MCI Continues Monitoring Consumers Misleading Advertisement, also investigating the Violations of Cars Companies that Offer Seasonal

15 Sep 2014
Offers which do not Include Details of Prices and Clear Payments
 
MCI continued its monitoring campaign on consumers misleading commercials. Five car companies were detected publishing illegal promotional ads in the media, which included seasonal offers on cars without clarification of the details, or giving clear price offer. Fines were imposed on those involved and publishing such ads was stopped, as well as those responsible were summoned for investigation and taking the legal procedures against them.  

The details of the recorded violations on the ads had shown that no clear information about lease-purchase system, or about the monthly installments, others are misleading the consumers to guarantee the value upon sale, as well as not stating the quantities covered by the offers, no details of prices in others. In addition, not mentioning the condition of the final payment, the time limit of the offers, and the administrative fees and insurance are not mentioned as well.  

MCI emphasizes the continuation of following-up all the commercials in the media to verify their legality and conformity to reality, and to ensure that the consumers are not exposed to fraud or deception, and it will follow-up and respond to their notification, stressing that it will apply the regulations on the violating institutions.  

The Ministry announced earlier that it had stopped the commercials for 5 companies including violating and misleading offers for consumers in the media over the past period, and ordered the concerned companies to remove the brochures and posters of such offers. 

The Ministry said, at the time, that the violating ads included mysterious offers by a car company which do not include the prices, the duration of the offer, or any other details, in addition to a number of ads requiring the purchase to enter the contest "lottery", and offering discounts on specific commodities that are not mentioned, some ads are contrary to what is stated in the license. 

The Ministry advised earlier the companies, institutions and factories, not to compel the consumers to purchase as a condition for participation in the contests, offers and raffles organized by them, or put a voucher of the contest within the item, or to increase the prevailing price of the commodity during the contest, along with the commercial institutions should not carry out any contest or make advertisement unless obtaining a license, according to the Anti- Commercial Fraud System. 
 
The Ministry stressed before, that the payment of any amount or requesting the consumers to buy against participation in the contest is one of the activities of "lottery", essentially forbidden in the kingdom according to regulations. 

MCI announced at that time that it had detected 4 commercial companies publishing advertisements for holding contest and requiring the purchase against the participation. The Regulation had been applied against the violating institutions, and such ads were stopped. In addition, taking measures including fines and publishing the verdict in the local newspapers on a number of violating companies and institutions, and those involved were summoned for  investigation and taking the legal procedures against them. 

MCI calls on all the consumers to report their complaints on the violating companies of the contest conditions as well as the offers and discounts, to the Notification Center at the Ministry on the phone No. 1900.
Last Modified 26 Dec 2018
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