Ab Circle Pro Settlement Checks Mailed

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Consumers who purchased an abdominal exercise device known as the Ab Circle Pro may soon receive a check in the mail.

On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that an administrator would mail nearly 200,000 checks averaging $47.51 each to consumers who bought the Ab Circle Pro, as part of a false advertising settlement with the marketer Fitness Brands, four individuals and seven other companies. The false advertising settlement will resolve allegations that the defendants misled consumers into believing that using the Ab Circle Pro for just three minutes per day would “melt inches and pounds.”

The Ab Circle Pro is a fiberglass disc with stationary handlebars and knee rests that allow users to kneel and rotate their bodies from side to side. According to advertisements for the product, using the Ab Circle Pro for just three minutes a day provided an equivalent to a gym workout. The infomercials advertising the product featured testimonials from consumers who claimed they lost as much as 60 pounds by using the Ab Circle Pro.

“You can either do 30 minutes of abs and cardio or just three minutes a day,” the infomercial claimed. “The choice is yours.”

The FTC charged the defendants with making a number of false and/or unsupported claims, including that using the Ab Circle Pro:

• Caused rapid or substantial weight loss
• Provided results equivalent to or better than a full gym workout
• Resulted in loss of fat, inches or weight in the abdomen, hips, thighs and buttocks

According to the FTC, consumers who bought the Ab Circle Pro through infomercials typically paid $200-$250 for the exercise device. Multiple versions of the infomercial reportedly aired more than 10,000 times between March 2009 and May 2010. The Ab Circle Pro was also sold online, in print magazines and in stores.

The FTC and the defendants reached the Ab Circle Pro settlement in 2012. Based on the number of valid claims that were submitted, the FTC plans to issue about $9.3 million in partial refunds to consumers who bought the Ab Circle Pro.

The FTC notes that checks must be cashed within 60 days of issue. The refund submission period for the Ab Circle Pro settlement has passed.

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