Cebu-based blogger JP Abecilla faced ridicule from social media users after he spoke out on his frustrating experience placing his order at a local Starbucks branch. The user took to his Facebook page writing, “Starbucks lost a ‘LOYAL’ Customer Today!” 

Platform users had mixed reactions as some found the rant to be laughable, while others found Abecilla’s discontent reasonable.

According to the blogger’s post, the attending barista consistently misspelled his name, initially writing “Jade,” despite his corrections, without voicing an apology. He noted that the barista had crumpled the original order cup before grabbing a new one, highlighting the barista’s unpleasant attitude and tone in the overall exchange.  

Additionally, there had been confusion with the handling of his payment, ending with the barista holding onto Abecilla’s receipt even after handing over his change. 

As Abecilla waited at the claiming counter for his beverage and dish, he realized that the barista had been calling out his order, but realized his name was written and voiced “JC” instead of “JP.” The blogger wrote, “Frustrated and disappointed, I decided to walk out without claiming my order,” after registering the persistent error. 

He concluded, “Sorry, #Starbucks. Today you lost a customer.” 

With the majority of online communities discerning Abecilla’s post to be comic and even “rage bait” to gain more traction for his page, online critics shed more amusement on his complaint after a post made by Lolito Go following the storyline of a business losing a “loyal customer,” using Hotel Sogo as the subject of his mockery.   

Thousands of social media users followed suit in the comment thread. 

With the noise of the media on the matter, Abecilla raised in another personal post that he was aware of these sentiments, acknowledging platform users’ comments that Starbucks may be intentionally misspelling their customers’ names as a marketing tactic. 

The blogger later released a new exposition on his blog on June 10 titled, “DEBUNKED: Starbucks Misspells Names on Purpose as a Marketing Strategy.” 

Abecilla ultimately gathered, “The Starbucks misspelling names myth teaches us that perception can outrun reality.” Further, “Misspellings are a side effect of a busy business, let alone a false assumption about a non-existent marketing strategy, not a secret weapon.” 

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