What a Strawberry Drink Complaint Says About Coffee Contains Labels

Molly Tea's limited-edition Strawberry White Chocolate and Strawberry White Chocolate Rice Mochi drinks, launched with a Barbie collaboration, drew complaints because the fruit in the cup did not match promotional photos that showed strawberry chunks filling about a quarter of the cup. Buyers found only a thin layer, or none at all. A reporter tested two Wuhan stores and confirmed the gap.

The store said strawberries were mashed after customers reported the pieces were too large for straws, and that shaking during delivery mixes fruit into the liquid, though the promos carried no 'actual product may vary' notice. The case is a reminder to check what in coffee and milk drinks is listed versus what is poured.

Molly Tea's limited-edition drinks launched in collaboration with "Barbie"—Strawberry White Chocolate and Strawberry White Chocolate Rice Mochi—have sparked consumer complaints due to the huge discrepancy between the actual product and the official promotional images. In the promotional photos, the bottom of the cup is filled with a thick layer of strawberry chunks, but the drinks customers actually received contained so little fruit that it was barely noticeable. Some customers strained out the fruit with a sieve and put it back into the cup, discovering that the actual portion was far removed from the poster. The store explained that because customers had reported the fruit pieces were too large and difficult to suck through a straw, the strawberries had been mashed, and that shaking during delivery would also cause the fruit to mix with the liquid. However, the official promotional images did not carry any notice such as "actual product may vary," leading consumers to suspect false advertising and demand refunds. Our reporter visited two stores in Wuhan, placed orders, and tested them, confirming that the actual product indeed did not match the promotion.

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According to a recent report by Jimu News, many consumers have posted on social media complaining that the two newly launched drinks from Molly Tea—Strawberry White Chocolate and Strawberry White Chocolate Rice Mochi—differ noticeably from the official promotional images.

These two strawberry drinks are limited editions launched by Molly Tea in collaboration with "Barbie." In the official promotional images, both drinks have a thick layer of plump strawberry chunks at the bottom of the cup, taking up roughly a quarter of the cup's capacity.

Many strawberry lovers were drawn in by the product photos and placed orders immediately after the drinks went on sale. However, what they didn't expect was that the large chunks of strawberry they had anticipated did not appear in the drinks in their hands.

From the real-life photos posted by consumers, there is only a thin layer of strawberry chunks at the bottom of the cup, and in some buyer photos, there is no trace of fruit at all.

After buying the new drinks, some netizens used a sieve to separate out the strawberry chunks settled at the bottom of the cup and put them back into a Molly Tea takeaway cup, discovering that the actual amount of fruit added was worlds apart from what the poster showed.

Such a stark discrepancy left consumers quite dissatisfied, and many posted complaints that Molly Tea's new drinks did not live up to their name. One comment read: "I didn't see a single piece of strawberry when I got it," "So much in the picture, but just a small spoonful in reality," "You can't even see the fruit in the actual product," "Very little strawberry jam, huddled pitifully in one corner."

Because the drinks they received were seriously inconsistent with the official posters, some consumers applied to the stores for refunds on the grounds that "the promotional images do not match the actual product, suspected false advertising," and the stores in question have agreed to refund.

To verify the situation, the reporter placed orders for the two new drinks from two Molly Tea stores in Wuhan respectively, and the drinks actually received indeed showed only a few scattered strawberry pieces at the bottom, consistent with the mismatch reported by consumers.

The reporter sought confirmation from the Molly Tea stores regarding the above issues, and the staff explained that previously some customers had reported that the strawberry chunks were rather large, making them hard to suck through a straw, so the stores adjusted their preparation method, mashing fresh strawberries into small pieces before adding them to the drinks.

As for why the strawberry chunks appeared so scarce, the staff speculated that the drinks might have been shaken during delivery, causing the fruit settled at the bottom to mix with the liquid, resulting in a gap between the finished product's appearance and customers' expectations.

The staff emphasized, "The production process is recorded by surveillance, every cup is weighed, and each cup contains 80 grams of strawberry." If consumers pick up their drinks on-site at the store, they will find that freshly made drinks are not much different from the promotional images. But if it is delivery, the drinks actually received will inevitably differ.

In addition, regarding the question of the large gap between the actual product and the promotional images, the staff said the promotional images are meant to show customers the effect, not for drinking. However, the reporter noticed that Molly Tea's official promotional images did not carry any notice such as "images are for reference only" or "actual product may vary."

Image source: Internet

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