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.
Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, within the San Bernardino National Forest. It lies within a census-designated place (CDP) by the same name, adjacent to Lake Arrowhead Reservoir. The population of the CDP was 8,934 at the 2000 census. Lake Arrowhead Village is an unincorporated community, with the Lake Arrowhead Communities Chamber of Commerce the de facto governing body. As of January 2009, Stacey McKay is the Chairman of the Board and Lewis Murray is the President/CEO of the Lake Arrowhead Communities Chamber of Commerce. Tourism is the primary economic generator for the area, contributing several million dollars per year to the county and providing 600 full time and 700 part time jobs for local residents. The area is host to over 4 million visitors a year. There are 400 guestrooms in hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts as well as 500 cabins and condos, which are rented on a short-term basis. The area is also popular for business conferences.