A Weight Watchers chapter has ended a 13-month battle with regulators, agreeing to remove plastic shields on the company's scales that once kept clients from seeing how much they weighed.
The shields are being removed under an agreement with the Vanderburgh County Department of Weights and Measures, which inspected Weight Watchers scales at three Evansville locations Monday.Under Weight Watchers' lifetime membership plan, clients who reach a weight goal may attend meetings for free, but those who exceed that weight by 3 pounds or more must pay $9 to attend.
Department director Loretta Townsend said the inspections revealed inaccuracies of just three-quarters of a pound on some scales.
The county agency had asked to inspect the scales because of customer complaints. Weight Watchers of Kentuckiana Inc., based in Louisville, Ky., refused to grant access, contending state and local laws did not apply to them.
Townsend said his agency was told the scale shields were to prevent clients from seeing someone else's weight.