Dubai records 30% increase in customer complaints this year

NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE PURCHASE AGREEMENT WAS THE MOST COMMON ISSUE

The Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai yesterday said that it received 8,166 consumer complaints in the first quarter of the year, a 30 per cent increase compared to the 6,275 complaints received to the same period last year.

This works out to at least 270 complaints a day on average.

The DED’s Consumer Protection Section in the Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector dealt with 1,007 issues of which 81 per cent were consumer complaints. The rest included 1,062 notes and 779 enquiries received from consumers.

The services sector accounted for 33.9 per cent of all consumer complaints.

complaints in first quarter of 2018 compared to 6,275 in same period last year

of complaints involved the services sector

Main issues

The rest of the complaints were related to the electronics sector, e-commerce, automobiles, and about car rentals. Textiles and personal items, furniture, shipping, clothing and accessories also featured among the complaints.

Mohammad Ali Rashid Lootah, CEO of the CCCP sector, said non-compliance with the purchase agreement was one of the most important complaints received in the first quarter of 2018, accounting for 30.2 per cent of the total.

“The retail sector is a key driver of local economic growth in Dubai and the UAE. Our effort is to bring greater transparency into business transactions, and create a culture of awareness and neutrality in the buying and selling processes in the retail sector, in accordance with the highest quality standards and practices.”

Remedial action

Lootah stressed the role played by DED and CCCP in immediately following up on complaints received, communicating with the parties concerned, as well as in finding solutions acceptable to all parties concerned within a period not exceeding four working days from the date of receiving the complaint.