She advised customers to ensure the validity of the company's license and not to be led by "social media" ads

«Emirates Consumer Protection» calls for a special system linking shipping companies with regulatory authorities

• Not writing the contents of the boxes and the shipment as a whole from the mistakes made by the consumer. Getty

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The Emirates Society for Consumer Protection called for the need to develop a special system for shipping companies, linked with the competent regulatory authorities, and to terminate the companies' license and prevent them from practicing the profession, in the event that serious violations are proven, with the company bearing the cost of any movables that are lost or damaged, at a time when it called on customers to ensure the validity of the shipping company's license, and to choose a good company with experience, and not to be led by advertisements that have nothing to do with reality sometimes.

She explained to «Emirates Today» that it received complaints related to the loss or damage of movables during shipping operations, which causes losses to consumers, pointing out that the recent period has witnessed the activity of several shipping companies, announcing their services on social networking sites, by publishing information and pictures different from the company's status or capabilities, and attracting customers at reduced prices.

The association confirmed the existence of well-known and large companies in the shipping sector that solve any problem quickly, and cover the required costs, as stipulated in the contract concluded with the consumer.

Consumer Protection

Jassim Al Ali, a member of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Society for Consumer Protection, called for protecting consumers from the practices of some shipping companies that cause serious losses and financial damages to them, and to develop a special system for shipping companies linked with the competent regulatory authorities, to be aware of what is included in the transported shipments.

He also stressed the need to terminate the company's license, and prevent it from practicing the profession in the event of serious violations or fraud from them, such as placing products and shipments that the customer is not aware of, with the company bearing the cost of any movables that are lost or damaged, in the event that the contents of the shipment are not written in detail, pointing out that some companies only mention the number of shipments without clarifying their contents in detail.

Complaints & Expertise

Al-Ali revealed that the association has received many complaints against shipping companies related to losses, loss, and damage to private movables, pointing out that the recent period has witnessed the activity of several companies, advertising their services through social networking sites, publishing information and pictures different from the company's status or capabilities, and setting very low prices to attract the consumer.

He pointed out that some of these announced companies do not have sufficient experience in transport, shipping, and how to preserve movables.

Cases and tips

Waleed Jaber Al Naqbi, a member of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Society for Consumer Protection, stressed the importance of paying attention to the presence of offices affiliated with the shipping company in the country from which it is shipped.

He said that «the complaints department in the association monitored the complaints of consumers who were severely affected in the country to which it was shipped, after there were reports from the customs administration stating that there were no holdings inside the shipment», pointing out that the mistake committed by the consumer is that he did not write the contents of the shipment.

He added: «There are cases that may occur, such as the disappearance of international brands inside the shipment, as well as opening boxes and placing things that do not belong to the customer who owns the shipment, and in the event that he submits a complaint to the official authorities in the country to which it was shipped, he discovers that the company does not exist, and that its headquarters is a store only, which makes it difficult to obtain his rights», referring as well to cases of dealers whose return to their country is final, and there is no one to represent them to file a complaint, as there are complaints that require recourse to the judiciary And pay a large fee.

Al-Naqbi called on customers to ensure the validity of the company's license, and to choose a good company with experience, and not to be led by advertisements that have nothing to do with reality sometimes, and to write all the contents of the shipment, even if they are many, and set a maximum date for the delivery of the shipment so that the delay is compensated in the event of occurrence.

He also stressed the need for the customer to insist that the contract concluded with the company include clauses that protect his rights, especially since most companies are satisfied with writing in the invoice that in the event of loss or damage to the product, they compensate the consumer with a small amount that does not cover losses, especially if the consumer does not keep the purchase invoice for the product that shows its value.

Well-known companies

Al-Naqbi said: «There are well-known and large companies in the shipping sector, which solve any problem quickly, and cover the required costs as stipulated in the contract concluded with the consumer, but some companies disavow the resolution of the complaint, or procrastinate in resolving it, and hold the consumer responsible, which leads to the transfer of some complaints to the court, due to the company's lack of response to the solutions reached by the regulatory authorities concerned with resolving these complaints».

Regulatory Authorities

He noted that the regulatory authorities intervene in the event of a complaint against the shipping company, and in the event that the violation is proven, it is required to compensate the consumer, in the event that the loss or damage of the shipment is confirmed, in accordance with what is stipulated in the law, and based on the contract concluded with the consumer, and in the event of rejection, the laws of the country shall apply to it.

Al-Naqbi continued: «There are laws binding on shipping companies, at a time when the regulatory authorities oblige them to respect the laws, and oblige companies to write compensation in the invoice signed in the event of loss or damage to the product, but the losses are sometimes heavy, and the papers between the two parties are insufficient, so they are transferred to the court for adjudication».

Customers present their experiences with shipping companies via «social media»

Customer Shadi Sobeih said that he «agreed with a shipping company - published ads for its services on social networking applications - to ship his property after the end of his work in the UAE, to discover after the arrival of the shipment, the disappearance of many of his valuables and the destruction of some of them», stressing that he «filed a lawsuit against the company is still pending before the judiciary, to compensate him for the damages».

For his part, the customer Anwar Mohammed said that he «discovered after the arrival of his property to his home country a lack of it, in addition to that the shipping company used his shipment to transport clothes, perfumes and sports shoes that he does not know anything about, and discovered the absence of the headquarters of the shipping company in the shipping country, which made it difficult to obtain his right, and he had to submit a report to the security center». As for the customer, Amal Badawi, she presented her case, saying: "She agreed with a shipping company - published advertisements for its services on social networking sites - to transfer her belongings, but it did not arrive in full, and that the company is evading its responsibilities, at a time when it has not yet been able to obtain compensation."