LAYTON, Utah -- Starbucks and a Smith’s grocery store are apologizing to a Layton woman after she said she found a nasty surprise in her drink.
“My last drink of it, it just tasted like burnt rubber, honestly,” said Deniece Lee of Layton.
On Sunday evening, she bought a Green Tea Frappuccino on ice. She says the first order was not made correctly. Once she got her order, she says it tasted "off," but was drinkable. After driving home and downing half the drink, her kids ran outside where she was unloading groceries.
“My kids came out running saying mom, I think there’s pills ...on the bottom of your drink,” said Lee.
She recorded herself dumping the drink on her front lawn. In the video, two small white tablets are seen at the bottom of the cup. Lee says she called a friend who worked at a different Starbucks store. Once consulting a manager, she was told the tablets might be a cleaner used on the espresso machine. She was advised to go to the emergency room. Once at the hospital, she started vomiting. She has since been told to follow up with her doctor.
A Starbucks Spokesperson told Fox 13 News:
“Smith’s store director and our customer service team have apologized to the customer directly for the mistake and worked to assure her of our commitment to make this right. This mistake should never have been made and both Starbucks and Smith’s are working together to understand how this happened and to remind associates of our cleaning procedures designed to help prevent this type of situation.”
“I honestly think it was an honest mistake. I would hope it’s an honest mistake. I really just don’t ever want it to happen to anyone else,” said Lee.
She says she has consulted with an attorney but does not know if she will seek compensation. She does believe Starbucks and Smith’s should pay for her medical bills. Both have reached out to her directly to apologize.
