Doha: The Ministry of Commerce & Industry carried out extensive inspection campaigns in October 2021, to ensure the compliance of suppliers and retail outlets with laws and Ministerial decisions related to consumer protection. The inspections come within the framework of the Ministry's efforts to monitor markets in a bid to crack down on price manipulation and protect consumer rights.
The inspection campaigns resulted in 103 violations including failure to issue invoices in Arabic; not offering information related to the displayed commodity in Arabic; failure to comply with the mandatory price bulletin of vegetables and fruits, failure to guarantee that the performed service during a period of time is commensurate with the nature of that service, to refund the amount paid by the recipient of the service, or to perform it again in an appropriate manner; failure to provide a detailed monthly report on submitting prizes under a promotional offer, as of the draw date and until delivering the last prize; non-compliance with the form and format of the promotion advertisement approved by the competent department; making a promotional offer without obtaining the necessary license from the competent department; and displaying expired products.
Penalties imposed on retail outlets included administrative closures and fines ranging between QR 5,000 and QR 30,000, as per the laws and decisions regulating the work of the Consumer Protection Department.
The following are the types and numbers of violations for October 2021: -
“The authorities concerned with consumer protection at the Ministry received a number of complaints last October. They were dealt with, and necessary measures to resolve them were taken,” ministry said.
The Ministry of Commerce & Industry urged all consumers to report any violations or infringements, and to send complaints and suggestions through Call Center: 16001.
