Brigette Honaker  |  July 9, 2020

Category: Legal News

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Man's legs running on treadmill

In recent legal news, a Nautilus class action lawsuit claims that the brand’s treadmills are misrepresented due to inflated power ratings.

Plaintiff Robert Walker claims that he and other consumers were deceived by Nautilus when purchasing treadmills, resulting in them buying the products and paying more than they would have if they had known the truth. The company allegedly inflates the horsepower ratings of their products to deceive consumers.

When purchasing a treadmill, horsepower rating is reportedly “one of the most prevalent and recognized specifications” used by consumers, the class action lawsuit says. Horsepower is a unit of measurement designed to show how much power a motor or engine can put out.

According to Walker, the power of a treadmill directly affects the quality of the workout machine’s performance. The higher the horsepower, the more power is sustained during regular use. Nautilus reportedly recognizes the importance of this and has allegedly “out-spec’ed” its competition with inflated horsepower ratings for the sole purpose of misleading consumers.

Walker says he relied on these specifications in 2019 when browsing and purchasing a treadmill for personal use.

While shopping on Bowflex.com, Walker allegedly relied on representations that the Bowflex BXT116 treadmill was capable of producing 3.75 continuous horsepower. He says he used these representations to compare the model to other treadmills on the market, and eventually relied on these ratings to pay more than $1,5000 for the Bowflex treadmill.

Closeup of feet walking on treadmill

Unfortunately, Walker argues, he and other consumers were misled by Nautilus’ representations.

Nautilus allegedly misrepresents their products by deceiving consumers into believing that their treadmills are capable of generating and maintaining the continuous horsepower included in marketing.

Although Nautilus’ website touts that their products are “all about performance,” everyday consumers are allegedly unable to obtain the same advertised horsepower during actual household use.

“Nautilus consistently and prevalently advertises and markets that the Treadmills operate at a continuous horsepower between 2.6 and 4.0 CHP, depending on the specific model,” the Nautilus class action lawsuit claims.

“All of Defendant’s treadmills operate in household use well below Defendant’s continuous horsepower representations and all maintain similar continuous horsepower regardless of the misrepresented CHP.”

According to Walker’s Nautilus class action lawsuit, the advertised horsepower ratings are not only misleading but also impossible. Walker notes that, in order to achieve the advertised horsepower ratings, the treadmills would require two to three times the power capable from electrical systems found in most homes.

The treadmill manufacturer allegedly used these inflated horsepower ratings to increase the prices of their treadmills. Because consumers rely on horsepower representations, shoppers like Walker are allegedly misled by Nautilus representations – causing them to fork over more cash for allegedly substandard products.

“Defendant’s false and overstated horsepower representations are designed to mislead consumers into believing the Treadmills have much more power than they actually have, leading to consumers overpaying for Treadmills and/or causing consumers to purchase the Treadmills instead of competitor manufacturers’ treadmills or less expensive models,” the Nautilus class action lawsuit claims.

Because of the real consequences consumers faced by reasonably relying on these representations, Walker argues that the horsepower advertisements are more than just “advertising puffery.”

Businesses often try to defend their advertisements in court by calling the statements “puffery” and arguing that reasonable consumers should not rely on the marketing. However, Walker preemptively responded to this argument by noting that consumers reasonably assume that the treadmills they purchase are capable of reaching the advertised horsepower.

The Nautilus class action lawsuit includes claims of breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, violations of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, negligent misrepresentation and violations of Ohio consumer protection laws.

Walker seeks to represent a Class of consumers who purchased Nautilus treadmills. He also seeks to represent a subclass of the same consumers from Ohio. According to the Nautilus class action lawsuit, there could be tens of thousands of proposed Class Members and thousands of members in the proposed subclass.

The Nautilus class action lawsuit seeks statutory damages, compensatory damages, exemplary damages, punitive damages, restitution, disgorgement, interest, court costs and attorneys’ fees.

Do you own a Nautilus treadmill? Were you influenced by representations about the product’s power? Let us know in the comment section below.

Walker is represented by Terence R. Coates, W. B. Markovits, Justin C. Walker and Zachary C. Schaengold of Markovits, Stock & DeMarco LLC; Bryan L. Bleichner and Jeffery D. Bores of Chestnut Cambronne PA; and Nathan Prosser of Hellmuth & Johnson PLLC.

The Nautilus Treadmill Power Class Action Lawsuit is Robert Walker v. Nautilus Inc., Case No. 2:20-cv-03414, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

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7 thoughts onNautilus Class Action Lawsuit Claims Treadmills’ Power Is Overstated

  1. Tiffany Unruh says:

    I too was a victim of nautilus. Please send me more information.

  2. Anthony Burgstrom says:

    I purchased a Bowflex Treadmill during the time frame and I received a notice from Nautilus Treadmill Settlement–Settlement Administrator–1650 Arch St, STE 2210 Philadelphia, PA 19103. Research identifies this as Angeion Group. According to the information above, these attorneys do not belong to Angeion Group. I would like to be included, but reluctant to follow the instructions on the card until I can verify if it is legit.
    Please let me know if information on card is legit or how I opt in if the card is not legit.

  3. Lori Wilson says:

    My Bowflex treadmill loses power after running or using an incline. I have not been able to get a response from customer service.

  4. Lilli Zinn says:

    Add me too.

  5. Paxton Zinn says:

    Add me too

  6. Kathy Zinn says:

    I went thru that. Add me please.

  7. Heather Leyva says:

    Add me

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