They confirmed the illegality of downloading it to consumers in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection

Two experts: Service providers and sales outlets are required to pay credit card fees

• Consumers have complained about authorities imposing fees when paying with credit cards.

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• Ibrahim Al-Bahr: “Collecting card fees from consumers is illogical and reflects a great exploitation of them, and represents a clear violation.”

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Two experts in retail affairs confirmed to Emirates Today that service providers and sales outlets are obligated to bear credit card fees, and that it is illegal to charge them to consumers, according to the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection's decision to stop collecting those fees from consumers.

Consumers complained through Emirates Today that several entities imposed fees of different values, starting from dirhams and up to 100 dirhams when paying with credit cards, whether to buy different goods or for services.

In 2011, the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection issued a decision preventing merchants from imposing additional fees on consumer purchases with credit cards as a commission on the purchase value, confirming the illegality of these fees.

The Ministry of Economy also announced later that it would stop deducting any additional fees for credit cards related to services in the health, education and aviation sectors.

to exploit

In detail, the retail affairs expert, Ibrahim Al-Bahr, said that service providers, sales outlets, shops, groceries, schools, universities, and others are obligated to bear credit card fees and not charge them to the consumer when paying with cards, in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection to stop collecting those fees from consumers, Especially since those entities are the ones that benefit from providing the service and collect money for providing it to the consumer.

Al-Bahr described the collection of card fees from consumers as "illogical" and reflects "great exploitation" of them. It also represents an explicit and clear legal violation of the decision of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection and local economic departments to prevent the collection of these fees from consumers.

He pointed out that charging the consumer with credit card payment fees raises the price as a result of the fees, stressing that it is not permissible to sell the service at a price higher than the one advertised in accordance with the Consumer Protection Law.

agreements

Al-Bahr called on service providers to sign agreements with credit card companies to bear the fees, pointing out that a number of agencies had already signed agreements in this regard after the decision of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection to cancel charging consumers fees on credit cards.

He called on the Ministry of Economy and local economic departments to impose fines, which amount to 100 thousand dirhams, in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection, on the entities that collect credit card fees from consumers immediately, and to announce these fines, with the aim of deterring the rest of the entities that exploit consumers unjustly.

Confront

Al-Bahar stressed the need to decisively and urgently address those parties that unlawfully collect fees from consumers, especially since such practices impede the state's efforts to transform into a cashless society and support digital transformation, because many consumers will prefer to pay cash rather than bear the value of fees.

He called on consumers not to deal as much as possible with entities that impose fees on credit cards and to inform the competent authorities, led by the Ministry of Economy and local economic departments, to take the necessary measures against them to stop the spread of this phenomenon.

infringement

For his part, retail affairs expert, Devi Nagpal, also called for violating the entities that collect fees from consumers while announcing the names of those entities transparently to deter the rest of the entities, and stop the spread of such a phenomenon.

He pointed out that several entities have returned to unlawfully collecting these fees, including sales outlets, groceries, shops, schools, and service providers.

Nagpal considered that laxity in confronting this phenomenon led to its spread, stressing that the service providers are obligated to pay these fees, not the consumer, in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection.

He called for not dealing with companies and outlets that charge fees, while submitting urgent complaints to the concerned authorities, especially the Ministry of Economy and local economic departments, to impose fines on violators, and to stop the exploitation of consumers.

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