COMMON MISTAKES FOREIGNERS MAKE: #3

Common Mistakes Foreigners Make: #3, Getting Riped Off

April 9: A few weeks ago, I purchased a cell phone and cell phone plan in Turkey. Their cell phone system is really different than the US and works more like a "pay as you go" phone. One store was advertising a special that included: 3 free hours, 5000 free text messages, a new phone, a SIM card and 150 units (it costs a few "units" per minute to talk). The whole package was about $120 USD. What a deal!

A few days after purchasing the plan I left for the 7 Churches tour and ended up talking to Umut alot. We breezed through the free 3 hours very quickly. So I started texting him during my travels. "I have 5000 texts that I can only use in the first 30 days, so I better use them while I can." After about 5 days, my phone was no longer working because I was out of units. I knew something was wrong because there was NO WAY I texted Umut 5000 times!

Long story short, Umut went to a different phone store (but the same company) today to find out the problem. We discovered that the 5000 "free" texts was false advertising from the independent store we purchased our plan from.

I learned that in Turkey promotions are rarely, if ever, included in contracts. This means you often are taking a risk whenever you buy something with added features, like "5000 free texts". Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about it. I wish the Better Business Bureau would find its way to Turkey. :)