Powerbalance wristbands -giving refunds in Australia

[rubadub]

http://www.powerbalance.com/australia/ca

In our advertising we stated that Power Balance wristbands improved your strength, balance and flexibility.

We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims and therefore we engaged in misleading conduct in breach of s52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974.

If you feel you have been misled by our promotions, we wish to unreservedly apologise and offer a full refund.

To obtain a refund please visit our website www.powerbalance.com.au or contact us toll-free on 1800 733 436

This offer will be available until 30th June 2011. To be eligible for a refund, together with return postage, you will need to return a genuine Power Balance product along with proof of purchase (including credit card records, store barcodes and receipts) from an authorised reseller in Australia.

This Corrective Notice has been paid for by Power Balance Australia Pty Ltd and placed pursuant to an undertaking to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission given under section 87B of the Trade Practices Act, 1974.

These were silicone wrist bands with holograms which were supposed to instantly give you better balance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Balance

A group of students skeptical of the claims conducted a test which showed "no significant difference between the real wristband and the fake".[10] Researchers commissioned by the BBC also found that the bands were placebo,[6] and this opinion is echoed by others: Victor Thompson, a sports psychologist based in London, is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: "I'm not aware of any research that supports the technology behind these bands".

But both experts concede that simply believing the bands work could actually mean that people notice improvements in their health or performance, a phenomenon known as the placebo effect. (Or in some cases, denial and cognitive dissonance)

In November 2010, the Australian distributors were ordered by the Therapeutic Goods Complaints Resolution Panel to drop "false and misleading" claims that the wearers would experience "up to a 500% increase in strength, power and flexibility", and ordered the claims removed from the company's website and a retraction posted within two weeks.[12] The Junta de Anadalucia fined the Marbella-based subsidiary a sum of €15,000 for false advertising; consumer organization Facua are appealing to the Health Department for an increased fine as they consider this insufficient.[13]

Also in November 2010 Power Balance filed suit against Microsoft for infringement of trade dress in respect of the Xbox Kinect.[14][15]

In December 2010, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have ordered the company Power Balance to remove any claims that its wristband improves flexibility and strength and to offer dissatisfied customers a refund.[16] The CEO of Power Balance Australia, Tom O'Dowd, has now accepted that "we'd made claims in the start that said that our product improved strength, balance and flexibility, and we didn't have the scientific peer reviewed double blind testing or the level of proof that we needed to substantiate those claims". [17] ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel stated "It's a crock frankly. And we're very disappointed that so many people have paid hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars to buy these Power Bands."

In December 2010 Italy's Antitrust Authority fined the Power Balance with 300,000 euro (and another company for 50,000 euro) for not having scientific proof of the claims made