Refused Refund for Item That Was Out of Stock, Unacceptable Service

I am absolutely furious.

I ordered a Caramel Frappuccino from Starbucks (Menlyn Park). After placing the order, the store contacted me to say they were OUT OF CARAMEL and wanted to substitute it with chocolate. I clearly declined because I DO NOT WANT CHOCOLATE. I ordered caramel for a reason. Since the item I paid for was NOT AVAILABLE, I cancelled the order. Now Uber Eats is refusing to refund me, claiming the store had already started preparing it. Preparing what exactly? The key ingredient was out of stock. How do you prepare a caramel drink without caramel? Why am I being charged for something that did not even exist? This was not my mistake. I ordered correctly. The store could not fulfil the order as requested.

What makes this even worse is that I am an Uber One member. I pay for a subscription, yet I am treated like this? Loyal customers should not be penalised because a merchant cannot manage stock properly. This is unacceptable, unfair, and extremely poor customer service. I expect a full refund. Charging a customer for an unavailable product is simply wrong.

Absolutely disgraceful experience.