Lawsuit Takes Aim At Starbucks ... Over Too Much Ice
By John Dodge
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago area woman is taking Starbucks to court, claiming the coffee giant is cheating customers by putting too much ice in its cold drinks.
Stacy Pincus claims Starbucks skimps on the advertised volume of actual product. For example, a Venti iced coffee is advertised as 24 ounces, but only has 14 ounces of fluid, she says.
Pincus is seeking class action status for her lawsuit, which was filed in the Northern District in Illinois.
"In essence, Starbucks is advertising the size of its Cold Drink cups on its menu, rather than the amount of fluid a customer will receive when the purchase a Cold Drink--and deceiving its customers in the process," the lawsuit states.
Starbucks Lawsuit by John Dodge
If granted class action status, the lawsuit would cover every customer who purchased a cold drink since April 27, 2006.
The lawsuit states Starbucks has made billions of dollars off of drinks that were improperly advertised and seeks compensatory and punitive damages "to be determined by the court and/or jury."
Starbucks said the lawsuit is without merit.
"Our customers understand and expect that ice is an essential component of any 'iced' beverage," Starbucks spokesperson Jaime Riley said Monday, according to the Associated Press. "If a customer is not satisfied with their beverage preparation, we will gladly remake it."
