Doha
As part of its efforts to bolster transparency and protect consumer rights, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has launched a regulatory initiative to combat price manipulation across Qatar.
The initiative entitled “How Much” aims to buttress the competitiveness of Qatar’s retail sector and fight commercial fraud in line with Consumer Protection Law No. 8 of 2008, which requires retail outlets to clearly post price tags on products for sale.
In order to ensure the success of the initiative, the MEC has enabled the “How Much” service on its mobile phone app, which is available for download on iPhone and android phones under the name MEC_QATAR.
The mobile application enables consumers to report the names of retail outlets and shops that fail to clearly display the prices of services offered to clients and products for sale.
Consumers can access the “How Much” service by clicking on the consumer services section in the mobile app where they will be required to fill a form and attach pictures of the store and product that lacks a price tag.
The information submitted through the app will be verified by the ministry and legal action will be taken against the shop that committed the violation.
Earlier last week, the Ministry had issued a circular notifying all outlets of the need to comply with laws and regulations pertaining to consumer protection and the need to clearly display the price of products in line with the provisions of Law No. (8) of 2008 on consumer protection, which stipulates that "suppliers shall be committed when displaying any commodity to indicate its price clearly."
Article 11 of the same law stipulates that "the supplier shall determine in a clear way all the details pertaining to the offered service, its characteristics and price.”
The Ministry, in a statement, stressed that in the event of non-compliance with the provisions of the two articles, the supplier shall be subject to sanctions.
The Ministry’s initiative comes within the framework of its efforts to ensure the compliance of retail outlets with applicable laws and regulations and to protect consumers against price manipulation.
The MEC said it will pursue its inspection campaign to ensure that retail outlets clearly advertise prices, warning that it will crack down on violators who will face legal action.
The Ministry has urged consumers to report any violation by using the “How Much” service on its mobile application.
