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"Power Balance" bracelets offer refunds & admit no proof of claims

Rrose Selavy

Stranded in Sub-Atomica
Rrose Selavy
Joined
Sep 11, 2004
Messages
3,395
Power balance come clean and offer refunds after admitting wristbands do not enhance performance
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Creators of the power balance band, bracelets that claim to deliver improved strength and poise by increasing natural energy flow, have admitted there is no scientific evidence to support their selling point.
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Manufacturers had claimed that the wristbands, sported by the likes of Kevin Pietersen, David Beckham and Ian Poulter, helped improve an athlete's strength, balance and flexibility.

But amid ongoing scepticism regarding the £38 accessory's supposed benefits, Power Balance have confessed they have no credible proof to support their assertions and have offered customers a refund.

A statement released on the company's website read: "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
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More here, yet still their use is defended by purely anecdotal evidence, proabably no more than a placebo effect:

"The bands have helped a number of players with their rehabilitation from injury. It seems as though there is something to it. Six of our players use the bands in training, and two or three of the guys wear them during matches. Some of the players have reported experiencing better balance, strength and flexibility when wearing the band
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:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/82...ng-wristbands-do-not-enhance-performance.html
 
I'm pretty sure the refunds only apply in Australia, unless the UK has a Trade Practices Act 1974 ;)

Hopefully consumer affairs authorities in other countries will soon follow suit.
 
New Zealanders should be aware there's another company selling the same garbage (except even more expensive) who seems to be reveling in the fact their competitor is having to do this.

Of course THESE really work, because they're based on research into "eastern practices."

EKEN Powerbands not worried about Power Balance retraction

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This is part of their statement on the recent reports:


Power Balance did not make any claims that its product does not perform, and has always been totally transparent as to the benefits of the product. Moreover, Power Balance does not, and has never, made any scientific or medical claims about its products.
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So they still have no evidence that it has any benefit other than unscientific anecdotal/placebo "real world" reports;

From its inception, Power Balance has lived and thrived in the ultimate testing environment, the real world. Globally, Power Balance is committed to bringing performance innovation to every athlete in the world, from professional to recreational. We have heard from fitness professionals, athletes, coaches, personal trainers and everyday users who tell us they have experienced benefits from Power Balance for themselves.
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We are committed to our product and the benefits it provides.

We trust this clarifies the situation
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Clear as mud.

http://www.powerbalanceuk.com/news/statement/
 
Here's a statement from the company's web site:

Power Balance products work. The existing reports out there are fundamentally incorrect. Power Balance did not make any claims that our product does not perform.
(...)
A preliminary study recently conducted on the product’s performance variables was commissioned and the findings have determined that the product does in fact provide a “statistically significant” result on the wearer’s performance. We are committed to further evaluating the product’s performance parameters so that we can continue to provide products that enhance the wearer’s lifestyle.
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http://www.powerbalance.com/statement
 
if they didnt make any scientific test (as they claim themselves) how THEY know it works? How did they DEVELOP it at all?

its just TOO MUCH ******** into a single product, and so much people believe in this nonsense.
 
AcesHigh said:
if they didnt make any scientific test (as they claim themselves) how THEY know it works? How did they DEVELOP it at all?

its just TOO MUCH ******** into a single product, and so much people believe in this nonsense.
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Yeah.... I wonder what that "***" is.... but il agree with you...

Those Power Balance bracelets or "amulets" are sold very expensive in my place. And yes they refund if you prove it not to be effective.
 
The "Power Band" outlet at the Mall will only give a refund if the product is defective.
How can anything that does nothing be defective?
ABC New covered these Wednesday night, but didn't make a positive claim as to the lack of benefit.
The message above about 110% pretty much sums up these things.. and one of the advocates on ABC's coverage basically said the same, but gave the extra 10% improvement to the band, not her increased efforts under the mental influence.
 
ESPN's "Outside the Lines" did a report on them recently and replayed it yesterday following the company statement. They showed a University of Wisconson double blind test where students tried the same activities wearing the Power Balance and a $.10 plastic band with each covered up and found absolutely no difference in performance between the two.

They also explained the fallacy of the company's demonstrations, and how every person who took the same test in the study did better the second time when they knew what to expect regardless of whether they were wearing the PB or the placebo bracelet.
 
I Ratant said:
The "Power Band" outlet at the Mall will only give a refund if the product is defective.
How can anything that does nothing be defective?
ABC New covered these Wednesday night, but didn't make a positive claim as to the lack of benefit.
The message above about 110% pretty much sums up these things.. and one of the advocates on ABC's coverage basically said the same, but gave the extra 10% improvement to the band, not her increased efforts under the mental influence.
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Is that a different bracelet?

Power Balance offers a 30 day, unconditional, money back guarantee, according to their web site:

http://www.powerbalance.com/warranty
 
Dunno.
The names are different.
Same piece of plastic though.
I might ask them today..
And how one tests for the blocking of the radiation.
That's like saying it keeps tigers away.
 

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How disheartening it is to see power bands sported by the victorious English cricket team:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12135402

:(

The problem is, many people will ignore or not know about the company's statement, and just see these pictures. Put two and two together and come up with "well, if it helped them win the Ashes then it must work!" :boggled:
 
We just need the England Football team to wear them at the next Euros or World Cup (if they qualify) . That will soon prove they don't work.
 
Rrose Selavy said:
We just need the England Football team to wear them at the next Euros or World Cup (if they qualify) . That will soon prove they don't work.
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They were smarter than that; they picked the Dutch football team to promote them. Wesley Sneijder and Dirk Kuyt were paid to promote it in interviews on Dutch TV (link in Dutch). The second paragraph mentions the powerbands were scientifically proven to be nonsense and that they had to refund their Aussie customers.
 
The UK website doesn't seem to make any specific claims, and says:
Will The Wristbands Work For Everyone?

Whilst there are testimonials from around the world about how Power Balance® has helped people from many walks of life, there is no assurance it can work for everyone. That’s why the product is sold with a no-quibble 30 day money-back guarantee.
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They also have a long disclaimer about the Australian debacle.
 
23_Tauri said:
How disheartening it is to see power bands sported by the victorious English cricket team:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12135402

:(

The problem is, many people will ignore or not know about the company's statement, and just see these pictures. Put two and two together and come up with "well, if it helped them win the Ashes then it must work!" :boggled:
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Aha. Didn't work for the one day series...
What a load of old cobblers
 
I am Still very angry over the deal that will make the Arco Arena in Sacramento, home of the NBA Sacramento Kings, into the Power Balance Pavilion. I have emailed the team owners, emailed the NBA, and sounded off on local sports talk shows about this, more to vent then in any hope it will change things. IMHO this will not end well with The Kings. Are they so hard up they can't find a better Sponsor then this crap?
 
dudalb said:
I am Still very angry over the deal that will make the Arco Arena in Sacramento, home of the NBA Sacramento Kings, into the Power Balance Pavilion. I have emailed the team owners, emailed the NBA, and sounded off on local sports talk shows about this, more to vent then in any hope it will change things. IMHO this will not end well with The Kings. Are they so hard up they can't find a better Sponsor then this crap?
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Here's an article that speculates why the deal was cut:

It’s certainly a challenging market for a lot of reasons. Naming rights themselves have been more difficult to sell the last few years than they used to be – especially for smaller market franchises if you are in a market where there’s not a large corporate base.

I’m sure it has been difficult to find a company that is ready to cut a check for a few million dollars for that building.
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http://bleedblackandpurple.blogspot.com/2011/01/vp-of-major-sponsorship-company-calls.html

But there is this:

January 7, 2011
Stateside, Power Balance is now the subject of a class-action lawsuit filed this week in Los Angeles. The suit wants California-based Power Balance to pay up $5 million.
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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2013876676_powerbracelet08.html
 
Everyone reading this should know Power Bracelets are woo..

I have a copper bracelet my uncle gave my dad in the forties. I use that to reproduce today's woo. You wear the bracelet and succeed. You perform power bracelet tricks with the copper bracelet.

When someone wants to challenge you -- you get a confederate and show how difficult it is to stick your arms out straight under another armpits with your hands in a fist and lift them up. When it is your turn to lift your opposition up your confederate walks behind the person your lifting and takes your fists and lifts the skeptic up. The person has no idea there is someone behind them. It's magic power from the bracelet as far as they know.

The power of woo is scary.
 
Senex said:
Everyone reading this should know Power Bracelets are woo..

I have a copper bracelet my uncle gave my dad in the forties. I use that to reproduce today's woo. You wear the bracelet and succeed. You perform power bracelet tricks with the copper bracelet.

When someone wants to challenge you -- you get a confederate and show how difficult it is to stick your arms out straight under another armpits with your hands in a fist and lift them up. When it is your turn to lift your opposition up your confederate walks behind the person your lifting and takes your fists and lifts the skeptic up. The person has no idea there is someone behind them. It's magic power from the bracelet as far as they know.

The power of woo is scary.
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I did something similar using my magic penny to demonstrate to my kids that its woo when they saw the commercial for iRenew bracelet on television. Since I have a history of showing them such things they knew I was fooling them but couldn't figure out how until I told them.
 
Emet said:
Is that a different bracelet?

Power Balance offers a 30 day, unconditional, money back guarantee, according to their web site:

http://www.powerbalance.com/warranty
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The business model is such that even if everyone who bought the bracelet returned it the company would still make money. It's like nearly everything advertised in infomercials:

1. Advertise the price
2. Mention "Shipping and handling" but don't say how much it is
3. Charge the actual shipping cost but make up an arbitrary handling cost
4. Offer a second item for free
5. Say the customer just needs to pay the shipping and handling for the second item
6. In the fine print indicate that returns require the buyer to pay return shipping
7. In the fine print indicate that all that is returned is the purchase price and not the shipping & handling cost
 
Senex said:
Everyone reading this should know Power Bracelets are woo..

I have a copper bracelet my uncle gave my dad in the forties. I use that to reproduce today's woo. You wear the bracelet and succeed. You perform power bracelet tricks with the copper bracelet.

When someone wants to challenge you -- you get a confederate and show how difficult it is to stick your arms out straight under another armpits with your hands in a fist and lift them up. When it is your turn to lift your opposition up your confederate walks behind the person your lifting and takes your fists and lifts the skeptic up. The person has no idea there is someone behind them. It's magic power from the bracelet as far as they know.

The power of woo is scary.
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Like this:

 
dudalb said:
I am Still very angry over the deal that will make the Arco Arena in Sacramento, home of the NBA Sacramento Kings, into the Power Balance Pavilion. I have emailed the team owners, emailed the NBA, and sounded off on local sports talk shows about this, more to vent then in any hope it will change things. IMHO this will not end well with The Kings. Are they so hard up they can't find a better Sponsor then this crap?
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This is insane. What next? Amega Wand sponsor my local NHS Physiotherapy Unit?
 
Garrette said:
I did something similar using my magic penny to demonstrate to my kids that its woo when they saw the commercial for iRenew bracelet on television. Since I have a history of showing them such things they knew I was fooling them but couldn't fig ure out how until I told them.
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Can you teach your children to be debunkers? It's harder to do than teaching them to be Christians. That being free to think what you want part is problematic for free thinkers when they focus on the opposite sex at such a young age.

Drs_Res said:
Like this:

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Exactly like that. I always state I use woo at the end of a performance and having the audience witness the woo is a learning tool.
 
Senex said:
Can you teach your children to be debunkers?
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I'm sure you can, but that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm just trying to teach them to be skeptical, and it's mostly working. They don't agree with me on everything, but they can explain why, and they know it's okay to question me. And they question claims on television and in the movies all the time.

Senex said:
It's harder to do than teaching them to be Christians.
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Not inherently. They can be taught to be anything if the environment is permeated with it.


Senex said:
That being free to think what you want part is problematic for free thinkers when they focus on the opposite sex at such a young age.
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Everything's problematic then, but doable the same way any active skepticism is doable: calmly and with a long-term outlook.
 
dudalb said:
And what worse is I am a long time Kings fans, and really feel betrayed by this.
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I feel for you. I was in my hot yoga class yesterday and I saw not one but two fellow yogi's wearing these deeply unflattering items of plastic jewellery. I wish yoga didn't attract so much woo. :(
 
stray cat said:
you think the basketball team is having problems... Did you go to the sacramento science discovery museum lately?

[qimg]http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg117/thepsychoclown/sacramentosciencemuseum.jpg[/qimg]
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ouch!
 
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