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.
Westbrookville is a hamlet in the town of Deerpark in Orange County, New York, United States, along US 209. Westbrookville was named for Dirck Van Keuren Westbrook, an early settler. Fort Westbrook, dating back to the American Revolution, is extant. The 1900-1930 US Census lists it as part of Mamakating in Sullivan County, New York. Situated between Port Jervis and Wurtsboro, it is close to the borders of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It is located within the Port Jervis City School district. It contains many small businesses, Westbrookville Cemetery. The city once housed the J. E. Ashworth & Sons blanket mill.