To: Dubai Department of Economic Development,      
Consumer Protection Division



COMPLAINT

From: Luca Patane
United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Discovery Gardens, MED 69, apt 303
<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_EMAIL_ADDRESS>
Date: October 08, 2024

I am writing to file a formal complaint against Grabatoz (website: https://grabatoz.ae/) for potentially multiple violations of consumer rights as per the UAE Federal Law No. 15 of 2020 on Consumer Protection and related Dubai regulations.
On September 20, 2024, I purchased a laptop (HP OMEN 16-WF0083DX Gaming Laptop Intel Core i9-13900HX 16GB Ram 1TB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB 16" Full HD IPS 165Hz Win11 ENG Keyboard Black Color) from Grabatoz for 4,1999 AED.
Upon receiving and using the laptop, I discovered severe overheating issues. The device reaches temperatures of 56-67 degrees Celsius while idle (1-4% CPU usage) and 75-86 degrees Celsius during light gaming (League of Legends, with only 10-12% CPU usage). 86 being the highest I could see because after it got blue screen (pc automatically shuts down when It’s too hot for safety). The keyboard becomes uncomfortably hot during use.
I contacted Grabatoz support about these issues. They said that at my expense I should send the laptop back and warranty will repair it In case of issues, however, since it was defective since the start I either want a refund or a functioning product from the start.

initially dismissed my concerns, stating the temperatures were normal and not to warry since it’s under warranty, however the item was defective, and I don’t think this is under warranty case, because It got delivered with issues, they didn’t occur due to my normal usage. After my insistence, they promised to contact HP but failed to provide any follow-up information.
I then independently contacted HP Middle East. During a screen-sharing session of almost 2 hours, their support agent conducted tests and acknowledged the abnormally high temperatures. The agent then informed me that this laptop is a "Grey Market" model, intended for the USA market and not meant for sale in the UAE. This means the warranty is only valid in the USA, making local repairs or replacements problematic, long and potentially costly.
Grabatoz never disclosed this crucial information about the product being a Grey Market item. They had assured me of a one-year warranty without mentioning any limitations or complications.
When I attempted to return the laptop, Grabatoz informed me that a full refund is only possible if the item is still with the factory seal. Otherwise, a 15% return fee would apply. This contradicts their advertised 15-day return policy for any reason, as advertised on the main page where I saw the laptop.
In an effort to resolve the issue, I contacted the manager and he told me to send a video and then they’ll let me know within minutes. I agreed to send video evidence of the laptop's performance issues. I sent a video showing temperatures of 60-67 degrees Celsius while idle, which Grabatoz's manager insisted was normal despite HP's contrary opinion.
I also reported that the laptop was buggy and froze several times, and experienced blue screen crashes. When asked for proof, I sent another video showing the laptop crashing during a game of League of Legends. Again, Grabatoz's manager said he passed the issue to the hp team and they didn’t see any issues or crash/issues. This is ridiculous as the HP assistant I talked to, which had remote control of my device for 2 hours, check all driers and bios updates and setting and he then said that it’s not normal. Since obviously there’s a clear conflict of interest with Grabatoz and whatever HP support they contacted I don’t feel safe anymore, and I feel like they’re trying to trap me.
A second consultation with HP Middle East support confirmed that these problems are not normal and indicate a defective device. They provided a summary of the identified issues.
Despite all this evidence, Grabatoz has only offered to test the laptop themselves. Given their previous responses and refusal to acknowledge clear evidence of malfunction, and the deceiving marketing techniques I am hesitant to send the laptop back without any guarantee of a fair assessment or refund. It now has been 18 days since I bought a laptop which I needed for my work (being a digital freelancer I need a powerful pc to edit) and I am still unable to have it, this shouldn’t be so complicated and it’s compromising my work.
Grabatoz's stance has shifted from initially promising full responsibility and emphasizing the one-year warranty to now denying accountability and redirecting me to HP. However, as mentioned, HP Middle East has confirmed they cannot service this Grey Market item under warranty in the UAE.
This situation has left me without a properly functioning product and no clear path to resolution, which I believe constitutes a violation of my consumer rights.

Facts of the Case:
1.	On September 20, 2023, I purchased a laptop (HP OMEN 16-WF0083DX) from Grabatoz for 4,1999 AED.
2.	The website on the laptop’s page advertised a 15-day return policy for free.
3.	Upon use, the laptop exhibited severe overheating issues and performance problems, it crushed multiple times, the keyboard is uncomfortably hot while laptop is being used. 
4.	I discovered the laptop is a "Grey Market" item, not intended for sale in the UAE, with warranty complications.
5.	The seller failed to disclose the Grey Market status and its implications.
6.	The seller is now refusing a full refund unless the item is with factory seal, while a customer would assume that it being an electronic device it has to be tested, therefore opened, in facts there’s not a 15 days return policy for laptops as to test it, it has to be opened
7.	The seller refuses to admit that there are any problems in presented videos. 
8.	The seller offers to inspect the device, and if issues will be found it’ll be repaired under warranty, however, the item was defective from the start, and selling me a defective item and then repairing it under warranty it’d effectively give me a renewed item. Instead, when I buy a brand new laptop I expect to have a brand new functioning laptop.

I believe actions of the seller may violate following laws: 
1.	Misleading Advertisement: The seller might have violated Article 25 of Federal Law No. 15 of 2020, which prohibits misleading advertising. I believe the 15-day return policy was misrepresented. Amazon has a 15-day policy return, and they take items back even if they are opened, they both advertise a 15-day return policy but they are completely different.
2.	Failure to Disclose Material Information: The seller might have violated Article 7 of the same law by failing to disclose that the product was a Grey Market item, which I believe is material information affecting the consumer's decision, as it affects his ability to have the item fixed under warranty within an appropriate timeframe
3.	Defective Product: The laptop's performance issues might violate Article 5(1) of the law, which guarantees the consumer's right to products that meet standard specifications. 
4.	Warranty Misrepresentation: The seller's assurance of warranty coverage might violate Article 12, which requires accurate information about after-sales services and warranty.
5.	Unfair Contract Terms: The return policy might contradict the Dubai Consumer Protection Regulations, which protect consumers from unfair contract terms. Only being able to return an electronic device if it has the brand seal, making it impossible to test it.

I respectfully ask the Consumer Protection Division to:
1.	Investigate Grabatoz for these violations.
2.	Facilitate a full refund of the purchase price (4,1999 AED) without any deduction.
3.	Take appropriate action to prevent such practices in the future.

I am prepared to provide all necessary evidence, including correspondence with the seller and HP support, to support this complaint.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response and resolution of this issue.

Sincerely,
<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PERSON> 

this is the letter i want to send to dubai consumer's rights can you please rewrite it without chaning or modifying the facts? also write an up to 1000 characters long introduction to explain the issue before they open the actual attached file