Insights

Underfilled Lattes: overpromised and underdelivered?

21/06/2016

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Whilst this may seem like a "storm in a teacup", it cannot be good for a brand to be accused of short-changing its clients on its key content and delivery.

In the UK and European context, there is an growing movement for representative consumer action (see: representative actions, group litigation orders and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 with collective redress) - so this may not all be pure froth and could be coming to a court near you.

A federal judge said two Starbucks customers may pursue a lawsuit accusing the coffee chain of cheating patrons by underfilling lattes. In a decision on Friday, US district judge Thelton Henderson in San Francisco said the California plaintiffs may seek damages for fraud and false advertising from Starbucks Corp in their proposed nationwide class action. According to the lawsuit Starbucks is skimping on one of a latte’s main ingredients: milk. “A latte is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk,” the lawsuit claims, explaining that caffè latte is Italian for “milk coffee”. “Traditionally, a latte is created by mixing steamed milk and espresso, which is then topped with a thin layer of milk foam.”

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jun/20/starbucks-lawsuit-underfilled-lattes-san-francisco