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.
Ashton is an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. The commercial center of Ashton lies at the junction of Route 108 (Ashton Road) and New Hampshire Avenue. The United States Census Bureau combines Ashton with the nearby community of Sandy Spring to form the Census-Designated Place of Ashton-Sandy Spring, and all census data are tabulated for this combined entity. The Sandy Spring Museum, located in the heart of Sandy Spring is a historical museum offering educational displays and programs.