Turkish Carpets…..Don’t buy!!!!!

OK try another approach, try making it into a game when they call you start in on this long involve litany of why you can’t buy the rug because your mother is an alcoholic and she’s in jail. make up horrible stories and cry and scream and beg them to give you money because you just can’t afford to pay the bills anymore. I have friends who go on vacation every year on timeshare pitches. And they plan the approach. And as soon as the timeshare sale starts they go into this long Story about how they’re getting divorced and how she spends all the money and how he’s been having an affair and how she has cancer and how he lost his job and anyway and they maxed out their credit cards to come here. usually the timeshare people throw them out.

Or, tell them you moved, and give them an address. It’s about 50 miles away in the middle of nowhere and tell him just to bring the rug by and you’ll look at it.

You gave them your phone number..???

Do like I do, if I do not recognize them number it does not get answered......

or if you do answer it, hang up when they start the sales pitch

I agree with Joe, you don't have to answer the phone and you don't have to listen to their spiel even if you do answer it. And you don't have to give them reasons, just hang up.

By the way I bought a small carpet when I was in Turkey about 20 years ago and I still love it. They did call a couple of times after I got home to make sure I received the carpet (which I did) and then about a year later to see if I was interested in purchasing another one. I said no I had no plans on getting any more carpets and they were satisfied with that. A legitimate carpet seller should not pester you endlessly so maybe you just bought from the wrong dealer.

Interesting posting from a first time poster. Over the years we have bought a couple of area and runner style rugs with no extra attention beyond a few mailings. And what does Rick Steves have to do with rug merchants????? Second, like many others, I rarely answer an unidentified numbers. Unless they are ringing your doorbell, I would think that they would be easy to avoid them. There has to be more to this story.

I bought the rug from the place Rick Steves tour took us to! Again, it was shipped and they needed a phone number to confirm receipt. And yes, as I stated earlier I was very polite THE FIRST THREE years in that I wasn’t interested. That hasn’t stopped them from changing numbers and continuing the sales pitches. I will stick with Carol and direct them to PO Box InTheMiddleaNowhere! Bring rugs all of your rugs for a mega purchase!!!

Hi..I too purchased a rug that I very much enjoy. I too get a call about 2x a year..at first It bothered me..then we actually had some lively conversations about Turkey..family..etc. I did explain that I was not in the market...but since I was returning to Turkey again..he gave me some nice recommendations. I realize this is not your situation and that you would prefer no calls..completely understood..and agree with others..that you might just have to take another approach. Just thought I would share my experience that doesn't make me cringe each year...ps..I do enjoy the carpet!

Wow Frank, that’s a hell of a lot of assumptions! Take it as you like, this has been my experience. I have purchased a rug in India, Morocco, and Iran and never encountered this kind of harassment. Rick Steves came into the picture because his tour took us there and had we not been taken there, I probably would not have purchased a rug from this particular dealer given its off the beaten path location. Again, this has been my experience and I am frustrated enough to share. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learning about the rugs and the industry, it is the fact that I can’t seem to shake them off. First time poster matters why?

Hi..I too purchased a rug that I very much enjoy. I too get a call
about 2x a year..at first It bothered me..then we actually had some
lively conversations about Turkey..family..etc.

Ditto!!!

These guys are just trying to make a living, and the one that was calling me twice a year was very nice.

Beats the hell out of the calls for extended car warranties.

Next time they call and as soon as you know it's them, hold the phone right next to a radio (playing music) and quickly turn the volume up full blast for about a minute. The worse the music, the better.

Thank you Linda, I appreciate your reply and its nice to know that I am not alone. And more so, maybe I do need to consider a different tack. 😊. I think Carol ‘s response is fantastic and hilarious and well worth the post! In the end, I put this out there to share my experience and maybe learn about what others may have encountered and/or possible ideas for a solution. It’s as simple as that…it shouldn’t be meritless or deserve speculation based on this being my first time posting. 🤷

David, better a recording of a Rev. John Hagee sermon ... very loud.

James,

Great suggestion! Better still, I suppose, that I have no clue who Rev. John Hagee is. Sounds absolutely horrendous though. The louder, the more irritating it is, the better all around.

In 2013 I bought a carpet for my living room from the place on the RS tour. It was delivered to my doorstep in less than the promised time. I love, love, love it and I haven't heard a peep from the sellers since I left the shop.

So sorry you and others have had bad experiences.

@bdaum:
If you don't want the Turkish rug(s) that you bought, please ship them to my house! We bought 5 last year and I'm looking forward to returning to the small store this year where they were made. The artisans work SO hard and depend on selling them to feed their families.
We've only received one of the calls you mentioned. It was from the shipping company who would have loved to sell us more rugs, but we kindly said no. They haven't pestered us since then.

Did you Share this with the Rick Steve’s Tour Office?

If not, do so!

I bought a beautiful rug in Istanbul. When they called and were in the neighborhood, we could see which ones looked best in our home. They were very nice and did not mind rolling and unrolling and carrying others in and placing them. We enjoyed their selection; bought 6 more and are pleased with all.
I do not understand why any of the usually kind and patient RS Forum posters would find it fun to be rude to a salesperson- just say not interested or don't answer the phone..?

We get the calls too--not sure it's the same dealer, and I doubt it because we bought at the bazaar. When we saw them here, despite having no room for more rugs, they brought lovely Turkish ceramic plates we hang on the walls as conspicuously as the beautiful rugs. Now, I have a change of my office design to accommodate sitting in front of computers installed for at-home work during COVID. My two area rugs no longer work there, and I have to move them around when I work. So, I'd like to trade them in for a larger rug that fills the space. Has anyone done this, or is it wishful thinking?

Bdaum, I totally hear you and respect your experience and feel at least some of your pain. Thank you for being honest and straightforward. I’ve found it can be challenging to be that way on this forum.

I just returned from the Best of Istanbul tour and felt like I barely escaped the way, way, way overly aggressive top salesman and his relentless pressure sales tactics at a RICK STEVES recommended rug store… the same store that’s been featured on his tours for years.

I had to lie and tell him I needed to think it over and “sleep on it.” I came to the store with the tour to learn about rugs. Period. He was ready to come to my hotel within the hour!

I’m certainly glad the nomad women artists are honored and employed in this way. Though I have no idea how much money gets funneled to them. The smarmy top guy was designer dressed head to toe, as was his son, so it appears they’re amply rewarded.

Please allow posters to have reasonable opinions on these forums. If we deviate from some version of the party line, kindly allow us to do so. This is kind, decent, open-minded Rick Steves’ website, not a cult. And, by the way, everyone was once a first time poster!

I just went with the Best of Turkey tour carpet demonstration yesterday, after the demonstration me and a few others just made ourselves scarce, i watched the women workers and others sat in groups and chatted. Three of our 16 members bought carpets. I wasn't harrassed once i made it clear i didn't plan to buy anything.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Claudia is right, you need to let the RS office know. Odd that the rug company would not accept just an email address to verify arrival. In retrospect, I wonder if they would refuse an order if they couldn’t get a phone number.

Hopefully people heading to Turkey, whether with a tour or on their own, will keep your experience in mind.

that's nuts -

Glad I read this... the rug salesmen are pretty ruthless hustlers I have learned, some are nice guys who are just happy to teach rugs but thats only 10% around the tourist areas outside istanbul. In istanbul, they are absolutely ruthless... they pay hustlers a commision for bringing in unwilling customers. I went in to buy 1 piece of turkish delight, he basically took my money and refused to give me change until i agreed to come to his rug store. I wont be going back to istanbul, the rug hustlers ruined it.. 50 times a day "hey, where are you from, you look turkish, come to my family rug store"... I'm trying to be nice and represent my country abroad and they totally take advantage of it, only way to get them to leave you alone is to be rude and i dont like to be that way, so screw that place, never going back... police should do something. Cappadocia was better. Ephesus was full of hustlers too "hey, want to buy old coins", then you look and they are like a 4 year tried to make a knockoff out of silly puddy, its rediculous... even the icecream guy tried to hustle me, he jokingly took my 100 TL and said "okay buy buy"... not funny when an entire country treats you like a walking target. I went to buy a water, "how many would you like, 10, 8?"... meanwhile some dude in front of the counter is looking in my wallet... I had to stare at him rudely and he smilled and understood i was about to screw him up.

FYI, I know with certainty that if a rug is listed for 2000, you can get it for less than half... and I have also heard that turkish and other (equally or better) oriental rugs are much much cheaper in the USA, where they rely on word of mouth and repeat customers as opposed to one time tourists. I also know buying rugs is a complex process, you can spend many lifetimes studying this field/hobby and still not have everything you need to truely understand what your buying in all circumstances, especially when considering history, symbology and other factors like region of origin. Its like mineralogy, their are infinite varieties. I have educated myself and knkw the ones I truly love, I will mever be able to afford. So i will buy machine made ones for the floor back in the US and hope I stumble on a great handmade one at a flea market or something. I will check out some stores in the US... and probably never come back to turkey because of the pervasive hustlers... thank god i never gave my phone number and thank you for the warning.

Gee, now I feel terribly slighted. I bought a carpet when my RS tour visited the carpet factory almost 9 years ago. They have never tried to contact me 😭.

PS I love my carpet.

Chani, that's because you gave the carpet shop bdaum's phone number instead of your own... 😜

You're letting this get to you. I've been in similar situations--not rugs--where people don't get the hint.

You need to:

1) Let the RS office know of these guys.

2) Don't answer phone calls from numbers you don't know.

3) If you do answer, and it's them, just hang up. You can say something like "I told you not to call me anymore" and hang up. Do not get into a conversation or argument with them. Just hang up.

What Frank said.

So here is my follow-up. When the person who sold us our rugs in Istanbul contacted us again after my post in this thread in March, I told him we'd be happy to look at what he brought to the U.S.A. this time. He gladly came, showed us his rugs, sold us two and took the ones he originally sold us back. He accepted the returns as part of the payment for the two new rugs, which were bigger and nicer. He even took a non-Turkish rug we bought from someone else as part of the deal. I'm no rug expert, but we ended up happy. He also said if we ever want to trade again he'd be amenable. So, as bothersome as these unsolicited requests may seem, if you trust the guy you dealt with it's not a bad idea to maintain a relationship because it might come in handy in the future. He also said he or a friend of his will guide us when we come to Istanbul this summer as part of our Turkish vacation. This is becoming a Rick Steves kind of local contact that makes travel much more fun.

they brought lovely Turkish ceramic plates

Oh, when the rug I purchased on tour is delivered, I hope they bring some ceramic plates or, even better, some tiles for me to look at! I bought one and decided I'd like to have a pair. How fun!!

@ bdaum - I could hook you up with a different rug dealer that won't hassle you repeatedly if you are not interested in their products. Just let me know . . . David

Spent a wonderful week in Istanbul almost two years ago, ignored the touts mostly. One was so charming though, I couldn't help but chat with him. I was honest with him, told him we weren't there to shop, we used to live in KSA and Oman and so we were set with carpets. He was disappointed but understood. But don't get me started on Morocco. I've never felt so aggressively approached anywhere on any of my travels.

I found Egypt WAY more aggressive.
Ebay lists hundreds of Turkish carpets at prices no where close to the shop where we were fed lunch.
It did surprise us that our group of 28 — 13 couples and 2 singles — bought 6 in late September 2022, as low as 1/3 of asking price.

I bought mine from an “official” vendor ( Yuksel Carpets in Cappadocia) and still have the carpet proudly displayed on my living room floor. It was shipped, duties and shipping included in the price and arrived at my door the day after we returned home. Other than a Thank You card we never heard from them again, although I hope to revisit their factory next year.
I think your one off situation hardly merits a warning post. There are scammers everywhere and they know how to pick their victims.

@jedkeonard

That post was in January.

Why are you mentioning it now?

jedleonard; thanks and I am glad it worked out.

I got two over the years for I bet the same tourist shop some of the other here did.

Despite the gamesmanship it was fun each time, and yes, for a few years after I got phone calls trying to sell me more.

Nice guy, I told him to send some pictures and descriptions and we discussed a possible sale.

I am in the market again and am waiting for his call.