Stores selling Garangao accessories fined for various violations

Inspection campaigns carried out by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) at shops selling Garangao accessories resulted in the imposition of eight penalties for various violations, it was announced on Thursday.

The violations included missing price tags, failing to announce the products' data in Arabic, missing Arabic invoices, weight differences and missing product descriptions, the MEC said in a statement.

Violations of Law No 8 of 2008 on Consumer Protection can result in administrative closure and financial penalties ranging from QR3,000 to QR1mn.

The ministry had launched surprise inspection campaigns targeting a number of retail outlets specialised in selling sweets, nuts and Garangao accessories at Souq Waqif and across Qatar in order to monitor the compliance of shops with the provisions of Law No 8 of 2008 on Consumer Protection.

The inspection campaigns come within the framework of the MEC’s Ramadan initiatives under the theme ‘#Aqal_Min_Al_Wajeb’. The ministry traditionally intensifies its inspection campaigns before and throughout the holy month of Ramadan as part of its efforts to monitor markets and commercial activities in order to uncover and crack down on violations and protect consumer rights, the statement notes.

The MEC has stressed that it will not tolerate any violations of the Consumer Protection Law and its regulation. It will refer those who violate laws and ministerial decrees to the competent authorities, who, in turn, will take appropriate action against the perpetrators in order to protect consumer rights.

The ministry has urged all consumers to report violations or submit complaints and suggestions through the call centre: 16001, email: info@mec.gov.qa, Twitter: MEC_QATAR, Instagram: MEC_QATAR and the ministry’s app on iPhone and Android devices: MEC_QATAR