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.
Toutle is an unincorporated community in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. Toutle is located approximately ten miles east on SR 504 from exit 49 of I-5. Toutle is not very far from the well-known Mount St. Helens. The population of Toutle is 731. The communities of Toutle, Silver Lake, Sightly, Kid Valley, and a portion of Castle Rock form the Toutle Lake School District, a K-12 district of approximately 650 students.