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The Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in the Department of Economic Development saw a 30% increase in consumer complaint during the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same period last year as more and more conscious consumers continued to come forward and raise their concerns with the authorities as well as merchants.
CCCP, while continuing its efforts to enhance the role of DED in consumer protection and reinforcing Dubai’s reputation as a safe shopping destination for residents as well as tourists, received 270 complaints a day on average in a total of 8,166 complaints during the first quarter of 2018, compared to 6,275 complaints during Q1 2017.
The Consumer Protection section in CCCP dealt with 1,007 issues during Q1 2018 out of which consumer complaints accounted for 81%. The rest included 1,062 notes and 779 enquiries received from consumers. Complaints received from inside the UAE accounted for 37% and the nationality-wise breakdown of complainants is as follows: India (13%), Egypt (10%), Saudi Arabia (7%) and Jordan (5%).
The services sector had a 33.9% share in the total complaints received while 16.7% were from the electronics sector, 10.7% relating to e-commerce, 7.9% regarding automobiles, and 6% about car rentals. Textiles and personal items (3.5%), furniture (3.1%), shipping (2.7%), clothing and accessories (2.6%) also featured among the complaints while 10% were from various sectors.
Mohammed Ali Rashid Lootah, CEO of the CCCP sector, said: "The retail sector is a key driver of local economic growth in Dubai and the UAE. Our effort is to bring greater transparency into business transactions, and create a culture of awareness and neutrality in the buying and selling processes in the retail sector, in accordance with the highest quality standards and practices.”
Lootah added that non-compliance with the purchase agreement was one of the most important complaints received during the first quarter of 2018, accounting for 30.2% of the total. Cash refunds (17.1%), VAT (14.6%), product failure (8.6%), non-compliance with warranty terms (4.3%), additional charges on products/services (2.7%), product breakdown (2.1%), damaged products (1.5%), non-adherence to the price list (1.4%), non-compliance with promotional offers (1%) were the other main issues raised while 6.9% of the complaints were related to various other issues.
Lootah stressed the roleplayed by DED and CCCP in immediately following up on complaints received, communicating with the parties concerned, as well as in finding solutions acceptable to all parties concerned within a period not exceeding four working days from the date of receiving the complaint.
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