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.
Martell (formerly, Oneida) is an unincorporated community in Amador County, California, United States. It is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of Jackson, at an elevation of 1486 feet. Its population is either in the double or triple digits. Martell is located west of Jackson and east of Ione, by which it is connected by the Amador Central Railroad. Martell is where the major retail outlets for Amador County are located, including Kmart, Wal-Mart, and Lowe's in a shopping center. McDonald's, Burger King, Strings Italian Cafe, Starbucks, Baskin Robbins, Jack In The Box and Subway are restaurant chains in town. The community is in ZIP code 95654 and area code 209. Martell's only fitness club is Anytime Fitness, which is Amador County's only 24-hour gym.