21.01.2026 22:16
According to the data announced by the Ministry of Trade, out of 907,515 applications made to consumer arbitration boards in 2025, 849,143 were resolved, and complaints amounting to 12.4 billion lira were addressed. The city with the most complaints was Istanbul, and the most complained product was shoes.
The Ministry of Trade announced the data regarding the applications made to consumer arbitration boards in 2025.
907 THOUSAND 515 APPLICATIONS WERE MADE, 849 THOUSAND 143 WERE DECIDED In the statement made by the ministry, it was reminded that consumer arbitration boards serve as out-of-court resolution bodies for disputes between consumers and sellers or providers. The statement indicated that the boards enable fair, quick, and easy resolution of consumer disputes, while also significantly reducing the workload of the judiciary. It was noted that approximately 19 million consumer disputes have been resolved by consumer arbitration boards without going to court so far. The statement mentioned that the boards continued to work intensively to serve consumers in 2025, stating, "In 2025, 907 thousand 515 applications were made to consumer arbitration boards, of which 849 thousand 143 were decided. The monetary value of the applications amounted to 12.4 billion lira. A 20% increase in the number of applications was recorded compared to 2024."
72% OF APPLICATIONS WERE MADE THROUGH E-GOVERNMENT The statement reminded that consumers can easily apply to arbitration boards through the Consumer Information System (TÜBİS) available on e-Government, and it was reported that 72% of last year's applications were made through e-Government, indicating that the electronic application method was preferred more by consumers.
ISTANBUL WAS THE MOST COMPLAINING CITY In the statement reporting that 58% of the applications in 2025 were made by male consumers and 42% by female consumers, the following expressions were included: "When looking at the age distribution, the highest number of applications was made by consumers aged 30-40, accounting for 32%, while the least applications were made by consumers over 65, accounting for 3%. Last year, the highest number of applications was made in Istanbul with 235 thousand 253. Istanbul was followed by Ankara with 100 thousand 958, Izmir with 60 thousand 722, Bursa with 33 thousand 581, and Antalya with 28 thousand 45. The city with the least applications was Ardahan with 561."
The statement noted that the highest number of applications among provincial consumer arbitration boards was made to the Istanbul Provincial Consumer Arbitration Board Presidency with 24 thousand 506, and among district consumer arbitration boards, the highest number of applications was made to the Yenimahalle District Consumer Arbitration Board Presidency in Ankara with 14 thousand 13.
THE MOST COMPLAINTS WERE ABOUT SHOES The statement emphasized that 64% of the applications made to consumer arbitration boards were based on claims of defective goods and services, stating, "36% of the applications were related to defective goods, and 28% were related to complaints about defective services. When looking at the product categories, shoes, clothing, and textile products accounted for 19.6% of the total applications, ranking first. This was followed by mobile line subscriptions with 4.75%, credit card membership fees with 3.97%, furniture with 3.71%, mobile phones with 3.61%, and internet subscriptions with 3.11%. The rate of applications related to e-commerce purchases (distance contracts) was also 5.19%."
The statement reported that the highest number of applications, 484 thousand 170 (53.35%), was related to the retail trade sector, followed by subscription services with 104 thousand 112 applications and financial services with 86 thousand 637 applications.
The statement indicated that the ministry and consumer arbitration boards continue their efforts to protect the economic interests of consumers with determination, stating, "Our citizens can obtain detailed information about their legal rights and solutions to their complaints from the relevant sections of the consumer guide available on our ministry's website at https://tuketici.ticaret.gov.tr/yayinlar/tuketici-bilgi-rehberi. Applications can be made to arbitration boards for disputes valued below 186 thousand lira for the year 2026 through the e-Government channel or by submitting a written petition to our Trade Provincial Directorates and all district governorships."