It has been observed that sales conducted outside the workplace on university campuses—typically involving foreign language courses offered online, supplementary remote education sets containing books and CDs for various subjects, and similar goods and services—often result in misleading practices. In these off-premises sales, sales representatives have been found to provide consumers with incorrect or incomplete information regarding their right of withdrawal. In cases where consumers manage to deliver their withdrawal requests to the seller or provider, they are sometimes falsely informed that their request has been recorded and processed. As a result, the legally guaranteed 14-day withdrawal period—during which the withdrawal notice must be submitted in writing or via a durable data medium—is fraudulently obstructed.

Such practices lead consumers to be forced to pay for goods or services they will not use or are not satisfied with. If payment is not made, coercive enforcement procedures, including sequestration, may be initiated, causing consumers to suffer additional and unjust expenses such as collection costs, in addition to the contractual amount. Furthermore, it has been reported that even consumers who have already made payments may later be contacted—sometimes by sellers/providers or by individuals claiming to be lawyers—demanding additional payments on the grounds that the debt was not settled. These demands may escalate to a level of harassment, even extending to the family members of students.

We strongly advise our students to be cautious about these matters and to read the attached information note provided by the Ministry of Trade, General Directorate of Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance.