Turkish stopover attempt - negative experience

Flew J fare round trip Mexico -> Europe (X nights) -> Istanbul (2 nights) -> Mexico. Cash ticket.

I read all the details on the stopover terms and conditions page, and emailed the corresponding address for my flight's departure. Never received an email acknowledgement or reply (freehotelmexico AT thy DOT com).

I arrived at Istanbul Airport on my layover from Mexico to Europe to inquire about getting the two free hotel nights during my stopover. In the business class lounge, I asked the staff at each service desk -- none of them had an answer. They had no clue on how the process worked, and stated they had no internal contacts they could call to get the situation worked out. I was told to go to the hotel desk when I arrived in Istanbul again. I treated each staff member with respect; was kept temper, etc.

Fast forward a few days, I arrived in Istanbul from Europe for my stopover, and went to the hotel desk. Multiple agents were there; the first was friendly. I was told that since I did not have a voucher, there was nothing they could do. I showed them the email I sent to the Stopover contact office, and they said I should call the Turkish call center (this is somewhat insulting when flying a cash business class fare). They also told me to go to the customer service line .... not sure why they wanted to send me on a run around that will not help the situation.

Ended up paying out of pocket for my hotel, despite following all the rules and terms outlined by the Turkish website.

I understand Turkish has a bad reputation for its customer support, but I was expecting better when flying on a paid business class ticket. Add this experience to the list of reasons to avoid flying believing what Turkish advertises.