Companies charged $ 40 million for unfair sneaker advertising
American shoe maker Skechers will pay $ 40 million as a fine for unfair advertising, which claims that Shape-ups help lose weight without going to the gym, the Washington Post writes.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FCS) was displeased by an advertisement in which Skechers claimed that wearing specially designed athletic shoes leads to weight loss, improved posture and increased muscle tone of the lower body without additional physical exertion. According to the FCS, the results of clinical trials that Skechers refers to in commercials are unreliable.
In addition, the FCS became aware that the chiropractor who painted the virtues of Shape-ups in the company's commercial is the spouse of one of the managers of the Skechers marketing division.
The company began production of "tonic" sneakers in 2009. Since that moment, the courts of various instances have repeatedly received individual and class actions of dissatisfied buyers with a demand to compensate for the costs of sports shoes that turned out to be ineffective.
Despite the fact that Skechers agreed to pay a fine, company representatives consider the allegations unfounded.
“We firmly deny all charges and will defend our case in court. However, we cannot turn a blind eye to the ongoing legal costs and resolution of complaints across the country that have been coming in for several years, ”said CFO David Weinberg in a statement.
This is not the first time that the FCS has fined a sports shoe manufacturer for dishonest advertising. In September 2011, Reebok had to pay $ 25 million to disappointed buyers of the muscle-pumping Easy Tone sneakers, ria.ru reported.
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