Starbucks Uses Too Much Ice in Cold Drinks, Man Alleges, Sues

LOS ANGELES, CA - A Starbucks customer today filed the latest lawsuit alleging the coffee chain uses too much ice in its cold drinks.

Alexander Forouzesh's proposed class-action suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, includes allegations of false advertising, breach of express and implied warranty, unjust enrichment and fraud. He seeks unspecified damages.

The suit alleges that although Starbucks advertises its cold drinks by fluid ounce, the numbers are only accurate when ice is added to a drink.

"As a result of this practice, Starbucks has engaged in the practice of misrepresenting the amount of cold drink a customer will receive," the suit alleges.

A Venti cold drink, for example, is advertised as being 24 fluid ounces, but only includes 14 ounces of the actual liquid and the rest is ice, the lawsuit alleges.

"The three black lines that Starbucks uses on its cups ensure that only about 14 ounces will be poured into a Venti cold drink cup by a Starbucks employee using the standard practice," the lawsuit alleges.

The complaint includes several diagrams of Starbucks cups and a replica list of drink sizes.

A similar suit was filed earlier this month by an Illinois woman in federal court in that state. Jamie Riley, a Starbucks spokeswoman, issued a statement at the time denying any wrongdoing by the company.

"Our customers understand and expect that ice is an essential component of any 'iced' beverage," she said. "If a customer is not satisfied with their beverage preparation, we will gladly remake it."

According to the Forouzesh lawsuit, he regularly visits Starbucks stores in California at both individual locations and in retail stores. He would not have paid as much for the cold drinks if he knew he was getting less than he expected, the suit states.

--City News Service, Photo courtesy of Starbucks