It has been observed that in off-premises sales—often conducted by setting up stands on university campuses and typically involving goods and services such as online foreign language courses or supplementary distance learning sets (including books and CDs) related to various fields:

• Sales representatives provide consumers with false or incomplete information regarding the exercise of the right of withdrawal.

• Consumers who manage to convey withdrawal notices to the seller or provider are deceitfully prevented from sending the required written notice (or notice via a durable medium) within the statutory 14-day cooling-off period by being given false information that their withdrawal request has been registered and processed.

This situation leads to consumers being forced to pay for goods or services they will never use or are dissatisfied with. If payment is not made, coercive enforcement procedures, including seizure/foreclosure, are initiated against them, resulting in victimization by requiring them to pay unwarranted and excessive amounts, including the contract price and additional collection fees.

Furthermore, it has been observed that sellers, providers, or individuals introducing themselves as lawyers contact consumers who have already paid, demanding further payment for the same contract under the pretext that the debt has not been settled. This demand often amounts to harassment and extends to contacting and disturbing students' family members.

We strongly advise our students to be vigilant regarding these issues and to carefully read the informational note sent by the General Directorate of Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance of the Ministry of Trade, which is provided in the attachment.