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.
East Hampton is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,352 at the 2000 census. East Hampton includes the villages of Cobalt, Middle Haddam, and Lake Pocotopaug. The southern trailhead of the Shenipsit Trail is in Cobalt, and the Airline State Park has its southern trailhead in East Hampton, at Smith Street. The 884-acre (358 ha) Hurd State Park, Meshomasic State Forest and Salmon River State Forest are located in town. Comstock Covered Bridge, the only remaining covered bridge in eastern Connecticut, spans the Salmon River near Route 16 in East Hampton. The Chatham Historical Society Museum and the Joseph N. Goff House Museum and Cultural Center are located in the town.