The Coordination and Follow-up Department of the Leasing Department in the Ministry of Interior, headed by Brigadier Khaled Mahmoud said the General Traffic Department, in cooperation with the Consumer Protection Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry launched a campaign against vehicles buying, selling and leasing offices in Al-Ardiya and placed blocks on 23 offices for committing violations.
In a statement to a local Arabic daily Lt. Col. Abdul Rahman Al-Awadi, Assistant Director-General of Leasing Department said the aim of the campaign is to protect consumers from facing legal accountability because some office owners rent vehicles without comprehensive insurance, or force customers to sign illegal contracts by tampering with the terms of the agreement, or forcing the customer to sign a bill of exchange, or not placing a ‘tracking’ device in the vehicle, in addition to the fact that the law prohibits renting vehicles for domestic workers..
Al-Awadi explained that the campaign resulted in the inspection of 36 such offices to ensure the offices applied the ministerial decision regarding car rental.
He added that some offices had deliberately pulled down shutters to avoid inspection, in violation of Ministerial Resolution 723/2020 Article 1, paragraph 5, which stipulates that “working hours shall not be less than 12 “, and officers found 23 offices closed.
Al-Awadi said, “We were informed by the Ministry of Commerce that they will submit a report on the closed offices and retract some licenses, and put a block on offices whose owners had deliberately closed them at the time of the campaign, and they will not be allowed to engage in work, except after correcting their situations.”
For his part, the head of the emergency team at the Ministry of Commerce, Hamid Al-Dhafiri, confirmed that the campaign resulted in the registration of serious violations against some offices.
Al-Dhafiri concluded by saying the emergency team works around the clock, receives complaints from consumers, and in the event of a complaint the owner of the office is summoned and if any violation is detected, action is taken immediately.
5 cases of consumer protection
The inspections aim to protect the consumer from legal liability, if:
1 – The rental vehicle has no comprehensive insurance
2 – Customers are forced to sign contracts which are found to be tampered
3 – Forcing the customer to sign a bill of exchange
4 – Not placing a tracking device in the vehicle
5 – Renting vehicles to domestic workers