You were charged incorrectly - cream in a brewed coffee is free but it’s a common mistake amongst newer baristas. If it happens again, mention that adding a splash of cream should be free, or mobile order so you know your charge will be correct.

If you have a Starbucks rewards account, you get free refills of brewed hot or iced coffee, cold brew, and hot and iced teas (not with lemonade), regardless of your original drink, as long as you have not left the store. Just order your refill at the register - if it’s rung in correctly it will show up as 50¢ and automatically zero out when you scan your starbucks card or app.

One thing that might help you get a good drink is specifying how many sugars you want. We have normal sugar packets but there’s no standard of how many to add per size. Flavored syrups are measured in pumps and do have a standard amount for each drink size, but they carry an upcharge. Milk and cream are free poured so phrases like “2 creams” are not that useful, although experienced baristas will have a good idea of how much cream that would be. You can also ask for your cream and sugars on the side.

r/starbucks is the subreddit you meant to post on