Caffeine lovers have criticised coffee giant Costa after promising free coffee but failing to deliver the goods.
The chain announced last week it would be giving out free cups of coffee, tea or hot chocolate from more than 8,500 participating Costa Express machines across the country.
The PR stunt was designed to show that drinks from the machines could be just as good as barista-made coffee. But customers were left disappointed today when many of the Express machines ran dry.
One customer took to Twitter share his experience, posting a picture of the line he had stood in for half an hour, only to find out the machine had run out of coffee.
He said: ‘Well it’s run out now. No free coffee for me. After a half hour wait.’
Another user commented: ‘Free Costa day is a great idea until they run out of cups at 07.55.’
Others agreed with this sentiment, with one tweeting: ‘Great idea – the reality is that the Sainsbury’s Local in Euston had already run out of cups by 07.25. Such a shame when objective is to create positive brand associations.’
Irritated customers were also quick to point out that the lack of coffee meant they would be heading to Costa’s rival, Starbucks.
One social media user said: ‘Went to the Co-Op in Waltham Abbey and the machine was out of service… useless! From now on I will be using Starbucks for a better service!’
Another added: ‘Same happened for me. Almost a riot. Went to Starbucks machine which costs, but did my drink as no queue.’
It seems Costa’s promise of ‘free’ coffee has left quite the bitter taste.
Source: Read Full Article