Turkey to offer safety stamp to protect consumers while internet shopping

A new system will provide internet shopping sites with a safety symbol to protect and reassure consumers, Turkish Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfenkci has announced.

The safety symbol system will increase the security of online shopping to the highest level, Tüfenkci said in a written statement, with an announcement of the plan to be made in the Official Gazette in the upcoming days.

Turkey's Customs and Trade Ministry will provide the safety symbol, which also ensures online privacy and a high standard of service, to internet shopping sites. The stamp will assure potential customers that the websites are controlled and approved by an official body, allowing them to shop with ease of mind.

Shopping through websites that are stamped with the safety symbol will also allow customers to request information about their orders from the website, place orders and make complaints by telephone, and contact customer support services.

The safety symbol system will also provide a quick and cost-free way of resolving disputes between consumers and websites, avoiding unnecessary complications.

"From now on, the sites that use this symbol will be followed more closely in terms of auditing and privacy. Sites that are safer and more compliant with privacy, will allow our consumers to see that there are guarantees on the products they buy reaching them without delays," Tüfenkci said.

Explaining the benefits of the stamp, Tüfenkci continued, "When we audit the safety and service standards, we can assure that if you buy a mobile phone you will not receive a camera instead, or if you buy a perfume they won't send a different brand."
"If something like that does happen with a site with this symbol, the ministry will intervene and take the appropriate action on this case," he added.

With a growing number of internet users in Turkey, E-commerce has been a rising market in the country. The Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) stated that the market was worth 7.95 billion euros last year.