Turkish consumers mostly complained about online shopping last year

ISTANBUL

Consumers in Turkey have filed most complaints about online shopping experiences, banking as well as internet service providers last year, while arbitration boards settled 870 million Turkish Liras ($64,1 million) worth of dispute.

In 2021, the most consumer complaints came from the e-commerce sector with around 415,000 complaints, which corresponds to 13.8 percent of the total number, according to the Turkish customer complaint website Şikayetvar.

With 322,000 complaints, finance was the second most frequently complained about sector, followed by internet service providers, cargo companies and the stakeholders in the shopping sector.

When the sub-fractions of the e-commerce sector were examined, it has been observed that online marketplaces dominate the field with 207,000 complaints.

Online food delivery stands out as another category that was most frequently complained about in this sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the financial sector in 2021, while consumers complained mostly about banks, there is a noticeable increase in complaints on cryptocurrency platforms.

Complaints about internet providers grew in 2021, when companies were unable to provide services in places with infrastructure problems, forcing the customer to pay a withdrawal fee and giving the customer false information about their campaigns.

Meanwhile, arbitration boards settled 870 million liras ($64,1 million) worth of dispute in 2021, according to a statement made by the Trade Ministry. Nearly 52 percent of the decisions taken were in favor of consumers.