Last week, we witnessed two important events on protecting the consumer from commercial fraud and preventing the hazards of this economic menace that has reached alarming proportions locally and globally. The first event is local and the second concerns the European Union countries and its members. This is a lesson for us to follow.
The first event took place in the Chinese capital Beijing, on the sidelines of the visit by Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, deputy premier and minister of defense, to China. The visit witnessed the signing of an agreement between the two countries on a cooperation program between the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and the Chinese Quality Monitoring General Commission to prevent the flow of bad quality commodities from China, as it is the country that exports most of these commodities to Saudi markets. The agreement stated that several measures will be taken, including creating a blacklist for traders and companies dealing in such products.
Among the most important articles of the agreement is one that says deterrent penalties will be slapped on laboratories and authorities that provide “conformity certificates that violate local regulations and are involved in counterfeit commodities as well as punishing parties in both countries that try to smuggle imitation goods into the Kingdom.”
What is of concern to us is that the penalties should not be based on the previous or current mechanism, which does not exceed a fine of SR5,000 and then SR100,000, which are not deterrent for someone profiting millions of Saudi riyals from the import of bad quality products. These goods create a lot of problems and force consumers to spend extra money. Not only this, but the system for combating commercial fraud and protecting the consumer in the Kingdom does not function in a proper manner. The Consumer Protection Association is ineffective and there aren't any trained staffers to deal with this problem.
As to the other event that is of concern to us is the green light given by the European Commission Parliament to approve rules to be imposed on companies manufacturing mobile devices such as mobile phones and computers, to support a unified charger that is capable of charging all competing devices. This step will enable member countries to get rid of 6,000 tons of chargers that are sold in the market annually. This will benefit consumers and achieve success for the environment all over the green continent by reducing costs and avoiding waste.
Europe is determined to see this project become a reality by 2017 and this should be an inspiration for us in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and in the Kingdom in particular. The objective is to give more attention to serving the consumer and prevent environmental damage, which will lead to catastrophes for our future generations.
