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.
Mastic is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 15,436 at the 2000 census. Mastic is a community located in the southeast part of the Town of Brookhaven. The hamlet was originally called Forge. The Long Island Rail Road built a station in 1882. In 1893, the name of the town was changed to Mastic. On July 15, 1960, the stop was moved 7010 feet west and renamed Mastic–Shirley. Mastic is served by the William Floyd School District and the Eastport-South Manor Central School District. The Poospatuck Indian Reservation lies entirely within the community, near its southern end.