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.
Ludlow is a small town, with a population of about 23 residents (this number fluctuates frequently as the town is a work camp), in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, United States. The town started as a water stop for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in 1883. Ore was found in the nearby hills, leading to a boom. By the 1940s, mining had ceased and the town was left with only the tourist traffic from Route 66. When Interstate 40 was built, there was little business and the residents departed, leaving empty buildings that still stand beside old Route 66. A small portion of Ludlow abutting Interstate 40 is still inhabited, and contains two gas stations, a small motel, a restaurant, a Dairy Queen fast-food outlet, and a small tire and repair shop. The ZIP Code is 92338 and the community is inside area code 760. An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter scale struck the Mojave Desert at Ludlow near Interstate 40 on December 6th, 2008.