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.
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. The city’s population at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census was 106,221. Based on the population estimates as a result of a 2008 Special Census, Joliet boasts 152,812 residents. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing city and one of the fastest growing in the United States. Back when Joliet was first planned in the early 1830s, it was still in Cook County. In 1836, it became the county seat of the new Will County.