 promotion- so far no emails as to how get the stars. I did get the extra stars because of system failure as explained in an email. Another example of SB not keeping up on things?
I voted this one up too! Shouldn’t be that difficult to make all notifications the same and clear. I also wish the baristas knew the codes for promotions… Often times mine just look at me lost when I ask about the promotion!
In re: the conversation about 30 bonus stars for earning 25 stars by the 25th – I thought the reason that the reward is 2.5 drinks is that will totally provide an incentive to a customer to return to Starbucks to earn the 6 more stars towards the next free reward.
@Chgo and @purple1 and @Melody and everyone: I think I’ve written about this 100X…well, at least 3 or 4 or 5.
I earned the 25 stars in no time. I received a notice on the rewards page (not an email because I know I copied and pasted it and put it in my email, just to ‘have’). It said I’d achieved the 25 stars bla bla bla and would receive an email within a week telling me how to retrieve the 30 bonus stars. Like the rest of you, that was quite a while ago and no email! (but I DO have their words copied…..for what that’ll be worth!) So, who knows and why aren’t we hearing anything? I too received a couple days of ‘bonus stars’ but then I figured that was for the pastry I incidentally had on each of those 3 days when that promo (buy a pastry or food, something like that and get an extra star?) was going on which I never knew about. ??? I read about it somewhere later but definitely did not receive it (the pastry thing) as an email and did not see it in my rewards as any promo. As I said, just happened to get a pastry those days.
So, where are those 30 bonus stars, why the delay, and why have we not received the promised email “within a week”. (or ever) ?
You earned 25 stars in 25 days. We’ll send you an email within a week with instructions on how to claim your 30 Bonus Stars.
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The above was what I copied and pasted from my rewards on Dec 10th. nothing…
To me all these great comments brings up a question that SB needs to answer so that they can maintain their customers on a regular and loyal basis- why as Denise R and others have said is it taking so long to get these 30 bonus stars? Certainly, they expect you to complete this promotion by December 25 and I assume after this date the promotion is finished so if we the customers have to follow the rules, then SB should send out the emails about redeeming the stars when they say so! Given technology the way it is, I cannot figure out why it is so hard to do.
Denise R got the same notification! Nothing as well.
I too would love the rewards to be a bit more seamless. There is a section of our portal dedicated to the rewards of the week, and we do have visibility to *some* in advance, but there have been some that have been added last minute that I was not aware of (a breakfast sandwich offer a couple of weeks ago that I did not know about, and therefore was not prepared for!), and it doesn’t tell us what the code will look like for the customer (ie – I don’t know what the offer code is, nor do I know what it will appear as: 50% FLOOR was a great example) If I had that info, my partners *could* be a lot more knowledgeable.
I don’t mind codes being loaded ahead of time onto people’s accounts – it helps them plan when they’re going to come. BUT, I’d like to see a start date on them as well. ie. The Dec 1 50% code – there was no start date on it, so I had a ton of people trying to redeem it on Nov 30. And why wouldn’t they? I just said yes 🙂 But I would have liked to be able to point them to the start/end date on their phone app instead 🙂
I notice the same thing with rewards earned. The email arrives several days after it’s loaded on my card. I have seen a reward on my card used it, then gotten an email only to be told at the store that there is no reward.
WOW… I just wish all cardholders got the same promos! I have never heard of the 25 stars in 25 days! That would have been a great one to be eligible for 🙁
I actually think the codes are pretty good – the emails are clear enough on what the codes are good for. But I wish that they came with bar codes so they could be used at Target. I live in Dunkin Donuts land so there are very few stand alone Starbucks, but there is a Starbucks in each of the 5 Targets near me.
@LB – That is weird! That is the kind of promo I would think that all cardholders would be eligible for. The 25 Stars in 25 Days promo does not come in an email. You would have had to log into your account to find it and enter it. It’s rather moot now! Maybe the promo was open for a couple days and closed by the time you reviewed your account???? IDK of anybody else who wasn’t eligible, but that does not mean you are wrong.
@Denise – I got the stars rather quickly too. I bet the emails will come one week after the promo officially ends for everybody. That is what I’m leaning towards. OT – Have you been to any Dominicks stores for the sales? The Starbucks stuff was deeply discounted. Yesterday they still had all the Cake Pops, Lemon Loaf, Cranberry Bliss, Scones, Pumpkin Nut loaf and Banana Walnut Bread and syrups discounted to 75% off. I have pics. It’s so sad to see Dominick’s destroyed by Safeway. 2 incomes lost on the 28th in my house.
@Chgo: (still OT, sorry Melody) No, haven’t been to any Dominicks recently and am not really close to one that has a Sbux in it…altho I pass one on 83 sometimes (south of me) but, that would be a good idea, to check them out!
Back to the *25* stars thing: I know I have recvd those extra bonus stars on those few days but don’t remember anything about any ‘extra reward’ or 2.5 rewards? I don’t know, have to go back and look at my ‘rewards’ page calendar. The whole thing is a mess, as I guess we’ve all beat to death by now. I think we just expect Sbux to be on their game AT LEAST as well as we are!
Merry Christmas, in case you’re m.i.a. tomorrow or Wed. (hoping for SNOW, more snow, real snow, lots of snow. etc 😉
@Denise – 25 Stars in 25 days = 30 Stars. 30 Stars = 2.5 rewards (12+12+6=30). I have no idea why they gave me an extra reward, but that’s what they told me they were giving me when I entered the promo code after 25 purchases.
Don’t waste your time in Dominick’s. The only thing left to sell is Greeting Cards and Gift Cards (including for Starbucks). Today there was still Licensed Store Pastry Products and Cake Pops in our local store, but in a frozen food case. The Starbucks is open in the store, but all they are selling is drip coffee.
I agree, and voted up!