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.
Webster Springs is a town in Webster County, West Virginia, United States. Although it was incorporated as Addison in 1892, it is more frequently referred to as Webster Springs, the name of the town's post office. It was named as such for Addison McLaughlin, upon whose land the town was originally laid out. The population was 808 at the 2000 census. The town was famous in the late 1800s and early 1900s for its numerous salt sulfur water wells. People believed that the water from the wells had medicinal qualities. The town also hosts the annual Webster County Wood Chopping Festival, a weekend-long competition in which lumberjacks from all over the world compete. The festival lasts from mid-week the week leading up to Memorial Day until the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, when the festival ends with a fireworks display.