Multiple news sources have revealed in several articles that Skechers USA was ordered to pay the amount of $40 million to settle charges consumers were being misled by the company’s false advertisements related to toning sneakers.
According to an official statement from a Federal Trade Commission spokesperson, these toning sneakers reportedly have been advertised as shoes that could do everything from improving heart health to losing weight while toning muscles. These false claims have led thousands of consumers to purchase Toners, Resistance Runner and Tone-ups manufactured by the company.
This official announcement doesn’t come as a surprise. According to the news, Reebok has settled similar charges for $25 million with the FTC. Although the Skechers settlement is larger, both occurrences come as the result of investigations held by the federal agency that are part of a large effort to keep companies from promising what they cannot deliver to consumers.
As a result of this agreement, the company Skechers is prohibited from making claims related to fitness and health benefits linked to the company’s footwear. Deceptive advertisements and exaggerated study claims are also prohibited from being used in marketing campaigns.
Consumers who have purchased any of these sneakers may contact the federal agency. People with these items in their possession are entitled to receive a full refund and should be extremely skeptical of similar products purporting the same fitness claims.
It’s my most heartfelt hope that other companies learn from this settlement. Advertisements that mislead consumers are hazardous. I’m glad the Federal Trade Commission was able to call out on this terrible behavior.
