The Public Authority of Consumer Protection (the “PACP”) issued Ministerial Decision 77/2017 promulgating the long-awaited Executive Regulation (the “Regulation”) of the Consumer Protection Law, which was promulgated by Sultani Decree 66/2014. This Regulation came into effect on 13 March 2017 and replaced the previous executive regulations of the Consumer Protection Law, issued under Ministerial Decision 49/2007. The Regulation will be the tool by which the Consumer Protection Law will introduce greater protection for consumers in Oman. The Regulation codifies and regulates the investigative powers of PACP and the conduct of its legally empowered officers. The Regulation has 52 articles, divided into five chapters and three appendices, which include the rights of consumers, duties and obligations of suppliers, the procedures of detecting potential violation and the administrative penalties that apply to confirmed violations.
The Regulation provides criteria for what are considered fake, spoilt and counterfeit goods. The Regulation authorises the chairman of the board of directors of PACP (the “Chairman”), after coordinating with the concerned entities, to issue a decision to suspend rendering a service or trading a good or to destroy a good if that good or service falls below any of the standards specified in the Regulation. Further, in case of a significant increase of the prices of commodities or services due to a crisis, natural calamity, exceptional circumstance or unusual event, after the approval of PACP’s board of directors and the Council of Ministers, the Chairman is authorised to take temporary measures to reduce and control such increase in prices.
It is important to note that the Regulation confers wide powers on the Chairman, who is empowered to take all measures that will ensure consumer rights, regulate the integrity of transactions in a manner that respects the general rules concerning the safety of goods and services, and ascertain that the goods and services are in conformity to the standard specifications provided for in the Regulation.
The Regulation also strengthens the rights of consumers. Appendix 2 of the Regulation contains an extensive list of the various types of goods covered by a statutory guarantee given by a supplier. If any goods falling within this category of goods are damaged or do not conform to the standard specifications or are not fit for the purpose for which it is to be used, the consumer has the right to exchange the product, have it repaired, or return the goods to the supplier, and recover its cost from the supplier, without any additional cost. Additionally, the consumer has been granted the right to compensation for damages incurred, in the event of exchanging the product or returning it and recovering its value. The consumer’s entitlement under this Article is subject to certain conditions, such as presentation of the receipt for purchase, and any flaws not being caused by consumer misuse. The Regulation also prescribes a two-fold obligation on the supplier to provide the consumer with an invoice for the purchased goods and/or services and to ensure that the consumer is informed of and accepts the contents of the receipt.
The Regulation sets out extensive responsibilities and duties of the supplier. Suppliers are obliged to declare safety threats to consumers and the consumer’s property that arise due to a flaw in the goods or services, immediately after discovery. In this case, the supplier must inform PACP and the consumers of this threat, then withdraw the goods from the market. Suppliers are prohibited from engaging in monopolisation of goods or services and trying to control the market, thus harming the consumer’s interest. As such, groups of suppliers are prohibited from coordinated price fixing.
As a remedial action, the Regulation authorises the legally empowered officers of PACP to freeze goods suspected of violating the provisions of this Regulation and to prevent them from entering the market until such time as PACP, or a court, releases them. After the investigation procedures are completed, PACP may take one of the following actions:
- Instruct the violator to remedy the situation and remove the violation immediately or within a specific time period;
- Impose an administrative penalty in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation and the decision issued in this respect;
- Impose an administrative penalty in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation and the decision issued in this respect and refer the file to the Public Prosecution in case the violation is punishable criminally in accordance with the law; or
- Discontinue the complaint administratively, if appropriate.
The administrative penalties specified in the Regulation are without prejudice to the applicable penalties under the Consumer Protection Law. The administrative penalties range from OMR 20 to OMR 2,000. Violations affecting the safety of consumers or their property range from OMR 100 to OMR 2,000.
The Regulation is an important step towards enhancing consumer protection, deterring suppliers from dishonest enrichment and holding them accountable, if necessary. The Regulation and the Consumer Protection Law give PACP’s legally empowered officers the discretion to investigate any commercial entity which provides goods and/or services, regardless of whether a complaint was filed against such supplier. This may have the desired effect of acting as a great deterrent to suppliers infringing upon the rights of consumers and, in instances where infringement does occur, an effective way to detect such violation of consumer rights and penalise suppliers accordingly.
