Türkiye is a tourism destination, with millions of tourists visiting our country every year. Our country generally hosts its guests under good conditions at affordable prices. However, in a tourism sector of such large volume, as in any sector, occasional discrepancies can arise. These discrepancies are sometimes limited to minor financial losses related to a holiday or accommodation, and at other times more serious accidents occur.
Accidents and discrepancies arising during the stay
Our clients come to Türkiye on package-tour contracts, and it can happen that the accommodation in which they stay does not meet the expected standards, or that the promised holiday services are delivered incompletely. In such cases, compensation may be claimed from the accommodation provider or the tour operator.
During the stay, accidents can occasionally occur where certain hotels fail to take the necessary safety precautions for their guests. For example, guests may fall due to non-compliant designs of hotel pools and stairways, sustaining ankle, knee and even spinal injuries. In such cases it is possible to claim both pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages from those responsible.
Accidents during extreme sports and activities
Türkiye offers excellent opportunities and geographical advantages for extreme sports and activities.
Our clients often opt for extreme sports while spending their holiday in our country. The most popular sports include paragliding, rafting, parachute jumping and bungee jumping. Hotels also commonly offer activities such as banana-boat rides, parasailing, ringo and quad tours.
In carrying out these sports or activities, certain safety measures are sometimes neglected, which can lead to accidents. As a result, mild to serious injuries may occur. As a natural consequence, both pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages may be sought from those responsible.
Expensive souvenirs, carpets and jewellery purchased on holiday
Owing to its diverse ethnic and modern lines, together with a rich culture of jewellery, ornaments, carpets and other souvenirs spanning from the past to the present, the Turkish tourism industry has established an international reputation. For this reason, tourists visiting our country often wish to be part of this beautiful culture by acquiring the magnificent products they see.
Unfortunately, some of these products are sold at prices far above their actual value, placing a financial burden on the tourists concerned. There are essentially two reasons for this. First, it is virtually impossible for people who are not professionals in the field to recognise the actual value of these magnificent products. Secondly, the sales teams of vendors at holiday resorts and of tour operators are highly skilled.
When all these factors come together, tourists tend to purchase products they do not actually want, sometimes paying four or five times the actual value. These sales may range from modest sums of EUR 1,000-2,000 up to EUR 50,000-100,000. In some cases, products advertised as certified turn out, in reality, to be counterfeit.
If you find yourself in such a situation, you should immediately seek legal advice and find out what rights you have under consumer protection law.
What can we do for you in such a situation?
- Where the conditions are met, we can obtain a refund through cancellation of the sale contract
- We can secure a price reduction or an exchange of the product
- If a defect has arisen in the product purchased, the product can be replaced with a new one
The client’s rights are first asserted through out-of-court negotiations in an effort to reach a settlement. Should no settlement be reached, legal proceedings will be initiated.
The legal steps to be taken following the incident you have experienced, the compensation that may be claimed and in what amount, will be explained to you by our specialist lawyers.