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.
Braselton is a town in Barrow, Gwinnett, Hall, and Jackson Counties in the U.S. state of Georgia, about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,206. Census Estimates for 2005 show a population of 2,294. The Gwinnett and Barrow county portions of Braselton are part of the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Marietta, GA-AL Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the Hall County portion is part of both the Atlanta and Gainesville, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The remaining Jackson County portion of Braselton is not part of any Core Based Statistical Area. Braselton was named after the Braselton family that has lived in the area for some time. The town was bought from the Braselton Families by a partnership between the Ameritech Pension fund and actress Kim Basinger in 1989 for $20 million. The Basinger-Braselton partnership hoped to establish Braselton as a tourist attraction with movie studios and a film festival. Basinger eventually sold her minor portion to the Ameritech Fund when she met financial difficulties. Much of the town's property is under the ownership of developer Wayne Mason. It is the home of Chateau Elan Winery. It is also the headquarters of the American Junior Golf Association, IMSA, the Panoz Motor Sports Group, and the Road Atlanta race track. Also found are the newly arrived major distribution warehouses for Sears Appliance Division, Year One, Tractor Supply, Haverty's Furniture and Home Depot Distribution Center.