Ministry of Trade issues warning on 'legendary November discounts'

In a statement released by the Ministry of Trade, it was noted that efforts, investigations, and monitoring regarding actions that are inconsistent with commercial life and contrary to trade ethics are ongoing to ensure that citizens do not suffer grievances.

"Legendary November discounts" and "fabulous Friday discounts" are marketing methods that are highly preferred in Turkey, as they are all over the world, the statement emphasized, adding: "Distance/e-commerce shopping, which allows consumers to access a wide variety of products under favorable conditions easily and inexpensively, without time or location restrictions, especially with changing shopping habits, can also bring about certain consumer grievances. In order to prevent our consumers from experiencing grievances, especially during the discount campaigns carried out intensively via the internet and mobile applications starting in November, and to ensure that sellers or providers do not face administrative sanctions due to these grievances, maximum attention must be paid to certain issues in distance contracts."

Noting that consumers should accurately determine their needs before shopping, the statement included the following warnings:

"It is of great importance to conduct a preliminary investigation about the seller/provider, to research the price of the good or service to be purchased compared to its peers, to pay attention to the discount amount or rates, to check whether the website address belongs to the seller or provider, to be careful against pages directed through social media channels, to check whether security elements such as SSL certificates and 3D security are present on the website, and to read the preliminary information that must be provided to the consumer in detail before making a payment."

"DO NOT INCLUDE EXPRESSIONS THAT MAY MISLEAD CONSUMERS"

In the statement, a call was also made to sellers and providers organizing campaigns, stating that the start and end dates of discounted sales and the quantity of goods or services offered for sale in limited amounts must be clearly and understandably stated.

Emphasizing that expressions and images that could lead to confusion in discounts, mislead consumers, or create the impression that a larger discount is being applied should not be used, the statement included the following: "When calculating the amount or rate of the discount, the price prior to the discounted price must be taken as the basis; the lowest price applied within the 30 days prior to the date the discount was applied must be taken as the basis for the price of the goods or services subject to the discounted sale; and if there is a time or stock limit regarding the validity of the price, this duration and stock quantity must be clearly stated in the advertisements."

The statement noted that complaints regarding deceptive and misleading discount sales campaigns can be filed with the Advertising Board within the Ministry, and that consumers who have suffered a loss of rights in discount sales campaigns can apply to consumer arbitration committees or consumer courts, taking into account monetary limits.

News Source: AA