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The Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector of Dubai Economy resolved over 560 consumer complaints on businesses operating in the various free zones in the emirate during the past 14 months as its consumer protection services expanded to cover shoppers across the emirate.
Consumers in the free zones started submitting their complaints to Dubai Economy following an agreement signed last year. Dubai Economy and the Dubai Free Zones Council signed the agreement as part of enhancing co-ordination between government, government-related and private entities to improve the overall customer experience in Dubai.
Overall, Dubai Economy resolved 563 consumer complaints from the free zones between July 2020 and September 2021, the largest share (171 complaints, 30.4%) of which were relating to various services. Electronics (90 complaints), furniture (85), e-commerce (67) and building maintenance & decoration (44) were the others among the top five complaints categories.
Failure to comply with the terms of agreement was the leading cause of consumer complaints from the free zones ((152 complaints, or 27% of the total), followed by refunds (130 complaints), defective products (87), commercial fraud (51%) and failure to provide after-sales service (42).
Ahmad Al Zaabi, Director of Consumer Protection in Dubai Economy, said the consumer complaints received reflect the high level of consumer rights awareness in the emirate, and the importance of expanding the scope of consumer protection services to make shopping anywhere in Dubai a pleasant experience.
“Dubai Economy promotes consumer rights awareness and protects consumers as the customer experience is integral to achieving the exceptional levels of competitiveness and happiness that Dubai seeks to achieve. The number and nature of consumer complaints we received from the free zones point to the growing role of this industry clusters as self-contained communities where people enjoy shopping like anywhere else in Dubai,” Al Zaabi said.
“We have provided varied channels, including smart platforms, to raise their complaints and resolve them amicably, in addition to continuously reminding consumers, including residents and tourists, of their rights and responsibilities. Our focus is on ensuring a pleasant shopping experience and encouraging businesses to grow sustainably through adopting best practices,” added Al Zaabi.
Activities and sectors on which consumers in the free zones raised their complaints also included car rental (31 complaints), readymade garments & accessories (27), vehicles (19), textiles & personal items (15), shipping (8), salons (4), and automobile repair workshops (2).
Exchange (18 complaints), failure to comply with warranty terms (17), additional fees (14), non-compliance with permitted commercial activity (11), surcharges (11), non-compliance with promotion terms (8), non-adherence with price list (4), price increase (3), refusal to repair a device (2), and annoying calls (1) were also among the causes of complaints.
Consumers can submit their complaints to Dubai Economy through the Dubai Consumer app available on the Apple, Google, and Huawei stores, on the Consumererrights.ae website, or by calling 600 54 5555. Complaints about price increases should be submitted on the Price.ded.ae portal.
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