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.
Water Mill is a census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, New York, USA, and a hamlet of the Town of Southampton. The population was 1,724 at the 2000 census. Water Mill is the correct name as per local government and the United States Postal Service. Its ZIP Code is 11976. Water Mill is considering incorporating as a village following the unsuccessful attempt by Dunehampton, New York to incorporate. Dunehampton's incorporation would have cut Water Mill off from the Atlantic Ocean beaches. Sagaponack, New York incorporated for a similar reason. As of 2009, Water Mill was listed as the sixth most expensive Small Town in the United States by Business Week. The median home price was $2,238,676.