I received 300 free minutes to one number in the UAE as part of my mobile plan. I provided du with the number I wanted to make the calls to, and a call-centre employee said I would receive a text when the free minutes were active. A day later, I received a text telling me that I could call my own number for free for 300 minutes. When I called and told du that it had put my own number instead of the number I gave it, an employee informed me that I could change the number, but I would be charged Dh25, even though it was the provider’s fault. It said the only other recourse was to visit a du office, which is a great distance from my home, to make a complaint to a manager about the call-centre worker’s mistake. Can it do this?
UAE Law No 3 of 2008 regulates telecommunications in the counry, and there is an established independent authority that governs conduct by telecommunication companies in the UAE, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. The authority can deal with complaints from consumers or clients against telecommunication companies. You must submit your complaint to the TRA through its website, at tra.gov.ae/en.
PayLess, a shop at Mazyad Mall near Mohammed bin Zayed City, was selling all items at Dh65, including those priced at Dh30. Is this legal?
A shop has the discretion to set its own prices for products to be sold. As long as the seller is in compliance with article 8 of Law No 24 of 2006, which deals with fair pricing and fair representation of products, the seller is not flouting the law, unless a breach can be established for illusory promises or false advertising. Article 8 states that a seller shall remain committed to the price offered on his products or commodities, and that the consumer has a right to obtain a dated bill for any purchase.
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