Debt collection as a financial service is a totally new business sector in Turkey. Until recently, payment issues were either being settled after lengthy Court procedures, or solved in a personal rather questionable fashion.

Consultancy companies did not at all play any role and pre-legal collection has never been an option to foreign creditors.†At the same time, due to increasing internationalization of Turkish companies and exceptional economic growth of the Turkish economy, the total value of foreign accounts payables has been rising steadily.

Hitherto, a company which was facing problematic accounts in Turkey was bound to experience complicated administrative requirements and costly legal procedures. Moreover, cultural differences and long distances created additional hurdles in terms of communication. By taking the step to bridge the gap between culture and trade and with launching its pre-legal collection services, DAT-Consultancy can genuinely be regarded as a pioneer company. By combining a personal approach, mediation and judicial solutions in a unique all-inclusive package it has greatly reduced financial risk for foreign companies trading in Turkey.

Within two years their activities on debt collection have developed into a full-fledged collection service, furthered by its appointment as GCS-Group's official representative in Turkey from December 2009 until 2011. A focused approach on pre-legal procedures such as registered demand letters, notifications, regular collection calls, and company visits has proven itself to be very effective in reaching payment agreements in Turkey. In addition, we have since recently access to the full Turkish trade registry, and are able to retrieve all relevant data for each registered business in Turkey. In case a debtor remains reluctant to pay, DAT-Consultancy's exclusive contract with its law-firm allows for low-cost legal proceedings in which lawyer fees become only due in case of a positive ruling. With a 70% success rate and an average time span of 2 months for solving any debt claim pre-legally, DAT-Consultancy's tailored services can be called highly successful.

DAT-Consultancy has received much positive comment on its debt collection efforts. Not only from its clients, the creditor companies, but also from the side of Turkish debtors. They are often happy to 'finally being able to discuss the problem' with someone from their own cultural background, speaking their language, and showing, in their eyes, 'understanding' for their position. It are these reactions which bring to surface the difficulties which international companies endure in Turkey at times problems arise; the necessity of understanding Turkish social norms and sometimes divergent business ethics, and with it the ability to address people in their native language. Concluding, all of this makes debt collection in Turkey a distinctive practice, with potentially high returns.