Advertising Board imposes a flurry of fines in 7 months

In a written statement issued by the Ministry of Trade, it was noted that the Advertising Board, which operates within the ministry, reviewed and evaluated a total of 1,064 files during the first 7 months of this year.

The statement reported that out of 133 files concluded at the Board's meeting numbered 347 held on July 9, 116 were found to be in violation of regulations. It was announced that a decision was made to impose cease-and-desist orders along with a total of 21 million 350 thousand 201 Turkish Lira in administrative fines regarding the advertisements and commercial practices found to be non-compliant.

Additionally, the Board issued a decision to block access to 1 file.

NEARLY 22 MILLION LIRA IN FINES

The statement from the Ministry expressed that the promotional and distance selling practices conducted via the websites of retail businesses known as 'discount markets' were addressed in terms of unfair commercial practices. The statement included findings that, as a result of the examinations, it was determined that while membership was required to view and add products to the cart on the specified websites, it was necessary to check product stock for the purchase process. It stated, “It was determined that orders could not be completed because it was indicated that the product was not in stock even at the nearest branch, despite having a membership. As a result of the examinations, it was determined that information stating that ‘stock information may change according to the delivery address’ was missing on the websites where membership is required for consumers to view and purchase products. Furthermore, it was decided that consumers were misled because no information was provided regarding the validity period of the product price or stock limits, and administrative sanctions were applied. In order to prevent consumer grievances and increase compliance with advertising regulations, the Advertising Board has informed all advertisers in the electronic commerce sector by cooperating with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey and the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen.”

FAKE REVIEWS MISLEADING CONSUMERS PREVENTED

The statement further noted that the Board identified deficiencies in the regulation of consumer reviews that influence purchasing decisions in electronic commerce and took administrative sanction decisions against websites to prevent fake and misleading reviews, using the following expressions:

“These decisions aim to protect consumer experiences, especially in service sectors such as tourism and food and beverage. The Advertising Board has applied administrative sanctions against websites that do not sufficiently inform consumers about the ranking and conditions of evaluations and that include consumer reviews in violation of the rule allowing only those who have purchased goods and services to comment. In order to protect our consumers, the Advertising Board, operating under the Ministry of Trade, continues its examinations and audits to prevent the manipulation of our consumers' purchasing decisions through reviews that are not based on real experiences in online shopping.”

News Source: İHA