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.
Steamburg is a hamlet in the town of Coldspring in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The community is located at the eastern terminus of New York State Route 394, at I-86 exit 17. Also converging on the hamlet is New York State Reference Route 950A (West Bank Perimeter Road, a.k.a. Onoville Road), which approaches from the south, and Cattaraugus County Route 10, which approaches from the north. Steamburg, much like a few other communities in the region, has no incorporated government and is not recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau, but it is noted on road signs and has its own phone exchange (716-354) and ZIP code (14783), both of which extend well beyond the hamlet proper and cover the town of Coldspring and the surrounding areas. Steamburg acts as the western gateway to the Allegany Indian Reservation; as such, a few tax-free gasoline and cigarette shops can be found in the area. The government of the town of Coldspring is also situated in Steamburg.