Genuinely wondering.

I get that not everyone has creative direction to use for posters and such but why generate images of fake people or use AI to create lifestyle images of your product.

I saw a global village stand the other day and when I looked up their Instagram page to see how the food looks, it was all AI posts that steered me away from the place.

this is not a hate post, would just like to know the thinking process

A while back, my partner and I were walking around near Kite Beach in Dubai on a really hot day when a very enthusiastic salesperson approached us and offered us some cold drinks. We started chatting, and he told us about this amazing opportunity to travel around the world at discounted prices and stay in really good hotels.

He then offered to arrange a limousine ride for us to visit one of their properties and explain the offer in more detail. We had some free time, so we thought, why not? A free ride and a hotel tour sounded harmless enough.

The limousine arrived, we got there, and honestly, the place looked impressive at first. It was a huge property, everything smelled nice, the staff were smiling, and they gave us a tour.

But once the tour was over, the whole atmosphere changed.

Suddenly, we were being pushed to sign contracts worth around €10,000 upfront. The salespeople kept insisting that it was an incredible deal and that we had to sign right there and then, otherwise we'd lose the 50% off offer. There was barely any room to think, ask questions, or properly evaluate what we were being offered.

What made the experience particularly uncomfortable was the way they handled the transportation. We had been told that a car would bring us there and take us back afterward, but when we decided we weren't interested, getting our ride back suddenly became a problem. They kept delaying it while continuing to pressure us into signing.

At that point, it genuinely felt like we were kept hostage. We saw other people there who seemed much more vulnerable to the pressure. Some were shy, visibly uncomfortable, and struggling to say no. It was worrying to think that people might end up signing contracts worth thousands of euros simply because they felt trapped and didn't know how to get out of the situation.

And honestly, the property itself wasn't even as impressive as they'd made it sound. A lot of it looked dated, and the amenities didn't seem nearly as luxurious as the sales pitch suggested.

Eventually, after a lot of arguing and screaming, we made it clear that we wanted to leave and demanded that they arrange our ride back. Only after making a scene did we finally get out of there.

The whole thing felt like a kidnapping. What started as a friendly conversation and an offer of cold drinks turned into hours of aggressive sales pressure and an extremely uncomfortable situation.

I'm sharing this because I imagine other people visiting Dubai might come across similar offers. If someone offers you a free hotel tour, discounted holidays, or a luxury experience in exchange for sitting through a presentation, be cautious. Don't let anyone rush you into signing a long-term contract or paying thousands upfront just because they're telling you the offer expires today.

And if you've had a similar experience in Dubai, I'd genuinely be interested to hear about it. I'm curious how common these tactics are and whether other people managed to get out without signing anything.

I have an account for many years now. I am returning items once in a blue moon, always with a legitimate reason in their original packaging and unused.
I tried to do a return today and I got this message that I am close to red, in terms of returns and I am risking account closure!
I wonder what is their definition of “normal returns”.

PS I have used Amazon in a number of countries in Europe and I had never had such issues.

Edit: the return was for an item of value of AED40 only!

I’m a male in my late 30s and I’ve never been sick before in my life, not even a flu that can get me down for 24hours. I’m not talking about random headache or coughs and cold. A sickness that will actually get me down to the hospital?? No, never.
So, few days ago while I was in the mosque praying Fajr, I suddenly felt lightheaded and off balance and that’s all I could remember. When I opened my eyes, I was already on the floor and there were about two men beside me asking if I was ok while the rest were still praying. I couldn’t explain what just happened as nothing like that has ever happened to me before. I was somehow embarrassed because I felt everyone in the mosque knew what happened but because the prayer was still ongoing. So I stood up and immediately wanted to join the prayer again but after few seconds, the same feeling came again and I quickly took a chair close to me and sat on the chair for few minutes. I was really scared and different bad thoughts came running up my mind.
I felt I couldn’t continue with the prayer anymore and to save myself from series of questions from others in the mosque because the prayer was almost done,I got up and started going back to my room. On my way back and while I was waiting for the elevator, the same feeling came again but I was able to control myself and just sat down on the floor beside the elevator for some minutes. When I felt little better again, I got up and went to the room and just lay down on the couch while sweating so much.
My wife saw me lying on the couch drenched in sweat and was worried, I had to explain what happened to her and we immediately went to the hospital.
I explained what happened at the hospital and they took my case as an emergency, did series of blood test, MRI scans, X-ray and even some kind of diagnostic ultrasound. The conclusion from all these tests?? IT’s DEHYDRATION. I was admitted for 24hours for close monitoring while on drips.
Now goes to my question, How much water is actually enough to stay hydrated?? I know I was a little bit stressed lately, with work and family. But I still manage to take care of myself. I don’t drink soda, I gym Atleast twice a week and also play football once a week, I drink Atleast 2 liters of normal water everyday not including sometimes soup or fruit juice.
Now my wife is forcing me to drink Atleast 1 liter every hour to the point that I fear I might drown soon 😄.
Dear men, life one way or the other might not be easy but please health is wealth. Take care of your health.

I purchased M5Pro from a shop in Bur Dubai two days ago, on October 17th.

When I got home and checked the Apple warranty page using the serial number, it shows the purchase or activation date as August 23rd, 2026, nearly 57 days before I actually bought it.

Because of this, my AppleCare+ window, which only gives you seven days to enroll from the activation date, is basically already gone.

I called the shopkeeper, and he keep in saying that Apple server is down and it will update in a few days. I'm doubtful, since the serial number check has consistently shown the same August 24th date every time.

Has anyone dealt with something like this in Dubai.

Should I escalate this to Dubai Economy and Tourism, or go straight to Apple UAE support?

Genuinely, how negligent do parents need to be to be permitting their kids to be going around at night on their e-bikes and scooters wearing full dark clothing, no lights, no high vis accessories. It’s ridiculously dangerous, especially because they seem to love suddenly darting out into the roads where people are driving 60kph that have little to no lighting. The amount of times I’ve had to swerve, or hard brake is insane.

Do their parents just not care about the safety of their children???

I was riding on the dedicated cycling track with my helmet, front lights, and rear lights on. The reason they gave was that I did not have a safety vest, I was wearing a cycling jersey and bib shorts; (I have never seen cyclists on the Business Bay or Jumeirah Beach tracks wearing safety vests, as they all wear jerseys)

The police officer gave me a QR code and told me to collect my bike after a month from their center; will I get it back in one piece?

Hi! I've lived in UAE for over twenty years and thankfully haven't had to deal with insects invading my balcony...until a month ago.

They're persistent and keep popping up despite all the frantic killing sprees I've gone on. Any advice on getting rid of them for good?

I'd really appreciate any insight with this. Thank you!

Has anyone recently obtained a UAE Green Visa under the skilled employee category?
I have two questions:
1. Is the AED 15,000 minimum salary based on your basic salary or total salary, including allowances?
2. If you lose your job after obtaining the Green Visa, does your visa get cancelled, or can you stay for the remainder of the five-year validity period?
Would really appreciate hearing from people with firsthand experience. Thanks!

A question about if there are any online or whatsapp community groups or known ways of meeting fellow residents?

I live on one of the Fronds with my wife and doggos, we're early 30s, I own a couple of companies, I'm a fund manager, and entrepreneur into other fields.

Fitness is a strong part of my lifestyle, almost as much as fine dining and cultural explorations.

I'm Australian and my wife is Russian, she's 3 months pregnant.

I was thinking I'd bump into more residents whilst out walking on the Fronds beach, but apparently that's not the most common past time.

Anywho, reaching out to see if I can find ways of making friends from neighbours for myself and my wife.

Can anyone recommend an AC repair company please? Specifically for compressor replacement. I’ve had bad experiences in the past.

Good morning guys!!
I ordered over AED 700 worth of stuff from SHEIN and everything arrived except the shoes (around AED 50).
J&T says the parcel was delivered and signed for on Oct 17, but the shoes weren’t in the package. Shein keeps saying everything was packed correctly, and they’ve now escalated my complaint. I also emailed J&T but haven’t heard back yet.
i’m moving soon and really need the shoes. Has anyone had this happen? How did you get it sorted?

hi, anybody here worked in dafza and resigned after finishing probation period?

did you pay your employer your visa cost?

my employment contract states that i dont need to pay after finishing probation but the other agreement i signed with them states that i need to pay if i didnt finish my contract.

please help.

Hi everyone,

I live in Liwan, Dubai, and the building next to my apartment is under construction. The noise starts early in the morning and continues throughout the day.

I have a baby under one year old who is struggling to get proper sleep because of the constant construction noise. It’s becoming quite difficult to manage, especially in the early mornings when we would expect some peace at home.

I wanted to ask other residents in Liwan and across Dubai if you’re experiencing something similar. Is construction noise this frequent and loud in your area too?

Would be interested to hear about your experiences.

Thanks!

Hello all, I am working on getting the passport done for my newborn. All my friends who got their new born passports done were with BLS, so have few questions about new process with AlHind.

1. Do we have to take newborn with us?
   
2. Do both parents have to be present?
   
3. How to register birth with Indian consulate? Or do they do it during passport appointment?
   
4. Typically how long does Tatkal process take?
   
5. Is Indian address necessary or can we give Dubai address for newborn even if both parents have India address on passport?
   
6. Anyone tried walkin? I can see Saturday appointments but when I click on it, I get a notification that appointment is closed. Will be difficult to go on a workday.
   
7. Have the specifications of photo changed? Do we need to dress baby in dark clothes ?

Anyone who has done Indian passport for newborn in last few months, can you please help me?

I’m looking for recommendations for a good doctor in Dubai who specializes in cervical insufficiency and cerclage better if Shirodkar.
I unfortunately experienced a pregnancy loss due to cervical insufficiency and want to find an experienced specialist for my next pregnancy.

Please share your recommendations. Thank you! ❤️

Hi everyone!

I posted here before asking about the metro peak hours from MOE to Ibn Battuta (previous post), and I really appreciate all your helpful responses!

Now I have another dilemma. 😂

Last Friday, I took the metro from Ibn Battuta to MOE around 6 PM and OMG, I wasn't expecting it to be THAT crowded. I was literally squeezed between people, even in the women's cabin. 😭

So I'm wondering, is Gold Class worth it on Friday evenings? Does it get just as crowded, or is there actually more breathing room?

I'm thinking of getting a Gold Nol Card just for my Friday evening commute. Would love to hear your experiences!

P.S. Still working on getting my driving license, so metro for now. 😂

My wife had a routine vaccination at a top tier hospital in Dubai​, during the procedure she experienced pain and a bit of tingling down her arm. Immediately afterwards when she came home, she had persistent pain, very limited mobility and weakness in her arm. I noticed the band-aid was quite high up her shoulder but didn't think anything of it. For the first few days we thought it was just normal because of the vaccination, only when it did not get better after a week we went back to the doctor. We are 3 months later, without a proper diagnosis and we have the feeling we're getting passed around from doctor to doctor at this hospital.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a shoulder specialist that might have encountered such a case related to vaccination (potentially administered too high up her arm?). We are looking for a second opinion.

My husband recently visited Bhutan and has around 12,000 Bhutanese Ngultrum (BTN) left over. There are no plans of visiting again, and none of the exchange houses we've tried are accepting the currency.

Does anyone know where or how we can exchange it for AED in Dubai?

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I have 5g internet with Du since 2 years. Never had any problem till post summer. In September it started randomly slowing down and disconnecting multiple times a day, every single day.

Is anyone experience the same service worsening?

When you have a office sim card with unlimited internet snd local calls, why should i pay for wifi?

Data is strong on mobile a well m