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.
Belgrade is a city in Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,728 at the 2000 census. The original townsite of Belgrade was established and filed in the Gallatin County Clerk and Recorder's Office by Thomas B. Quaw, a businessman from the midwest, in July 1881. According to Quaw, the townsite was a blind railroad siding nine and seven tenths miles west of Bozeman, and was named Belgrade after the capital of Serbia as an expression of appreciation to Serbian investors who helped finance a portion of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Belgrade was incorporated in 1906. Gallatin Field Airport is located adjacent to the city boundaries.