Reebok sued for $25 million over false ads for ReeTone

The Federal Trade Commission won a civil suit against Reebok because its ReeTone shoes were proven ineffective.

It all began with advertisements for ReeTone that promised a 28 per cent increase in toning effectiveness.

Then, studies proved the commercials wrong. The ReeTone shoes didn’t provide any extra boost to a workout. 

Lawsuit: Reebok EasyTone Shoes Don’t Live Up to Claims; Reebok To Pay $25M womenshealth

But Reebok maintains that customer feedback has been mostly positive to its ReeTone shoes.

Reebok/reetone shoes, Chandigarh Complaints, Reviews – reetones of my shoes are damaged Reebok/reetone shoes, Chandigarh Complaints, Reviews: reetones of my shoes are damaged

With news of the lawsuit, people turned to injury lawyers to be compensated. However the $25 million won is meant to refund all of the ReeTone shoes purchased.

Toning Shoes Injury Lawyers | Skechers Shape-ups, MBT Toning Shoes & Reebok Toning Shoes | Product Liability Attorneys In recent years, toning shoes have exploded onto the marketplace. Toning shoes are purported to provide an exceptional workout when they are worn while engaging in everyday activities. This type of shoes is advertised as a way to be able to work out without going to a gym or engaging in any especially active behavior.

Public reaction to the lawsuit mostly blames the consumer for buying the shoes, not Reebok.

“	Reebok must be bum-med @ having to pay a £25mil settlement #Reetone Did consumers really think they would just transform into Kelly Brook?
	JamieIvory October 14, 2011

“	Reebok’s $25 million settlement with the FTC teaches us a good lesson. It’s buyer beware when it comes to fitness gear. Here’s 5 ways to tell when you should leave it on the shelf.
	Måns Rinne October 10, 2011

Are SKECHERS Shape-ups next up at the docket?

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Reebok refunds: lawsuit against EasyTone shoes highlights consumerism

Reebok’s EasyTone shoes (not shown), were advertised to better achieve a toned lower body than average running shoes. Traditional exercises such as knee highs depicted above should not be traded in for special shoes. Photo by Rance Costa http://flic.kr/p/7tL1kM

In response to the lawsuit against Reebok, Lori Borgman of The Tribune News Service wrote that she feels badly for gullible consumers like her, in the article Toning shoe takes a misstep.

The Federal Trade Comission recently settled a $25 million class action suit against Reebok, whose EasyTone and RunTone shoes were proven to be no better than the average running shoe.

The Reebok product guarantee: Reebok commercials promised “better legs and a better butt with every step,” when wearing its EasyTone shoes. Workouts in the shoes were also  advertised to be up to 28 per cent more effective.

Sure, the girl in the commercial looked great and most women would be jealous of her pert backside, but that’s the whole point of advertising. Commercials try to make you feel incomplete without their product, and we know this.

We know this and still ignore the truth because we are all optimists.

The Truth about EasyTone: A study from the American Council of Exercise found no benefits to using Reebok’s toning shoes. Other studies conducted also found the same results.

Borgman also writes that the shoes weren’t in fact hurting anybody and the only people that benefit from this scandal are personal injury lawyers.

I have a different opinion.

Consumers benefit from lawsuit:

• Consumers may finally be realizing that not all advertisements are true. As much as people would like to believe there’s a quick fix for cellulite, sometimes you just have to face the fat and admit that almost nothing is a quick fix.
• The FTC is using the $25 million to refund money back to unsatisfied EasyTone customers.
• The FTC may sue companies with similar products who may have untrue claims, class-action expert Jaime Bianchi said to Reuters. As a result advertisers may become more honest because of accountability.
• If after all the bad press you still want a pair of EasyTone’s, just for kicks (pun intended) they are almost all on sale on Reebok’s website.

FTC’s response to lawsuit: David Vladeck from the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection said in a press conference that Reebok “violated the law by making false and unsubstantial claims” about the effectiveness of its Easy Tone shoes.

Reebok’s response to lawsuit: But Reebok put out a statement saying that it doesn’t agree with the allegations even though the company settled. Reebok also stated that customer feedback for the shoes have been positive.

Moral of the story: You know how they say you should walk a mile in someone else’s shoes? In this case don’t.