Commercial complaints at DED up 52% in first half

Dubai: The business protection section in the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai recorded a 52 per cent increase, year on year, in complaints regarding commercial disputes during the first half of 2018.

The department received 790 complaints during the first half compared to 520 complaints during the same period last year.

The Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in DED receives complaints regarding disputes between traders inside as well as outside the UAE and works to resolve them amicably.

The services sector accounted for 41.1 per cent of total complaints, followed by electronics (11 per cent), foodstuffs (6.6 per cent), building materials (5.4 per cent), shipping (4.9 per cent), decoration and construction (3.9 per cent), cars (1.9 per cent), furniture (1.4 per cent), labour supply (1.1 per cent), clearance transactions (0.8 per cent), accessories and car rental (0.6 per cent each), and equipment leasing (0.3 per cent) while 19.7 per cent of disputes came from varied sectors.

Failure to comply with terms of agreements was among the most common complaints received during the first half, accounting for 59.2 per cent of the total.

Non-compliance with terms of contracts accounted for 20.9 per cent of cases, while 5.1 per cent were related to commercial fraud while the others involved either failure to comply with agreed warranty terms (1.6 per cent), specifications and standards (1.3 per cent), after-sales service (1.1 per cent), or business activity (0.5 per cent).

Additional fees on service or product (0.4 per cent) and non-compliance with the price list (0.3 per cent) also were causes for complaints.

“The department is keen to enhance transparency and impartiality among traders in Dubai and the business community within and outside the country,” Abdullah Al Shehi, deputy CEO of CCCP, said in a statement.

“So far we have managed to resolve financial disputes involving an average of Dh250,000,” he said.

The complainant must be a commercial establishment or enterprise registered in DED. The dispute should be commercial in nature and should not under consideration of any other judicial, legal or administrative body.

Companies operating in the UAE accounted for 71 per cent of the complaints received locally and among them 46 per cent were UAE firms, 13 per cent Indian companies, 8 per cent Saudi Arabia and 4 per cent Egyptian.