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.
Eatontown is a Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 14,008. What is now Eatontown was originally incorporated as Eatontown Township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 4, 1873, from portions of Ocean Township and Shrewsbury Township. Portions of the township were taken to form West Long Branch (April 7, 1908) and Oceanport (April 6, 1920). Eatontown was reincorporated as a borough on March 8, 1926, replacing Eatontown Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 13, 1926. The United States Army's Fort Monmouth has been in Eatontown since 1917, and is home to the U.S. Army Materiel Command's (AMC) Communication and Electronics Command (CECOM). Fort Monmouth is also home to the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (or USMAPS), which trains approximately 250 students per year to enter as freshmen (plebes) at the United States Military Academy at West Point. In the center of Eatontown is the Monmouth Mall, located at the intersection of Route 35 and Route 36. Monmouth Mall has a variety of stores, restaurants, and a 15-screen cineplex. Additionally, the famous cook Bobby Flay owns a restaurant in Eatontown.