Doha
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has suspended the licences of three shops and imposed a fine of QR6,000 each for running fake promotions.
According to a statement issued by the MEC, the violations were noticed during an inspection campaign launched by the Consumer Protection Department of the ministry.
The shops were penalised for violating provisions of Article No7 of Law No 8 of 2008 on consumer protection. The outlets were found to be providing misleading details about discounts on certain products, which did not carry relevant information on their cover and package.
The licences of the stores have been suspended for the remaining period of their validity.
“Some shops may be offering promotions and attractive rates because the quality of the product is inferior or in some cases they want to sell off goods which have close expiry dates,” the MEC said.
“As such offers may lead the public to buy things which sometimes they do not require; consumers are urged to show restraint and discretion while shopping ,” the statement said.
The MEC has urged all shopkeepers to abide by the regulations and laws applicable to their business activities, and invited them to get familiarised with the rules governing the practice of commercial activities by visiting the ministry’s website www.mec.gov.qa
Residents have also been urged to report violations of consumer rights or irregularities at e-mail : [email protected], phone: 16001.