Starbucks Korea ordered to compensate customer for changing words on event

Starbucks Coffee Korea has been ordered to compensate a customer for providing only one free coffee after the consumer won an event that originally promised a free drink every day for a year, the plaintiff's lawyer said Wednesday.

The customer, surnamed Ko, filed the case with the Seoul Central District Court in December after the local unit of the US-based coffee giant failed to keep its word, saying it mistakenly notified the customers, attorney Choi Soo-jin said.

This image provided by law firm Merit shows the phrase "Starbucks for 1 year" erased after the local unit of US-based coffee giant Starbucks announced winners on a giveaway event. (Yonhap)

In December, Starbucks Korea said it will give a free drink every day for 100 people selected among those who share their special stories on social media. Ko was one of the winners.

Ruling in favor of the plaintiff, the court ordered the coffee giant to pay some 2.29 million won ($2,000) to Ko last week, the lawyer said. The money is equivalent to 364 cups of 6,300 won Dark Mocha Frappuccino. (Yonhap)