Consumers are demanding a unified and declared policy to return goods

Consumers demanded that there should be a uniform policy for the return of goods by shops, and announced clearly so that the consumer is aware before making a decision to buy or not, pointing out that they are surprised to refuse to return goods after purchase, with many shops not declaring their disapproval of the response.

For their part, said two officials in the shops, that the policy of return of goods is different from one shop to another, as each shop determines that policy in accordance with past practices in the market and do not harm the revenues and profits of the shop.

In addition, two experts in the retail sector called for the implementation of a unified policy for the return of goods under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy, taking into account the balance between consumer and shop rights.

In turn, the Ministry of Economy stressed that the consumer is fully responsible for his decision to buy any commodity, pointing out that there is no general binding policy on the return of goods applicable to all retail stores in the country.

big difference

In detail, consumer Nora al-Amiri said that there are some shops refuse to return the goods purchased in the event of circumstances that force the consumer to return the commodity, although these shops did not explicitly refuse to refund the goods before buying.

Al-Amri said that she recently bought some furniture and home décor from one of the shops, but discovered after the transfer that the size and colors are not suitable for her home, noting that she tried to replace them with other pieces, but that other goods do not fit her home in sizes or colors as well, and the quality is not satisfactory .

She said she had tried to return the items and get the price, but the shop was completely rejected after long discussions and was eventually forced not to return them.

Al-Amri demanded the necessity of announcing the shop's policy of refunding the goods so that the consumer is aware before making his purchase decision, explaining that there is a big difference between the shopkeeper in the issue of refunding the commodity. It or not.

Loyalty Card

Fatima Mohammed, a consumer, said she had bought household items from a shop, but had been forced to go outside of her control, she said, but she refused to try to get her cash back. Points in the so-called «loyalty card» issued by the shop.

Fatima considered this manipulation on the part of the shop because it did not get its money in the end, demanding a unified policy to return goods in all shops even if certain conditions, so that the consumer can get his money when the return of the commodity in cases of necessity, in addition to the need to declare the policy of refund by Each shop is clear so that the consumer can determine his purchases and purchasing policy accordingly.

Purchase coupon

In the same context, consumer Khaled Taher said that he bought a precious gift for a family member, but it did not fit his size, and could not find its size in the shop, and then tried to return it, but the shop refused completely. He added that after intensive negotiations and lengthy discussions, the shop agreed to return, but on condition that he did not get his money and instead get a voucher to buy a replacement commodity within six months.

Taher pointed out that many shops refuse to return the goods purchased in case the consumer is forced to return them, where they manipulate in different ways, such as transferring money to points in «loyalty cards» or give the consumer a voucher to buy a substitute within different periods, considering that the problem is that There is no uniform policy to respond to prices.

Different policies

Irfan Ismail, the manager in charge of a store that has branches in several emirates, said the refund policy is different from one store to another, but shops are generally keen to include a detailed refund policy on purchase invoices.

Salam Hussein, the sales officer at a large commercial outlet, explained that the management of each store determines the return policy according to past practices in the market, and does not harm the revenues and profits of the shop.

Hussein added that it is difficult to have a unified policy in all stores, as it varies from sector to sector, pointing out that the policy of response in the clothing sector, for example, is difficult to apply to household items or furniture or other.

Balance

Meanwhile, retail trade expert Ibrahim al-Bahr called for a unified commodity refund policy under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy, which takes into account the balance between consumer and shop rights. Al-Bahar also demanded that the assigned policy be clearly stated in the same shop next to the payment boxes provided that it should be written in Arabic and any other languages ​​so that it is clear to all consumers.

Retail expert Davy Nagpal agreed that there should be a uniform policy for commodity returns, taking into account the specificity of some sectors.

He said that the response policy contributes significantly in determining the stores where consumers prefer to buy from them and how much money is spent, especially in cases of high-priced goods, pointing out at the same time the need to think very well before buying so that consumers buy only what is necessary.

Binding policy

Dr. Hashem Al-Nuaimi, director of the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy, said the consumer is fully responsible for his decision to buy any commodity.

Al-Naimi stressed that there is no general binding policy regarding the return of goods applicable to all retail stores in the country.

He pointed out that the return of goods is linked to the policy of the shop, where each shop in any sector puts the policy that suits him, explaining that competition in different sectors determine the policy of each shop in this regard. Al-Naimi stated that there is an obligation on the part of the assignee to return the goods if the commodity is only defective.

Policy not accepted

Retail trade expert Ibrahim al-Bahr said it was unacceptable that the return policy would be different and different from one shop to another, with each shop implementing a different policy, leaving consumers confused and making some people needlessly lose money.

Al-Iqtissad asserted that there is no general policy regarding the return of goods that applies to all retail stores.