E-Commerce Consumer Code of Ethics

Article 1
Purpose and Scope

1. The Code sets out the general principles and sets out the minimum rules of professional ethics and ethical conduct to be observed by consumers towards businesses.

2. It applies to transactions in the context of contracts for the sale of goods or the provision of services concluded between consumers and suppliers for remuneration entirely online, ie by electronic means remotely without the need for the simultaneous physical presence of both parties (B2C transactions).

3. The Code refers to rules of self-regulation of companies operating in e-commerce aimed at consumers and is in force without prejudice to EU and Greek legislation on e-commerce and consumer protection, which in no case replaces.

Article 2

Definitions

1. For the application of the Code the following terms have the meaning given to them below:
a) "enterprise, operating in the field of" electronic business "" (hereinafter enterprise) means legal or natural persons established in Greece who provide products and / or services to consumers in Greece and / or abroad, operating legally directly and / or as intermediaries for the provision of services for a fee, direct or indirect, by electronic means remotely and at the personal choice of the consumer.
b) "Remote electronic means" means services and products provided by businesses and accepted by consumers through electronic processing equipment provided, transmitted and received entirely via the Internet and / or mobile networks / applications text).
c) For the other terms, the definitions that exist in law 2251/1994, as in force, in p.d. 131/2003 and in the Code of Consumer Ethics of article 7 of law 3297/2004, as in force.
2. In case of doubt, the definitions of the current legislation prevail.
 
Article 3
General principles and obligations of online stores
A. General principles
The Code is governed by the principles of consumer protection, transparency, impartiality, technological neutrality, professional ethics, ethics and respect for privacy, the protection of personal data and the protection of vulnerable groups as specifically mentioned. in Articles 4 and 5 hereof.
B. Minimal consumer information
1. The company ensures the pre-contractual information of the consumer so that it can be fully, accurately and clearly informed about the following:
i. Full company name, registered office, postal address, VAT number, contact telephones / email address.
ii. Registration number in GEMI.
iii. Main features of the products it sells and the quality of the services provided (eg the total price including VAT or other taxes, shipping costs, or any costs of returning the product any additional charges, terms and methods of payment, guarantees, size -dimensions of the product), as well as for the means of payment.
iv. Availability of services and products and the deadline within which the supplier undertakes to deliver the goods or provide the services.
n. Characteristics of charges, possible discount packages or special offers.
vi. Terms of withdrawal from the contract as well as the termination or cancellation of the contract, as specifically referred to in Article 6 hereof.
vii. The possibility of out-of-court settlement of their disputes and information on the recognized bodies of alternative dispute resolution of consumers, which the suppliers commit or are obliged to use for the settlement of the disputes. In the absence of such a commitment or obligation, the suppliers must specify whether they will make use of the relevant bodies.
viii. The possibility for electronic alternative dispute resolution as specifically mentioned in Article 8 hereof.
ix. The terms of after-sales service, any commercial guarantees (content, duration and extent of territorial validity), and the seller's liability for actual defects and lack of agreed properties, according to articles 534 et seq.
x. The possible need for frequent maintenance of the products or the existence of spare parts at a very high cost in relation to the current price of these products.
xi. The purpose of the processing, the recipients or the categories of recipients of the data and the existence of the right of access and objection, as specifically mentioned in article 5B / par. 5 of this.
xii. The codes of conduct or any credentials that bind them.
χiii. The above information to the consumer must be understandable, legal, true, up-to-date, easily accessible to all, including people with disabilities, and verifiable and must be in Greek and optionally in another language.
2. The terms of the contract for the provision of services or the sale of products must be posted on the website of the company in a place that can be easily accessed by the consumer.
3. In cases of request for an order from the consumer, the company is obliged to deliver / send immediately a receipt of the order request which clearly states the date of receipt and confirmation of the order.
4. Under the responsibility of the company, it becomes clear to the consumer the time at which the contract is deemed to have been concluded, as defined in the current legislation. The basic contractual terms should be made available to consumers in advance in such a way that the order of the order can not be registered, if the user does not previously know about them. Following the preparation of the contract, the company must refrain from any action that involves modification of its terms, in particular to modify the price or to inform about the non-availability of the ordered product or ordered service.
5. The consumer has sufficient information about the progress of his order.
6. The company in case it finds that the consumer did not have correct information or the contract was not concluded with his explicit consent makes every effort to resolve the issue in a reasonable time.
7. The staff of e-commerce companies who come in contact with consumers for the provision of services or the sale of products must be fully informed of the above and answer reasonable questions of consumers with clarity and accuracy.
C. Advertising - Promotion
1. Advertising and promotion must comply with applicable law.
2. In each case the following shall apply:
i. The advertising messages and all the information provided by the companies must be characterized (where appropriate and as far as possible by the means used) by clarity as to the identity of the company, the properties
and the final price of the advertised product, or if this is not possible, how to calculate it, in language that is simple and understandable to the consumer, so that the latter is able to evaluate the information provided and proceed safely
in the right decision at its discretion regarding the purchase of products or services.
ii. Advertisements or other offers to refrain from misleading or aggressive practices before, during and after a commercial transaction related to a particular product or service, and which are directly or indirectly likely to mislead the consumer about the product or service being displayed .
iii. The staff of the company that comes in direct contact with the consumer does not mislead or seek to mislead in any way with actions or omissions consumers giving wrong impressions about the service or product provided.
iv. The company does not provide incomplete or inaccurate information about the possibility of providing the service or selling the product to the consumer.
n. Any advertising and promotion specifically aimed at a minority audience may not directly or indirectly incite them to acts of violence, the use of alcohol, tobacco products, toxic substances or any other form of behavior dangerous to their safety and health. .
vi. Companies comply with the age restrictions set by the current legislation regarding the promotion and sale of specific product categories.
vii. Any advertising and promotions aimed at people with disabilities should ensure that they are accessible.
 
Article 4
Protection of minors and other vulnerable groups of the population
1. The staff of the company does not take advantage of the weakness of consumers belonging to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, minors, people who do not understand the Greek language well, or people with disabilities. Businesses provide careful, accurate and objective descriptions of products and services specifically aimed at such individuals in a way that is understandable, comprehensible and fully accessible to them, so as not to mislead them as to their true size, value, nature,
the purpose, durability, performance and price of the product or service advertised.
2. Especially for the minor consumers, the companies take care - as far as possible - for the formulation of the appropriate conditions of access to their websites according to the provisions of the applicable laws, as the case may be.