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Illegal vendors sell cellphones outside shops

ABU DHABI - Shops selling mobile phones have complained that they were losing sales to unauthorised persons, soliciting customers and preventing them from entering their shops.

Several mobile phones shop owners told Khaleej Times that despite lodging complaints with the Abu Dhabi Municipality and police about this illegal activity, there is no end to this practice of individuals selling used mobile phones in front of their shops. They suspect that these individuals are mostly selling stolen mobile phones.

The frustrated shop owners said they were losing business and incurring lossess and are in the process of seeking the help of the Ministry of Interior to tackle the nuisance.

They said they have tried their best to persuade these unauthorised vendors to go elsewhere for their business and not to do business in front of their shops.

Several individuals, mainly Asians, loiter around the more than 200 mobile shops at the Defence Road, selling used and new mobile phones jumping on customers intending to buy or sell used phones from the shops.

They offer lower prices than the shops.

The business is on its peak on Friday evenings. The shop keepers said that since they had been doing business legally and had been paying rents to the extent of Dh50,000, the authorities must tackle the problem seriously.

They said they had sent a “complaint eight months ago to the municipality and the police only to be told that nothing can be done”.

“Most of the shop owners have sent a letter to the municipality and Al Shabiya Police Station protesting against this illegal selling of used phones. Both authorities informed us this was not of their concern and that they were not entitled to do anything towards this annoying phenomenon,” Abdul Lateef, owner of ‘The Prince’ shop for mobile phones on the Defence Road, told this reporter.

Hassan Ali Ahmed, owner of ‘Mohsin Razeeq Mobile Shop’, said: “This is illegal and not permissible under the law. As shop owners, we are obliged to fulfil many regulations to run the business. We are instructed by the Ministry of Interior and the police department to keep records of names and nationalities of the persons who approached us to sell their used mobiles, in addition to the serial number of the device to make sure that the telephone was not stolen.

“How come illegal vendors, who are not committed to any regulations compete with us and cause shop owners huge lossess? Some of us tried to negotiate with them and convince them to find another place to market their products but they were defiant and seemed determined to stick to the pavement near our shops.”