Department of Economic Development says 96% of complaints resolved within four working days last year
Dubai received 32,650 complaints from consumers and 1,657 from businesses in 2018, with 96 percent resolved within four working days, it was announced on Monday.
On average, the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection sector in the Department of Economic Development (DED) received 2,720 complaints a month last year.
The increase in complaints comes as the DED seeks to reinforce Dubai’s competitiveness as a shopping destination by improving awareness among businesses and the public regarding the rules governing the buying and selling processes.
Consumer complaints relating to the services sector accounted for 24.2 percent of total in 2018, followed by the electronics sector (17.2 percent), e-commerce (13.7 percent), automobiles (8.2 percent), car rentals (6.5 percent) and garments & accessories (4.3 percent).
The majority of the consumer complaints (29.5 percent) were related to non-compliance with the purchase agreement, while 18 percent involved refunds.
Defective products caused 14.9 percent of the complaints while commercial fraud (7.7 percent), VAT (4.4 percent), and warranty (4.2 percent) were also common factors.
Non-compliance with the terms of agreement was behind 79 percent of the business complaints.
Nationality-wise, UAE citizens had a majority among the consumer complaints (30.7 percent) and business complaints (36.5 percent) raised in 2018, followed by Indians, Egyptians and Saudis.
Mohammed Ali Rashid Lootah, CEO of CCCP, said: "Our goal is to strengthen the relationship between the consumer and the trader, create an exemplary business environment and promote a culture of awareness and impartiality in buying and selling in Dubai, particularly within the emirate’s vital retail sector.”
Lootah called on all consumers and business owners to contact CCCP through its social media handles, Call Centre number 600 54 5555 or by downloading Smart Protection, an artificial-intelligence-based app.
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