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.
Kelso is a village in Scott County, Missouri, United States. The population was 527 at the 2000 census. The Kelso ZIP code of 63758 appears to be for residents who wish to receive their mail at the Kelso post office; direct mail delivery in Kelso appears to use the Scott City ZIP code of 63780. The first post office was established in 1840; however, the name of the settlement was changed from Spring Hills to Kelso when the post office was reopened in 1858. The post office was closed in 1861, but it was reopened after the war in 1874 by a former Civil War bugler. A grocery store was located here as early as 1849, and a mill was located here as early as 1866.