The Ministry of Commerce and Investment announced on Wednesday that a popular store accused of commercial fraud was slapped with a hefty fine following a judicial decision.
During a routine inspector tour, the ministry's officials found the store offering discounts after raising the basic prices of goods. The store also failed to maintain a price list.
The name of the violating store was published in two local newspapers at its own expense.
The Consumer Protection Association (CPA) suggested to the public the application sales.sa, which provides a list of discounts authorized by the Ministry of Commerce and Investment. The application gives the different product categories, the percentage of promotion offers and the days or hours left before the promotion period ends.
Online stores with commercial registers are also supervised by the ministry. Consumers may complain about any fraud by calling 1900, said the CPA.
Violations involving price manipulation or fake advertisements to lure customers will result in fines, naming in the media and may lead to the closure of the store, the CPA warned.
The ministry recently launched an online service to provide permission for promotions and discounts in stores.
Khalid Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi consumer, said he got into a shop that announced 30 to 70 percent price discounts. He claimed that the shop hid the original price tag and replaced it with new prices before offering the discount on new prices, which were highly inflated.
Al-Ghamdi took filmed the store and filed a complaint with the Ministry of Commerce through its Twitter account.
Bandar Al-Bothi said, “Many shops announce attractive offers but when customers ask for them, the shop employees would say the products are out of stock.”
Rida Al-Shamari, an engineer, has said it is surprising to see the streets near stores offering discounts are always very crowded. "You can benefit from the promotion offers, but don’t let the shop owners fool you,” he said.
Marwa Al-Harbi, a Saudi woman, believes that the best way to cut costs is to note down a list of the needed stuffs before one goes shopping. “People should buy only what is on the list and ignore the different offers on products they don't actually need,” she said.
During a routine inspector tour, the ministry's officials found the store offering discounts after raising the basic prices of goods. The store also failed to maintain a price list.
The name of the violating store was published in two local newspapers at its own expense.
The Consumer Protection Association (CPA) suggested to the public the application sales.sa, which provides a list of discounts authorized by the Ministry of Commerce and Investment. The application gives the different product categories, the percentage of promotion offers and the days or hours left before the promotion period ends.
Online stores with commercial registers are also supervised by the ministry. Consumers may complain about any fraud by calling 1900, said the CPA.
Violations involving price manipulation or fake advertisements to lure customers will result in fines, naming in the media and may lead to the closure of the store, the CPA warned.
The ministry recently launched an online service to provide permission for promotions and discounts in stores.
Khalid Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi consumer, said he got into a shop that announced 30 to 70 percent price discounts. He claimed that the shop hid the original price tag and replaced it with new prices before offering the discount on new prices, which were highly inflated.
Al-Ghamdi took filmed the store and filed a complaint with the Ministry of Commerce through its Twitter account.
Bandar Al-Bothi said, “Many shops announce attractive offers but when customers ask for them, the shop employees would say the products are out of stock.”
Rida Al-Shamari, an engineer, has said it is surprising to see the streets near stores offering discounts are always very crowded. "You can benefit from the promotion offers, but don’t let the shop owners fool you,” he said.
Marwa Al-Harbi, a Saudi woman, believes that the best way to cut costs is to note down a list of the needed stuffs before one goes shopping. “People should buy only what is on the list and ignore the different offers on products they don't actually need,” she said.
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