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.
West Valley is a hamlet located within the town of Ashford in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. Located at the intersection of Cattaraugus County Route 53 and State Route 240, the hamlet is home to West Valley Central School and the West Valley Demonstration Project, a nuclear cleanup facility. Because of the presence of a school district, a telephone exchange (716-942), and a post office located in (and named after) the hamlet, many people mistake West Valley to be the name of an actual town or village. However, it is not recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau, nor does it have any autonomous government separate from the town of Ashford.