Competition infringements that fall under competition law are often confused with unfair competition cases, complaints related to consumer law, or misleading advertisements, with many out-of-scope applications being received as a result. A significant portion of the complaints are rejected due to these and similar applications.
In this context, if your application is related to the following issues, any application you submit to the Competition Authority will be rejected. Depending on the nature of your complaint, you are advised to get information from the website tuketici.gtb.gov.tr or resort to judicial authorities.

A company misleading consumers by misrepresenting their products and services through false or misleading advertisements, announcements, information, etc., A company failing or delaying to carry out the obligations required in terms of quality of products and services during or following sales, refusing to recall faulty or defective goods, A company defaming their commercial competitors by advertisements, announcements or other means, and causing unfair competition by making misstatements concerning its competitors, Public institutions' restricting competition in their tenders by drawing up tender specifications which indicate a single firm or brand, A company defaming others or their goods, business products, prices, activities or commercial business with false, misleading or unduly offensive statements, A company making false or misleading statements about itself, its commercial business, trademarks, goods, business products, operations, inventory, the format of its sales campaigns and business relationships, or providing advantages to a third party through the same methods, A company acting like it holds a title, diploma or prize that it was never awarded, A company taking measures that causes confusion with the goods, business products, activities or businesses of others, A company comparing itself, its goods, business products, activities and prices with others, their goods, business products or prices in a misrepresentative or misleading manner, or in a way that is unduly defamatory of or takes undue advantage of its competitor, or provides advantages to third parties through the same methods, Restriction of the customers’ freedom of choice, particularly via predatory methods of sales, Steering towards violating or terminating an agreement, A company steering customers towards acting in violation of the agreements they signed with others in order to sign them itself, Trying to gain advantage for itself or others by providing benefits to the employees, agents or other assistant persons of third parties which are not deserved or which may steer them towards acting contrary to their obligations in the performance of their tasks, Encouraging employees, agents or other assistant persons to disclose or acquire manufacturing or business secrets from their employers or clients, Unauthorized use of others’ business products, Illegally disclosing manufacturing or business secrets, Not complying with business terms; particularly failing to comply with business terms which are also imposed on the competitors by law or contract, or which are commonplace for a profession or environment, Using business terms which are in violation of the rule of honesty.

Applications to the Authority concerning competition infringements may be in the form of denouncements, complaints or Ministry requests. Applications may be filed by natural persons as well as by institutions, organizations, associations and similar legal persons.

The principle is to submit applications to the Authority in writing. Applications may be sent to Authority by mail
(REKABET KURUMU - Üniversiteler Mahallesi 1597. Cadde No:9 Bilkent Çankaya 06800 / ANKARA), or they may be submitted in person. Applications may also be filed via other methods such as e-mail, fax and phone. Such applications shall be treated as denouncements. Verbal applications may also be recorded in an official report and treated as denouncements by the relevant staff. The Authority may initiate proceedings on its own initiative concerning such applications which it deems to be of a serious nature. In such a case applicants or their representatives are not notified.

Competition Authority’s address for applications by electronic mail is rek@rekabet.gov.tr

No charges or other fees are incurred during any complaint or application filed with the Competition Authority.

In order for the application to be processed, the application in writing must include the following points in addition to an examination request:

• In applications filed by natural persons, the name and surname, citizenship number, address and signature of the applicant,
• In applications filed by legal persons, commercial title/business name, address, authorized signatures list of the legal person, and the signatures of those who have the authority to represent and bind the legal person,
• In applications filed via representatives, the original document authorizing the representative or a duly authenticated copy thereof, the address of the representative and the natural or legal person represented, and the signature of the representative.

The applicant or its representative is notified within thirty days at the latest concerning the phases of those applications which meet the requirements listed in paragraph two of article 5.

The Authority may initiate proceedings on its own initiative concerning applications which do not meet the requirements listed above but which it deems to be of a serious nature. In such a case applicants or their representatives are not notified.

In principle, no action should be taken in relation to applications which carry the formal requirements listed above, but which consist purely of abstract statements suggesting the existence of an infringement, which are not based on concrete information and/or documents, and which are found to have failed to establish its claims in a serious and sufficient manner.

In order for the application to be processed within a short period, it would be helpful that information as detailed as possible and any documents concerning the subject of complaint be submitted to the Authority and formal requirements included in the Communiqué no 2012/2 on the Application Procedure for Infringements of Competition be taken into consideration.

In the application, the applicant may request to stay anonymous. In such a case, the identity information of the relevant party or any other information which may lead to the disclosure of its identity will not be included in any of the correspondence made.

Legal action may be taken concerning those who intentionally supply false or misleading information in their applications to the Authority.

Applications to the Authority must be submitted in writing by mail or in person.

Competition Infringement Applications can also be received over the e-Government Portal infrastructure.

COMPETITION AUTHORITY

Üniversiteler Mah. 1597. Cad. No:9 Bilkent Çankaya 06800/ANKARA

Applications filed via e-mail, fax or phone and verbal applications may be considered denouncements. The Authority may initiate proceedings on its own initiative concerning such applications which it deems to be of a serious nature. In such a case applicants or their representatives are not notified.

rek@rekabet.gov.tr

(312) 291 44 44 - 291 40 00