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.
Bellevue is a city in Erie, Huron, Seneca and Sandusky counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 8,193 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Bellevue as a Tree City USA. The Sandusky County portion of Bellevue is part of the Fremont Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the Huron County portion is part of the Norwalk Micropolitan Statistical Area. The small portions of the city that extend into Erie and Seneca counties are part of the Sandusky Metropolitan and Tiffin Micropolitan Statistical Areas, respectively. Bellevue was the home of Henry Morrison Flagler when he partnered up with John D. Rockefeller to start Standard Oil. Flagler later went on to build the Florida Overseas Railroad, to Key West, Florida. The property of his former Bellevue residence on Southwest Street is the current location of the Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum.