Reebok to Refund $25M for Bogus Toning Shoes

Reebok has agreed to dole out up to $25 million in refunds for people who bought its EasyTone and RunTone shoes, in the mistaken belief that they’d actually help them tone their lower body as advertised. The move settles an FTC complaint that Reebok’s various claims about the shoe’s benefits—like that it would lead to 11% greater strength in hamstring muscles—weren’t backed up by science, the Chicago Tribune reports.

“Marketing campaigns, no matter how clever, sexy or funny, must start and must stick with product claims that are substantiated,” the FTC’s director of consumer protection wrote in the complaint. The settlement bars Reebok from making any further claims about the shoe’s efficacy unless it has scientific evidence to back them up. Duped customers can go to ftc.gov/reebok to apply for a refund. (More Reebok stories.)