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.
Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 26,799 according to the 2000 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Milford, please see the article Milford (CDP), Massachusetts. Milford has been growing at a fast rate since the introduction of Interstate 495 decades ago. Since then, major retailers have opened in town including Kmart, Kohl's Department Stores, Target, Lowe's Home Improvement, and Sports Authority. Other retailers which recently opened stores in Milford include T.G.I. Friday's, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Staples, Petco, and Best Buy. Milford was featured in a 2008 episode of FOX's television series, Fringe.