[단독] 스타벅스 무료쿠폰 3200만장…60%는 “그래도 안 써”

The controversy surrounding Starbucks' free coupon policy following the May 18th Tank Day incident has revealed that out of approximately 15.98 million members and new subscribers, only about 6.26 million free drink coupons were actually used. The company provided 2 types of free coupons - one for free beverages and another for 30% off food - to all members and new subscribers during July 8th to August 14th.

However, the usage rate for these coupons was found to be only around 19.6%. Despite this, the free drink coupons alone accounted for 39.2% of all used coupons. Starbucks is the first company to provide free drink coupons to all members without any conditions. The company also refunded all the payments made to the customers through prepaid debit cards during the period.

The refund amount was around 760 billion won, with 2.56 million refund transactions. Each refund had an average value of approximately 30,000 won. Some of the refund cases involved customers who used multiple cards. The chairman of the Social Democratic Party's Legislative Affairs Committee, Han Chang-min, stated that while the company issued a rectification plan after the controversy, the actual usage rate was limited, which shows that short-term rectification measures alone may not be enough to restore consumer trust.

He added that the government audit would closely examine the management and supervision gaps and consumer protection systems in this current regime.