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.
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the three county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 59,358. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state. It is the principal city of and is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Jonesboro metropolitan area had an estimated population of 115,830 and 153,427 in the Jonesboro-Paragould Combined Statistical Area in 2006. Jonesboro is the home to Arkansas State University and is a regional center for manufacturing, agriculture, medicine, education, and trade.