DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has cautioned the public against fake promotions by leading shopping centres and has intensified inspections to catch the erring outlets.
The Ministry said yesterday that it conducted inspections at 10 major shopping centres to check their end-of-year promotions. A total of 37 violations of different types were detected.
The outlets where inspections were carried out included City Center, Landmark, Villaggio, Ezdan Mall, The Mall, Hyatt Plaza, Royal Plaza, Lagoona Mall, Lulu and Dar Al Salam Mall.
The inspection were to ensure that the outlets complied with the provisions of the ministerial decision No. 5 of 1984 regarding price discounts and promotions, the ministry said in a statement yesterday. All types of promotions like lucky draws, scratch-and-win offers and discount sales are covered by the law.
The violations included announcing offers without obtaining a licence from the ministry, differences in the actual price and the declared prices and failure to display the prices clearly. The erring outlets could face fines up to QR 5,000 and cancellation of the promotion licence.
The Ministry has urged all consumers to check the previous prices and compare them with the promotion prices to make sure that they are not cheated. They can also seek detailed bills showing the original price and the discounted price.
The Ministry said that the inspection campaign will continue. The public can lodge complaints against erring outlets through the hotline no 8005000, the dedicated kiosks at commercial centres or through their smart phones using the application MEC_QATAR.
The Peninsula
