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.
Westmorland (formerly, Westmoreland) is a city in Imperial County, California, United States. Westmorland is located 8.5 miles (14 km) southwest of Calipatria, The population was 2,131 at the 2000 census. It is part of the 'El Centro Metropolitan Area'. Westmorland is on State Route 86, which was upgraded to a new six-lane highway to reduce its infamous auto accident and fatality risk, while it connects with Brawley, El Centro and Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. The post office, originally called Westmoreland, opened in 1909, closed in 1912, re-opened in 1919, renamed to Westmorland in 1936. Westmorland incorporated in 1934. From the 1920s through the 1950s Westmorland was the site of illegal gaming establishments and many brothels, but these were later destroyed in an attempt to improve the town's image. Westmorland has dealt with the image of high poverty rates and prior to the 1990s North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) economic boom, a nearly dead farm food shipping industry.