Turkey’s Advertising Board has fined a seller 1,083,706 Turkish lira after auto parts advertised for 111 lira were reportedly offered to interested buyers for between 5,000 and 6,000 lira. The board ordered the advertisements removed, finding that the price difference could mislead consumers.
What happened with the 111-lira auto parts listings?
The auto parts appeared on an online marketplace with a listed price of 111 lira. When consumers contacted the seller to buy the products, they were told that the parts were not available at that price and were quoted amounts ranging from 5,000 to 6,000 lira, depending on the order period.
The advertised price was therefore substantially lower than the amount buyers were asked to pay. The Advertising Board examined the listings and the seller’s pricing practices following a complaint or report.
Why did the Advertising Board impose a fine?
The board requested an explanation and official documents supporting the advertised prices. The company did not provide the requested documents to Turkey’s Ministry of Trade. The board concluded that the listings could manipulate consumers’ expectations and were misleading.
It ordered the relevant advertisements and promotional content to be taken down and imposed an administrative fine of 1,083,706 lira on the company.
How much did consumers say they were asked to pay?
The online listings showed a price of 111 lira, while consumers who contacted the sellers were quoted 5,000 to 6,000 lira. The reported difference was between 4,889 and 5,889 lira, depending on the quoted price.
What did Turkey’s Ministry of Trade say?
Bekir Kaplan, the ministry’s press and public relations advisor, said inspections would continue against practices that undermine transparent market conditions and expose consumers to misleading prices.
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