Failure to Display Product Prices Is a Criminal Offence Under Qatari Law!
Many people mistakenly believe that concealing prices or failing to display them is a seller’s right, on the basis that the seller owns the goods or provides the service and is therefore free to deal with them as they choose. This belief is incorrect. Qatari law considers a seller’s failure to display the prices of goods offered for sale to be a criminal offence punishable by law. This principle is affirmed by Article (2) of Law No. (8) of 2008 on Consumer Protection, which guarantees consumers the right to obtain accurate information and data concerning the goods and services they purchase, use, or receive.
The Qatari legislator criminalized the failure to display prices and prescribed penalties for such conduct in order to protect consumers from unfair commercial practices. Concealing prices may enable certain traders to manipulate the value of goods by charging prices inconsistent with their actual market value, thereby allowing prices to be altered during negotiations with customers. Such conduct falls within the scope of commercial fraud and consumer deception.
In one case concerning this issue, the Qatari Public Prosecution charged a retailer with failing to display the prices of products offered for sale, as reflected in a judgment issued in January 2014. The prosecution sought the imposition of criminal penalties based on the following two legal provisions:
– Article (6) of Law No. (12) of 1972: This provision requires compliance with officially prescribed prices and imposes a penalty of imprisonment for a period of not less than one month and not exceeding one year, and/or a fine ranging from QAR 1,000 to QAR 10,000, on any person who sells or offers goods at a price exceeding the prescribed price, refuses to sell goods at the prescribed price, compels a purchaser to buy another product as a condition of sale, or makes the sale subject to any condition contrary to established commercial practice.
– Article (8) of Ministerial Order No. (1) of 1972: This provision requires hotels, restaurants, cafés, buffets, and other public establishments to display the prices of meals, food, and beverages offered for sale. It also requires hotels and other accommodation providers to display room rates, retail traders to display the price of every item they sell, and craftsmen and similar service providers to clearly display the prices of the services they provide.
Based on the foregoing charges brought by the Public Prosecution, the Criminal Court convicted the defendant and imposed a fine of QAR 5,000. The defendant appealed the judgment, but the appellate court dismissed the appeal and upheld the conviction. The defendant subsequently filed an appeal before the Court of Cassation. In its first review, the Court of Cassation quashed the challenged judgment and remitted the case to the Court of First Instance to be reheard by a different appellate panel. Upon reconsideration, the newly constituted appellate court again upheld the original judgment.
Conclusion:
Under Qatari law, the failure to display the prices of goods and services constitutes a criminal offence because consumers have a statutory right to receive accurate information regarding the goods and services they intend to purchase. This legal protection is designed to safeguard consumers against price manipulation and commercial fraud. Consequently, a consumer is entitled to pursue legal remedies against a seller who refuses to display the price of a product or service in violation of the applicable legal provisions.
