Restaurats warned against illegal charges
Consumer protection group addresses management of food prices
Dubai: Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection, headed the committee's fourth meeting for 2009 in Dubai to discuss measures to manage food prices, the latest updates of the Early Alert System and the illegal service charges added by some restaurants in the UAE.
The committee warned restaurants against the illegal charges following several complaints received by the Ministry of Economy that some restaurants were adding as much as 20 per cent of the bill for the service charge, which the committee said is against the consumer protection law.
Al Mansouri said the ministry will take serious measures against those who violate the law, adding that the committee has recommended the implementation of Article 3 of the Consumer Protection Law and will contact all government departments to take action against restaurants that add illegal service charges.
Equilibrium
He added: "We have succeeded in creating equilibrium and stability in the UAE markets. The committee is exerting tremendous efforts to monitor prices and prevent any price manipulation attempts by coordinating with local concerned government departments all over the UAE."
Other important issues discussed included updates on the Early Alert System which ensures that prices of essential goods are managed effectively.
The Ministry of Economy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with local customs departments to provide data on the activity of basic commodities.
The committee also recommended implementing the first stage of the Early Alert System by linking the customs departments to exchange information on imports and exports of various commodities.
The system aims to investigate the reasons behind the shortage of commodities globally, and devise means to prevent unprecedented price rises due to supply fluctuations in the international markets.
The committee also discussed the report of consumer complaints.
The Consumer Protection Department received 2,400 complaints from January to November this year, of which 60 per cent were about price increases and 32 per cent dealt with cars.
