Sketchers Settlement: Company to Pay FTC $40 Million Over Ads

Sketchers settlement is going to cost the company an impressive $40 million dollars. I suppose that’s what you get when you attempt to trick consumers into thinking they can get a round rump like the one found on Kim Kardashian’s backside by simply walking around in a pair of overpriced sneakers. If it was really that easy, everybody and their one-legged grandmother would be hobbling around the planet with this stuff strapped to their feet.

The Federal Trade Commission recently found that Sketchers USA Inc. had misrepresented their product to the American public by claiming that their Shape-Ups would help individuals lose weight while toning their posteriors by simply strolling around the mall. The same thing happened to Reebok last year; the company was forced to pay nearly $25 million for stating that their EasyTone sneakers would help folks find the waistline they lost years ago.

According to the FTC, Sketchers claimed that scientific studies proved their Shape-Ups could help people increase their “muscle activation” by several impressive degrees by wearing the product every single day. Not surprisingly, this was pretty far from the truth. Sketchers, of course, is disputing the claims.

It’s also worth noting that Sketchers is allowing duped customers to refund their misguided purchases. So if you’ve got a pair of Shape-Ups in the closet collecting dust, perhaps it’s time to brush them off and stroll down to the store you bought them from. Hey, you might just lose some weight in the process.