Consumers complain of loss of rights due to the «paper invoice» and warranty period

«Consumer Protection» calls for centers for the rehabilitation of technicians «repair centers». and the application of electronic invoice

• Technical training centers will allow the selection of workers on the basis of competence, which supports consumer protection. Getty

• Mohammed Abdullah Al-Naqbi: "The application of the electronic invoice protects the rights of consumers from loss or manipulation."

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The Emirates Society for Consumer Protection stressed the importance of applying the electronic invoice urgently in car repair centers, electrical appliances, mobile phones, spare parts stores, and all parties related to the technical repair process, to protect the rights of consumers, as well as the establishment of rehabilitation centers that grant the necessary training and licenses to work in technical repair centers.

Consumers revealed to "Emirates Today" that they were exploited by some technical repair centers, and the warranty period was limited to devices, and they had to pay large sums of money in cases including the loss of the paper bill or its damage.

Consumer Complaints

In detail, the consumer Ahmed Abdul Aziz said that the technician in the repair center identified the defect in the refrigerator he wanted to repair, and asked for a large amount for the purchase of an original spare part, noting that he agreed to do so, but the refrigerator broke down after days, so the technician asked him for another amount to buy another piece, reasoning that the warranty period contained in the invoice has ended, as it is only a week.

Abdulaziz considered this an unacceptable exploitation to obtain more money, calling for mechanisms related to the warranty period, and raising the efficiency of repair technicians, to ensure the rights of consumers.

For her part, consumer Manal Kamal said that the technician who repaired her mobile phone caused another problem with the device, forcing her to pay another amount to buy a spare part to fix the new defect. Kamal called for mechanisms to guarantee the rights of consumers, and not to expose them to exploitation, as well as to verify the competence of repair technicians before hiring them.

In the same context, consumer Saif Farouk presented his experience, saying that he repaired a technical defect in his vehicle at a technical center, after purchasing the necessary spare part, according to the technician's instructions.

He added that the defect appeared again, but the technical center demanded that he pay a new amount of money, due to the loss of the bill, pointing out that the center did not recognize his rights without an invoice.

Farouk suggested using a "digital" alternative to paper invoices, after the state has made great strides towards digital transformation.

Consumer Azza Mansour agreed on the need to find an alternative to the paper bill that preserves the rights of consumers, stressing that she was exposed to a similar situation after her bill was damaged, which obligated her to pay large sums of money to the repair center.

Non-professionals

In addition, the Secretary-General of the Emirates Society for Consumer Protection, Mohammed Abdullah Al-Naqbi, said: «In theory, there are guarantees for consumers' rights, but when the consumer goes to regular repair centers that are not affiliated with the original agent, he sometimes falls victim to some non-professional technicians who sometimes cause damage to the device without repairing it, at a time when the warranty on the repair process is a maximum of a week, so that the technical center after this date evacuates its responsibility».

Al-Naqbi pointed out that some technicians, whether in electrical and electronic repair centers, or in car repair workshops, ask for large sums in exchange for installing original parts, without the consumer knowing whether they are original or not.

E-Invoice

Al-Naqbi called for the rapid application of the electronic invoice in car repair centers, electrical appliances, mobile phones, spare parts stores, and all parties related to the technical repair process, outside the "agent", in order to protect the rights of consumers from loss, or manipulation, especially in the event of loss of the invoice, as the consumer does not have any rights over the party from which he bought, or that took over the repair task, as the invoice is a contract between the consumer and the repair authorities.

Rehabilitation Centers

As part of its responsibility and role in protecting consumers, the association called for the establishment of training centres that grant technicians the necessary licences to work in repair centres, and that such centres be accredited to select qualified and experienced workers.

He added: «In the event that the technical worker fails the tests, the technical centers must pay fees for the technical workers to attend a new training course, provided that their work is not approved until after passing the course successfully».

He stressed that this proposal, if implemented, will lead to the selection of workers on the basis of competence, which supports consumer protection, and trust between technical repair centers and consumers.

Invoice data

Mohammed Abdullah Al Naqbi, Secretary General of the Emirates Society for Consumer Protection, said: "The electronic invoice should have the customer's data, the type of service provided, the date of service performed, the start and end date of the warranty, and proof of purchase of used spare parts with a code number of their own, allowing the consumer to visit the repair center."

He added that the electronic invoice should be registered electronically in a system for the company, and the warranty period should be reasonable and not short, provided that it is sent to the consumer's phone or mail, and thus he can review the authority that took over the repair.

He stressed that the association receives several complaints about technical repair centers, and when searching, it discovers that the consumer sometimes lost the paper bill.