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.
Batavia is a city in Genesee County, Western New York, USA, located near the middle of Genesee County, entirely within the Town of Batavia. Its population as of the 2000 census was 16,256. The name Batavia is Latin for the Betuwe region of the Netherlands, and honors early Dutch land developers. Batavia is the county seat of Genesee County. The city hosts the Batavia Muckdogs baseball club of the New York-Penn League. They won the 2008 championship. In 2006, a national magazine ranked Batavia third among the nation’s micropolitans based on economic development. The New York State Thruway passes north of the city. Genesee County Airport (GVQ) is also located north of the city. Its UN/LOCODE is USBIA.