Dubai: A new tool to measure the level of consumers’ knowledge about their rights in merchant-customer transactions was announced on Wednesday by economic officials.
In a statement, the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai said it has launched a Consumer Empowerment Index to gauge consumer awareness and raise the level of consumer consciousness.
The move mirrors a similar government push for best practices in the European Commission, which was the first to introduce a similar index.
DED will release the index during the fourth quarter of every year after evaluating consumer awareness based on the following criteria — consumer skills, awareness of consumer protection laws and regulations, and consumer engagement.
Sami Al Qamzi, director-general of DED, said in a statement that the new index “will have a pivotal role in eliminating negative practices from the local market and improving the business environment in Dubai, particularly the retail and services sectors. When buyers know and assert their rights, malpractices in the purchasing process will come down and corrective action will be fast and efficient”.
Al Qamzi said consumer empowerment is critical to the economic development strategy of Dubai and added that harmonious relations between traders and consumers will support sustainability and business competitiveness in the emirate.
Over the past two years, DED and its Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector have sharpened their focus on a competitive and healthy environment for traders and trademark owners.
Mohammad Ali Rashid Lootah, CEO of CCCP, told Gulf News that the index will increase fairness in the consumer market.
“The DED launched the consumer empowerment index to measure the level of consumer awareness [in order to] build specific programmes that will enhance consumer empowerment,” he said. “It is important for consumers to know and protect their rights so we can have a healthy and balanced business environment.”
Information gleaned from the index will help prepare economic planning for consumers in Dubai.
“The Consumer Empowerment Index will reflect the level of consumer awareness among various age groups, nationalities, income, and residential localities and help us understand consumer culture in different areas,” said Lootah.
The CCCP will start rolling out the awareness campaigns by early 2017.
“Our ... objective will always be to fill awareness gaps and empower consumers to claim their full rights,” said Lootah.
