The Ministry of Economy reported that the determination of the period of replacement of goods and clothing is due to the system or policy set by each shop, and is linked to the competition policy between the shops themselves, to attract more consumers, stressing that there is no specific system or binding applied to all shops, and that The ministry “entered” this policy.
Consumers have demanded through Emirates Today to unify and increase the periods of replacement of goods and goods purchased during the periods of downloads, and to be equal to the periods of replacement of goods outside the days of downloads, to be applied to all shops, and to declare it prominently in the invoices and at payment boxes.
They pointed out that many shops set the replacement period between three and seven days, which creates confusion among consumers.
In turn, a retail expert called for the Ministry of Economy to intervene to create a unified policy for replacement periods, make them long, write them clearly in the invoice, and oblige payment fund employees to inform consumers of the replacement period.
Consumer complaints
In detail, consumer Mariam al-Hammadi said that a shop refused to replace clothes she bought for the family during the pre-Eid al-Adha sale, on the pretext that the exchange period was only three days, at a time when she believed the exchange period was 14 days, as in normal days.
Al-Hammadi demanded that the redemption period be equal during the sale with its counterpart in normal days, in order to allow consumers to make any changes, especially as some malls are located in remote locations, as well as the announcement of the redemption period in a prominent line in bills and at payment boxes.
In turn, consumer Ibrahim al-Ketbi said he bought furniture and antiques in thousands of dirhams from a well-known store and wanted to replace some items, but the shop refused, because the replacement period specified by the shop only seven days, not 14 days as he thought.
Al-Ketbi stressed that he lost thousands of dirhams, because the period available for replacement was not clarified, and that they differ from one shop to another, calling for their unification in all shops, and promulgated prominently.
In the same context, consumer Rami Abdul Hamid, to the different periods of replacement of goods from one shop to another.
He said he had bought a variety of goods from a shopping mall before Eid al-Adha and was keen to inquire about the exact period of redemption as a result of an experience he had previously experienced.
He stressed that he was surprised by the great discrepancy between the shops in determining the replacement period, ranging from three to seven days in many shops, and reached 14 days in other stores.
Abdul Hamid agreed on the importance of announcing the redemption period during sales clearly in the shops and within the invoices, and that the payment officer informs consumers of the redemption period explicitly. He also called for increasing the period and consolidating it to be two weeks, for example.
He stressed that the short period of replacement makes the consumer hesitant to buy from the shop, especially if the purchases of people who do not exist, and may require multiple tastes replacement.
Unified policy
Moreover, the expert of retail affairs, Ibrahim al-Bahr, the need to intervene the Ministry of Economy to find a unified policy for the periods of replacement, and make it mandatory for all shops, so as not to be subject to the whims of each shop, with strict control of adherence to them.
The sea stressed that the periods of replacement during the downloads should not be different from normal times, pointing out that shops resort to the disposal of old goods have, in several ways, including not to specify long periods of replacement.
He also cautioned that the replacement period should be clearly written in the invoice and next to the payment box, as it may be written in a small, unclear font, and obliging the fund staff to inform consumers of the period allowed for replacement.
He said that shops deliberately write a replacement policy in a vague and unclear, and can not be understood by the consumer, which opens the door for several interpretations.
No binding system
Dr. Hashem Al-Nuaimi, Director of Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy, said that the replacement period is determined by the system or policy set by each shop separately, and there is no specific or binding system applied to all shops, according to the Consumer Protection Law and Regulations. Executive.
Al-Naimi explained that determining the period of replacement of goods is linked to the competition policy between shops, to attract more consumers, and there is no income for the Ministry of this policy, as it is linked to the shop itself, the field or sector in which it operates, and the conditions experienced by the sector.
Written period
The manager in a department store in the UAE, Haidar Abdullah, confirmed that the redemption period during the sales is written in the invoices, pointing out that the shops direct the staff of the payment funds to inform consumers at each purchase, and during the sale, the period specified for replacement or redemption.
Maril Arfan, sales officer at another store, said that the time limit for exchanging merchandise in sales seasons is lower than in most normal stores, in order to give other consumers the opportunity to purchase the merchandise during discounts, as well as the discharge of stock from stores. , And the announcement of new models quickly, coinciding with the next season.