Is Consumer Protection Department an association or a governmental body? Thursday, 04 November 2010 03:08

Consumer Protection Law No. 8 of 2008 states that associations may be established for consumer protection with the following aims:

1. Providing the consumer with information and raising his awareness.

2. Contributing to the rationalization of consumption and household spending.

3. Expressing the consumers’ point of view to the relevant official bodies and reporting practices harmful to the interests of them and requesting intervention to stop such practices when appropriate.

4. Contributing to create a relationship of trust and cooperation between the consumer and the provider as well as participating in dialogue and consultation with stakeholders.

5. Defending the interests of the consumer.

6.Conducting studies and researches related to consumer

Official bodies did not fulfill the provisions of Consumer’s Protection Law No. 8/2008 only, but expanded its protection of consumer. Ministry of Businesses and Trade has established Consumer’s Protection Department in order to oversee markets, follow up movement and circulation of merchandises from the producer to agent or distributer until they reach to the consumer, receive and consider consumer’s complaints and follow up sales in its capacity as an administrative authority attached to the Ministry of Businesses and Trade and not an independent association.

Some may believe that Consumer Protection Department is an association to protect consumers, but this is not true and leads to misunderstanding. The objective of Consumer’s Protection Department is to protect consumers, but the association’s tools is different from the ones of the Consumer’s Protection Department.

Since the issuance of Law till now, no association for consumer protection has been established due to that the association’s role is different form the Department’s one, where the former is practicing its role on behalf of the consumers, claiming for their rights and defending their accruals.

In order to establish an association to protect consumers against the influence of traders, Consumer Protection Department is playing a vital role through holding seminars and conferences to educate consumers and oblige producers and distributors to provide best services and merchandises. Consumer Protection Department also coordinates with governmental departments and authorities to control the commitment of producers, sellers and producers to the legal regulations.

It also dedicates a hot line to receive consumers’ complaints in addition to its outstanding media role through educating the consumer and encouraging traders, producers and agents to provide best services and merchandises to the consumers. The last contributions of the Department in order to protect consumers is fixing the prices of number of necessary merchandises which become high in Ramadan and printing acquainting printed matters of such merchandises and their places, which were distributed by the Department to the consumers in Qatar. This role is only seen in developed societies, which care about individuals and societies.