Travel and holiday complaints in Türkiye have surged sharply with the arrival of the summer season, according to consumer resolution platform Şikayetvar. The platform’s data reveals that problems are no longer limited to the accommodation stage alone — they span reservations, payments, transportation and car rental, with scams beginning before holidays even start and service failures continuing throughout.
In a statement released on 30 June 2026, Şikayetvar said: “As millions of people make travel plans with the start of the summer holiday season, the problems consumers face are also diversifying. Data shows that holiday grievances are not limited to the accommodation stage; they are concentrated in reservation, payment, transportation and car rental processes too. Fake listings, deposit demands, booking cancellations and refund issues come to the fore before the holiday has even begun, while during the journey, transport disruptions and the gap between promised and delivered services are among the most frequently raised problems.”
Bungalow Scams Lead the Surge
The biggest increase was in complaints about bungalow accommodation scams, which jumped 114% in the past week — making it the fastest-rising category of the season. Şikayetvar said fake social media listings have once again moved to the centre of consumer grievances, with fraudsters spreading advertisements across social media platforms and messaging applications. Consumers report paying deposits or full accommodation fees through these channels and then being unable to reach the business afterwards. In some cases, the booking does not appear in the property’s system at all; in others, the photos used in the listing turn out not to belong to a real establishment.
The most common patterns reported in bungalow scam complaints include: communication being cut off after a deposit is paid; payments sent to fraudulent IBAN accounts; real property photographs copied and used on fake accounts; consumers lured into paying through promises of unusually low prices; and consumers being blocked entirely after payment. The complaint Şikayetvar described as recurring most frequently was: “I sent the deposit and afterwards I couldn’t reach anyone.”
Following bungalow scams, complaints about chain hotels rose 58%, while car rental scam claims increased 46% and complaints about hotel booking and marketing websites rose 45%. Claims linked to long-distance bus companies also climbed 23%.
Hotel and Booking Platform Complaints
In accommodation services more broadly, the most common complaints received by Şikayetvar included bookings that did not appear in the hotel’s system, being given a different room from the one promised, room and facility conditions that did not match promotional photographs, hygiene problems, demands for additional charges not mentioned at the time of booking, and delays in receiving refunds after cancellations.
For hotel reservation and marketing websites specifically, consumers most frequently reported that confirmed reservations did not reach the property, misleading campaign and pricing information, inability to reach customer services, problems during cancellation and amendment processes, and delayed refunds. A common shared grievance was being unable to use a paid accommodation and finding no one to handle the refund process.
Regarding chain hotels, consumers pointed to reservations not appearing in the system at check-in, being assigned a lower-standard room than the one purchased, mismatched room and facility conditions, hygiene problems, unexpected extra charges, refusal to refund cancelled bookings, and prolonged resolution processes between customer services and hotel management.
Car Rental and Bus Travel Problems
Car rental complaints focused on fake listings, difficulties recovering deposits and additional charges added after the fact. Consumers reported paying deposits for low-priced vehicle listings and then being unable to reach the company, as well as deposits not being returned after vehicles were handed back in undamaged condition and contract terms being changed at the point of handover. The complaint cited most often was: “I returned the car without any damage but my deposit was not refunded.”
In bus travel, passengers reported cancelled services, delays, baggage handling problems, seat changes, and slow refund processes. Şikayetvar noted that consumers complained particularly about a lack of information during cancellations and delays, and the time taken to process refunds.
A Wider Seasonal Pattern
The complaints reflect a broader seasonal rise in consumer disputes across Türkiye’s travel market as families and holidaymakers book trips for the summer break. Travel scams typically intensify during peak holiday periods, when demand is high and people may rush to secure accommodation or transport. Fraudsters commonly use social media advertisements, misleading websites and fake payment details to target customers.
Şikayetvar‘s figures point to mounting pressure on consumer confidence in the sector, especially for budget and short-term accommodation such as bungalows, which have become a popular option for domestic holidaymakers in Türkiye. At the same time, established travel services are not immune — chain hotels, online booking platforms, rental firms and bus operators all recorded more complaints in the same period, showing that problems are spread across multiple parts of the travel industry.
Seven Tips from Şikayetvar
Şikayetvar issued seven recommendations for travellers planning a holiday this summer:
- Read user reviews about a business before making a reservation.
- Be cautious with accounts reached through social media redirects.
- Verify the legitimacy of a business through multiple sources before sending a deposit.
- For car rentals, choose corporate and verifiable companies.
- Always keep payment receipts and booking documents.
- Read cancellation and refund terms carefully before making payment.
- In suspicious situations, verify the business through different communication channels before transferring any money.
For travellers in Türkiye, where summer travel demand is rising fast, the latest complaint figures from Şikayetvar highlight how quickly a holiday can turn into a costly dispute when bookings, payments and services do not match expectations.
