Reports: Starbucks sued over ice-to-coffee ratio
A class action lawsuit against Starbucks (SBUX) claims the coffee giant rips customers off with the amount of ice it gives out in its chilled drinks, according to multiple reports.
The suit claims the drinks are almost half ice, and thus misrepresent the actual amount of liquid in the beverages, according to Courthouse News Service.
The class action suit was filed in Northern Illinois Federal Court last week, with Steven Hart with Hart, McLaughlin & Eldridge in Chicago as the lead attorney.
CNN reports a Starbucks spokesperson was dismissive of the claim.
"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," said spokesperson Jamie Riley.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim it's a question of fluid ounces, not drink satisfaction.
"A Starbucks customer who orders a Venti cold drink receives only 14 fluid ounces of that drink -- just over half the advertised amount, and just over half the amount for which they are paying," the 29-page complaint states. "In the iced coffee example, a Starbucks customer who orders and pays for a Venti iced coffee, expecting to receive 24 fluid ounces of iced coffee based on Starbucks' advertisement and marketing, will instead receive only about 14 fluid ounces of iced coffee."
The suit suggests serving cold drinks in larger cups to make sure customers get the fluid ounces they pay for.