Court Ruling Allows Refund of Vehicle Inspection Fees in Turkey

A Turkish Consumer Court in the capital, Ankara, has ruled that additional fees or commissions charged when paying vehicle inspection fees by credit card are illegal, allowing drivers to claim a refund of these amounts.

The decision came after a citizen filed a complaint with the Consumer Protection Arbitration Committee, stating that he had paid an extra fee of around 80 Turkish lira as a commission when completing his vehicle inspection using a credit card.

The court ruled that vehicle inspection is a mandatory public service and that imposing additional charges for electronic payment options constitutes an unfair and unjust condition against consumers.

It also rejected the arguments of the company operating the inspection stations, which claimed that the commission was transferred to a payment service provider, considering this justification insufficient.

Under Turkey’s Consumer Protection Law No. 6502, the ruling is seen as a landmark decision that could set a legal precedent benefiting millions of drivers.

This post is also available in: العربية