UAE's Ministry of Economy unveiled a comprehensive list of 46 violations; penalties range from Dh 100,000 to Dh 1 million

The Ministry of Economy in the United Arab Emirates released a detailed list of 46 violations on Thursday. Penalties for each violation vary widely, from Dh 100,000 to Dh 1 million, dependent on the gravity and consequences of the infraction. The violationss were made public at a briefing when the Ministry went over the key advancements concerning the laws and guidelines pertaining to the creation of the consumer protection framework in the United Arab Emirates.

These include advertisements for the Federal Decree Law No. 5 of 2023, which amends Federal Law No. 15 of 2020 on consumer protection, and Cabinet Decision No. 66 of 2023, which issues the executive rule for it. Abdullah Al Saleh, the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, was present during the briefing.

Al Saleh pointed out that most of the responsibilities placed on merchants by the new law and regulation were absent from earlier laws. This attests to a fundamental change in the laws defending consumer rights and promoting consumer protection throughout the nation. It also helps to fulfil one of the nation's goals of raising the standard of living for its people and residents and aligning with the vision of "We the UAE 2031" by providing services or commodities that meet the highest quality standards.

Al Saleh emphasised that certain elements of Federal Law No. 15 of 2020 on consumer protection have been amended by the new Consumer Protection Law No. 5 of 2023. The aforementioned reforms have yielded notable benefits for local authorities, including heightened enforcement of the legislation and the introduction of more adaptable and effective procedures to advance federal and local government programmes targeted at increasing consumer protection.

This is the first time that the supplier's responsibilities for products repair and required spare parts are broken down by kind of customer demand. In the event that there is a disagreement about the quality of the goods between the supplier and the consumer, new procedures that govern the inspection of the items in labs are also outlined. This strengthens the disincentives that support the rights of the customer and the supplier's responsibility. For the first time, a window of seven to thirty days has been established to guarantee the supplier's duty to offer replacement parts or commodities in case a flaw is discovered in the supplied items.

Al Saleh talked about the recently updated comprehensive list of administrative fines and penalties for violating consumer protection laws. There are 46 different categories of infractions overall, with fines ranging from Dh 100,000 to Dh 1 million. 

Al Saleh clarified that there will be consequences, which might include warnings or fines. If you commit the same violations repeatedly, they may result in the termination of your licence or deregistration. Since these fines apply to all kinds of consumer rights infractions, they also help to safeguard consumer rights nationwide by decreasing the need for consumer protection lawsuits.