Starbucks Sued Over Ice To Cup Ratio

A Starbucks (Swiss: SBUX.SW - news) customer has sued the coffee giant, alleging it regularly overfills its iced beverages with ice instead of using the advertised amount of coffee or other liquid.

Stacy Pincus accuses Starbucks of "deceiving" customers with its ice to cup ratio.

Her lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, alleges that a beverage advertised at 24 ounces actually contains only 14 ounces of coffee due to the amount of ice used.

"In essence, Starbucks is advertising the size of its cold drink cups on its menu, rather than the amount of fluid a customer will receive when they purchase a cold drink - and deceiving its customers in the process," the suit says.

A spokesperson for Starbucks said the Seattle-based firm believes the lawsuit is "without merit".

Jaime Riley said customers understand that ice is part of an iced beverage, and that Starbucks will remake any drink if a customer is unsatisfied.

The lawsuit was filed in Chicago federal court.