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.
Clinton is a Town in Hunterdon County, New Jersey on the South Branch of the Raritan River. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 2,632. When the Clinton post office was established in 1829 the town was named for DeWitt Clinton, Governor of New York and the primary impetus behind the then-newly completed Erie Canal. Clinton was incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 5, 1865, within portions of Clinton, Franklin and Union Townships. Clinton gained full independence from its three parent townships in 1895. Clinton is considered a part of the New York City Metropolitan Area according to United States Census data. More specifically, Clinton is part of the Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area of Middlesex, Somerset and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. Clinton serves as a "bedroom community" for many commuters working in and around Northern New Jersey and New York City. The town is perhaps best known for its Red Mill which sits on the banks of the south branch of the Raritan River and the Stone Mill which acts as an art museum.