DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) today announced to have canceled 'discount licenses' of six stores for not complying with rules related to promotion offers. In a statement the Ministry said that it conducted an inspection campaign on a number of malls and stores, particularly those which have discount licenses in order to monitor their commitment to the laws and terms under which these licenses have been granted. Inspectors from the Ministry fined nine outlets, six of which have been penalized by cancelling their discount licenses, depriving them of the remaining period of their licenses, and fining them QR5,000, whereas other three stores have been fined QR5,000 for each, due to their noncompliance with the provisions of the ministerial decree No. 5 for the year 1984 on sale via public cost reductions (discounts). MEC calls on consumers, before embarking on a purchase, to check the price of the item before and during the discount duration and to check the price list showing the price of the item before the discount and the endorsed discount rate. All consumers also have the right to receive a detailed invoice including the pre-discount and the post-discount prices. All outlets granted discount licenses have been urged to abide by offering actual discounts and avoiding fake discounts or any other malpractices pertaining to consumers’ rights. The ministry warns violators, saying it will be strict with them and will refer them to the concerned entities in order to have proper penalties as per the law. The Peninsula
