“The society gives utmost attention to all affairs concerning consumers, catering to their interests as well as protecting, preserving and defending their rights,” said SSCP chairman Muhamamd Al-Hamad. He said the society was making a serious effort to protect consumers against fraud, forgery and cheating.

Habibullah Turkistani, a professor of public administration and marketing, criticized the society for not doing its work properly.

“The society claims to be fairly new but this is not an excuse. There are many ways in which it can carry out its activities, including providing advice to traders not to cheat or unjustifiably raise prices,” he said.

Turkistani said about 99 percent of specialized societies in Saudi Arabia were not functioning properly. He also criticized the society’s publications and said they fell short of satisfying consumers. “I did not find a single word that could attract the consumer,” he said.

A number of speakers asked the society to introduce TV programs that would increase consumer awareness and also called for lessons on the subject in schools.