The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) carried out extensive inspection campaigns in September to monitor the compliance of suppliers (retail outlets) with their obligations under laws and ministerial resolutions on consumer protection.
The inspection campaigns fall within the framework of the Ministry's efforts to monitor markets and commercial activities in Qatar in a bid to control prices and uncover violations to protect consumer rights.
The inspection campaigns resulted in uncovering 127 different violations including describing, advertising, or displaying the item in a manner that contains false or deceptive data; not committing to submitting a detailed monthly report on the delivery of the prizes for the promotion from the date of the draw until the delivery of the last prize; expired products; failing to offer a service warranty for an appropriate period, refunding customers or reoffering the service in an appropriate manner; not issuing full data bills; and making discounts without obtaining the necessary license from the competent department.
Penalties imposed on retail outlets included administrative closures and fines ranging from between QR5,000 and QR30,000, as per the laws and decisions regulating the work of the Consumer Protection Department.
The authorities concerned with consumer protection at the Ministry received a number of complaints in September. They were dealt with, and necessary measures to resolve them were taken.
The Ministry stressed that it will not tolerate any violations of the Consumer Protection Law and its regulations and will intensify its inspection campaigns to crack down on illegal practices. The Ministry said it will refer those who violate laws and Ministerial decisions governing the work of the department to the competent authorities that will in turn take appropriate action against the perpetrators to protect consumer rights.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry urges all consumers to report any violations or infringements, and to send complaints and suggestions through the MoCI call center and social media accounts.
