Khaleel, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for Consumer Affairs, blamed mayoralties for the rise in vegetable prices and said his organization is working to upgrade its performance. Al-Khaleel said an international company has conducted a study for Ministry of Commerce to help it improve its work in consumer affairs. He said the study included results that were forwarded to the relevant authorities and added that there are ongoing discussions with the Ministry of Finance to implement them. “The Complaints Unit in the Ministry of Commerce has received 8,000 complaints from consumers and we are dealing with them,” he said. Al-Khaleel said, the Interactive Center receives citizens' complaints around-the-clock, sends an SMS to the complainant, “Thank you for calling and your report number is …,” and the complaint is then forwarded to the appropriate authority for investigation. He said some complaints are dealt with on the same day they are received and others can take a month, depending on their nature; some complaints are related to other agencies, which have to be contacted. After a complaint is reviewed and addressed, the complainant is informed about the result. He confirmed that the Ministry of Commerce has licensed three laboratories and agreed with two companies to establish two laboratories in the Eastern Province for testing tires. There is one laboratory in Riydah for testing tires.
