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.
Belfry is a census-designated place (CDP) in Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 219 at the 2000 census. It is located approximately 11 miles from the Wyoming border, roughly halfway between Billings, Montana and Cody, Wyoming. Belfry is predominantly an agricultural community. The primary crops are sugar beets, alfalfa, and feed corn. Ranchers raise cattle and sheep. Water for agricultural use comes mostly from the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone River through several cooperative ditch companies, with water rights dating back 100 years or more. At its peak in the early 1900s, a railway line came into Belfry, with a spur running up to the coal mines in Bearcreek. When the mines closed down and the railway line was removed, Belfry's population dropped to its current level. Currently, the community has a general store, a bar, a restaurant, and a small bar/restaurant/casino.