Dubai saw a 19 percent increase in consumer complaints during the first six months of 2019 following improving awareness on consumer rights and ease of access to consumer protection channels.
The consumer protection section in Dubai Economy said it resolved 17,768 complaints during the same period, up from 14,970 during the same period of 2018.
Dubai Economy added that more than a third (38 percent) of the complaints came through the smart channels provided for consumer protection as part of efforts to enhance competitiveness in Dubai.
In addition to consumer complaints, Dubai Economy also received 1,661 suggestions and 1,266 enquiries from consumers during H1.
“The rise in complaints and the overall consumer feedback received across diverse channels reflect an increasing confidence among shoppers in Dubai and emphasise the importance of service quality in the sustainable growth and competitiveness of the emirate’s flagship retail sector,” said Mohammed Ali Rashid Lootah, CEO of the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in Dubai Economy.
Services still accounted for a majority of the consumer complaints during the first half of 2019 but fast-growing sectors like e-commerce were close behind.
Together, services (28 percent), electronics (16 percent) and e-commerce (14 percent) were responsible for 58 percent of the total complaints received. Car rental (9 percent), automobiles (8 percent), clothing and accessories (7 percent) also featured.
Non-compliance with the purchase agreement led to 27.3 percent of the consumer complaints in H1 while refunds were next at 19.36 percent. Other key reasons for complaining included defective products (18.48 percent), commercial fraud (11.15 percent), after-sales service (5.28 percent), and non-compliance with warranty terms (4.28 percent).
Most complaints were made by Emiratis (25 percent) followed by Indians (16 percent), Egyptians (12 percent), Saudis (9 percent) and Jordanians (5 percent).
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