Just how important is the ice in an iced coffee?
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Lawyers have applied for class status for the lawsuit, which alleges that an iced drink touted as containing 24 ounces actually has only about 14 ounces of fluid. Since hot drinks do not include ice and cost less, she argues, Starbucks is making more money off of customers buying iced drinks.
That question is now up for debate, as an IL woman has filed suit against Starbucks, claiming that the coffee chain is “underfilling” its cold beverages, duping customers and serving drinks that contain less coffee than advertised.
First, people were suing Starbucks because their coffee was too hot, now a woman filed a $5 million lawsuit against the coffee company for using too much ice in their iced drinks.
Starbucks’ cold drink cups have three black lines on the outside that are meant to be fill lines for the beverage, and baristas typically fill the rest of the cup with ice.
“The amount of fluid ounces in a Cold Drink is a material fact that a reasonable consumer would consider important”, the lawsuit against Starbucks states.
On its menu, the suit says, “Starbucks advertises all of its drinks, including its cold drinks, by fluid ounce”.
Starbucks spokesperson Jaime Riley issued a statement in response to the lawsuit, saying the claims are “without merit”. She also added that Starbucks customers who desire less ice in their beverages have also been known to ask for “light” ice when placing their orders.
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Pincus asserts that Starbucks customers ordering a 24-ounce beverage expect 24 ounces of coffee, not 14 and a scoop of ice. “If a customer is not satisfied with their beverage preparation, we will gladly remake it”.
