Media ININ Economy We Trust
Media IN Abu Dhabi 2nd-June-2019 :WAM
The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) announced that it has successfully conducted over 10,000 field inspection visits to commercial facilities spread all over the Emirate of Abu Dhabi during the Holy Month of Ramadan. As part of the inspections, approximately 100 fines and 195 warnings were handed to violators.
ADDED’s inspections are part of its consumer protection outreach in which it follows up to verify whether commercial activities are being conducted in line with the regulations, and 120 such activities were investigated during the Holy Month. The field inspection visits targeted 15 main outlets, points of sale, retail outlets, fruit and vegetable shops, livestock markets, butcheries and consumables outlets in addition to restaurants, coffee shops, Ramadan tents and promotions. The department also organised ‘Safe Home’ and ‘Safe Cars’ campaigns this year.
The total number of field inspection visits in Abu Dhabi City amounted to 5,080. In addition, 3,182 visits were conducted in Al Ain and 1,747 in Al Dhafra. During these inspections, 2,116 items that did not adhere to specifications were confiscated. These included automotive spare parts, electronics, clothes, accessories, make-up items and food products among others.
During the visits, ADDED’s Commercial Protection Department (CPD) raised awareness among consumers through its social media platforms by sharing advice, instructions and directives to protect consumers’ rights during Ramadan.
The Executive Director of ADDED’s Abu Dhabi Business Centre, emphasised that these campaigns fall within the framework of the Commercial Protection Department’s preparations ahead of festive seasons, as such periods witness a considerable rise in commercial activities in different regions across the emirate. This calls for additional efforts to detect violations of ADDED’s regulations and conditions for conducting commercial activities, and to ensure consumer protection.
H.E. Al Mansoori elaborated: “ADDED continues its efforts to further enhance consumers’ trust in Abu Dhabi’s local markets, and this is achieved through partnerships with commercial facilities, where we cooperate in inspection campaigns and initiatives to protect consumers from commercial fraud. We urge consumers to be aware of their rights and feel free to ask questions about the products and services, particularly during the festive season.”
Al Mansoori further added that such campaigns enhance transparency in the local markets and eliminate malpractices that might negatively impact the performance of Abu Dhabi’s business sector. He pointed out that ADDED’s local strategic partners play a vital role in achieving the Department’s objective of constantly improving Abu Dhabi’s business environment and its competitiveness.
The CPD issued several circulars to various points of sale during the Holy Month of Ramadan to ensure consumer protection, including a circular on freezing prices during festive seasons. Another circular forbids putting additional unjustified fees or service charges on consumers and – where such fees have been charged – to reimburse consumers as per the amounts stated on the bills. Additional circulars also focused on preventing misinformation, tackling misleading advertisements, and avoiding any discrimination of consumers in terms of price and quality of products and services.
Furthermore, the CPD reiterated the need to add product descriptions in Arabic to make product packaging clear and understandable so that Arab-speaking customers can easily see what they are buying. These should include date of manufacturing, packaging and expiry, ingredients, net weight and country of origin, among other information.
