(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Retail outlets in Oman will soon be required to issue invoices in both Arabic and English to help prevent disputes between retailers and consumers, according to the deputy chairman of Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP).
Speaking to Muscat Daily, Omar Faisal al Jahadmi said that the move is part of PACP's efforts to protect consumers and make them aware of what they are buying and the rates in the language they understand better.
''There have been complaints that people do not understand fully what is written on the invoices because they are in English. The plan is to direct all retailers to give invoices in both Arabic and English because the majority of consumers in Oman speak Arabic,'' he said.
Pointing to the system followed in other GCC countries, Jahadmi said, ''The move has been a success in our neighbouring countries and we hope consumers in Oman too would benefit.''
Jahadami, however, did not provide a timeframe within which the new move would come into effect. ''As for the retailers, such as supermarkets and hypermarkets, there should not be any major problem in adopting the new system. However, we will give them enough time to do so before we decide to take any action,'' he said.
Many have welcomed the move. ''Arabic in Oman is more widely understood than English and I don't understand why we have invoices only in English. Many of the consumers don't really understand what their rights are because of the language barrier. The PACP's directive to use both Arabic and English will help all to know what their rights are,'' Ahmed Suedan, a government employee, said.
Recently, the Council of Ministers had granted approval for PACP to issue a decision on making Arabic mandatory on invoices. It said the move would 'maintain consumers' right to know details of commodities they are buying and the services rendered'. The statement added that the respective agencies should be given suitable time to prepare before the decision is implemen
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.