5 things Dubai tourists complain about the most

Dubai - The tourists who posted complaints come from 64 countries.

Tourists in Dubai lodged 1,826 consumer complaints or seven per cent of the total customer grievances in the emirate last year, according a senior official at the Dubai Economy. 
Mohammed Ali Rashid Lootah, CEO of Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection at Dubai's Department of Economic Development (DED), said the tourists who posted complaints come from 64 countries with GCC nationals topping the list at 76 per cent; followed by those who come from Asia and Australia at 6.2 per cent and European states at 4.7 per cent.
The DED received the most number of complaints on car rental agreements at 42 per cent; followed by consumer services at 16 per cent; electronics at 12 per cent; various customer grievances at 5.6 per cent; and purchase of automobiles at 5.5 per cent.
"Most of the complaints were related to either not refunding the car rental deposit or delay in refunding the deposit," Lootah told Khaleej Times.
"We have resolved the complaints by studying every single complaint and if the information provided by the consumer was accurate we ensured that the companies comply with the regulations and those that have repeated complaints were fined," he added.
"Receiving complaints from tourist consumers indicate that they know their consumers rights and they trust that their rights are protected in Dubai. The good news is, out of the more than 1,800 complaints registered at DED last year, more than 90 per cent of the cases were resolved," Lootah underlined.
Lootah has also reminded Dubai tourists to report any violations they face to authorities to protect their consumer rights.
"Consumers should report any incidents they face by calling 600545555," Lootah noted.
"Companies on the other hand should have clear contracts and terms and conditions and should always be in compliance with consumer protection laws and regulations," he stressed out.
Lootah added that "erring business owners can face fines starting from Dh2,000, which double up if repeated."
angel@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Dubai