Laws protecting online purchase
Several regulations and laws protect customers who practice online buying. For instance, “under the UAE Federal Law No. 24 of 2006, consumer protection department of the Ministry of Economy and Economic Development Department in the emirates are equipped to deal with unfair trade practices” (May & El-Sadafy 2012, par. 7). The unfair business practices include online purchasing. This regulation gives UAE customers a right to present genuine complaints in order to receive reimbursement in the form of financial damages, personal inconveniency, and replacement of the product. However, the government of UAE has been vocal in urging customers to buy online from credible sites with very clear return or exchange policies (May & El-Sadafy 2012, par. 9).
What customers should be aware of?
Before engaging in an online purchase in the UAE, it is vital for the customer to access its merits and demerits, security of the transaction, and regulative organs that directly provide protection from unpredictable and unethical practices from online purchases. Since online stores do not give an option for wear, touch, trial of the product before purchasing, the customer should prefer reliable online shopping sites to minimize the risk of fraud (May & El-Sadafy 2012, par. 3).
Moreover, invasion of malware and malicious codes in online stores might turn a simple business transaction into ‘Hellgate’ transmitting virus to PC of potential clients within the UAE. Thus, the customer should prefer protected sites before engaging in online buying. The occurrence of some security threats has compromised the principles of authentication, privacy, and non-repudiation which is fundamental in protecting security breaches such as Denial of Service within the UAE. The most common threats include ICM Flood, Teardrop Attack, Plashing, Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks, and Brute Force Attacks. Thus, should the customer detect any of the above threats, it is necessary to report or opt for another site (May & El-Sadafy 2012, par. 5).
References
May, S., & El-Sadafy, M. (2012). Online gadget buyers in UAE are protected: Dh5, 000 fine for firms ‘cheating’. Web.