Starbucks is facing a $15 million lawsuit over the accusation that the coffee giant is putting too much ice in their ice drinks. In a class action lawsuit, filed by Stacy Pincus from Chicago, it is argued that the drink sizes Starbucks advertises are not true to the amount of coffee served. For example, the Venti size mentioned in the suit is advertised as a 24 fl oz coffee drink, but is really 14 fl oz of coffee with the remainder being ice. Pincus claims Starbucks is being intentionally misleading in an effort to have a lower overhead cost.
The Starbucks spokeswoman Jaime Riley gave a statement regarding the lawsuit, “We are aware of the plaintiff�s claims, which we fully believe to be frivolous and without merit. Our customers understand and expect that ice is an essential component of any �iced� beverage. If a customer is not satisfied with their beverage preparation, we will gladly remake it.”
Legal claims of under-filled beverages are not new to drink companies, losing millions of dollars to these types of suits every year. In March Starbucks faced a lawsuit were they were being held liable for fraud because drinks were not being filed to the rim. In October 2014 Red Bull paid out $13 million dollars in a lawsuit claiming false advertising in that Red Bull does not give you wings.
The current Starbuck lawsuit has been filed on behalf of everyone in the U.S. who has bought an ice drink from the company in the last ten years. The action recalls an infamous lawsuit filed by a McDonald’s customer who was burned by hot coffee purchased at a drive thru in 1992. The suit, which was successful, argued the coffee was unreasonably hot. On its face the hot coffee suit seemed frivolous, but once the truth unfolded the lady truly did have a claim from some serious wrongdoing and penny pinching by the fast food mega-chain.