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.
Appleton is a city in Swift County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,871 at the 2000 census. The town is home to a medium-security prison, the Prairie Correctional Facility, which is wholly owned and operated by Corrections Corporation of America. Elmer A. Benson, who served as a United States Senator and as Governor of Minnesota, was born in Appleton on 23 Sept. 1895. Notably, Appleton is also home to many retirees and military veterans. Appleton has named all of its twenty-some streets, except Minnesota Street, for local veterans who died in combat.