Online shopping refund gone wrong leaves Dubai expat hanging for 2 months

  DUBAI - An online shopping refund that should have taken two days stretched into two months for a Dubai-based expatriate. Reynante Barabara, a machine operator, said the long wait and multiple promises given to him by the online shop left him frustrated. "They made me crazy and I lost my patience waiting for a long time," Barabara told expatmedia.net, asking for help in the matter. "It's been two months, no action. I am still waiting. Help me please to expose this practice and solve my issue," he said. The Filipino said the problem started after he bought a mobile phone from the online store that he found through Facebook. The mobile phone was delivered in three days but he soon found out that there was a defect in the gadget's data storage system. "I could only install three applications, so I decided to return it. It took a while before they collected the device from me, and told me that their driver will refund my money," he told expatmedia.net. The day turned to three days, and then months but still no refund despite Barabara's repeated phone calls. "They always promise to process, to follow up but that's all. They always say that I will get my refund in two days. Then three days. Then weeks. Imagine how it reached two months," he said. Expatmedia.net advised Barabara to file a consumer complaint with the Department of Economic Development, but also contacted the online store's* Dubai office on Tuesday to follow up on his case. We spoke with the customer service representative who identified herself as Namrita. After she was given Barabara's  invoice number, she quickly traced details about his order but admitted that she was not aware that the Filipino did not yet get a refund. Expatmedia.net explained that the expat had been waiting for months for the promised refund. The customer service agent acknowledged "an issue" with Barabara's account, but did not elaborate. She, however, promised a refund within two days. On Saturday (April 21), Barabara contacted expatmedia.net to say that he has been given a refund. "I received my refund today at 5pm. Thank you for follow up and update," he said. The Filipino said he wasn't just after the money but "respect for individual rights". "If I just let this company ignore this issue they will not know how to give a better response to customer complaints," he said. ICA/Expat Media *Online store's name withheld
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CONSUMER PROTECTION: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who protects my consumer rights in Dubai?

The Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection sector in the Department of Economic Development (DED) promotes consumer rights and fair trading in Dubai by:
- Providing information and advice to consumers and retailers/sellers on their rights and responsibilities;
- Helping consumers resolve disputes with retailers or sellers;
- Investigating complaints about unfair trading practices
- Regulating business activities

Which areas of consumer complaints can the DED solve?

- Commercial fraud related to the type, nature, product information and quality of products or services - Sellers' refusal to honor the guarantee or after-sale service or their refusal to remedy defects - Sellers' non-compliance with the terms of promotional offers advertised - Service providers that carry out the work differently from what was agreed on verbally or in writing - Any practices by sellers that breach the Consumer Code of Rights - Online purchases from Dubai-based companies DED cannot assist consumers if the product or service has been bought from unlicensed retailers or sellers, such as street vendors.

How do I file a consumer complaint?

- Contact DED through Ahlan Dubai on +971 600 54 5555 - Send email to consumerrights@dubaided.gov.ae - Send a fax on 04-2020 707 Include a copy of all supporting documents, such as receipts.

What happens after I make a formal complaint?

When a formal complaint is lodged with DED, the department will then act as an informal negotiator. When the department receives the complaint, it will look at it to decide: - What the dispute is about and options for helping to resolve the issue; - Whether the law has been broken; or - Whether the matter would be better handled by another organisation – in this case the department will refer you to the most appropriate organisation.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