Woman finds unusual tablets at the bottom of Starbucks drink
A mum has been left “scared to death” after discovering two pills at the bottom of her cup of Starbucks tea.
Deniece Lee from Utah in the US was visiting Starbucks recently and ordered a green tea Frappuccino.
As she drank it, she realised it tasted a bit unusual.
“It just tasted like burnt rubber, honestly,” Ms Lee told US news outlet KSTU.
She had placed the cup in the car while unloading her groceries when her children brought something to her attention.
“My kids came out running, saying, ‘Mom, I think there’s pills on the bottom of your drink’,” Ms Lee said.
She found two white tablets in the bottom of the cup. Video uploaded to Facebook shows her emptying the cup and examining the two tablets.
Her friend then called a Starbucks manager she knew, to inquire about what they might be.
That’s when the mum found out that the same tablets are used to clean the espresso machines.
“I was scared to death,” Ms Lee said. “Really panicked, I had no idea what I ingested.”
She was advised to go to the hospital, where she ultimately became ill and was admitted for a few hours.
Now, she says that she’s seeking compensation for that hospital bill, but is unsure how much further she’ll take her case.
A Starbucks spokesperson told KTSU the store’s director and customer service team have apologised to Ms Lee for the mistake.
“This mistake should never have been made and both Starbucks and Smith’s (the supermarket which has the coffee shop inside) are working together to understand how this happened and to remind associates of our cleaning procedures designed to help prevent this type of situation,” the spokesperson said.
Ms Lee said she believes it was an “honest mistake.”
“I really just don’t ever want it to happen to anyone else,” she said.
