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The Ministry of Economy and Commerce intensified its inspection campaigns in May to ensure the compliance of suppliers (retail outlets) with law No. 8 of 2008 on consumer protection. The inspection campaigns come within the framework of the ministry’s efforts to monitor markets and commercial activities in a bid to crack down on price manipulation and to protect consumer rights.
The nation-wide campaign by the ministry’s inspectors resulted in 70 fines. Violations included false or misleading product descriptions and advertising; missing price tags for products and services; selling expired products; charging customers more than the advertised price; announcing promotional offers without obtaining a license from the competent department; and failing to display product descriptions and ads in Arabic.
The penalties resulted in administrative closures as well as fines ranging between QR 5,000 and QR 30,000 in line with the applicable consumer protection laws. The following is a breakdown of the type and number of violations registered in May 2017:
 
 ViolationsNumberMissing price tags for services or products9
 
Failing to display the sale price before and after discounts2
 
Failing to display a complete product description2Failing to use Arabic in ads and description of goods3Failing to display the price of services or products in Arabic2Failing to replace or refund customers for defective product1Failing to clearly display product prices, labels and descriptions1Failing to issue invoices1Non-compliance with the prices of fruits and vegetables bulletin1Failing to issue complete invoices1Failing to issue invoices in Arabic2Failing to offer service guarantees for an appropriate period or refunding customers1Expired products9Substandard products3Charging customers more than the advertised price4Offering promotions without obtaining the approval of competent departments4Increasing prices without approval without obtaining the approval of competent departments3False or misleading product description and advertising21Total70
 
The Ministry also processed 1142 complaints and took the necessary measures to resolve them.
The ministry stressed that it will not tolerate any violations of the Consumer Protection Law and its regulations, and will intensify its inspection campaigns to crackdown on violations. The Ministry said it will refer those who violate laws and ministerial decrees to competent authorities that will in turn take appropriate action against perpetrators in order to protect consumer rights.
The Ministry urged all consumers to report violations through the following channels:
– Call center: 16001
– Email: info@mec.gov.qa
– The accounts of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce on social networks
         – Twitter MEC_QATAR
         – Instagram MEC_QATAR
– The application of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce on iPhone and Android devices MEC_QATAR