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.
Salisbury is a city in southeastern Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland and the largest city in Maryland's Eastern Shore region. The city's population was 23,743 at the 2000 census. Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Salisbury-Ocean Pines, Maryland Combined Statistical Area. The city is the commercial hub of the Delmarva Peninsula and is sometimes called "the Crossroads of Delmarva". Salisbury's location at the head of Wicomico River was a major factor in growth. At first it was a small colonial outpost of Lord Baltimore's. The river was the only navigable waterway leading out to the Chesapeake Bay for early settlers. In 1732, Salisbury became an official port, growing to be second only to Baltimore as the most active seaport in Maryland. Salisbury is located near several major cities: Baltimore 106 miles (171 km); Washington, D.C. 119 miles (192 km), Philadelphia 128 miles (206 km), Norfolk 132 miles (212 km), Dover 50 miles (80 km), and Wilmington 96 miles (154 km).