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.
Snowmass (sometimes known locally as Old Snowmass) is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office located in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. It is situated in the valley of the Roaring Fork River, near the mouth of Snowmass Creek along State Highway 82 between Aspen and Basalt. It consists largely of a post office, several commercial businesses, and surrounding houses and ranches. The Snowmass Post Office has the ZIP Code 81654. Snowmass should not be confused with the Snowmass Ski Area or with the Town of Snowmass Village, the location of the ski area. Serial killer Ted Bundy abducted murder victim Caryn Campbell from the Wildwood Inn in Snowmass Village on January 12, 1975. Ken Lay, the former CEO of Enron, died near Snowmass on July 5, 2006. Rocky Mountain Institute has its headquarters in Snowmass.