If you’ve every felt cheated by the amount of ice in a Starbucks cold drink, worry not—someone is on your side.
An Illinois woman has sued Starbuck(SBUX) for $5 million for putting too much ice in its cold drinks, adding that the federal lawsuit had been filed on behalf on any Starbucks customer who had bought a cold drink in the past 10 years.
Lead plaintiff Stacey Pincus accused the coffee giant of adding extra ice to cover up underfilled drinks, according to a class action lawsuit filed with the Northern District Court of Illinois on Wednesday.
According to court documents, the suit alleges that Starbucks advertises drink sizes by fluid ounces. But in cold drinks, that amount is often diluted by ice—leaving the consumer with just half as much of the drink at times. Meaning that rather than advertising the amount of liquid in the cup, the company is actually advertising the cup size.
For example, a customer buying a Venti cold drink, or 24 fluid ounces has received 14 fluid ounces of liquid, the rest being ice, according to court documents.
The lawsuit also alleges that Starbucks deliberately adds too much ice to cold drinks.
“Starbucks’ Cold Drinks are underfilled to make more money and higher profits, to the detriment of consumers who are misled by Starbucks’ intentionally misleading advertising practices,” the lawsuit stated.
But to Starbucks, the claims are “without merit.”
“Our customers understand and expect that ice is an essential component of any ‘iced’ beverage,” a spokesperson said. “If a customer is not satisfied with their beverage preparation, we will gladly remake it.”
