$9.3M In Refunds Going Out To People Who Bought Ab Circle Pro

ab-circle-pro2We’ve covered so many sketchy fitness devices over the years that when we recently mocked the Ab Circle Pro for its obvious before/after Photoshop hackery, we’d forgotten that the marketers of this device were hit with a massive settlement in 2012 for falsely claiming that it could give you rock-hard abs if you used it for only three minutes a day. Well, we’re remembering now, because the Federal Trade Commission is currently sending out $9.3 million in refunds to Ab Circle Pro owners.

According to the FTC, refunds will average $47.51 per claim, which is about 1/4 of the original retail price of the device.

While nearly 200,000 Ab Circle Pro owners registered for a refund following the settlement, that appears to only be a fraction of the total number of devices purchased. The original FTC statement on the deal stated that marketers of the product — two companies owned by Reader’s Digest Association — could have faced refunds in excess of $20 million.

Unfortunately, if you are an Ab Circle Pro owner and didn’t register for a refund, that deadline has long passed. Consumers with questions about this refund can call 1-866-402-4752.

Meanwhile, let’s once again watch the 20/20 clip where Jim Avila confronts the device’s spokesperson (and co-defendant in the FTC complaint) about how the Ab Circle Pro helped her win a bikini fitness title two years before it was ever invented. Her convoluted response is worth the watch:


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