Yahoo Finance Starbucks Is in Court for Underfilling Its Overpriced Lattes
A federal judge in San Francisco has allowed two Starbucks customers to seek damages against the chain for fraud and false advertising in a class action lawsuit after receiving underfilled lattes, Reuters reports. Starbucks adopted a new recipe in 2009 that uses less milk, and, as a result, the lattes are 25 percent smaller. The suit accuses Starbucks of systematically overcharging customers for these drinks.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Siera Strumlauf, of San Francisco, and Benjamin Robles, of Carlsbad, said the pitchers used to heat milk have “fill to” lines that are too low. This leaves one-fourth of an inch of free space in the drink cups, which the suit claims shorts customers since the Starbucks cups hold 12, 16, and 20 ounces for the tall, grande, and venti sizes, respectively.
In April, a reporter from the Today show bought a grande latte from six different Starbucks locations and then measured them with the help of a laboratory-grade beakers. None of the six lattes reached the 16 ounce mark, with one latte coming in under the 12 ounce mark. Starbucks responded by saying that the experiment was unscientific and without merit.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Starbucks attempted to dismiss the complaint but the judge rejected it, allowing the case to proceed. This is just one of at least four potential class action suits over underfilled beverages claims that Starbucks is currently facing.
If it seems like these sort of class action suits keep popping up, it’s because they are.Listen to this podcast for an explanation as to why.
