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.
Hilliards is an unincorporated village in Washington Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The village of Hilliards started out as a mill town, known as Hilliards Mills (for the owner of the gristmill) and became known as Hilliards Station when the Shenango and Allegheny Railroad extended a small route to the community in 1876 to provide service to local coal and oil industries. The village of Hilliards became the southern terminal for the line and provided passenger service for the villages of Eau Claire, Argentine, Annisville, North Washington, Higgins Corners, and Whiskerville until 1935. Eventually, the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad would assume control over the line and called it the Hilliards Branch. In the early 2000s the railroad was abandoned and removed. The headwaters of the popular Slippery Rock Creek is formed in Hilliards, which continues through northern Butler County, then flows through the scenic McConnells Mill State Park, until it is received by Connoquenessing Creek in Ellwood City. Today, the community is much quieter than from the railroad days, but is still serviced by a small church and post office.