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.
Baileyville is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,686 at the 2000 census. Within the town is the census-designated place of Woodland. The town was originally settled by Quakers in 1780. In 1830, Ezekiel Bailey began commercial manufacture of oilcloth in 1830, when it was made by hand. The business flourished and expanded until it comprised several factories, which were burnt down in 1921.