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.
Joelton is a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee. Joelton is located primarily in the northwestern portion of Davidson County along Interstate 24 (Exit 35) and junctions with U.S. Highway 431, but parts of Joelton bordering Exit 31 of Interstate 24 lie in Cheatham County. Governmentally, most of Joelton is in Metropolitan Nashville - Davidson County, but it retains a separate identity as a community. Joelton is a semi-rural community of farms and suburban neighborhoods 20 minutes north of Nashville. It sits on a ridge, called Paradise Ridge, and features hilly terrain. Germantown Hill is a business district at the "top of the hill" that marks the top of the ridge. A middle school and elementary school are located in Joelton. Local high school students are zone to attend either nearby Whites Creek High School in the Metropolitan Nashville school district or Sycamore Middle School and Sycamore High School in Pleasant View. Joelton High School closed its doors in 1980. Businesses in the area include Anderson & Garrett Funeral Home; Mazatlan, a Mexican restaurant; Pizza Done Right, Marcy's Restaurant, Taste of N'awlins, Tony's Foodland grocery store, Sun Trust bank, and Dairy Queen. As a part of Metro Nashville, Joelton is represented by one Metro Council member. Residents vote in mayoral and other city elections. Nashville city services are provided on a limited basis. The general services area includes city water, street maintenance and fire and police service. However, garbage pickup is not included. A fire station is located in the heart of Joelton, maintained by Metro Nashville. However, bookmobile service was canceled. Many homes are located on multi-acre lots. It is a mix of middle class and lower middle class, with mobile homes often sitting next to large, newer conventionally built homes. Some areas are zoned rural/agricultural and some are residential. Many people keep farm animals in the areas zoned for such. Several organic farms are located in the Joelton area. Justin Ashburn, an ARCA driver, is a notable resident. The town's ZIP code is 37080 and the area code is 615.