Smart shopping and your rights as a consumer

Shops are very good at getting you to spend. A few habits, such as checking unit prices, ignoring fake urgency and keeping receipts, protect your money and your rights.

Unit prices: compare like with like

• A unit price is the price per standard amount, such as per 100 g, per kg or per litre. It lets you compare different sizes and brands fairly.
• Bigger is not always cheaper. New Zealand's consumer protection agency warns that bulk buying 'can save you money. But not always.'
• Worked example: a 2 kg bag of rice at AED 18 costs AED 0.90 per 100 g. A 5 kg bag at AED 47.50 costs AED 0.95 per 100 g. The smaller bag is better value here.
• Check multi-packs too: a pack can look like a bargain but cost more per item than buying singles.
• If the shelf label does not show a unit price, divide the price by the weight yourself using your phone calculator.

Common sales tricks

• Urgency: countdown timers and 'only 2 left' messages are designed so you do not think too hard. Pause and ask whether you wanted it before you saw the offer.
• Price anchoring: a crossed-out 'original' price makes the sale price look small. Judge the current price on its own: is it worth that much to you?
• High-low pricing: some sellers raise the normal price so that discounts look bigger. Compare with other shops and track the price over a few weeks.
• Selling a dream: adverts link products to an ideal version of you. If you are picturing a 'new you' while entering card details, stop and think.
• Percentage check: 'was AED 400, now AED 280' is a saving of AED 120, which is 30 per cent. Only a saving if you would have bought it anyway.

Subscriptions and free trials

• Three subscriptions at AED 35, AED 25 and AED 40 cost AED 100 a month, or AED 1,200 a year.
• Before a free trial, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advises checking how long it lasts and how and when to cancel to avoid being charged.
• Watch for pre-ticked boxes that agree to ongoing charges, and untick anything you do not want.
• Put the cancellation deadline in your calendar the day you sign up.
• Check your statements every month for charges you did not expect, and keep a record when you cancel.

VAT in the UAE

• The UAE introduced Value Added Tax (VAT) on 1 January 2018. The rate is 5 per cent, according to the UAE Government portal u.ae.
• A limited number of goods and services are zero-rated or exempt.
• The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has said businesses must display prices that include tax, and that showing prices without tax is a violation (reported by Gulf News, 2020).
• To find the VAT inside a VAT-inclusive price, multiply by 5 and divide by 105. For a AED 105 item: 105 x 5 / 105 = AED 5 VAT, and AED 100 is the price before tax.

Receipts, faulty goods and complaints

• UAE consumer protection law is Federal Law No. 15 of 2020, amended by Federal Decree-Law No. 5 of 2023, according to u.ae.
• Consumers have rights to safety, to correct information about what they buy, to choose, and to fair compensation for harm.
• Businesses must give a dated invoice in Arabic showing the business name and address, the item or service, price and quantity. Other languages may be added.
• A business that refuses to repair, replace or take back a faulty product and refund the price can be penalised.
• Keep receipts (a photo works too) for anything valuable. To complain, contact the Ministry of Economy on 800 1222, or your emirate's economic department; in Dubai, consumerrights.ae.