United States - Marketers of 'Ab Circle Pro' Device to Pay as Much as $25 Million in Refunds to Settle FTC Charges

The FTC has filed deceptive advertising charges against the marketers of the Ab Circle Pro – an abdominal exercise device – who promised consumers that exercising on the device for just three minutes a day would cause them to lose 10 pounds in two weeks.  The defendants have agreed to settlements that provide as much as $25 million – and at least $15 million – depending on the volume of refunds consumers request. According to the FTC, the defendants' advertisements promised that a three-minute workout on the Ab Circle Pro was equivalent to doing 100 sit ups. The infomercial claimed that consumers using the Ab Circle Pro for three minutes a day would “melt inches and pounds,” and featured testimonials claiming they had lost as much as sixty pounds.  Consumers buying through the infomercial typically paid $200 to $250 for the device, while the price for those buying from retailers varied more widely.