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Home / Features / Dubai Economy has resolved 92,000 consumer complaints since 2010

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Dubai Economy has resolved 92,000 consumer complaints since 2010

His Excellency Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of Dubai Economy, has emphasises the role of the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in promoting the emirate as a competitive business hub, adding that the sector has contributed significantly to educating traders as well as consumers about their respective rights and responsibilities while establishing itself as the competent authority to deal with consumer complaints and commercial disputes.

"The CCCP sector supports doing business in a competitive and sustainable environment. The sector promotes fair trade practices in Dubai by educating consumers, retailers and sellers about their rights and responsibilities, helping consumers resolve disputes with merchants, eliminating negative trade practices and regulating commercial activities in accordance with the principles of law,” said Al Qamzi as Dubai Economy celebrates its 25th anniversary.

"Our efforts contribute to improving customer satisfaction and sustaining trade in Dubai in line with the government's strategy to upgrade services in the emirate. The Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection Sector, through the ‘Be Right; Know Your Consumer Rights’ campaign seeks to raise consumer rights awareness and receive complaints from consumers. The sector has successfully resolved more than 92,000 complaints since the launch of the campaign in 2010,” Al Qamzi added.

Mohammed Ali Rashed Lootah, CEO of CCCP, said: "We work to strengthen compliance with commercial laws and to protect consumer rights ensuring that they are all linked to clear policies and guidelines that improve ease of doing business as directed by the government. Our mission is to facilitate business in Dubai through providing the best solutions and services to both local and international traders and investors."

Lootah said the major focus areas for CCCP are developing and consolidating relations between the merchant and the consumer, enhancing customer service quality, promoting economic development partnerships with the business community, and strengthening the trade and retail sector, which is of critical importance to Dubai. We launch innovative initiatives regularly to achieve higher levels of consumer awareness and organised business activity as well as sustainable development in Dubai.”

CCCP launched Self Inspector campaign - first of its kind in the region – to help Dubai-based companies in the commercial and retail sectors to have compliance checks done internally by one of their staff members, trained and certified by Dubai Economy. Around 803 employees in 32 business groups have been trained by Dubai Economy as part of the programme. It meant a saving of AED 139 million on the Dubai Economy payroll and for businesses, more than 90% reduction in penalties.

An online ‘Intellectual Property (IP) Gateway’ was also launched by CCCP as part of its fight against counterfeiting and trademark violations. The first of its kind in the world, the IP Gateway allows for registering complaints on trademark infringement, opening IP case files and receiving reports on action taken, all electronically. CCCP is credited with seizing the highest number of counterfeit goods in the Middle East region between 2014 and 2016 - a total of 168.9 million counterfeit items, worth more than AED 2.37 billion.

Lootah stressed that stronger vigilance against trademark violations is part of the efforts to protect the IP rights of international businesses operating in Dubai. It helps to protect traders and consumers from fraudulent practices and cements Dubai’s position as a regional and global business hub, he added.

Field inspectors of CCCP are linked on a smart system “Maydani”, which enables them to schedule inspections with the help of GPS technology and edit files related to businesses electronically without having to print documents.

CCCP also launched a Consumer Card - the region’s first credit card offering a 4% cashback on purchases across a number of supermarkets and car agencies as well as on electricity and fuel bills, Salik and nol card recharges and movie tickets - in partnership with Visa International and Dubai Islamic Bank. The card saw redemptions worth AED 1 million within the first seven months.

The Consumer Friendliness Index, which CCCP launched to measure service quality and customer satisfaction across businesses in Dubai, has paved the way for enhanced competition and improved customer experiences in the services sector. The annual index measures customer feedback based on the following criteria: product price, product quality, after-sales services, clarity of invoicing and warranty terms, value for money, and overall customer satisfaction. The top-scoring business in each sector is honoured by Dubai Economy.

The sector also launched the quarterly Consumer Confidence Index, an economic indicator that reflects consumer perceptions on job opportunities, personal finances, and consumption trends.

An ‘Intellectual Property Protection Advisory Board was formed by CCCP, to bring businesses and the government closer to combat counterfeiting and trademark violations. The first-of-its-kind public-private partnership across the world to protect intellectual property (IP), the Board is aimed to strengthen Dubai’s reputation as a competitive business destination and enhance the UAE’s position across global competitiveness rankings.

The board has members from each of the different industry sectors such as automobiles, electronics, fashion and fragrances. They meet every quarter and listen to the feedback and recommendations from the industry representatives on negative practices if any and devise strategies to combat them. It has also prepared two specialised studies on counterfeit perfumes and cosmetics.

The ‘Young Consumer’ has also been launched by CCCP to create awareness on consumer rights among school children through short stories, field visits and interactive games. The programme seeks to build a generation of future consumers conscious about their rights and obligations.

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