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.
Echo Lake (formerly, Echo) is a small unincorporated community in El Dorado County, California, United States, along U.S. Highway 50 in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada. It is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-northwest of Echo Summit. Echo Lake's nearest neighboring town is Little Norway. The ZIP code is 95721. The community is inside area code 530. The elevation of Echo Lake is 7539 feet (2298 m). The average snowpack per year is 10.5 feet, with over 15 feet of snow depositing in certain areas. Precipitation and accumulation at Echo Lake can be found in California Data Exchange Center stations located at Echo Peak (EP5) and Echo Summit (ECS). Echo post office operated from 1888 to 1913, with a closure from 1910 to 1911. Echo Lake post office operated from 1926 to 1973.