Manama : Shaikh Hamad bin Salman Al Khalifa, Assistant Undersecretary for Domestic and Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, has affirmed the achievements made in the field of consumer protection.
These achievements include monitoring violations and addressing them, as well as receiving and resolving consumer complaints, he said.
In a statement to the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) on the occasion of World Consumers Rights Day, observed on March 15, Shaikh Hamad indicated that 99.1% of complaints received by the Consumer Protection Directorate at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce had been resolved by the end of 2023. These complaints, numbering over 7686, were predominantly related to commercial outlets, marking a 24% increase from 2022.
The Assistant Undersecretary stressed that Bahrain has enacted several policies and laws aimed at ensuring consumer rights protection and fostering trust between consumers and commercial entities, noting that these measures contribute to sustainable development and growth.
He praised the awareness of the citizens and residents in Bahrain of consumer rights and responsibilities.
Regarding complaint resolutions, Shaikh Hamad mentioned that the most common actions taken by commercial sector representatives, facilitated by the Consumer Protection Directorate, included refunds for goods or services (23% of complaints in 2023), followed by contract fulfillment according to the agreed terms (13%), and warranty repairs (6.5%).
He noted that consumer complaints spanned over 10 industrial sectors, with the highest number pertaining to electrical and electronic appliances (23%), followed by the automotive sector (11%) and the food sector (9%).
Moreover, Shaikh Hamad highlighted that the Consumer Protection Directorate had recovered over 166,000 Bahraini Dinars for consumers through refunds, with replaced goods valued at over 29,000 Bahraini dinars.
Under the legal provisions granted to the Consumer Protection Directorate, violations were identified and referred to the Public Prosecution or faced administrative closure. The fines collected from violating commercial establishments, due to consumer complaints without the provision of goods or services, amounted to 233,000 Bahraini dinars in 2023.
