CONSUMER PROTECTION LAW

WHAT IS CONSUMER PROTECTION LAW

Consumer protection laws are made to protect consumers from fraudulent business practices, defective products, and dangerous goods and services. They play an important role in a reliable market economy, by controlling the consumer market with rules and regulations. Consumer protection law in each country is built upon the contract law principle, “Caveat emptor.” The Latin phrase, which means, “Let the buyer be aware.” However, the expanding market compelled the introduction of various extensions to this principle and ultimately the current situation is vice versa it warns the seller to be aware.

CONSUMER PROTECTION LAW UAE: -

In UAE the Consumer Protection Law No, 24 of 2006 (the Previous Consumer Law) is replaced by Federal Law No. 15 of 2020 on Consumer Protection (the New Consumer Law). The new Law with significant changes, provides the general rules for consumer protection and it establishes the necessary mechanisms to activate the Law’s role in the economic movement by enabling transparency in commercial transactions, in which the consumer is an integral part. The Law aims to ensure quality of goods and services, marketing manner, consumer health and safety, and sound consumption patterns among consumers.

By virtue of the current consumer protection law, the key rights of the consumers and the obligations of the suppliers are given hereunder:

Consumer rights

According to the law, the UAE’s consumers are granted the following rights:

• ?to be provided an appropriate and safe environment when purchasing a good or receiving a service
• ?to obtain correct information about the goods they purchase, use or consume or the service they receive
• to be informed about their rights and obligations
• ?to have the right to choose the most appropriate product and service available in the market according to their wishes
• ?To obtain fair compensation for damages they suffer as a result of purchasing or using defective goods or receiving inadequate or unprofessional services.

?The supplier must:

• Protect consumers’ privacy and data security, and refrain from using them for promotional and marketing purposes.
• ?respect consumers’ religious values, customs and traditions when providing them with goods or services
• ?settle consumers’ disputes promptly
• ?Provide the consumer with a dated invoice that includes his trade name, address, type of goods or service sold or provided, its price and quantity and any other data specified by the Executive Regulation of this law. The invoice must be in Arabic and the provider may add any other language, as he deems fit.

Suppliers who fail to provide clear information and labelling, or advertise misleading prices and false data on the goods and services, or fail to repair or replace a defective product without a charge, will face imprisonment of up to two years and a fine not exceeding AED two million.