It seems we are living in happy times these days. Good news seems to come from everywhere. Just recently, Commerce Minister Dr. Hashim Yamani issued a decree ordering the confiscating of all fake goods and giving them to charitable societies for distribution to the needy instead of destroying them.
Let us hope the decision will deter all those with no conscience and who do not hesitate to import counterfeit and low-quality products knowing very well that they will be sold under the names of famous firms that manufacture the originals, thus causing great damage for the sake of making quick and unlawful profits.
This kind of trade is detrimental to several parties, especially authorized agents and dealers who stand to lose a great deal from a flood of such goods in the market. They watch helplessly as the goods whose origins are unknown are sold at very low prices while at the same time authorized agents are required to service the goods. The difference in price between the genuine and the fake affects the credibility of the authorized dealers, who are often accused of being greedy.
Apart from being required to handle high-cost products as determined by the manufacturer, they have to incur other expenses, either for providing after-sales services or selling the required spare parts after building the required workshops.
Many of the big companies manufacture their products in other countries, especially in Southeast Asia, while ensuring the same standards of quality. These companies will reject any products that do not meet the specifications, regardless of where they were manufactured.
What happens with some factories is that instead of destroying the goods that fail to meet the specifications, they discreetly sell the goods to certain export offices. The offices then put the name of the famous brand on the product. Other factories simply produce low-quality goods, stick on the brand name and sell the goods as products of well-known companies. All it takes is adding or deleting a small letter from the brand name to make it appear genuine.
The flooding of our markets with fake low-quality goods of unknown origin is doing great damage to both the consumer and the local dealer. It is no wonder that a multiband radio sells for only SR30 and a watch carrying a famous and respected name for SR10.
The ministry must tighten controls over quality requirements and ensure quality laboratories have enough resources and manpower so that no product is allowed into the country unless it has been thoroughly examined and approved.
