Consumer Protection Law · Federal Law 15 of 2020
Article 23
Chapter Three: Consumer Rights' Protection
English translation
Use of Experts and Laboratories Subject to the aforementioned Federal Law No. (28) of 2001, as amended, the Ministry or competent authority – whenever required or in the event of a conflict between the provider and the consumer – may request to inspect the commodity or the service at the laboratories, on condition that the provider incurs the cost of the inspection if it is found that the commodity is invalid. The Executive Regulation of this Law shall determine the controls of applying this Article.
Official translation, as published by the portal.
Official Arabic text
الاستعانة بالخبراء والمعامل مع مراعاة القانون الاتحادي 28 لسنة 2001 وتعديلاته المشار إليه، يجوز للوزارة أو السلطة المختصة كلما اقتضت المصلحة العامة أو في حال الخلاف بين المزود والمستهلك طلب فحص السلعة أو الخدمة لدى المعامل أو المختبرات على أن يتحمل المزود نفقة الفحص إذا تبين عدم صلاحية السلعة. تحدد اللائحة التنفيذية لهذا القانون ضوابط تطبيق هذه المادة.
What it means when you sign
This article gives the Ministry or the competent authority the power to ask for a commodity or service to be inspected at laboratories. It can do so whenever the public interest requires, or when there is a conflict between the provider and the consumer. The article is made subject to Federal Law No. 28 of 2001, as amended. If the inspection finds the commodity is not valid for use, the provider bears the cost of the inspection. The controls for applying this article are left to the Executive Regulation of the Law.
When you are about to sign a contract with a provider, this article means that, in a dispute over a product or service, the authority may send it for laboratory testing and the provider pays if the product turns out to be invalid. A clause that tries to make the consumer pay for testing in every case, or that rules out outside inspection, may sit uneasily with this article. The clauses to look at are those on complaints, inspection, testing and who bears costs when a product is found faulty.
Not yet cited in a Fahm report; shown because it sits in the same chapter as one that is.
Related articles
- Article 24Cited in Fahm reportsThis article gives the consumer the right to claim compensation for personal or material damage caused by using the commodity or service, in line with the legislation in force in the State.
- Article 25This article is about e-commerce.
- Article 20This article places a duty on the provider, meaning the business that supplies a commodity or service to consumers.
- Article 21Cited in Fahm reportsThis article forbids a provider from including any term in a contract with a consumer that would cause the consumer harm.