Skechers Settlement on Shape Ups

The Sketchers Company has finally reached a settlement, agreeing to pay $40 million as a way of settling the charges made against the company, due to the toning shoes that the company claimed would help people lose weight, get into shape, and most importantly, get toned by toning the body muscles of the lower body. Advertisements for the sneakers even went as far as to say that they have the ability to help people fight heart disease and prevent it altogether.

A complaint, which was first filed on Wednesday in the federal court by the Federal Trade Commission, stated that Skechers hyped up the advertising for their Shape Ups sneakers, providing false advertisement to consumers and using lines that basically told people they could get in shape by wearing these sneakers instead of going to the gym or working out. The company featured a chiropractor in some of their advertisements but failed to mention that the chiropractor is actually married to one of the marketing executives for the Skechers Company.

The Federal Trade Commission believes that this settlement will be one of the largest settlements ever made, especially when it comes down to the money that is given back to the consumer due to false advertising. Refunds will be given for various other shoes as well, which includes Toners, Tone-Ups, and Resistance Runner shoes. The director for the FTC and its Bureau of Consumer Protection, David Vladeck, says that Skechers made claims that were simply not true and because of that, they put a foot in their own mouth.

In the meantime, Skechers continued to defend its advertisements, stating that they are, in fact, appropriate. The company claims to have only chosen a settlement as a way of avoiding expensive legal battles that would have ended up costing them more than the original settlement will. They did not want to deal with the burden or the hassle, so they chose to go through with the settlement and refund customers instead. The chief financial officer for the company says that they still deny these allegations against them but does not want to deal with the matter any further.

Skechers is not the only company that has had a lawsuit filed against them and has had to pay back millions of dollars due to a settlement. Reebok has also agreed to pay a total of $25 million as a settlement for charges against them, charges that were made because of their EasyTone and RunTone sneakers. The FTC received loads of complaints from consumers who bought these particular types of sneakers as well. Those consumers who bought either of these shoes can also expect a full refund for their purchase made as well.