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Starbucks Is Being Sued For Putting Too Much Ice In Its Drinks
By
Scott Heins
Published May 1, 2016
Modified May 2, 2016
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By
Scott Heins
Published May 1, 2016
Modified May 2, 2016
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The tax-evading, customer-discriminating, vegan-gouging, promise-breaking, borough-swallowing scion of the pumpkin industrial complex known as Starbucks has been sued for allegedly over-filling their cold drink containers with ice, robbing customers of their precious triple-pump half-caff French vanilla lifeblood. The nerve!
In a lawsuit filed by Chicago resident Stacy Pincus, Starbucks is accused of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, and breach of implied warranty. "Starbucks' cold drinks are under-filled to make more money and higher profits to the detriment of consumers who are misled by Starbucks' intentionally misleading advertising practices," Pincus's lawsuit claims.
Specifically, Starbucks is being accused of under-filling 24-ounce-sized (and priced) containers with as little as 14 ounces of actual product before topping the rest off with ice, which, the lawsuit notes, "is not a fluid." Pincus is seeking $5 million from the company, money that would be used to repay other customers who have overpaid for an over-iced Starbucks drink anytime in the past decade.
"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 they purchase a cold drink — and deceiving its customers in the process," the lawsuit concludes.
In a statement to TMZ, a Starbucks spokesperson called the lawsuit absurd. "Our customers understand and expect that ice is an essential component of any 'iced,' beverage," noting that the coffee megachain has a policy of happily remaking any beverage if a customer is unsatisfied.
Tagged
ICE
iced coffee
Iced Drinks
lawsuit
starbucks
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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