RIGHTS GUARANTEED UNDER THE NEW CONSUMER LAW

Tanish Amin
II Year, B.B.A. LL.B (H.), tanishamin2002@gmail.com

“Customers are the most important visitor on our premises, they are not dependent on us, we are
dependent on them. They are not an interruption in our work. They are the purpose of it. They are
not outsiders in our business. They are part of it; we are not doing them a favour by serving them.
They are doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

The Federal Law No. 24 of 2006 on Consumer Protection was completely repealed by the new
consumer law, I.e. the Federal Law No. 15 of 2020 on Consumer Protection which came into force
on 16th of November, 2020. A well defined and comprehensive definition of consumer is laid out
under this law along with increment in the number of consumer rights.
Scope: The jurisdiction of the new law extends to free zones as well as all E commerce platforms
registered in the UAE. Apart from stricter regulations, increased penalties in case of breach of any
provision, defining obligations of the advertisers, commercial agents and supplier; the new law
stipulates Arabic to be used as an official language for all invoices (additional language can be
used), consumer related contracts and advertisements.

Rights under the new law -

Article 4 of the new law defines nine consumer rights. Apart from those rights, all the obligations
set out under the law are also described as consumer rights. Article four includes the following
rights -
1- establishing a suitable and safe atmosphere for the purchase of a good or during the performance
of a service.

2- acquiring accurate knowledge about the product the consumer buys, consumes or receives the
services.

3- spreading awareness about the rights and obligations of the consumer.

4- implementing the rights which helps a consumer choose the best/appropriate good/service
available from the market.

5- Any data regarding the consumer, it privacy and security is to be protected, and not exploiting it
for promotional  objectives.

6-  while transacting with any good or service, the customs, religious values and traditions of the
consumer are to be respected.

7- settlement of consumer issues in a fair and timely manner.

8- Right to obtain fair compensation if any damage is caused due because of using or purchasing
the good or service.

9 - Any other rights enshrined under the legislation in force in the state.
The council of ministers have the authority to add any other right.
In order to protect the consumer, the new law forbids and nullifies any contractual restrictions that
might be detrimental to the customer. It also renders invalid and void any contract clause that
absolves the provider from any of the requirements imposed by this legislation.This in in
accordance with the Article 21 of the new law.

Penalty:
Penalties are levied if any of the provisions of the new law is violated which can include
imprisonment from two months to two years and a monetary fine which can very from three
thousand dirhams to two million dirhams or twice the market value of the amount of goods or
services depending upon the gravity of the violation.

Consumer rights protection:

Steps taken by the Ministry of Economy -
The consumer protection department of the Ministry of Economy supervises the nations consumer
policy along with other concerned authorities, resolves complaints received from consumers and
fights monopoly through following the practices of fair competition in order to protect the rights of
consumers.
The ministry has also launched its hotline services to resolve consumer rights infringement issues
in an efficient manner.
In the year 2013, a new section of recalling damaged goods was introduced on the web portal of the
ministry to deal with manufacturers, retailers issue and also protect the rights of consumers.

It is quite important to protect the consumer rights and to know about your own consumer rights
which helps one become an informed consumer. Top lawyers in Dubai from the best law firms
could provide one with the right advice in case any of your consumer right is infringed.