A surge in online shopping during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a 228 per cent jump in consumer complaints about e-commerce, according to government data.
Dubai Economy, the body tasked with the development of the emirate’s economy, received 1,404 consumer complaints related to e-commerce deals in May, more than double the 428 complaints it received in the same month last year, according to the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) department.
"The noticeable rise in consumer complaints on the e-commerce sector shows the change in consumer behaviour during the past month, and their preference to purchase through e-commerce websites due to the current conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially as many business owners began to sell their products online," Ahmad Al Zaabi, director of consumer protection in the CCCP department, said.
Retailers intensified efforts to boost their online offerings during the pandemic in a bid to attract more customers. Globally, e-retailers such as Amazon have seen sales soar, while brick-and-mortar stores without an online presence have had to adapt quickly or face a significant decline in business.
The types of complaints consumers have lodged with the CCCP were varied, with 27 per cent related to cashback issues, 26 per cent centred on non-compliance with agreement terms and 13 per cent about failure to comply with after-sale services, Mr Al Zaabi said.
Most of the e-commerce complaints in May were submitted through Dubai Economy's smart channels, with 64 per cent made through the ‘Dubai Consumer’ app and 30 per cent through the consumerrights.ae website. The remaining 6 per cent were lodged through the call centre, Dubai Economy said.
UAE consumers have shifted their internet search and buying behaviours amid the lockdown to contain the coronavirus, a trend that could become the “new normal”, according to the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
A surge in searches for "groceries", "online courses", "telecommuting" and "Ikea" were reported in March and April, with a spike in "staycation" searches in May, a Dubai Chamber report citing UAE Google Trends data found.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 2 Bournemouth 1
United: Sharp (45 2'), Lundstram (84')
Bournemouth: C Wilson (13')
Man of the Match: Jack O’Connell (Sheffield United)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
The specs: 2018 Jaguar F-Type Convertible
Price, base / as tested: Dh283,080 / Dh318,465
Engine: 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 295hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.2L / 100km
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 592bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Price: Dh980,000
On sale: now
Notable groups (UAE time)
Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim, Henrik Stenson (12.47pm)
Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen (12.58pm)
Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood (1.09pm)
Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Zach Johnson (4.04pm)
Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey, Adam Scott (4.26pm)
Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy (5.48pm)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
