Starbucks Gossip webmaster's customized card is rejected -- for simply mentioning this website

I put together a really nice-looking Customized Starbucks Card last night, loaded it with $50, and submitted this personalized message to be printed on the card: Check out StarbucksGossip.com (Click on the image to see the message.)

Today I received this e-mail from Starbucks: "We were unable to accept your order as it did not comply with our Personalization policy."

Huh? Simply mentioning my website is a policy violation? You wouldn't guess that by reading the policy statement. Here it is...

We accept most personalization requests, but we can’t honor every one. Some requests may contain trademarks that we don't have the right to use. Others may contain material that we consider inappropriate (such as threatening remarks, derogatory terms, or overtly political commentary) or wouldn't want to see on Starbucks-branded products.

My guess -- the Starbucks Personalization Police don't want baristas seeing my card, then checking out the website that's mentioned on it.

Has anyone else had their personalized message rejected?

Comments

[Mary]

The policy is reasonable. Don't take it so personally. Starbucks is trying to protect their brand and that means not allowing any website (whether it's starbucksgossip.com, poniesandrainbows.com or livehotgirlsxxxxxxxx.com) to use this service to create advertising materials that look as if they were sanctioned and endorsed by Starbucks.

[B-Mo]

BURN!

I have to be honest. If it was my company, and someone wanted to put a link for a website about my company that I couldn't monitor onto a card, I'd probably deny them too.

[Vicki Verona]

Yeah sorry Jim, I'm with the company on this. As much as I love this site, if I'm an exec, I don't want to encourage people to come to this site, only because its the type of site that allows us to freely speak our minds about the company, which isn't always a good thing from the company's point of view

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

I want my card to say "BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL"

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

It will immediately be rejected. Something like "Fluffy is my favorite cat" might get approved.

>>>I want my card to say "BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL"

[Jim]

Time to get some t-shirts made up! Meanwhile, everyone who doesn't work for $tarbux, ask for that on your cards, too. Keep the cops employed. :)

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Or maybe I should just get "PRIMUS INTER PARES" written on my cup. That would seem alot better to me.

[superbarista]

haha wow webmaster beat me to the comment!

As far as the cards are concerned i agree with mary, legally they have to use a catch-all which unfortunately includes this website :(

I havn't tried loading one yet, as I use my partner card.

[FLASM]

Pretty sure it's not the content of your site that triggered it. They probably don't allow any websites.

yeah, don't try making a card that said "this is a stick-up" that would not fly...

[Kyle]

Or because the domain name has "Starbucks" embedded in it, someone was afraid that an actual Starbucks card with that URL would give the impression that it's affiliated with the corporation.

[jabanga]

wow. now that i think about it this presents a lot of possibilities. almost like our own version of "the way i see it". how about "JIM DONALD MUST GO!"?

[FLASM]

Oh that's true...maybe it was the word Starbucks.

You should call to find out what they say.

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

I carry the card (and know the site isn't affiliated with the corporation) and the only other people who see it are baristas, who know it isn't affiliated with the corporation. It's not like this customized card is going to be exposed to the world.

It must be hilarious to watch the team of Starbucks employees going through the custom-card requests and determining what's acceptable and what's not.

>>>>>someone was afraid that an actual Starbucks card with that URL would give the impression that it's affiliated with the corporation.

[FLASM]

Oh that's true...maybe it was the word Starbucks.

You should call to find out what they say.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

OK, so they can have possibly offensive quotes on the Starbucks cups that any person can see but for some reason, they can't let a single person have a Starbucks card for their own personal use. I feel a Mission Review coming. I wonder if they would stop me if I put on something like "Jesus loves you" or "GWM ISO NSA HWP BTTM, BDSM, FF, 69, 420 DDF"

[Stacy]

It's really not that big of a deal. Personally, I think it would be hard to find any company that would be willing to print something unofficial with their own name.

If you want the name on the card that bad, add it yourself.

[CC]

Jim,

Sorry to hear that. I got my card personalized with my Starbucks site, Celebritystarbucks.com and I got it in the mail this week.
You can see a screen shot of it:
Here

[Matthew]

I'm guessing it has more to do with your using "Starbucks" in the name of your website. You might try doing it again, because I'm guessing it's not the same person that authorizes it every time.

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

Matthew -- Check the message above yours that shows CelebrityStarbucks.com got on a card; so why not StarbucksGossip.com?

[Christin]

Maybe the person who dentied the card has never been to this site and assumed "starbucks gossip" was priamarialy negative. While this site isn't so biased one way or annother (that I see) "gossip" does have a negative connontation.

I doubt its because they know the website's contents...My DMs and fellow SMs have encouraged us to come look at the site on a regular basis to "keep our fingers on the pulse"

[LC]

Try it again!

Who know's how they do these policy compliance checks.

[ex-sbuxmanager]

Now that you posted about it here, I'm sure Matt Murray is going to alert the card team about it though.

They were fine with my "I only stir my coffee with an oosik". Apparently someone within Sbux also likes stirring their coffee with a walrus penis bone.

[RR]

I couldn't find the modifier for 'extra room', so I may not even bother. I like my Americano nice and strong!

[Pat Nerr]

Let's see if greenapronstories.com can get one.

or maybe www.jimdonaldneedstogo.com

or www.starbucksisheadingdownhillfast.org

[sirriuusly]

Shut up. You have a way over-inflated ego. I applaud Starbucks for protecting its brand.

[Guera]

At least you got an e mail. Everytime I tried loading up a card I purchased for a friend, I keep getting this apology notification that their system in currently down. How down are you? Or are you? It's fustrating!

the only reason i had even considered getting one of these cards would be to put something potentially offensive and anti-bux on it, guess i'm not even going to bother now. tho "dunkin donuts rocks my socks!" would be a pretty good one...

[Icecycle]

Well Jim.
I am not even going to try.
Their coffee is not up to my standards.

You can't stand a spoon in it.

It doesn't contain vodka.

[BaristaB]

I'm gonna have to agree on this on... Starbucks is just protecting its brand.

[Kathi]

Bah...

99% of the time, any advertising is good advertising. For every ten people you have raising cain, another 90 have stopped by to look, have never seen the company/brand before... of them, many will wonder what on earth the fuss is about and will go see for themselves.

Not so true with, say, a local restaurant... but true with nationals and many other sorts of businesses.

Lost track of how many times I heard, "So I read on the web that your coffee tastes burned" or "My friends all say your coffee stinks" ... erm... so why are you here? "To see for myself. Oh. This is rather good..."

mmmhmmmm...

Sbux should consider a bit more carefully...

[G. Orwell]

If you want baristas to see your message and check out your page, just sharpie it on a plain custom card.

I want my card to say "Hey Boston Starbucks Rebel, this isn't starwars, grow up"

[Pat Nerr]

why the hell offer the cards then and make more work for yourself? How is inviting the situation "Protecting the Brand".

Come customize your card... just make sure you follow our style guide.

cripes.

Happy Holidays to you and yours...

[Heather]

What about a card that says, "We love Starbucksgossip." People will ask, "Starbucksgossip?" And you can say, "Starbucksgossip.com." Not as streamlined as the original but gets the point across.

[Confused and Scared]

On the custom card menu, the one where you can put your drink order in and have it on the actual card, they have the actual drinks at the bottom. It has a large assortment of drinks but my question is the next to last option. It has the double chocolate chip frappucino blended creme and next to it it has the java chip frappucino blended creme. Isnt that the exact same drink? Or is there some Java Chip Frapp that i wasn't informed of making? I had been under the impression java chip was DCCF with coffee base and DCCF was JCF with creme base. Am i right or horribly misinformed?

[Hirayuki]

The Java Chip Frappuccino® Blended Crème, as it's called in the text below the graphic, should be a Coffee, as it's correctly called in the cup graphic itself.

How about starbucksgossip dot com ??

[sbuxmanager]

I love ided white mocha americanos, but unfourtunatly WM isn't a syrup choice on the customization menu. Would it be that hard to put codes for all of the syrups and sauces?

[Rawrrr Barista]

I lulz at your guys customaztions...

[RR]

It's an extra $4 for the custom card. Man, just not worth it. I wish they'd bring back the special Starbucks cards for shareholders, now that was cool. I always reloaded mine and kept it the whole year. Last year's stupid coupon for a free coffee? didn't even end up using it.

[barista lane]

anyone else notice the "Short Vanilla Bean Frappuccino Blended Creme" card on the little promo pamphlet?

[JW]

Just make your own sticker the size of the Starbucks card and then get the card and place the sticker over the front of it and there you go! You could even say you did it all your self w/o Starbucks' help.

I like how partners get 30% off on the customization price!!

[Brandon]

yep...
i would use my partner card over it though...
makes great gifts... but now, pretty much all the big box retailers do it, so its not too special...

Awww. Hell hath no fury like a webmaster scorned.

i bet they would let you put "i heart starbucks"

JABANGA

"JIM DONALD MUST GO"

I LOVE it!!!!!

I mean, did you try spelling out "dot com?" That may have helped.