Skechers Refund Checks in the Mail

The FTC is mailing out refunds to consumers who bought and filed valid claims on Skechers toning shoes, which were allegedly deceptively advertised as a way to help people slim down and improve muscle tone. A total of 509,175 checks will be mailed to people who were told they would “lose weight without setting foot in a gym.” Checks must be cashed by October 10, 2013.

In May 2012, Skechers agreed to settle with the FTC for $40 million over deceptive advertising allegations. While this seemed like a win for the FTC and for consumers, remember our take on it; for Skechers, $40 million, a fraction of their profits from toning shoes, amounts to little more than a cost of doing business. Checks being mailed may seem like the final page in the book, but what has really changed? All of the shoes involved in the complaint—Shape Ups, Resistance Runners, Toners, and Tone-ups—are still available for purchase, and while it has changed its advertising claims, Skechers continues to deny any wrongdoing.

Death, taxes, and miraculous weight loss claims—all inevitable. Learn more about weight loss claims here.