The Ministry of Economy has rolled out a number of initiatives to protect consumer rights

Ready to shop and snap up deals this Ramadan? UAE authorities on Wednesday urged all shoppers to keep receipts to ensure their rights are protected. Promotions should be applied as advertised and there shouldn't be any price hikes for nine essential goods without prior approval.

Such proofs of purchases will come in handy in case a dispute arises, the Ministry of Economy (MoE) said during a Press conference in Dubai.

“We urge consumers to adopt conscious purchasing practices, including the retention of their invoices, as this is the initial step in protecting their rights and verifying their purchases. It serves as their assurance in reporting any grievances that jeopardise their consumer rights to the relevant competent authority,” said Abdullah Sultan Al Fan Al Shamsi, assistant undersecretary for the monitoring and follow-up sector at the MoE.

The reminder came as Al Shamsi explained the initiatives that the ministry had taken to ensure discounts and promotions would be applied appropriately this holy month.

The pricing policy for consumer goods is also a key pillar of market price regulation. It prohibits price hikes of nine essential goods: cooking oil, eggs, dairy, rice, sugar, poultry, legumes, bread, and wheat. Any price increase for these items should be approved by the MoE and other authorities in the country.

“We would also like to encourage consumers' engagement with regulatory authorities and their continuous communication with MoEC through our channels. This enables them to lodge complaints, report detrimental commercial practices that undermine consumer protection, and share suggestions and ideas to enhance the consumer protection landscape in the country. They can reach out to us via the toll-free number 8001222,” he said.

The mission is to educate consumers about their rights and prevent practices that may harm their interests, Al Shamso added.

In 2023, the ministry and other regulatory authorities in the UAE conducted 96,200 inspections to tackle violations related to price labelling, product quality monitoring, and prevent commercial fraud and trademark infringements. During this crackdown, 6,545 violations were detected.