Q: I was recently on the line with a call centre in the UAE for more than three hours, listening to the same music. When I was about to be put on hold again, I said: "Please don't play that [expletive] music again and just put me on hold." The lady on the other side of the line asked me not to swear at her. I replied that I was swearing at the music, not her. Could I be prosecuted for my outburst? I had no intention to swear at her, nor was I trying to do so. It was truly the awful music that was driving me up the wall.
A: First of all, one should always refrain from using swear words, but in this particular case there is not enough to turn this into a criminal case that stands up in a courtroom, in my experience. The woman could not claim to be a victim because you were referring to the music, not her, when you used the inappropriate word. She could file an administrative complaint against you with her company, and the company could call you to reach an amicable understanding. They could even try to file a legal case with the charge of issuing insults, but this is unlikely to succeed because the insult was issued against a service provided by the company, not the woman. I would also suggest that you call the company and offer them feedback on a better choice of music.
Q: I hired a lawyer to assist with ongoing custody issues after a divorce. I have paid him in full for the fees associated with the cases he recommended opening in court, yet he refuses to communicate with me and tell me what the latest progress of my cases is. He ignores my phone calls and is not in his office when his assistants told me he would be there. I have visited his office on numerous occasions. This situation has been going on for six months. What can I do about his refusal to follow through with what I paid him for?
A: If a face-to-face meeting is not happening, you should send the lawyer a letter, a gentle reminder to update you on your case. If this also fails, you should file a complaint against him to the legal affairs department of the concerned court and they will take action to rectify the situation.
If you have a question for Mr Al Bahar, please email it to newsdesk@thenational.ae with the subject line “Know the law”.
