Saturday 22 / August / 2026
Muscat: A notable consumer-related case in Oman has highlighted the legal obligations surrounding promotional contests after a participant who was announced as the winner of a car was instead handed a wall clock.
The case was featured in Al-Mujtama’a wa Al-Qanun (Society and Law), a publication issued by the Public Prosecution, which examined the case as part of its coverage of judicial trends concerning promotional offers and sales incentives.
According to the publication, the Muscat Court of Appeal, Commercial Circuit, issued its ruling on November 10, 2003, ordering the defendant to pay OMR 3,600 to the claimant, equivalent to the value of the car he had won in the promotional campaign.
The claimant had reportedly been announced as the winner based on the coupon number he held. However, when he went to collect the prize, he was given a wall clock instead. The organisers allegedly argued that the first prize — the car — belonged to the holder of a coupon whose number was announced last, contrary to what had been publicly announced.
The magazine highlighted the case in the context of judicial approaches to promotional sales and prize-based offers, stressing the importance of protecting consumers from promotional practices that seek to attract them at their expense.
It also noted the need to enforce the law against promotional offers that violate applicable requirements, while distinguishing them from legitimate offers that do not undermine consumers’ freedom of choice.
