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A Wisconsin company is being referred to the justice department because of complaints over false advertising.
The Good Feet Store advertises that using their product can help correct painful feet, leg, and back problems.
document.write(''); Consumer Protection says those ads promise more than they provide.
The company has outlets in Madison, Milwaukee, Appleton, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Wausau, West Allis and Menomonee Falls.
Consumer Protection has received 41 complaints. Sixteen of those customer complaints say their painful feet even got worse after wearing the Good Feet Store's inserts. Some customers were also upset to learn about the company's no refund policy.
Bill Kinney was one of those customers. “I can't believe that they are still in business because how many people in Madison sell something and there is no refunds, or exchanges. Nobody.”
Laura Welch also tried the products. “They accuse you of not trying, not wearing them the right way, you're problems are beyond what they can do, although in the beginning they tell you they can fix your back problems.”
The vice president of the Good Feet Store Amie Dettmann wrote in a statement: “We are not a health care provider, and we do not purport to diagnose or prescribe a course of treatment for any medical condition. Nor can we, or any health care professional guarantee a cure from any condition.”
The company's vice president goes on to say that the 41 complaints collected over the course of five years only represent a small percentage of the more than 125,000 customers they have served in Wisconsin in that time.
Consumer Protection has passed the allegations on to the Department of Justice, who will decide if the company misled customers and if they need to pay any fines.
"I rolled over turned on the TV in my room, and there was the commercial for the Good Feet Store,"says Janice Bornick.
And after living with knee pain for eight years, it was just the product she was looking for. " felt an immediate relief of the acute pain right in the store."
document.write(''); She believed in the product so much that she recommended the inserts to friends. She even got to know the company well.
"I knew them from doing a commercial," tells Bornick.
She did the commercial for free and shelled lots of cash for the comfort.
"I bought four of the supports. It costs me approximately $700, and worth every penny."
While things worked out for that customer, the calls and complaints keep coming in from people who had a bad experience at the Good Feet Store.
"The report that I have is that we've received nearly 100 new complaints," reports Jim Rabbitt of Wisconsin Consumer Protection.
The company's president has heard the complaints, and says he offered to work with consumer protection.
"I am very willing to comply as long as they tell me what is wrong with the advertising. I want to solve this problem as soon as possible," says Good Feet President Arnold Pereira.
"We asked them to respond to us with corrections to some of their policies, and some of the concerns. We did not receive a satisfactory answer," explains Rabbitt.
Rabbitt also stressed that Consumer Protection does not ask the Attorney General's office to review cases until they have exhausted all of their options.
What both parties are waiting for now is the Justice Department's opinion on this case. Consumer Protection has forwarded more than 120 complaints to the Attorney General's Office for review.
Such efficatious claims were very much part of the early advertising in newspapers in Victorian times. Indeed the concept of children's shoes was an advertising rouse by Clarkes to attract the developing middle classes to buy their quality product. As we know there is really very little substancial information to support the need for shoe fitting for children , despite the obvious common sense of it all. Better consumer protection has meant 'silly claims' or misleading advertising is much less obvious than it was fivty or sixty years ago. The sport shoe companies have been aware of this in more recently years and moved completey away from any claims of what the shoe could do for you (ie efficient performance) and and instead emphasised what you can achive in their shoe. (be all you can be). I siuppose what this articles demonstrates is the potential to over extend expectation by niavety.
Many years ago the Consumer's Guide in the UK did a survey of consumers using bunion shields and compared their effects to retailer's claims. Not surprisingly they found there was no independent evidence to support their use. Indeed all the data collected suggested the progression of the HAV remained unabated. Rather than complain the consumers quiety put their apparatus in a drawer and forgot about them having paid the money. The report concluded if more consumers complained more about profucts not working then companies would not be able to sell their wares.
George Rendall did a project a few years back on the patient satisfaction post bunion surgery and reoccurance rates and found in his pilot, despite 80+% reoccurance, 90 % of patients were delight post op with their surgery and effects.
'Good Feet Stores' under investigation
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