Shopkeepers who limit credit card payments and demand IBAN transfers or cash have taken things a step further. Especially in tourist areas like Antalya and Muğla, from airport transfers to beach entry, from cafés to souvenir shops, tradespeople have abandoned the lira and switched to the euro. Local tourists looking at menus and citizens shopping are forced to read prices in foreign currency.
Citizens reacting to the tradespeople say, 'Tourist areas have apparently joined the European Union before the rest of us.' T-shirt 20, corn 2 euros! Payment in foreign currency starts right at the airport. After landing, those requesting a transfer to their hotel or summer house have to pay in euros. Transfer companies set fees based on distance.
For those wanting to ride a jet ski at the beach, the vendor asks for '50 euros.' Drinks by the shore start at 3 euros and go up to 8 euros. Even corn sellers on the beach and in parks have set the price at 2 euros. A souvenir magnet costs 1 euro, a T-shirt 20 euros, tea at a café 3 euros, and a toast 7 euros. Even grocery stores have switched their price tags to euros.
High exchange rate: Tradespeople who quote prices in euros to Turkish citizens accept payment in lira. But another scandal emerges there. Because they inflate the exchange rate. For example, while the euro/lira rate is at 53 lira, they calculate at 55-56 lira. So what does the law say?
According to the Price Tag Regulation of the Consumer Protection Law No. 6502, the price of goods and services offered for sale must be clearly stated in Turkish lira. That means when pricing in euros in tourist areas, the lira price must also be on the label. However, this rule has been violated recently in tourist areas.
Must display lira alongside euro: Bendevi Palandöken, President of the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen, said: 'In tourist areas, prices can be written in euros for foreign tourists, but the lira price must also be indicated. If it is not indicated and an arbitrary exchange rate is applied, that is a crime. Whoever does this cannot be considered a tradesperson. We live in Turkey. Our currency is the lira.'
He added, 'Such pricing can never be accepted.' Record the demand: İbrahim Güllü, Deputy Chairman of the Consumer Confederation (TÜKONFED) and a lawyer, said the practice is also against legal regulations.
Pointing out that the Ministry of Trade's General Directorate of Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance and municipalities should conduct intensive inspections in tourist areas, Güllü offered the following advice to consumers: 'If the label lacks a lira price or an arbitrary exchange rate is applied, record it with photos or videos. If an above-market exchange rate is imposed during lira payment, object. File a complaint against the business with the Provincial Directorates of Trade.'
