Companies that deceive consumers under the guise of discount campaigns have been fined.

In the meeting held by the Advertising Board on November 12, advertisements and unfair commercial practices that deceive consumers, exploit their lack of experience and knowledge, and cause consumer grievances were examined.

In the meeting, 151 out of 164 files were found to be in violation of the legislation, and it was decided to impose a total administrative fine of 19 million 616 thousand 776 lira, along with a suspension penalty, regarding advertisements and commercial practices that are extremely effective in determining shopping preferences.

Additionally, it was decided to temporarily suspend 2 files that required intervention due to insufficient information and to impose access restrictions on 29 files.

NEARLY 224 MILLION LIRA FINE IN 11 MONTHS

In the first 11 months of 2024, the Board reviewed a total of 1704 files, and it was decided to impose suspension penalties and a total administrative fine of 223 million 939 thousand 186 lira for 1509 files identified as containing misleading advertisements or unfair commercial practices.

The Advertising Board decided to investigate numerous advertisements and commercial practices related to discounted sales. Out of 14 files that were completed, 12 were found to be in violation.

WARNING TO CONSUMERS FROM THE ADVERTISING BOARD

Considering that the November discounts are still ongoing, consumers were warned:

"It is of great importance for consumers to accurately determine their needs before shopping, conduct preliminary research about the seller/provider, investigate the price of the goods or services compared to their counterparts, pay attention to the discount amounts or rates, check whether the website address belongs to the seller or provider, be cautious of pages directed through social media channels, check for security elements such as SSL certificates and 3D security on the website, and read the preliminary information that must be communicated to the consumer in detail before making a payment."