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.
Advance (pronounced with the stress on the first syllable) is an unincorporated community located in Davie County, North Carolina. It has a total land area of 62.3 square miles (161 km) and is located along Hwy NC 801 and Hwy 158 just south of Bermuda Run near the western bank of the Yadkin River. Advance is a part of the Piedmont Triad and is home to Shady Grove Elementary School. Neighboring communities and municipalities include: Bermuda Run, Mocksville, Hillsdale, and Yadkin College. The official population of Advance "common" is recognized as 10,762, but the actual population of Advance "proper" is known to be much lower.