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.
Colfax is a small unincorporated community located in Guilford County, North Carolina. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a population of 2,469. Colfax is located at (36.11, -80.01). The community is a suburb of Greensboro and is located in the center of the Piedmont Triad. Its main attraction is the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market, where people shop for fresh food from local farmers. Its main school is the Colfax Elementary School, which is part of the Guilford County School System. It is also the location of one of fifteen Piano and Organ Distributors, one of the largest piano sellers in the country. In 2000, the community attempted to incorporate, but failed after a joint commission found that the proposed limits were not sufficient for incorporation under North Carolina law, lacking under the population density requirement. On June 30, 2008 the city of Greensboro annexed the main part of Colfax into the city limits, though some of Colfax is still unincorporated.