You Can Now Call This Hotline the Next Time You're Asked to Pay Minimum Charge in Egypt

In a phone call with DMC's talk show, Mesa2 DMC, General Atef Yacoub, head of Egypt's Consumers' Protection Agency, announced that legal consequences await business owners who impose minimum charge fees on customers. Yacoub urged citizens to contact Consumer's Protection Agency on 19588, in case they're asked to pay a minimum charge fee by cafes and restaurants, reports Youm7.

Yacoub further explained that consumers' protection law prohibits forcing citizens to purchase any goods or service, adding that, "violators of this law will be summoned by prosecution authorities."

"Only hotel restaurants and cafes are legally allowed to enforce a minimum charge fee that is determined by the Ministry of Tourism." Yacoub specified

The announcement comes less than a week after an Egyptian guy was killed in a Heliopolis café after refusing to pay the minimum charge fee.

(Photo by Associated Press)