| A | B |
|---|
| consumer | Someone who uses goods and services. |
| goods | Physical objects that are produced for consumers. |
| services | Actions that are performed for someone. |
| marketplace | All of the goods and services available for sale to the general public. |
| retailers | Those who sale goods and services directly to the consumer. |
| consumer advocates | People or organizations who work on behalf of consumers. |
| redress | Remedy for a wrong or a loss. |
| consumer affairs departments | Departments (of businesses) that communicate with customers about their rights and needs as consumers. |
| consumer action panels | Groups formed by trade associations to address consumer complaints. |
| media | Channels of mass communication, such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and related Web sites. |
| identify theft | The illegal use of an individual's personal information. |
| social security number | The unique nine digit number used by the Social Security Administration to keep track of a person's earnings. |
| secure site | A website that uses safeguards to protect information from theft during transmission. |
| online profiling | A practice in which companies collect information about the Web sites a consumer visits, then use that information to predict what the consumer may buy in the future. |
| cookies | Small files stored on a computer that enable a Web site to "remember" information about a visitor. |
| deceptive advertising | Advertising that is likely to mislead consumers through false statements, omitted information, or other unfair means. |
| bait and switch | A deceptive practice in which a retailer advertises a product that it has no intention of selling, hoping to persuade customers to buy a higher-priced product. |
| fraud | Deceitful conduct designed to manipulate another person for some gain. |
| pyramid scheme | An illegal get-rich-quick plan. Each participant pays a sum of mooney to join, then recruits several other people. Those people in turn pay a fee and recruit others. |
| chain letter | A message sent by postal mail or email that instructs the recipient to send copies to a certain number of other people. |
| mediation | A process in which two parties try to resolve a dispute with the help of a neutral third party. |
| arbitration | A procedure in which a neutral person or panel listens to both sides of a dispute, weights the evidence, and reaches a decision. |
| small claims court | A court of law in which disputes involving sums under a certain amount are resolved by a judge. |
| class action suit | A lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of people who all have the same complaint. |
