Sometimes, customers have problems with the way fast food restaurants operate. They may
feel cheated and then make their feelings known publicly. The eateries on this list
have been on the receiving end of such complaints. So let’s uncover the Top 10 Fast Food Restaurants
That Straight Up Cheat Customers - Part 2.
Is Starbucks Using Too Much Ice?
Iced drinks from Starbucks are delicious, but is the company overdoing it on the ice,
with a mind for making more money? Some people think so. However, the courts ultimately disagreed.
In 2016, a disgruntled Starbucks patron decided to sue the coffee chain, because that unhappy
customer believed that Starbucks was ripping people off by adding excess ice to cold drinks. The
lawsuit was filed in California. In the lawsuit, Starbucks was accused of adding major ice
to its cold drinks and fudging the numbers when it came to fluid ounces for those frosty
beverages. The head plaintiff in the lawsuit felt that Starbucks was making a financial
killing on its cold drinks, while customers were getting shortchanged. Starbucks reps
felt that the lawsuit was a frivolous undertaking. A judge also found the lawsuit frivolous, so
it was dismissed. The judge felt that Starbucks customers were intelligent enough to know
that ice in their drinks would take up some space that might otherwise contain more liquid
beverage. However, Starbucks has been sued more than once over the excess ice issue.
A class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois, which was a lot like the California lawsuit. If
you feel that you're getting the short end of the stick when Starbucks loads your cup
with ice, take action. Request light ice when you order. Then, the problem should disappear.
Jimmy John's Had A Sprout Controversy
In 2013, Jimmy John's was in the news because a woman filed a lawsuit alleging that the
fast food sandwich chain failed to add sprouts to her sandwich. Sprouts of the alfalfa variety
were supposed to be included in the sandwich, as per the menu description. This lawsuit
was known as Starks versus Jimmy John's LLC. According to the lawsuit documents, the sandwich
chain violated the terms of the California False Advertising Act. After the lawsuit
was filed, the fast food joint's leadership agreed to stop marketing the whole "sprouts
on your sandwich" thing. Under the terms of the lawsuit settlement, Jimmy John's agreed
to offer vouchers to customers who ordered sandwiches with sprouts. Each voucher was
valued at a buck and forty cents. The woman who led the lawsuit got five grand. She also
had her legal costs covered and they were steep. Despite all this, Jimmy John's did
return to offering sprouts on sandwiches, with very mixed results. In 2018, sprouts
problems of another type surfaced at Jimmy John's. The Centers for Disease Control and
the FDA let the public know that Salmonella poisoning in a variety of US states could
be traced back to raw sprouts from Jimmy John's sandwiches. The 2018 problem was actually
the 7th incident of tainted sprouts at Jimmy John's sandwich shops. In 2018, the company
took action by taking sprouts off the menu as a precaution.
Subway Was Accused Of Selling 11-inch Footlongs
Have you ever measured a Subway footlong? Maybe you should! One person did and discovered
that a footlong sub really only measured eleven inches in length. In 2013, VIPs at Subway
had to explain to the general public why their footlongs were coming up short, after an unhappy
Subway customer posted a pic of an eleven-inch sub to social media. The post got a lot of
attention, so Subway reps felt compelled to do a little damage control. According to
the rep, each sandwich is made to order and buns are baked fresh each and every day, in
over 42,000 Subway locations all over the world. Policies for ensuring optimal quality
and consistent portion sizes are in place, but improper bread preparation may have led
to a shorter sub at the Subway that the unhappy customer visited. Customers are always watching
to see if fast food restaurants are living up to their obligations. This is why fast
food chains like Subway need to be vigilant about delivering consistent quality and value.
If they don't, they may get caught in a PR nightmare.
The Domino's Order Tracker May Lie
Have you ever stared, transfixed, at the Domino's Order Tracker, marvelling at the fact that
it is able to show you every step of the order and delivery process, in real time? Well,
part of the magic of the Domino's Order Tracker may be a little bit of an illusion. Some people
are convinced that this handy tracker is nothing more than a half-hour timer that starts to
run when an order is placed. Others disagree. They think the timer is real, but believe
that it can be inaccurate, depending on how Domino's staff operate. The truth is that
there are plenty of variables when it comes to getting orders ready and delivered. Some
of these variables just can't be tracked accurately. People who feel cheated by the order tracker just
don't think it's real. They may believe this, even though it's not quite true, because Domino's
staff aren't following Domino's food prep and delivery practices to the letter. For
example, a delivery person may take more than the stipulated three orders per trip, which
slows down delivery times overall. A lot can change or go wrong, although Domino's has
a pretty amazing track record in terms of getting food to people within half an hour
of order placement.
Are McDonald's Burgers Shrinking?
McDonald's actually denies that its burgers have gotten smaller, but some customers who
post online are convinced that Mickey D's has shrunk its iconic burgers. One unhappy
customer asked McDonald's about the smaller burgers and was informed by official McDonald's
reps that the burger sizes at McDonald's haven't changed since the fast food chain's earliest
days. There's always the possibility that some burgers seem smaller due to issues during
food preparation. Maybe one burger was fried for longer, and shrunk due to moisture loss,
or something like that. The burgers may seem smaller, but actually be the same size as
always. The size of burger and chicken sandwich buns sold at Aussie McDonald's did shrink
at one point, but this wasn't done to deceive customers. It was done so that Aussie McDonald's
burgers would be the same sizes as McDonald's burgers in other countries.
Long John Silver's Big Catch Was Anything But
The Big Catch meal at Long John Silver is notorious, because it was deemed "the worst
meal in America" by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Laden with sodium
and fat, this seafood meal has also disappointed customers who felt that they didn't get the
advertised portion sizes. Customers were promised 7 to 8 ounces of high-quality haddock. Samples
taken showed that only four and a half ounces of haddock were present in a Big Catch. The
batter for the Big Catch weighed in at three ounces. So, this meal contained 60 percent
fish product and forty percent batter. After these findings came to light, Long John Silver
took "the worst meal in America" off the menu and reconsidered the way that it fried fish. This
was a good thing, because the Big Catch had a shocking 33 grams of trans fats. Trans fats
aren't too healthy.
Some Chipotle Locations Overcharged Customers
Should Chipotle restaurants have rounded up customer's bills, ostensibly to make it easier
for Chipotle staff to make change? Probably not, right? But this really happened back
in 2012. When we go to fast food chains, we expect to be charged the prices on the menu,
plus any applicable taxes. We don't expect fast food chains to round up our bills. Fortunately,
some people check their receipts carefully and spot anomalies. After the rounding up
issue was publicized, Chipotle stopped the practice. Chipotle claimed that it didn't
make any profits from rounding up, but it seems like extra pennies would add up over
time. The rationale behind rounding up was about making it simpler and faster for Chipotle
clerks to give change to customers, according to Chipotle company reps. This would speed
up lines and promote customer satisfaction. However, the whole thing definitely backfired,
as customers don't like it when restaurants charge them more than indicated on the menu.
One KFC Put Customer's Health At Risk
When we spend hard-earned money on fast food, we don't expect it to be produced in fast
food restaurants that have sickening hygiene practices. Unfortunately, one KFC location
in the West End of London, UK, did cheat customers by offering them food which was prepared in
a pest-ridden environment, by employees who didn't have easy access to hand soap. This
type of fast food may lead to food poisoning. This KFC didn't live up to KFC's typical business
practices and it was fined. After the fine was levied, the restaurant was renovated. The
fine for poor hygiene was 19 thousand pounds. The fine was due to a range of disgusting
circumstances, such as lack of hand soap in the prep room. Mice were also spotted at this
dirty and disorganized fried chicken outlet. Overall, five breaches in good hygiene practices
were admitted to by management. This situation is a rarity, and it's been rectified.
Beware Of Phantom Charges At Panera
One interesting and seemingly unintentional ripoff is phantom charges at Panera. These
phantom charges weren't a supernatural occurrence, but they seemed a little bit mysterious, to
say the least. In 2017, a frequent customer named Curtis noticed that nine dollars had
been added to the bill, but there wasn't a line entry to account for the extra nine dollars
that was added. This nine dollars was a phantom charge that seemed to be added on automatically
by the cash register. The manager was sympathetic and offered Curtis free food to make up for
the mistake. The manager seemed mystified by the phantom charge, just like Curtis was.
After the situation became public, the CIO at Panera, let people know that a computer
glitch was the reason for the phantom charge. Changes were made to reduce or eliminate the
risk of phantom charges in the future.
Burger King-Coupon Scam
Everyone loves saving money, a great way to do so is by using good old fashion coupons.
But Customers be wary, and check the final prices. As this story goes, it does not always
guarantee savings. In 2017, A women named Koleta Anderson from Maryland, filed a class
action lawsuit, because when she used her coupon for a Croissandwich, she discovered
she was being charged $ 1.83 more with the coupon than if she would have not used one.
Apparently, this had been happening for two years, without anyone ever noticing. Imagine,
the profits per year in just one location. We wonder how many people using coupons actually
paid extra for their meals along the way, always check your receipt!
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