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.
Umatilla is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. It is named for the Umatilla River, which enters the Columbia River on the side of the city. The river is named after the Umatilla Tribe. The city is located on the south side of the Columbia River, and is located on U.S. Route 730 and I-82. The Umatilla Chemical Depot, and the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, is located four miles (6 km) southwest of the city, northwest of the intersection of I-84 and I-82. The population was 4,978 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 6,385 residents. Umatilla is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area.