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.
Finley is a community in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, 10 miles northeast of Antlers, Oklahoma. A United States Post Office was established at Finley, Indian Territory on April 30, 1903. It was named for Sidney W. Finley (1869-1914), local merchant and first postmaster. Finley was originally called Cedar Church, and then Old Cedar Church, the name of a longstanding Choctaw Indian Methodist congregation established there during Indian Territory days. The congregation took its name from nearby Big Cedar Creekâthen known as Cedar Creek. The church appears to have waned during the latter days of the Choctaw Nation, probably giving rise to the opportunity to rename the settlement after its first postmaster. Finley successfully retains its status as a cohesive community, long after losing its school. It hosts cemetery clean-up days and community dinners in its community center. It continues to have a post office and store. More information on Finley and the Big Cedar Creek valley may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society.