Starbucks’ new rewards program officially launched yesterday (April 12th) and some customers are really not happy about it. The new plan rewards customers for the total number of dollars they spend at the chain, rather than the number of drinks they buy. This means it benefits customers who opt for fancier, more expensive drinks over the cheaper offerings. The change was announced back in February and drew skeptic comments from some shoppers at that time, but the more recent complaints about it are about the actual rollout of the new program. Many say they’re missing previously earned rewards after updating their Starbucks app, which is a necessary step before using the new rewards program. A Starbucks spokesperson tells Time problems like these are temporary, and they’re looking to make nice with miffed customers by offering “Gold” status to anyone who makes a purchase over the next several weeks, which translates into free drinks and other benefits.
