The Problem
You canceled your booking well within the free cancellation window, or you left the hotel early due to unacceptable conditions. However, the hotel or the booking platform is ignoring your emails, making excuses, and outright refusing to refund your credit card.
How the Law Works in Turkey
Under Turkish law, unfair contract terms are considered void. Even if a hotel claims a strict "no refund" policy, this policy is legally invalid if the service they provided was fundamentally defective (such as no hot water, severe hygiene issues, or lack of promised amenities). If you canceled within your legal rights, withholding your money is unjust enrichment.
What the Tourist Should Do
Keep a meticulous record of all written correspondence, including booking confirmations, cancellation emails, and photos of any defects. Request the refund formally in writing. If the hotel refuses, contact your credit card company immediately to initiate a chargeback, providing them with all the evidence that the hotel failed to deliver the promised service.
The Risks
Time limits are your biggest enemy. If you wait months after returning home to fight for your money, your bank might reject the chargeback request due to expired deadlines. The hotel relies on the fact that you live in another country and will eventually give up the fight out of frustration.
LetFix Solution
When emails and phone calls fail, a formal legal notice (İhtarname) sent by a Turkish lawyer directly to the hotel's finance and legal departments usually forces them to process the refund immediately to avoid a costly lawsuit.
