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What exactly do these stealth provisions in the contract do?

 

The forced arbitration clause means that if you ever have a dispute with the company, you can’t go to a public court. You’ll have to go to a private, secretive tribunal chosen by Starbucks — in Seattle!

The class action ban means that you can’t band together with other customers to make pursuing claims worthwhile. If Starbucks rips off every gift card holder by a few dollars, that would mean millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains with no accountability.

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Access to Justice Initiatives
Consumer Injustice

Tell Starbucks: Stop Taking Away Your Customers' Rights

If you receive a Starbucks gift card, you should know that it comes with a stealth attack on your legal rights.

In fine print that most customers never see, there’s a forced arbitration clause and a ban on consumers joining together in class actions.

Starbucks tries hard to be seen as a company that cares. It shouldn’t get away with stripping people of their legal rights.

Sign the petition to tell Starbucks that you don’t want to sacrifice your rights in order to buy or use its prepaid card.

Petition to Starbucks:

We, the undersigned, call on Starbucks to remove from its prepaid gift cards the forced arbitration clause and the ban on joining together in a class action. Starbucks should not make its customers sacrifice their legal rights in order to buy or use a prepaid card.

This petition is no longer active.
1-25 of 15542 signatures
Number Date Name Add a Comment
15542 Mon Feb 13 11:09:41 EST 2012 Ken Owen
15541 Mon Feb 13 09:12:40 EST 2012 Robert Kogan
15540 Mon Feb 13 00:03:48 EST 2012 Joseph Lullie
15539 Sun Feb 12 23:12:33 EST 2012 Frank Janezich I think coffee has an appealing bouquet, but Starbucks arbitration clause and bar against class actions have this persistent irritating odor. Starbucks, I expect better from you; please rewrite to eliminate More....
15538 Sun Feb 12 22:45:44 EST 2012 Paula Dyan
15537 Sun Feb 12 20:21:01 EST 2012 Alan Herman Forget me patronizing Starbucks until this provision is removed.
15536 Sun Feb 12 20:15:20 EST 2012 Barbara Price
15535 Sun Feb 12 19:48:57 EST 2012 Phyllis Holzworth
15534 Sun Feb 12 19:31:24 EST 2012 Lawrence Alati
15533 Sun Feb 12 19:11:33 EST 2012 Susan Alati Very unfair, I will think twice before buying another prepaid card.
15532 Sun Feb 12 19:10:27 EST 2012 Patty McInnis Gray
15531 Sun Feb 12 17:18:11 EST 2012 Ida Wainschel
15530 Sun Feb 12 16:36:18 EST 2012 Douglas Mason
15529 Sun Feb 12 16:11:23 EST 2012 Peter McThompson If arbitration is so great for consumers, then why the BMA (binding mandatory arbitration) clause? Give us a choice here!
15528 Sun Feb 12 14:09:23 EST 2012 Hilda Sokol and your prices are too high!!!!
15527 Sun Feb 12 12:14:10 EST 2012 Jim Snyder A native of Seattle, a daily coffee drinker and a world traveler who often uses Starbucks on the road, I will look less kindly at the green circle from now on. One customer lost, if this is not resolved. More....
15526 Sun Feb 12 11:40:27 EST 2012 Anonymous
15525 Sun Feb 12 11:40:09 EST 2012 Anonymous
15524 Sun Feb 12 09:27:39 EST 2012 Ryan Riggin
15523 Sat Feb 11 23:39:12 EST 2012 laura braggiotti shame on you ! why is business losing it's humanitarianism?
15522 Sat Feb 11 22:38:31 EST 2012 N Edward Boyce away with uncontrolled greed!
15521 Sat Feb 11 22:24:58 EST 2012 Betty Hedgecock
15520 Sat Feb 11 21:44:35 EST 2012 Scott Simmons
15519 Sat Feb 11 21:43:10 EST 2012 Scott
15518 Sat Feb 11 19:08:44 EST 2012 Anonymous forced arbitration isn't very consumer friendly. I'll think rwice before I buy another prepaid card!
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