Shopping

Refunds, Exchanges & Consumer Rights

Policies on refunds and exchanges vary from shop to shop. It is common to be offered an exchange or credit note rather than a refund. Even with tags attached, many stores will not even consider an exchange unless you have the receipt, and returns must often be made within seven days. For some items, such as those in sealed packages, shops insist that the packaging should be intact so that the item can be resold – a fairly illogical stance if the item proves to be faulty. If you are having no success with customer services, you should ask to speak to the manager, as the person on the shop floor is often not authorised to deviate from the standard policy and may not be able to act with commonsense, whereas managers may be able to offer more flexibility.

Consumer Protection
The Consumer Protection Department of the UAE Ministry of Economy has been established to safeguard the interests of shoppers. The department tracks and regulates retail prices and has rejected planned price increases for staple goods. It has also mandated that all retail outlets display a notice of their consumer rights policy in the store. Consumers wishing to complain about a retailer can complete a form on the website economy.gov.ae.

The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority  primarily deals with unfit food while Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council have a website, manaa.ae, where you can report faulty products as well as find out which products have been recalled or don’t meet standards. The Dubai Government’s consumer rights website provides tips and further information on consumer rights which might be useful if you’re planning a shopping trip there.

Write to us

Latest News

View More

Newsletter Subscription

View Newsletter
About us Contact us Join us Advertise Corporate Shop