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.
Rio (pronounced RYE-O) is an unincorporated community in southern Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Rio is located just north of the Hardy County line at the crossroads of Augusta-Ford Hill Road (West Virginia Secondary Route 53) and Delray Road in the North River Valley. The county line actually cuts through the community with 3/4 of it lying in Hampshire County and the remaining 1/4 in Hardy County. One of the main attractions that brings people from far and wide is the "Rio Mall" or C and G Discount. It was founded in the late 1970's and has been a thriving place of economical interest for the "short on cash. " The Mall is a thrift store that carries any and all types of items. The main(and only) restaurant choice would be the "Crickside Diner. " It is a quaint local business with a taste of country as it makes all its food from scratch. According to the 2000 census, the Rio community has a population of 154.