Consumer protection refers to the laws designed to aid retail consumers of goods and services that have been improperly manufactured, delivered, performed, handled, or described. Such laws provide the retail consumer with additional protections and remedies not generally provided to merchants and others who engage in business transactions, on the premise that the consumers do not enjoy a sufficient bargaining position with respect to the businessmen with whom they deal and therefore should not be strictly limited by the legal rules that govern recovery for damages among businessmen. The overarching goal is to protect individuals and the interest of the public in general from unfair and misleading activity in business and commerce (such as false advertising and deceptive trade practices) and scams perpetrated by criminals (such as identity theft and pyramid schemes) that harm a substantial number of consumers.
Fountain Hills is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, neighboring the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and Scottsdale, AZ. The population is 24,669, as of the 2006 Census. It was the eighth fastest-growing place among cities and towns in Arizona between the 1990 and 2000 census. It has the world's fourth tallest fountain. Charles W. Juels' Fountain Hills Observatory is nearby. The town has two annual fairs, a local art fair and the Fountain Hills Great Fair which incorporates arts and a carnival. The town has the only Thanksgiving Day parade west of the Mississippi River.