ARTICLE
28 January 2015

Turkey Raises Fines For Consumer Protection Violations By More Than 10%

EA
Esin Attorney Partnership

Contributor

Esin Attorney Partnership, a member firm of Baker & McKenzie International, has long been a leading provider of legal services in the Turkish market. We have a total of nearly 140 staff, including over 90 lawyers, serving some of the largest Turkish and multinational corporations. Our clients benefit from on-the-ground assistance that reflects a deep understanding of the country's legal, regulatory and commercial practices, while also having access to the full-service, international and foreign law advice of the world's leading global law firm. We help our clients capture and optimize opportunities in Turkey's dynamic market, including the key growth areas of mergers and acquisitions, infrastructure development, private equity and real estate. In addition, we are one of the few firms that can offer services in areas such as compliance, tax, employment, and competition law — vital for companies doing business in Turkey.
On December 27, 2014, the Turkish Ministry of Customs and Trade issued its Communiqué on Administrative Fines Applicable in 2015 under Consumer Protection Law No. 6502, raising fines for consumer law violations by more than 10%, effective January 1, 2015.
Turkey Consumer Protection

Recent development

In Turkey, consumer complaints against sellers and manufacturers may only be brought in Turkish consumer courts if the amount in dispute is above a certain threshold. These thresholds are set shortly before the beginning of each calendar year. Consumer complaints below the jurisdictional thresholds may only be brought in a consumer arbitral tribunal. On December 27, 2014, Turkey set the thresholds for 2015 in its Communiqué on Monetary Limits Set Forth under the Consumer Protection Law and the Consumer Arbitral Tribunals Regulation (Communiqué No: TGM-2014/2), raising the thresholds by 10%.

Under this communiqué, consumer complaints below the threshold of TRY 3,300 (approx. USD 1,400) must be submitted to consumer arbitral tribunals, whereas those above this threshold must be submitted to consumer courts.

Possible implications

If the consumer fails to submit his/her complaint to the appropriate consumer arbitral tribunal or consumer court, his/her application will be subject to rejection at the preliminary examination phase. This would also allow defendant companies to raise a valid objection.

Baker & McKenzie

At Baker & McKenzie, we provide sophisticated advice on consumer law matters. In addition to advisory services, we represent our clients before consumer arbitral tribunal and consumer courts and provide tailor-made consumer law trainings. Please contact us if you would like more information on how to comply with these requirements.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

Mondaq uses cookies on this website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Learn More