JEDDAH — Citizens are demanding a greater role for the Consumer Protection Association (CPA) to control the soaring prices of consumer goods. Hussain Al-Sayed demanded that prices of consumer goods and other important items be closely monitored. Prices are being manipulated, he said. "The same item can be found at different stores for different prices. "This indicates that prices are being set by stores without any control and this should be the most important issue for the Ministry of Commerce.” Omar Mohammad asked the minister of commerce to monitor and control the influx of fake electronic appliances and equipment that have saturated the market, and are a potential hazard to the public. These fake appliances and equipment have resulted in many accidents, some of which were fatal, he said. “They should be brought under control immediately,” he said. Bandar Mohammad confirmed that most consumers are complaining about the prices of imported consumer products. But, he said, several locally produced products are highly priced. Mohammad asked the minister of commerce to enforce strict monitoring and control of products and prices. Adna Rozi believes that the Minister of Commerce should continue what he started two years ago — naming and shaming corrupt bodies and business owners. He said the market was in dire need of an effective CPA role to combat price hikes and combat the menace of fake products. Ahmad Omar said there should be open channels of communication between consumers and the Ministry of Commerce to report any violations. Huthaifah Al-Qurashi asked for the expansion of the CPA's role to monitor the market, and that its role should not be educational only. He questioned the efficacy of CPA if it did not have the authority to deal with violations. "If the CPA's role is not truly realized, then it is better to scrap it completely," he said. Fahad Al-Jehani believes the number of monitors should be increased and that inspection campaigns should be conducted periodically. He added that if inspection campaigns remain in their current status, the markets and prices will also remain the same. Naser Ibrahim asked that shops be forced to place prices clearly on goods that workers cannot change. He claimed that if the Saudi Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce, publishes prices on its website, consumers will be provided with such information before buying goods. Noora said prices should be set by a government body to prevent manipulation by some companies for unjustified reasons. The editor-in-chief of "Al-Wajh" newspaper, Ibrahim Al-Bluwi, said there is no branch of the Ministry of Commerce in Al-Wajh. He added that citizens are looking forward to such a branch to monitor prices and deal with fake products. Majed Al-Harthi, executive manager of a real estate company, mentioned the importance of the real estate market, as it represents the second source of income after petrol. He pointed out that more than 37 years ago, the Ministry of Commerce set up a special committee to regulate the real estate sector, but it has not been effective in regulating the market. "This has resulted in a chaotic situation in the real estate sector as prices are skyrocketing due to the absence of effective control measures," he said asking the minister of commerce to pay great attention to this important sector.
