Woman Sues Starbucks for $5 Million for Putting Too Much Ice in Her Drink

An Illinois woman is reportedly suing Starbucks for $5 million over the amount of ice it puts in customers’ drinks.
Stacy Pincus accuses the coffee chain of packing almost half of their cold beverages with ice as a means to skimp on serving actual coffee to customers, according to the suit obtained by Courthouse News.
When it comes to ordering a 24-ounce “Venti” coffee, for example, Pincus claims a customer only receives 14 ounces of actual coffee, and ice takes up the remaining 10. The miffed customer further notes that hot Starbucks beverages typically cost less than cold ones, even though they contain more coffee because of the lack of ice.
Among the accusations hurled at the coffee conglomerate are fraud, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment.
Pincus expresses her intent to represent everyone who ever purchased a cold drink from the coffee chain over the last 10 years.

I do not post often, so my apologies if the link does not work.

Link to Full Article:
www.huffingtonpost.com...

$5 Million bucks...you suffered $5 Million dollars worth of damages? I have gotten a soda at a drive through more than once that was packed with ice. Oh well.

Recently while passing through Raleigh NC Airport I ordered some take-out Bar-B-Que. The next day when I went to submit the receipt to my employer I noticed a $3 'Special Olympics' line-item charge on the receipt. I was not asked to donate when I paid.

Shame on me for not paying attention at the point of sale. It just so happens the next week I went through that airport again. I went back to the same restaurant and ordered some food. I watched the clerk ring it up and kept an eye on the customer-facing small POS screen and sure enough flashed "Special Olympics" and quickly disappeared.

When the clerk gave me the total, I said "why did you add a $3 Special Olympics donation to my purchase without asking me if I wanted to donate?"...He almost swallowed his face in embarrassment and said "I'll take that off there" and hit a few keys and removed the charge. The restaurant must be graded on how many people they get to donate, so they just tack it onto to every customer without mention. Anyway, as I told the clerk (loudly) that I had fell for this the week before, all the people in line behind me started passing the info down the line to the next customer...

The point of my story is this: I didn't think of suing, but did consider calling the number on the receipt. Maybe I will call today.

This Illinois woman had several choices, non of which includes a non-deserved $5M payday:
1. Complain when you were served, have the drink remade.
2. Ask for a refund and walk.
3. Never return.
4. Tell all your facebook friends not to go to Starbucks.

a reply to: XP100

I can't afford to support Starbuck's anymore-- I actually enjoy an iced vanilla-mocha (no whip), but, the 3 or 4 swallows of actual beverage are not worth the $5 or whatever. Yes, it's mostly ice.

a reply to: seattlerat

I don't go there either as I don't care for their coffee. And it is expensive!

But, it was the erroneous lawsuit over ice cubes that got my blood pressure going this morning, not the fact that it was Starbucks. Could have been any place that serves any drinks with ice...

The ice is part of their recipe, it doesn't matter how much ice, it's Starbucks recipe and all up to them how much ice is added, if you don't like it don't buy it.

a reply to: XP100

Absolutely ridiculous. When I order an iced coffee, I know there's going to be ice..and coffee (go figure!) I bet if she would have asked "easy on the ice", they would have given her, free of charge, more coffee than the recipe actually calls for.

If I hear of a class-action lawsuit over this, I will opt out. I'm not a big Starbucks fanboy, I just think it is exceedingly stupid, and I hope this woman wastes time and hopefully money as well for nothing.

i want to sue HER for 10 million for putting ice in coffee in the first place

I have an idea. It's called "Iced Coffee". It's some coffee, and some ice. I will go to SB's today and order one and file my own $5m lawsuit by claiming there is too much coffee and not enough ice. Bingo, next thing you know Ol' Jed's a millionaire.

Okay.

Why can't she just go some where else?

How does this entitle her to 5 million?

She's kinda hot.

Get a french press.

a reply to: IShotMyLastMuse
Yeah like putting Tabasco in iced tea.aint right , aint right atall
Vanilla Mocha with 3 shots of the heavy stuff
Peace

Unless Starbucks claims a certain amount of ingredients and does not live up to the claim, I don't see how this can go anywhere.

On a side note.
I wonder if she knows coffee is mostly water?
And that ice is also water?
Hhhmm..

originally posted by: seattlerat
a reply to: XP100

I can't afford to support Starbuck's anymore-- I actually enjoy an iced vanilla-mocha (no whip), but, the 3 or 4 swallows of actual beverage are not worth the $5 or whatever. Yes, it's mostly ice.

at least you learned your lesson. why do people still buy that watered down junk.

While a 5 million dollar lawsuit is fairly absurd, as someone who worked at Dunkin Donuts as a teen, the iced coffee scam needs to be addressed.

I don't know what it's like at SB, but I can tell you that DD iced coffee is brewed so watered down, it's not even really coffee.

One batch of iced coffee gets brewed normally, and we would add EIGHT QUARTS of ice and FOUR QUARTS of water to the coffe. So, at this point it's already only half coffee.

Everything else gets loaded into the cup first;

Fill it about 80% with Ice
cream
sugar
any syrups.

At this point you finally pour in the "coffee" and there is only enough room left in the cup for around 4-6 ounces of liquids.

It's why we could have a busy busy day and still only have to brew 2-3 more batches after the initial. It takes at least 4 medium iced to equal one actual full cup of coffee.

I thought it was going to be a joke lawsuit like the "Hot Coffee" lady back in the 90s.

Then I read it and agreed! I dont tknow about 5 million dollars, but yes, they should be held accountable for shorting people with all the ice.

Its standard for my family and I to just say "..half-ice" at the end of a beverage order.

FYI, McDonald's has comparable drink to the Frappacchino for dollars less, and tastes pretty good IMHO.

Forgot to add, recently Starbucks got a lot of complaints about their water usage in the California drought...

Less ice in drinks is GOOD for the environment! In fact businesses should be fined for using too much Ice, wasting precious H2O.

You think that will get any traction? LOL

My question is...why do any of us care about this at all? Some people here seem pretty incensed about it. If a person wants to use their own money to frivolously sue a company, why does anyone care?

It's just giving her the publicity she wants.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
Unless Starbucks claims a certain amount of ingredients and does not live up to the claim, I don't see how this can go anywhere.

On a side note.
I wonder if she knows coffee is mostly water?
And that ice is also water?
Hhhmm..

Probably signed that petition proclaiming H20 to be dangerous stuff and needs to be banned

a reply to: Butterfinger

ummm a 20 oz cup full of ice or coffee uses the same amount of water....

Too much ice, really? She could have been more imaginative.

Bring an ice cube with a frozen cockroach and drop that into your morning Joe.

a reply to: CaDreamer

True, but its water added to a brewed drink, watering it down. A person usually orders the drink, not the drink watered down.

The 10 oz. of ice isnt wanted, therefore wasteful by most accounts. I made a little joke there on the second post.

Do you appreciate a cup full of ice and the paid-for drink added as almost an afterthought?

a reply to: Gothmog

I like that! LOL

Maybe frame them as pushing Flouride on people?