Ministry of Trade imposes 230 million TL fine on 40 e-commerce firms

In a statement from the Ministry of Trade, it was stated: "Distance sales, which are increasingly gaining share and importance in retail trade, have become indispensable for consumers due to being an easy, fast, and practical shopping method. On the other hand, the inability to physically see and check the products subject to the contract in such shopping, and the lack of face-to-face communication with the seller, make consumers more vulnerable to abuse. For this reason, the full and accurate information of consumers in these purchases, as well as their rights regarding withdrawal from the contract and product delivery, are of great importance, and these issues are guaranteed by the Regulation on Distance Contracts."

The following information was provided in the statement:

'ON ISSUES WHERE CONSUMER GRIEVANCES ARE CONCENTRATED...'

"In this context, in line with consumer applications submitted to our Ministry in 2024, in order to protect the economic interests of consumers, our Ministry has conducted examinations and inspections on issues where consumer grievances are concentrated, primarily including order cancellations made on the grounds that the product is not in stock without the consumer's knowledge and consent, failure to deliver purchased products within the periods specified in the legislation, and failure to refund the price within the specified period regarding contracts terminated by consumers due to non-compliance with these periods. In this scope, administrative fines of approximately 230 million Turkish Liras were imposed on 40 of the 42 firms inspected in 2024, which were found to have practices contrary to the legislation.

Furthermore, in order for the activities of 7 firms to be evaluated within the scope of the crime of fraud as defined in Articles 157 and 158 of the Turkish Penal Code No. 5237, 7 investigation reports were prepared in addition to the examination reports and forwarded to the relevant Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices.

As has been the case until now, our Ministry will continue to carry out effective, intensive, and widespread inspections within the framework of Law No. 6502 and the Regulation on Distance Contracts to protect consumer rights and prevent unfair competition."

News Source: 12punto