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.
Beallsville is a village in Monroe County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 423. The village gained national attention during the Vietnam War by having lost six of its 475 citizens to the war, the worst per-capita loss of life experienced by any place in the country. Beallsville was the birthplace of Merriman Colbert Harris, a Civil War soldier and Methodist Episcopal Church Missionary Bishop. Beallsville is served by the Monroe County District Library from its administrative offices in Woodsfield, Ohio.