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.
Ridgeley is a town in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States, and part of the Cumberland Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 762 at the 2000 census. Ridgeley was initially known as St. Clairsville, Named for Sir John St Clair, Lt Colonel and Quartermaster General for General Edward Braddock. St Clair accompanied Braddock on his ill-fated march on Fort Duquesne and his disasterous defeat on July 9, 1755. Gary Clites Sr. , author of Ridgeley and Carpendale West Virginia from 1750 a History. Published 2008. It was incorporated as Ridgeley on November 28, 1914, named for the former owners of the land upon which the town was built.