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.
Gasquet - pronounced (GAS-kee), and formerly spelled Guasquet - is an unincorporated community 22 mi (35 km) southwest of the Oregon border in Del Norte County, California, and 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Crescent City, with a population of 515. It lies at an elevation of 381 feet. The ZIP Code is 95543. Its area code is 707. Gasquet is located in the Smith River National Recreation Area and is reputed to be the rainiest place in California with an average annual rainfall of 90 inches. A post office operated at Gasquet from 1879 to 1902 and from 1949 to present. The name is in honor of Horace Gasquet, its first postmaster.