It seems like controversy is never ending for Starbucks. The latest news is a lawsuit against the coffee giant that claims Starbucks deliberately fails to fill its cups all the way. According to the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, Starbucks knowingly and systematically serves customers lattes that are 25 percent smaller than their menu claims.
This would maybe be excusable if baristas were shorting people on drinks like coffee and tea because so many people like to leave room for additives. But lattes? Shelling out $3.65 for a drink that’s only three quarts of the way full, that doesn’t seem like a fair trade (BOOM, ROASTED! Oh, the puns.)
As the claim (which you are welcome to peruse here) points out, though lattes are made from a standardized recipe instituted in 2009, the “fill to” line within that recipe produces drinks that come up short. This inadvertently shortchanges customers and has saved Starbucks millions of dollars.
The suit comes after a cashier was caught stealing a customer’s credit-card information, which was after Starbucks did racist stuff in London, but before they recalled sandwiches over listeria contamination, which was just after they tried to give you diabetes. Hold up. Why do people go here again?
Interestingly, there are A LOT of people who stand to gain from this lawsuit being approved. As in, every U.S. class member who bought a Starbucks latte. While the claims seem quite possible, Starbucks is adamant that they are without merit and its customers should be aware of likely variations in their beverages.
We remain skeptical. Sorry Starbucks, it looks like your clever insults aren’t going to get you out of this one… but your endless reserves of money probably will.
(Via Eater)
