Operators of jewellery stores and travel agencies in Doha, including some souvenir shops in Souq Waqif, have told Gulf Times that they are not imposing extra charges or commissions from point of sales (POS) transactions.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce, which has recently issued a circular against exacting additional fees from POS transactions, said many complaints have been filed by consumers “who have been charged additional commissions when paying for their purchases using credit or ATM cards.”
According to an Indian expatriate, he was asked to pay an extra “service charge” for using his credit card at a jewellery store in Doha. The MEC circular stipulates that the practice is a violation of consumer rights, specifically the right to use ATM or credit cards “as a payment method in line with Qatar’s vision to develop banking services.”
Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, supervisors of three popular jewellery outlets operating inside a hypermarket said their stores adhere to the MEC’s objective that POS transactions “should be regarded as cash payments.”
This was reiterated by Santhosh T V, regional head of Malabar Gold & Diamonds, who said that “cashless transactions have now become the norm, which many people find convenient.”
“We do not charge any extra fees or percentage from customers who use either credit or debit cards as a mode of payment. In fact, we encourage point of sales transactions, and it is actually part of our company policy not to impose any additional financial burden on our clients,” he said.
However, a supervisor of another jewellery outlet said his store charges a 5% service charge if a customer uses either American Express or Diners Club credit cards. “We honour all types of credit or debit cards and we don’t charge extra percentage except when a customer uses American Express and Diners Club,” he explained.
But the new MEC circular now guarantees consumers the right to choose their own payment methods. “No additional commissions under any form should be imposed on clients when purchasing or returning products that were paid for using credit or ATM cards through the POS system,” the MEC stressed.
A staff of a leading travel agency here said: “Our company does not impose charges on POS transactions. Our customers pay only the exact amount of the product that they want to purchase. And usually, before they enter their PIN onto the POS terminal, what is reflected there is the same amount in the transaction.”
Santhosh explained that many people today prefer to transact business using credit or debit cards, “especially for big purchases.”
“Besides, since salaries here are transferred directly to debit cards, many employees find the POS system convenient rather than withdrawing money from ATMs,” he noted.
This was echoed by Mohamed Rayees, who works for a souvenir shop inside Souq Waqif. He said aside from citizens and residents, many of his customers are tourists, who usually purchase items using credit cards.
“There are around five souvenir shops inside the souq that use POS terminals and many tourists find it convenient, especially when they don’t have the local currency anymore. It saves them the trouble of looking for an exchange house,” Rayees said.