Posted on 08/01/2015 1:35:27 PM PDT by Jyotishi
The woman now suffers from Burning Mouth Syndrome, loss of taste, numbness in lips and tongue and oral nerve damage, a lawsuit said.
Los Angeles - A US woman has sued famous coffee company Starbucks for more than US $2 million, claiming that she was served coffee which contained cleaning chemicals.
Cheryl Kingery from western state of Utah said she suffered severe damage to her esophagus after drinking coffee from a Starbucks cafe just north of Salt Lake City. According to a lawsuit, Kingery ingested a Urnex specialty cleaning product for coffee and espresso equipment.
She now suffers from Burning Mouth Syndrome, loss of taste, numbness in lips and tongue and oral nerve damage, it said. Kingery is seeking US $1.5 million to cover medical expenses, lost wages and other costs, besides at least US $500,000 in damages for suffering and distress.
Starbucks is taking the claim seriously and is investigating, said a company spokeswoman. "The safety of our customers is our No.1 priority," the spokeswoman said. This is not the first incident of its kind in the Beehive State. About a year ago a woman suffered third-degree chemical burns in her mouth and throat after drinking ice tea mixed with a powerful cleaning chemical at a famous coffee house.
The woman had settled the case out of court with the American coffee house chain for an undisclosed amount of money.
I have a cup of Starbucks about once every 3 or 4 yrs. if we’re on the road where one is. (They’ve probably gone up in price since the last cup I had about 4 yrs. ago.) I used to like it pretty well.
Actually, here in Canada at least, they offer good value if you stick to coffee and avoid the coffee-flavoured milkshakes. A cup is just 25 cents more than Tim Horton’s and you get free refills with the loyalty card. Their medium roast now is nothing like the charcoal water they used to serve.
They must be using a different blend in the USA; in Canada they changed it shortly after they arrived here and it’s pretty good now.
I guess I’m the loner in Free Republic. I happen to like Starbucks. I get a grande bold every morning on the way to work, and the people who work there are the nicest folks I’ve met. Is it because I’m a regular? Probably, but I don’t notice any different treatment given to others - and I go there on weekends as well.
I also buy their whole bean coffee - oh the horror! My favorites are Sumatra and Komodo Dragon Blend.
(Donning flame-retardant suit)
I like Starbucks coffee, too. One thing that I always do before I eat or drink anything is that I look at it and smell it. If this woman had taken just a second to do the same, she probably would not have drunk that coffee, and might have saved herself a lot of pain.
That may sound silly to most people, but after almost being poisoned once at a restaurant many years ago, I’m cautious.
Their coffee is okay but there are much better small, locally owned shops.
Starbucks is way too leftist in company policies for me to spend money there.
Yeah, and they didn’t specify the compound, sorry if I don’t know what Urnex is made of. However your point is to be snippy.
I hear you, but I rarely get coffee out. It’s usually just when I’m traveling, and then I want something that I can find easily and that I know I will like.
Memo to self. Never be the first Person in line when Starbucks opens for Business.
Our Baristas are also really great.
No, to each his own. I don’t like Starbucks myself-—Dunkin is my thing-—but quite a few do.
The thing that really got me, though, was having to say “Give me a grahn-day coffee” instead of just large. I hate pretentiousness.
Just say large when you are in a Starbucks. I never use their sissy language to order drinks.
No kidding.
The only time I ever go there is when some well meaning Relative gives me a Starbucks Gift Card.
When it’s free, I get a Grande Mocha with Whipped Cream.
Their regular Coffee always tastes Burnt to me. My Boss goes there every day for his morning Coffee. I don’t get it.
Good. :)
Like I said, I’m not a Starbucks fan, but I am kind of curious to try their blonde roast. If I like strong but not bitter coffee, would I like that one?
There blonde roast is not bad. I still prefer Dunkin.
Their blonde roast! (Word Crime exposed)
I like strong coffee with a bitter undertaste. Imho, everyone has slightly different taste buds. My sister always made coffee that was so weak that it tasted like coffee flavoured water to me, and she hated my coffee.
Thanks...I might try it. I agree about Dunkin, though.
Well aren't you lucky then that almost all Americans have been displaced at fast food operations by those classified as other.
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