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.
Fostoria is a city in Hancock, Seneca, and Wood counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is approximately 40 miles south of Toledo and 90 miles north of Columbus. The population was 13,931 at the 2000 census. The city is named for Charles Foster, the 35th governor of Ohio and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under Benjamin Harrison. Fostoria is known for its glass heritage and railroading: two CSX main lines and one NS main line intersect in downtown Fostoria, an area called the "Iron Triangle" by railfans. Originally there were 5 railroads that serviced the city. They were meant to service glass companies that were located in the city. The city of Fostoria is raising funds to build a railroad park inside the "Iron Triangle" for railroading fans to view trains. As noted above, Fostoria is in 3 different counties, making it among the small number of US cities to share this characteristic.