Technologically Challenged?

Someone recently sent us holiday Starbucks gift cards. It was very kind and generous of them. It just so happens that whenever we do our once-a-week walking at the mall, there's a Starbucks there that we all visit to sip and chat. I never used to go to Starbucks before because... well... it's expensive and I wasn't all that much of a coffee drinker. That has changed since I've started walking there.

My dear friend, Dave showed me the Starbucks app for my cellphone that seemed awfully convenient. He told me I could enter the gift card I'd gotten from my kids for my birthday onto my phone and just use the phone to pay for whatever I get.

I loaded the app onto my phone. It asked for the gift card number.

OK... That was easy enough.

Then it asked for the 8 digit code.

Where the heck is that?

I hunted all over the card and couldn't find it. I was afraid to take off the sticker next to the card number thinking it was like the scratch cards we get that says the card is invalid if removed.

I finally decided to gamble and removed it. What do you know? There's the 8 digit code!

I did it! Yay! I now had a lovely balance.

OK....

Now I've received these additional gift cards so I decided to add it to the app. I did everything I did before but the balance remained the same. I added the same numbers again and the app said I'd already used the  card.

What??? Then why didn't my balance show it? I checked the payment history and it didn't show what I added. Arrghhh...

So I called Starbucks. Aaron, who answered my call was a very sweet fellow. He first told me that the app was for my original gift card and that both gift cards were registered, but I could merge the two.

"But where's the card balance for this one?" I asked.

He said........ Uhhhh... what did he say? I can't remember. He very patiently and cheerfully tried to explain how to use the app. I confess to being totally befuddled so he asked me if I would like him to merge the accounts together for me. I very gratefully accepted his offer. (There was a lot of befuddlements as he asked me for the account number, etc. which he had to tell me where to look to find, etc.)

Then I told him I had another card. He quickly said he could do that card for me too.

(I did complain about the 8-digit code. I told him I was ready to get a magnifying glass to try to figure where they hid it. He laughed out loud.)

Aaron also mentioned that I could manage my accounts online. So I asked if it would be easier for me to do that next time. Did he stifle a chuckle there?

"Uuuuuhhhh...." said Aaron. "You should truly feel free to call us and let us do it for you," he reassured me. "We are very happy to help."

I'm wondering what he told his friends about his experience with me. Whatever the case, we wished each other a "Happy Holidays" and I hope I get to talk to him again if I get another card.

All I can say is I've now got a lot of coffee or tea to drink.