The commercial oversight and consumer protection sector in the Dubai economy received 39,113 complaints for consumers during the past year, at a rate of 3,259 complaints per month, an increase of 20% compared to 2018, during which the number of consumer complaints reached 32,650 complaints.
The Dubai Economic Department explained that complaints were distributed among the various sectors, so that the services sector complaints accounted for the largest share of complaints filed with a total of 11,342 complaints, equivalent to 29% of complaints, followed by the electronic sector with a total of 5867 complaints and a rate of 15%, and electronic commerce came in third place by 4,694 complaints, or 12% of all complaints filed in 2019.
Complaints cases varied for about 6 main reasons, to include non-compliance with the terms of the agreement, reaching the highest percentage and obtaining 27% of the complaints share during the year 2019, and in the second place the cash recovery, which reached an average of 19% of the number of complaints, and the defect in the product came as the third highest Average of 17% of the outcome of the complaints of the year 2019, and the remaining "about 37%" were distributed among: non-compliance with the terms of the guarantee, commercial fraud, non-compliance with the announced prices and other various issues.
The Dubai Economy added that the call center on the number (600545555) received about 57% of the complaints, while the remaining percentage (equivalent to 43%) was distributed on smart channels, among them for example the consumer application of the commercial control sector and other channels belonging to the sector.
It showed that the Emirati consumer came in first place according to the nationality of the complainants during the year 2019, which amounted to 25%, while the Indian nationality came second by 16%, and then the Egyptian nationality by 12%, and in the fourth place, Saudi nationality was ranked by about 9%, followed by the rank Fifth, Jordanian nationality, at a rate of 6%.
"The Dubai Economic Department is keen to provide a transparent business environment for shoppers, in order to guarantee the rights of both parties to the relationship in the emirate," said Mohammed Ali Rashid Lootah, Executive Director of the Commercial Control and Consumer Protection Sector in Dubai Economy.
Lootah added that Dubai’s economy seeks to facilitate the relationship between the consumer and the merchant through an ideal environment with a high culture of awareness and neutrality in the procedures of buying and selling, following the highest international standards and practices.