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.
Oxford is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,821 at the 2000 Census. There are several areas in Oxford: Quaker Farms, Riverside and Oxford Center. Oxford belongs to the Naugatuck Valley Economic Development Region and the Central Naugatuck Valley Planning Area. Oxford used to be a very rural town with a moderate farming population. However, a University of Connecticut development study spanning 1985-2006 showed Oxford had the largest increase of development by percentage, growing 62% during that time. The Central Naugatuck Valley Office of the Council of Governments' spokesperson stated upon learning of the development study expressed concern that heavy development could result in flooding. The town had 47 working farms as of 2007. Out of all the 269 ZIP codes in Connecticut, the one for Oxford ranked 27th largest in terms of the number of working farms.