The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has carried out a surprise inspection campaign targeting tyre shops and warehouses in the Industrial Area.

The initiative resulted in the seizure and inspection of 185 tyres of three brands, the MEC said in a press statement. The department concerned sent samples of these tyres for inspection by the competent authorities, who, in turn, found that the original expiry dates were concealed and replaced with new expiry dates on 30 of the seized tyres.
This represented a violation of Article 7 of Law No 8 of 2008. Article 7 compels suppliers to clearly display on the product’s package the type and nature of the item as well as other relevant data in line with the law’s implementing regulations. The law also compels the display of warning risks pertaining to the use of the product while prohibiting the display of fraudulent descriptions, advertisements and misleading statements.
The campaign was carried out in a bid to monitor the compliance of suppliers (retail outlets) with their obligations under Law No 8 of 2008 on Consumer Protection, the statement noted.
Such inspection campaigns come within the framework of the ministry’s efforts to regulate and monitor markets and commercial activities as well as to crack down on price manipulation and uncover violations in a bid to protect consumer rights.
Violations of Law No 8 of 2008 on Consumer Protection result in penalties such as administrative closure and fines ranging between QR3,000 and QR1mn.
The ministry stressed that it would not tolerate any violations of the consumer protection law and its regulations, and would intensify its inspection campaigns to crack down on violations. It will refer those who violate laws and ministerial decrees to the competent authorities, who will, in turn, take appropriate action against the perpetrators in order to protect consumer rights.
The MEC has urged all consumers to report violations or submit complaints and suggestions through the call centre: 16001, email: [email protected], Twitter: MEC_QATAR, Instagram: MEC_QATAR and the ministry’s application on iPhone and Android devices: MEC_QATAR

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