Tuesday 2 June 2026
The competent court in Muscat Governorate issued a number of judicial rulings convicting a commercial establishment operating in the travel and tourism sector and its representative after it was proven that they had violated the provisions of the Consumer Protection Law promulgated by Royal Decree No. (66/2014) and its Executive Regulation, due to their failure to provide services and uphold consumers’ rights.
The cases stemmed from 26 complaints submitted by consumers who had contracted with the establishment to organize tourism programs that included trips, hotel reservations, and transportation services in exchange for varying amounts of money. However, the complainants stated that they were unable to benefit from the agreed services due to delays and lack of communication. The matter ultimately resulted in the closure of the company’s premises and the non-fulfilment of its contractual obligations. The complainants attached copies of their contracts and payment receipts to substantiate their claims and requested full or partial refunds of the amounts paid. They further indicated that the closure of the company prevented them from obtaining any of the promised services, prompting them to seek assistance from the competent authorities to protect their rights.
Accordingly, the complaints submitted by the consumers were investigated and referred to the competent court. The judicial rulings issued in these cases showed that the courts convicted the establishment and its representative for failing to provide the agreed service to consumers and imposed graduated criminal and financial penalties. These included a prison sentence of six months against the first defendant (the establishment’s representative), in addition to financial fines amounting in total to OMR 5,200, requiring both the establishment and its representative to pay OMR 100 for each case. The rulings also ordered the refund of all amounts received from the consumers and obliged the defendants to bear the costs of the public action. This reflects the judiciary’s firm stance on protecting consumer rights and ensuring the recovery of funds in cases of breach of contractual obligations.
The Authority affirmed its continued commitment to enforcing laws and regulations with firmness, emphasizing the importance of establishments issuing invoices to consumers and fully complying with warranty provisions applicable to goods and services in order to safeguard consumer rights.