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.
Auburn is a city in King and Pierce counties in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 40,314 at the 2000 census; the State of Washington Office of Financial Management estimates the City of Auburn's population to be 67,485 as of April 1, 2008. The population increased dramatically resulting from the recent annexations of the West Hill, and Lea Hill, Washington communities directly east and west of the city. The town was named Auburn on February 21, 1893, before either Seattle or Tacoma had suburbs, Auburn is now generally considered a suburb in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan area. Auburn is currently ranked the 13th largest city in the state of Washington. Auburn is roughly bordered by the cities of Federal Way, Pacific, and Algona to the west, Sumner to the south, unincorporated King County to the east, and Kent to the north. The Muckleshoot Indian Reservation is located within city limits.