The Ministry of Commerce reminded citizens who go on summer vacation about the points they should pay attention to regarding hotels and package tours.
In a written statement from the ministry, it was stated that “In the summer season we are in, our consumers who are trying to make a choice among the intensive advertising and promotional activities carried out by organizations operating in the tourism sector should pay attention to the following points. The accuracy of the facility pictures, corporate logos and signs included in the content of the offer received via communication channels such as social media, text messages or e-mails should be questioned. Before making a purchasing decision, it should be investigated whether the preferred travel agency or tourism facility is registered with the relevant public institutions and organizations. In this context, consumers can inquire whether the travel agencies and tourism facilities are certified and how many stars the tourism facilities have from www.kulturturizm.gov.tr and www.tursab.org.tr. Especially in contracts signed by distance transportation, it should be checked that the address, title and contact information of the travel agency or tourism facility are included on their websites and that their websites are registered with the Electronic Commerce Information System (ETBİS), the travel agencies’ own websites should be preferred instead of purchasing via social media and these points should be taken into consideration during the payment phase.”
‘PACKAGE TOUR CONTRACT MAY BE TERMINATED’
It was stated that consumers were unable to participate in previously planned tours due to certain problems, especially as a result of reservations made long before the start date of the tour in package tour contracts. “In such cases, consumers have the right to terminate the package tour contract. Accordingly, the consumer has the right to terminate the package tour contract and to receive a refund of the package tour fee, excluding legal obligations such as mandatory taxes, without any deductions, provided that the notification of termination is made in writing or via permanent data storage at least thirty days before the start of the package tour. If the termination notification is made less than 30 days before the start of the package tour, a deduction of a certain amount or rate may be made, provided that it is specified in the package tour contract.”
‘COMPENSATION CAN BE DEMANDED FOR WASTED HOLIDAY TIME’
The statement continued by noting that, without prejudice to the provisions of the Travel Agencies and Travel Agencies Association Law No. 1618 regarding compulsory insurance, the package tour organizer is liable for any damages suffered by the consumer due to the non-performance or improper performance of the contract. The following was noted:
“The consumer can also claim appropriate compensation for wasted vacation time. In addition, the optional insurance application offered to consumers by various travel agencies, which allows cancellation of package tour or hotel accommodation reservations without paying a penalty within a certain period of time before they start, is considered to be in the interest of our consumers. Within the scope of Law No. 6502, two institutions are authorized to resolve individual consumer disputes: Consumer arbitration committees and consumer courts. In the event that consumers are victimized due to the practices of companies and defective or incomplete performance of the contract, they can apply to the consumer arbitration committee for disputes with a value below 104 thousand TL for 2024, and to the consumer court for disputes above this amount. As a condition of the lawsuit, it is necessary to apply to a mediator before filing a lawsuit in the consumer courts.”
Source: bigpara.hurriyet.com.tr
