Code of Conduct

The operation of the "designdrops" online store is governed by the applicable Code of Conduct.

Code of Conduct for E-Commerce.

Article 1

Purpose and Scope

1. This Code establishes general principles and defines the minimum standards of professional ethics and conduct that businesses must adhere to when dealing with consumers.

2. It applies to transactions conducted under contracts for the sale of goods or the provision of services entered into between consumers and suppliers for a fee, carried out entirely online via electronic means and remotely, without the simultaneous physical presence of both parties (B2C transactions).

3. The Code serves as a self-regulation framework for businesses engaged in e-commerce targeted at consumers and applies without prejudice to EU and Greek legislation on e-commerce and consumer protection, which it does not in any way replace.

Article 2

Definitions

1. For the purposes of this Code, the following terms shall have the meanings set out below:

   a. "Business engaged in e-commerce" (hereinafter referred to as "business") refers to legal or natural persons established in Greece that lawfully provide products and/or services to consumers in Greece and/or abroad, either directly or as intermediaries, for a direct or indirect fee via electronic means and remote transactions, based on the consumer’s personal choice.
   b. "Electronic means of remote transactions" refer to services and products provided by businesses and accepted by consumers via electronic processing equipment, which is delivered, transmitted, and received entirely over the Internet and/or mobile networks/applications.
   c. All other terms are defined as per Law 2251/1994, as amended, Presidential Decree 131/2003, and the Consumer Code of Ethics under Article 7 of Law 3297/2004, as amended.

2. In case of doubt, the definitions provided by existing legislation shall prevail.

Article 3

General Principles and Obligations of Online Stores

A. General Principles

The Code is based on principles of consumer protection, transparency, impartiality, technological neutrality, professional ethics, integrity, respect for privacy, personal data protection, and safeguarding vulnerable population groups, as specifically detailed in Articles 4 and 5.

B. Minimum Consumer Information Requirements

1. Businesses must ensure that consumers receive comprehensive, accurate, and clear pre-contractual information on the following:

     i. Full corporate name, headquarters, postal address, VAT number, contact phone/email.
     ii. Business registration number (GEMI).
     iii. Key product characteristics and service quality details (e.g., total price including VAT and any other taxes, shipping costs, return fees, additional charges, payment terms and methods, warranties, product dimensions/size).
     iv. Availability of services and products, and the timeframe within which the supplier undertakes to deliver goods or provide services.
     ν. Pricing details, including potential discounts or special offers.
     vi. Right of withdrawal and conditions for contract termination or cancellation, as outlined in Article 6.
     vii. Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and recognized bodies for consumer dispute resolution that the suppliers are committed or obliged to use. If no such commitment or obligation exists, suppliers must clearly state whether they will utilize these mechanisms.
     viii. The option for electronic alternative dispute resolution, as outlined in Article 8.
     ix. Post-sales service terms, commercial warranties (scope, duration, and territorial validity), and seller liability for product defects and non-conformity, as per Articles 534 et seq. of the Greek Civil Code.
     x. Any need for frequent product maintenance or the existence of high-cost spare parts relative to the product’s current market price.
     xi. The purpose of data processing, the recipients or categories of recipients of personal data, and the consumer’s rights regarding access and objection, as per Article 5B(5).
     xii. The ethical codes or trust marks the business adheres to.
     xiii. This information must be clear, lawful, truthful, up-to-date, easily accessible to all consumers, including individuals with disabilities, and verifiable. It must be provided in Greek and optionally in other languages.

2. Terms of service and product sales contracts must be posted on the business’s website in a location easily accessible to consumers.

3. Upon receiving a purchase order request from a consumer, the business must immediately issue and send an order acknowledgment, clearly stating the date of receipt and order confirmation.

4. Businesses must clearly communicate to consumers the exact moment when a contract is deemed concluded, as specified by applicable laws. Essential contractual terms must be made available to consumers in advance, ensuring that no order can be placed unless the consumer has reviewed them. Once the contract is finalized, the business must refrain from modifying its terms, particularly regarding pricing or product/service availability.

5. Consumers must receive adequate updates on the progress of their order.

6. If a business determines that a consumer was not adequately informed or entered into a contract without explicit consent, it must take all reasonable steps to resolve the issue promptly.

7. E-commerce business personnel responsible for interacting with consumers regarding service provision or product sales must be fully informed about these requirements and provide clear and accurate responses to consumer inquiries.

C. Advertising & Promotion

1. Advertising and promotional activities must comply with applicable laws.

2. Additionally, the following should apply:

    i. Advertising messages and all provided information must clearly identify the business, its products/services, and final prices or calculation methods in a simple and understandable manner.
    ii. Advertisements must avoid misleading or aggressive commercial practices before, during, and after transactions.
    iii. Business representatives must not mislead consumers or create false impressions about products or services.
    iv. Businesses must provide accurate information regarding service/product availability.
    v. Advertising targeting minors must not encourage violence, alcohol, tobacco, toxic substance use, or unsafe behavior.
    vi. Businesses must adhere to legal age restrictions on promoting and selling specific products.
    vii. Advertising and promotions aimed at individuals with disabilities must ensure accessibility.

Article 4

Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Populations

1. Business personnel must not exploit the vulnerability of consumers in sensitive groups, including minors, the elderly, non-native Greek speakers, and individuals with disabilities. Businesses must present product and service descriptions clearly and accessibly to these groups to prevent misleading claims regarding size, value, nature, purpose, durability, performance, and pricing.

2. Businesses should implement appropriate access controls for minors on their websites, in accordance with applicable laws.

Article 5

Transaction Security and Personal Data Protection

A. Transaction Security

1. Businesses take measures to ensure the security of transactions carried out using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

2. In this context, and in accordance with applicable legislation, businesses make every possible effort to ensure that they or their partners use appropriate tools and measures depending on the category and nature of their business activity and the type of data they collect and process (personal or non-personal) and apply all appropriate measures to provide the legally required security for electronic transactions (relative to the various stages of their completion) and data (personal or non-personal) they collect and process, as well as to inform the parties involved about the key parameters of the security and confidentiality measures used, with a specific mention in the terms of use of the website.

3. Businesses use appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the confidentiality of the data they collect and process in accordance with the legally required framework and depending on the nature of the products and services they provide.

B. Personal Data Protection

1. Businesses must have and implement a clear, truthful, lawful, easily accessible, and updated Personal Data Protection Policy and inform consumers as required by applicable law and the guidelines of the Personal Data Protection Authority regarding this Personal Data Protection Policy.

2. The collection, storage, or processing of data considered sensitive by law is not allowed, such as data regarding racial or ethnic origin, political beliefs, religious or philosophical beliefs, membership in an association, union, or labor organization, health, social welfare, and data related to criminal prosecutions or convictions, unless the conditions and requirements set by law and the Personal Data Protection Authority are met.

3. The collection, processing, storage, and use of other personal data are only allowed when permitted by the applicable legal framework and always in accordance with its provisions.

4. Specifically regarding the use of "all types of cookies," their installation must occur after properly informing the consumer and obtaining their consent, according to the law and the relevant guidelines of the Personal Data Protection Authority.

5. In the case of non-consent/non-acceptance of cookies, businesses must allow, if technologically feasible, the continuation of the use of the website by the consumer without sending cookies.

6. Businesses ensure that the personal data they collect is not disclosed or transferred to third parties without prior notification or consent from the data subject, or as provided by law, always in accordance with data protection legislation.

7. Businesses respect consumers' wishes not to be included in files intended for unsolicited commercial communications via human intervention (calls) for the promotion and sale of products or services, if they have expressed such a request to the relevant publicly available provider.

8. Businesses provide consumers with the option to choose whether they wish to receive advertising messages and newsletters and, if they accept, to have the ability to freely withdraw their consent at any time, with the obligation of businesses not to send further advertising messages or newsletters unless new consent is provided or legal provisions require it.

9. Consumers have the right to immediate access to information regarding their personal data, to object to its use in future promotional activities, to request and confirm its partial or complete deletion from the company's records, to request its correction or completion, to be informed of the time and manner of the initial acquisition of their personal data by the company, and to be informed about the methods of personal data protection applied.

Article 6

Right of Withdrawal for Consumers

1. The consumer has an inalienable right to withdraw without justification or penalty according to the provisions of the applicable legislation.

2. Before the consumer is contractually bound, the supplier must clearly, explicitly, and understandably inform them in their language about their right to exercise the right of withdrawal without justification or penalty within the legally prescribed period of fourteen (14) days, which starts from the time determined by law, as well as the terms, conditions, exceptions, and procedures for exercising the withdrawal right, and the consequences of exercising it, taking into account the particularity of each product/service and providing a withdrawal form template.

3. Any disputes arising shall fall under the jurisdiction of the courts of Katerini.

Article 7

Consumer Service

1. The business ensures that it has appropriate mechanisms (via phone and/or e-mail) and sufficient staff dedicated to consumer service, making reasonable efforts to respond to inquiries within the legally defined timeframes for each case.

2. When communication occurs via a call center, the business ensures that the consumer is not subjected to excessive wait times, and in any case, the call charges do not exceed the rates for local calls. When communication occurs via an online contact form or the company’s email address, the business ensures that a response is sent within a reasonable timeframe after receiving the consumer’s request.

Article 8

Electronic Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes

1. Businesses inform consumers about the possibility of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) for disputes arising from electronic sales contracts or service agreements by using the registered ADR entities in the Registry according to Joint Ministerial Decision 70330/2015.

2. Businesses, whether or not they commit to using ADR, provide an easily accessible electronic link on their websites to the EU-wide Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 524/2013, through which consumers can submit complaints and have them forwarded to the relevant ADR entity.

*Special thanks to Ms. Mina Zoulovits and the law firm Ballas Pelekanos & Associates AED for their scientific support.