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.
Hartville is a village in Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,174 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hartville lies halfway between Akron and Canton, at the intersection of two main roads, State Routes 43 and 619. While Hartville is geographically quite small, Hartville has seen a major increase in commercial development in recent years, and is the largest commercial center in the northeast part of Stark County. Much of the commercial and tourism buzz has been due to local establishments such as The Hartville Kitchen, Hartville Market Place, and Hartville Hardware all becoming better known throughout surrounding areas. Hartville also shares a border with Uniontown and both these towns are part of Lake Township. Andrew Wellington Cordier, a United Nations official and President of Columbia University, went to high school in Hartville.