Consumer complaints in Dubai continued to decline following sustained awareness campaigns by the government and improved business confidence, new data show.

At least 500 issues were raised by merchants before the Dubai Economy’s Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) in 2020, which is a decrease of 35 percent compared to the previous year.

In 2019, commercial complaints reached 770, down by 54 percent compared to a year earlier.

“Sustained awareness initiatives by the (CCCP) have succeeded in enhancing investor confidence in Dubai and subsequently, in bringing down the number of complaints from businesses,” said Mohammed Ali Rashid Lootah, CEO of CCCP.

He said last year’s launch of the Commercial Compliance Manual, which seeks to promote best practices and competitiveness across businesses in the emirate, also contributed to the fall in complaints.

“The manual explains the most important points the trader should focus on to avoid interruption and create a competitive economic environment,” said Lootah.

Top complaints

Non-compliance with the agreement terms topped the list of complaints (70.6 percent) last year, while 13.8 percent were about commercial fraud, 4 percent about unauthorised activity, 3.4 percent about after sales service and 3 percent were about failure to adhere to specifications and standards.

The rest of the complaints had something to do with store policies, additional fees, non-compliance with warranty terms, mismatches in price list and value-added tax (VAT).

Out of the 500 complaints filed, the majority (39.6 percent) came from the services sector, followed by the decoration and construction (27 percent), foodstuffs (10.6 percent), accessories (5.6 percent), electronics (4.6 percent), shipping (4.6 percent) and equipment rental (4 percent).

The rest of the complaints were related to automobile, furniture, document clearance, labour supply and transportation sectors.

Merchants have the right to file complaints relating to the services provided by commercial establishments in Dubai. They just need to provide the necessary documents and evidence through the consumerrights.ae website or through the Dubai Consumer app.

Complaints coming from outside the UAE need to be supported by documents certified by the competent authorities in their respective countries.

Fairness, transparency

Lootah assured they will continue to “strive to resolve” any business-related complaints amicably and uphold the principles of fairness and transparency to protect the rights of all parties involved.

“Business owners in Dubai should stay away from any violation that might invite punitive action, and also abide by and apply best practices and standards that will enhance the work environment in Dubai and ensure sustainability of their business,” said Lootah.

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)

Cleofe.maceda@refinitiv.com 

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© ZAWYA 2021