Q: I owe Etisalat money by postpaid subscription. Will I be able to leave Dubai for an emergency vacation or will I be held at the airport?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, In January 2013, I subscribed to a tourism package with a registered company in the UAE. We signed a contract and paid AED 11,000 for the package. However, the company has not been providing us with the promised services. We have decided to cancel the subscription and request a refund. The company initially said that we would be eligible for a refund after 6 months, but now they are saying that we will only be refunded after 1 year, and that is only if management approves. The exact clause that describes the cancellation policy is: “A subscription cancellation request received within 7 days of the enrollment/payment date may be eligible for a refund after deducting 30% administration charges and the cost of any utilized services, if any.” Their subscription fee is 11000 and we were not informed of a separate administration charge. They are not willing to refund. Isn’t it illegal to deny that right to a customer? Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide!

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I went for a session at a fitness studio in Dubai. Before booking an appointment, you have to pay for the session. They send you a payment link and then you can book a session. So I did this, I paid using the payment link they sent to me. I booked my appointment for tonight at 7:30 pm. I was unable to make my appointment due to client meetings running overtime. I work in a law firm myself, so you can understand how it is sometimes. They sent me a message on WhatsApp that they would mark me as a “no show” and then they sent me a screenshot of their booking and cancellation policy, which they should have informed me of before, but failed to. Their booking & cancellation policy states that "no show" is 100% fees applicable. My argument is that I deserve a refund of my money as they did not inform me of such a policy PRIOR to anything. What can I do to get my money back?

An interview-format article covering the topic of contracts in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

The provisions of this law, promulgating UAE Civil Code, govern the civil transactions in the United Arab Emirates. The commercial transactions remain subject to the laws and regulations applicable in their regard.

The provisions of this Federal Law, known as the "New Consumer Protection Law", govern Consumer Protection regulations in the United Arab Emirates. The New Consumer Protection Law repeals the previous UAE Consumer Protection Law (Federal Law No. (24) of 2006 on Consumer Protection).

The Law sets up the legal framework for the protection of consumer rights in the UAE. The Law establishes the Higher Committee for Consumer Protection and the Consumer Protection Department, and sets up the fines for breach of its provisions.