(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Charging any form of commissions or additional fees from customers when they make payments using credit or debit (ATM) cards is a serious violation of their rights, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) warned commercial outlets yesterday.
"Card payments should be regarded as cash payments," the ministry ordered in a circular while asserting that it is the consumers' right to make purchases using credit or ATM cards as a payment method in line with Qatar's vision to develop banking services.
"Many complaints have been received from consumers who have been charged additional commissions when paying for their purchases using credit or ATM cards," the ministry explained.
In order to guarantee the right of consumers to choose their own payment methods, no additional commissions under any form should be imposed on clients when purchasing or returning products that were paid for using credit or ATM cards through the Point of Sale (POS) system.
The ministry will co-ordinate with Qatar Central bank to warn commercial outlets in this regard.
Shops that fail to comply will have their contract with the bank immediately revoked.
According to the agreement terms, retailers are not permitted to receive any commissions in exchange for payment by credit or ATM
cards.
Judicial police officers from the ministry will intensify their inspection campaigns to uncover perpetrators and take legal action against them.
Qatar Central Bank will co-ordinate with other banks that provide POS services in Qatar in order to warn partner stores against charging consumers any form of commission for the use of credit or ATM cards.
The ministry called on store managers and service providers to comply with the provisions of the circular, and to brief all staff members and employees of its content in order to avoid being subject to legal action and disciplinary administrative procedures.
The ministry stated it will intensify inspection campaigns in order to ensure the protection of consumer rights as well as the compliance of shops and service providers with the provisions of Law number (8) of 2008 as well as their agreements with banks pertaining to POS systems.
Consumers are urged to express more concern for their rights. It is their duty to communicate the issue to the competent authorities at the MEC should they be charged any additional fees for using credit or debit cards through the following channels: Hotline: 16000, e-mail: info@mec.gov.qa, Twitter: @MEC_Qatar, Instagram: MEC_Qatar, and MEC mobile app for Android and IOS: MEC_Qatar.
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