Be careful when shopping online with virtual cards!

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The Consumers Association (TÜDER) warned consumers about the online shopping and discount days planned to be held in Turkey in November under various names and campaigns.

TÜDER President Levent Küçük stated that consumers should be conscious and cautious during the discount concept expected to spread throughout November in e-commerce. Emphasizing that consumers primarily positively evaluate "genuine discounted sales," Küçük noted that they have also encountered businesses and companies that make false discounts under the name of discounted sales during this process.

"SHOPPING SHOULD BE DONE ACCORDING TO NEEDS"

Küçük advised consumers to purchase products suitable for their needs and stated: "In recent years, there has been a trend of increase in e-commerce, which we refer to as online shopping and remote sales in Turkey. Our consumers have now embraced electronic commerce, and remote sales are on the rise. Many companies are preparing to implement discounted sales and various campaigns in November. Our first advice to consumers is to shop according to their needs. Sometimes companies engage in advertising and promotional activities to increase sales; shopping according to our needs should be our primary priority. The most important thing in e-commerce is to shop from secure e-commerce sites; this is the critical point."

Küçük stated, "Especially during these discount periods, some malicious individuals create fake websites through social media accounts, use fake visuals, and attempt to deceive consumers by showing product prices as low, engaging in fraudulent activities."

THIS IS MANDATORY TO SEEK LEGAL RIGHTS

Küçük advised consumers to thoroughly research the websites they will shop from, and made the following evaluations: "They should ensure that the website is secure and please be careful when shopping from social media. Because if there is no legal counterpart when you make a purchase, if you do not have an invoice for your purchase, and if there is no seller registered with the chamber of commerce or tax office, you cannot seek your legal rights. There must be a legal seller in front of you, and we must shop from a secure website."

"CONSUMERS CAN APPLY TO CONSUMER ARBITRATION COMMITTEES FOR MATERIAL DAMAGES AND DISPUTES"

Küçük pointed out that consumers should compare the prices and products from several sites for the product they will purchase and suggested that they check whether the product is original.

Highlighting that some sites sell non-original products during such intense shopping periods, Küçük continued: "Additionally, some businesses list products that are not in stock for sale, despite it being prohibited. Therefore, consumers should please pay attention to whether the product they purchased is in stock and how many are available. Especially during this process, there is a lot of congestion in shipping, delays occur, and sometimes products or cargo packages are damaged."

In this sense, if possible, they should open the cargo package together with the cargo personnel when the product is delivered, check it, and in case of any issues, initiate the return process. Consumers should not forget that they have the right to withdraw without any justification within 14 days for online sales.

HERE ARE THE NECESSARY AUTHORITIES FOR COMPLAINTS

Küçük provided information on what consumers should do in case of encountering material damage, stating, "First, it is necessary to contact the company. If the company does not cover our material damage, in case of an adverse situation, we can apply to the provincial or district Consumer Arbitration Committee where we reside. Applications can be made to the provincial or district Consumer Arbitration Committees for material damages and disputes up to 104,000 lira."

"THE PLACE WHERE THE PRODUCT IS PURCHASED AND THE NAME USED FOR PAYMENT MUST BE CONSISTENT"

Levent Küçük also emphasized the use of bank cards and credit cards in shopping.

Pointing out that the most critical issue in this regard is shopping from a secure website, Küçük made the following warnings: "During this period, we especially advise our consumers to use virtual cards, as they are relatively safer. Because you are shopping with a defined limit on the virtual card. In addition to preferring secure websites, it is also necessary to use an approved secure payment system, and card information and passwords must never be shared with others. If consumers encounter a fake website, they should immediately report it to the law enforcement agencies and file a complaint. EFT and wire transfers should not be made to different names and titles. The place where the product is purchased and the name used for payment must be consistent. The seller and the person to whom the money is sent must be the same, and we must have an invoice in hand. We want our consumers to be very careful during these days, which we anticipate will be busy, to avoid being victimized."