Skechers | Sketchy Business

Sketchers Shape-Ups are those strange-looking trainers that resemble see-saws or disability shoes. No matter how many pops of colours they add or how many celebrities they glamorously have advertised them, I simply cannot love them. I'd rather suffer through a hundred squats and sit-ups than wear these. Maybe that's just a pride thing on my part, or due to living in a small town? I'd be laughed at for sure, little children may also throw stones at me due to wearing these (true story).

For those who have had an interest in this product (Shape-Ups specifically and not Skechers), you may have heard about them activating the muscle, strengthening your core and toning your legs and butt. Maybe you even bought a pair and got your rock walk on. These babies cost from £50 up to £80 so they aren't exactly cheap, factoring in why you're specifically purchasing these (specifically to get fit rather than style), you would expect them to work wouldn't you?

Well, here's the kicker (get it), Skechers has been ordered to pay $40 million pounds due to marketing this product unfairly. Skechers marketed these as a product that would help consumers lose weight, they used Kim Kardashian and Brooke Burk to promote them enticing so many people to frivolously buy into their claims.

They were also ordered to pay out an additional $5 million for attorney fees, I'm pretty sure Skechers are regretting hyping their products now. What I can't understand is why a large popular company such as Skechers, would really feel the need to falsify their claims?

Yes, I'm aware most companies do to some extent but I wouldn't have imagined that Skechers wouldn't feel the need due to them already having such a huge fan base. There were 70 lawsuits made in relation to the claim that they lied about the benefits, Skechers denies the claims of course but said they settled to close the case quickly. I know I'd blooming fight my corner regardless of the time it took, especially when it meant having to fork out $45 million in this economy.

Apparently, Reebok had a similar problem last year with their rocker shoes, they were made to pay $25 million. The moral of this story is to not buy into these toning, rocker trainer claims and spend the money on some new gym clothes (or chocolate). Anything these trainers claimed to do, you guys can do yourselves. YOU CAN DO IT! Feel the burn and all that jazz. The Federal Trade Commission has since banned Skechers from running their ad's for this product, so at least it's a step in the right direction. Fingers crossed more companies have their knuckles rapped for falsifying claims and duping innocents, into parting with their hard-earned cash.

What's your take on this guys?