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.
Renton is a city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. The State of Washington Office of Financial Management estimates the City of Renton's population to be 82,548 as of May 2009. The population increased significantly with the recent annexation of the Benson Hill communities directly southeast of the city. According to the data from the Office of Financial Management, Renton currently contains the 11th largest population in the state, and 5th largest in King County. Based on per capita income, Renton ranks 100th of 522 areas ranked in the state of Washington.