|
|
| |
People sometimes make mistakes but
they don't always correct them, even when they know they were wrong and
especially when it comes to forwarding emails. Such is the case regarding an
email from a Marine that complained about Starbucks. The coffee chain contacted
the Marine, whose email (see below) is circulating via the Internet, and the
Marine sent out a correction and apology email, but the apology has not been
read or even seen by every recipient of the original email.
"It is sad that people who, with all good intentions,
unknowingly forward boycott calls based on erroneous information and then do
not forward a correction when they discover their error." said Fred Taub,
President of Boycott Watch. "I am glad to see that the author corrected the
error and I am glad that we are able to play a part the correction of false
information."
Boycott Watch was established to verify
information in consumer boycott calls and debunk false information when
necessary. Our goal is to report both sides of the story and let consumers
decide for themselves what the truth is. In cases such as this, Boycott Watch
investigated the situation and found that the attack against Starbucks was in
error as confirmed by the author.
--------Original email-------
You Starbucks fans read this.
Starbucks view on the war
Dear everyone:
Please pass this along to anyone you know, this
needs to get out in the open.
Recently Marines over in Iraq supporting
this country in OIF wrote to Starbucks because they wanted to let them know how
much they liked their coffee and try to score some free coffee grounds.
Starbucks wrote back telling the Marines thanks for their support in
their business, but that they don't support the War and anyone in it and that
they won't send them the Coffee.
So as not to offend them we should not
support in buying any Starbucks products.
As a War vet and writing to
you patriots I feel we should get this out in the open. I know this War might
not be very popular with some folks, but that doesn't mean we don't support the
boys on the ground fighting street to street and house to house for what they
and I believe is right.
If you feel the same as I do then pass this
along, or you can discard it and I'll never know.
Thanks very much for
your support to me, and I know you'll all be there again here soon when I
deploy once more.
Semper Fidelis,
Sgt Howard C. Wright
1st
Force Recon Co
1st Plt PLT RTO
-------- Starbucks Response-------
Dear Fred,
Thank you for
taking the time to contact Starbucks regarding coffee donations to those
serving in our armed forces.
Starbucks has the
deepest respect and admiration for U.S. military personnel. We are extremely
grateful to the men and women who serve stateside or overseas. We sincerely
appreciate that they are willing to risk their lives to protect Americans and
our values of freedom and democracy. While Starbucks as a company cannot
directly donate to military personnel, many of our partners (employees) show
their support by donating coffee.
Recently, there was
an e-mail circulating the internet that contained misinformation about
Starbucks and our support of the military. Starbucks was able to locate the
author who turned out to be a Marine Sergeant. He was very grateful that we
contacted him and apologized for any misunderstanding, as he did not intend to
spread the rumor. He subsequently sent an e-mail to his original distribution
list correcting his mistake, which I've included at the end of this e-mail.
I would like to take this opportunity to clarify
Starbucks policy regarding charitable contributions. We are able to donate to
nonprofit organizations that are designated as public charities under Section
501(c) (3) of the IRS Code, including public libraries and schools. The U.S.
military or individual military personnel do not qualify as a public charity.
However, on an individual level, many Starbucks
partners have collected and shipped numerous pounds of Starbucks coffee
overseas. Starbucks partners receive one pound of free coffee each week as an
employee benefit (known as "partner mark-out"). Many of our partners have
elected to send their weekly mark-out of coffee to members of the military or
military families, and related organizations.
As an
example of this generosity, our partners in our Atascadero, California store
sent their weekly mark out coffee to troops in Afghanistan so they are able to
enjoy a little piece of home. Our customer relations department in Seattle
donated hundreds of pounds of coffee to the sailors in the USS Abraham Lincoln
carrier group. These are just a few examples of our partners supporting the
troops. We recognize and appreciate the very personal connection that customers
have with us and how they might miss their Starbucks Experience while overseas.
Thank you again for writing. We ask you to accept our
deepest appreciation to servicemen and women and hope you remain a valued
Starbucks customer. If you have any additional feedback or would like to
discuss this further, please feel free to contact us at (800) 235-2883 or email
us at info@starbucks.com.
Sincerely,
Matthew
Customer
Relations Representative
Starbucks Coffee Company
Text of Sgt.
Wright's Email:
Dear Readers,
Almost 5 months ago I sent an
e-mail to you my faithful friends. I did a wrong thing that needs to be cleared
up. I heard by word of mouth about how Starbucks said they didn't support the
war and all. I was having enough of that kind of talk and didn't do my research
properly like I should have. This is not true. Starbucks supports men and women
in uniform. They have personally contacted me and I have been sent many copies
of their company's policy on this issue. So I apologize for this quick and
wrong letter that I sent out to you.
Now I ask that you all pass this
email around to everyone you passed the last one to. Thank you very much for
understanding about this.
Howard C. Wright
Sgt USMC
1st Force
Rcon Co
1st Plt PLT RTO |
| |
|
|
| Advertisement: |
 |
|
|
