Abu Dhabi Business Center has conducted a total of 47,831 inspection and periodic control visits during the second quarter of 2018, targeting economic facilities located in the three areas of the Emirates Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

This marks an increase of 14.7 per cent compared to the same quarter last year which recorded 41,679 visits.

As per the 2nd Quarter Report which was issued by the Commercial Protection Administration at Abu Dhabi Business Center, 314 special inspections were conducted in collaboration with the concerned government entities compared to just 149 inspections conducted during the same quarter last year in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Municipality, Abu Dhabi Police and other bodies, indicating an increase by 110 per cent.

Moreover, the Report stated that as a result of the inspections and control visits, 9249 fake products, including construction materials, intellectual works, cosmetics, hair products, car parts, accessories, electrical devices and electronics, were confiscated, compared to 8791 items confiscated during the same period last year indicating an increase by 5.7 per cent.

In addition to that, the Report mentioned that the Commercial Protection Administration received 1097 complaints from consumers during the second quarter of last year which included 792 complaints in Abu Dhabi, 291 in Al Ain and 14 in Al Dhafra area, compared to 862 complaints during the same period last year, indicating an increase by 27.2 per cent.

Furthermore, the Report stated that the Consumer Protection Department at the Commercial Protection Administration addressed 503 complaints during the second quarter of 2018 with a 20 per cent increase compared to the same period of last year. This was achieved by reducing the time needed to resolve the consumers' complaints from 6 working days in the second quarter of 2017 to just 4 in the second quarter of 2018.

As per the Report, the after-sale complaints represented the highest percentage with 77.7 per cent followed by bad service with 15.9 per cent, high prices, commercial fraud and others with varying degrees. The Government Communication Center was the most frequently used channel to report complaints with 77.9 per cent usage rate followed by other channels such as email and personal visit.

Regarding the tickets issued during the second quarter of 2018 following the complaints that were received and the inspections conducted, the Report showed that the Commercial Protection Administration has issued 1456 tickets, 990 of which were issued in Abu Dhabi, whereas 316 and 150 were issued in Al Ain and Al Dhafra, respectively.

The tickets were issued after violations that included practicing additional activities without a license or permit, failure to comply with the prescribed terms and conditions related to the facility's premises, non-compliance with the terms and conditions governing the writing of tradenames or billboards, the possession, marketing, production or purchase by the facility of fake goods, commodities, materials or products, the utilization of the facility's premises or part thereof for residential purposes, the unauthorized use of external spaces, smoking inside playrooms, restaurants or salons.

Moreover, the Report showed that the DED has closed down 20 commercial establishments in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi during the second quarter of 2018. These included 16 establishments in Abu Dhabi, one in Al Ain and 3 in Al Dhafra area, after receiving many reports and complaints from consumers and following the many inspections conducted to said establishments. The decision to close these establishments down was taken after their owners received warnings and tickets due their explicit violation of the laws and conditions that govern the conduct of commercial activity in the Emirate.

Mohammed Munif Al Mansouri, CEO of Abu Dhabi Business Center, emphasized the DED's keenness to follow up on and eliminate all negative practices that might affect the performance of the business environment in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. He also praised the role played by the DED's strategic partners in the governmental and semi-governmental bodies and the private sector in helping the DED achieve its strategic goals aimed at creating a sustainable business environment in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

He added that some of the negative practices seen in Abu Dhabi are a result of wrong behaviours by some members of the society and owners of commercial establishments who are unaware of the laws and regulations that govern commercial activities in the Emirate.

Moreover, Al Mansouri called upon the members of Abu Dhabi society to stand in the face of such practices by immediately reporting any violations to the concerned authorities, most importantly the DED, being the one responsible for regulating the commercial activity in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in coordination and collaboration with the concerned parties.

In this regard, His Excellency said that as part of its effort to reinforce its role in the commercial protection area, the DED has introduced several procedures last year to activate the competition and intellectual property protection laws, develop effective channels to receive and follow up on the consumers' complaints, implement awareness campaigns on consumer protection, and activate the governance mechanisms with the strategic partners in the consumer protection field.

Finally, he mentioned that the DED is currently working on several strategic projects in the field of commercial protection in collaboration and coordination with its partners in the federal and local government. Among these projects is the development of the Consumer and Business Protection Strategy for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi 2018-2022. – TradeArabia News Service