I was surprised to see the news that Sketchers USA, Inc. has settled charges with the Federal Trade Commission for $40 million. The charges were filed against Sketchers USA, Inc that they deceived customers by making unsubstantiated claims that the Shape-up shoes (and other styles) would help people lose weight, and strengthen and tone their buttocks, legs and abdominal muscles.
I am embarrassed to admit that I believed these claims and purchased the shoes a few years ago. I had just had my first baby girl and I was looking for a way to lose some of the baby weight and thought that the shoes would allow me to get some “extra” exercise while walking around the house and help expedite my weight loss efforts.
Even though money was tight, I paid about $70 for my shoes at Kohl’s when I had a 30% coupon. That’s a lot of money for tennis shoes! I normally shop at Payless and Target so anything over $20 was outrageous for me, but I purchased them anyway.
Pretty much right away, I had buyer’s remorse. They weren’t comfortable, they looked “funny” and they actually made my legs hurt. I thought the pain was related to the exercise, but it was still uncomfortable. I stopped wearing them and used them occasionally. Every time I see them in my closet all I see is $70 down the tubes. The picture above are actually my shoes…they look really good for being more than 3 years old, right?
So when I saw news of the settlement, I got excited! Maybe now I can get a refund for the shoes I’ve hardly worn. I started researching how to claim my refund right away and found the link to the FTC website http://www.skecherssettlement.com/. Now I have this website bookmarked for updates!
In the meantime, I’ll be reviewing my Kohl’s Credit Card statements to find the receipt to prove the purchase price.
The other Sketchers shoes that are included in this settlement are: Resistance Runner, Toners and Tone-up shoes.
So, who else purchased one of these shoes? Have you worn them much? Will you be requesting a refund?
















