Dubai Issues Guidelines For Clear Online Pricing, No More Hidden Food Delivery Fees

Dubai has introduced new guidelines for online food delivery platforms to eliminate hidden fees and improve transparency, to protect consumers and raise industry standards.

New guidelines issued by the Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade (DCCPFT) on Tuesday require online food delivery companies to clearly break down all delivery and service charges, as well as forbidding“hidden” fees.

The DCCPFT, part of Dubai Economy and Tourism, published the framework to ensure online food delivery companies remain transparent and fair in their platforms, maintain high business standards, and attract further investment in the online food delivery sector.

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The general transparency requirements are as follows:

• Food delivery platforms must use plain, clear and easily understood language.

• Platforms must clearly display all disclosures that are easily noticeable.

• Disclosures must be presented equally, no matter the platform versions (web, mobile apps, tablets) and operating systems (iOS, Android).

• Information cannot be hidden or left out, which can affect the customer's choices.

The guidelines, published on the DET website, stated that all fees and commissions must be clearly stated to the customer to avoid ambiguity. Delivery websites or apps should provide a detailed breakdown of all charges before checkout, including the cost of food items, delivery fee (and whether the fee varies by location), service/convenience fee, and taxes.

Additionally, there should be no hidden charges, meaning additional fees that were not disclosed at checkout can't be added after a payment is made. It stated that any service fees, surcharges, or pricing changes without prior notice to consumers may be regarded as inconsistent with these guidelines.

The guidelines specified that the term 'exclusive' should refer to factually accurate items, special deals, discounts, or promotions and cannot be misleading. The language used has to be direct and clear to the consumers and should in no way be ambiguous, it said. Additionally, if these 'exclusives' are available only through the platform itself and not other platforms, then it should be clearly noted in the platform itself.

For platforms offering subscription-based models, they should not pass the cost of benefits to restaurants through non-transparent, misleading, or indirect methods, such as additional delivery fees, inflated commissions, or bundled service charges.

“The online food delivery sector has witnessed robust growth in recent years, and we recognise the vital role the delivery platforms play in contributing to the overall growth and innovation of Dubai's food and hospitality sector,” Ahmad Ali Moosa, Director of Fair Trade & Business Protection at Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection & Fair Trade, said.

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