General conditions of sale

Terms and conditions of sale

Date 19/06/2024   |   Company GREAT TECHNOLOGY SRL   |   Contact info@great-technology.be – 02 315 71 00

Conditions applicable to product sales including digital content for consumers and businesses.

Contents

Legal framework Belgium and European Union

These pages apply to sales and services delivered by Great Technology in Belgium and, where the customer is located in the European Union, to cross border performance within the Union.

Mandatory consumer rights and rules of public order prevail in case of conflict. The legal references below are stated to make the applicable framework visible and verifiable.

  • Belgium: Code of Economic Law, Book VI, Market practices and consumer protection, including precontractual information duties and distance contracts.
  • Belgium: Code of Economic Law, Book XIX, Consumer debts, including free first reminder, minimum payment period after reminder and caps on costs and indemnities in amicable collection.
  • Belgium: Act of 2 August 2002 on combating late payment in commercial transactions, for business to business relations.
  • European Union: Directive 2011 83 EU on consumer rights, information and withdrawal for distance contracts.
  • European Union: Directive 2019 771 EU on conformity of goods, including second hand goods and goods with digital elements.
  • European Union: Directive 2019 770 EU on conformity of digital content and digital services.
  • European Union: Regulation 2016 679 EU, GDPR, personal data protection.

Where performance involves third parties such as carriers, payment platforms, publishers, manufacturers or infrastructure providers, their terms may apply in addition, without reducing mandatory consumer rights.

Definitions

The terms below have the following meaning for the entire pack.

  • Customer: any person who purchases a product, subscribes to a service or requests an intervention.
  • Consumer: natural person acting for purposes outside a trade, business, craft or profession.
  • Business customer: customer acting within a professional activity.
  • Product: any hardware, accessory, part, licence or good sold, new or second hand, including where a digital element is integrated or required.
  • Service: any technical service, consulting, maintenance, support, remote assistance, networking, cybersecurity, managed services or express intervention.
  • Digital content: data produced and supplied in digital form, such as keys, licences, codes and downloads.
  • Digital service: a service enabling the customer to create, process, store or access data in digital form, or to share such data.

If written specific conditions conflict with these pages, the written specific conditions prevail to the extent permitted by law.

Legal basis withdrawal and delivery consumer

Legal basis: Directive 2011 83 EU and the Belgian Code of Economic Law Book VI, including a fourteen day withdrawal right for distance contracts, subject to statutory exclusions.

The consumer exercises rights without excessive formalities, by clear notice, and returns the goods within the time limits.

Delivery, receipt and transfer of risk

Delivery options, fees, carriers, zones and indicative times are shown at checkout.

Processing time: generally 1 to 2 business days from order confirmation and, where relevant, anti fraud validation. Orders placed on Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday are processed from the next business day, which may extend the overall time.

Transit time: generally between 5 and 9 business days in Belgium and generally between 5 and 9 business days within the European Union. These times remain indicative and depend on carriers, local subcontractors, served areas, peak seasons and external events. Tracking is provided when available.

Consumer customer: risk transfers when the consumer or a third party designated by the consumer takes physical possession of the goods.

Business customer: unless otherwise agreed in writing, risk transfers upon handover to the carrier.

Receipt and transport damage

The customer checks the parcel and the goods upon receipt. If damage is apparent, the customer takes complete photos: sealed parcel, label, damaged areas, inner packaging and the goods.

Where possible, the customer records precise reservations with the carrier and contacts support with evidence to open a case.

Support: support@great-technology.be.

Delay and multiple parcels

Times are indicative and may vary due to supply, logistics incidents, strikes, weather or carrier decisions. Great Technology informs the customer when it becomes aware.

An order may be delivered in multiple parcels. The customer follows the tracking numbers provided.

Consumer withdrawal right

The consumer has a statutory withdrawal right of fourteen calendar days from receipt, subject to statutory exclusions.

Notice is sent to support@great-technology.be with the order reference and concerned items.

Goods are returned no later than fourteen calendar days after notice. The consumer keeps proof of dispatch.

Refund is made using the same payment method unless the customer expressly agrees otherwise. Depending on the payment method and bank and provider processing times, the effective credit may appear between 7 and 30 calendar days from refund approval. Great Technology does not control internal timelines of banks and payment providers.

Withdrawal exclusions and common IT cases

Certain categories may be excluded from the withdrawal right where statutory conditions are met. Relevant exclusions are indicated before ordering where applicable.

  • Licences, keys and digital content supplied immediately where performance started with consent and acknowledgement of loss of withdrawal right where the law provides.
  • Custom configured or personalised products assembled to the customer specifications.
  • Services fully performed before the end of the withdrawal period where performance was requested and accepted under applicable rules.

Condition of returned goods and depreciation

The consumer may handle the goods only as necessary to establish nature, characteristics and proper functioning.

Use beyond what is necessary may lead to a proportionate depreciation reflecting objective loss of value: usage marks, missing accessories, damage, missing essential packaging.

Great Technology documents any depreciation applied and retains useful evidence.

Returns for business customers

Business customers do not automatically benefit from the consumer withdrawal right. Any business return requires prior written approval, including RMA process, time limit, condition, possible fees and restocking.

Special order items, custom configured goods, sealed and opened goods, and delivered licences may be non returnable.

Legal basis legal guarantee and conformity

Legal basis: Directive 2019 771 EU and Belgian implementing rules on the legal guarantee of conformity.

The consumer benefits from the legal guarantee. Great Technology is liable for lack of conformity existing at delivery and appearing within statutory periods.

Duration and second hand goods

Unless a specific regime applies, the legal guarantee duration for a new good is two years. For certain second hand goods, a shorter period may be agreed, not below one year, and must be clearly communicated before sale.

A manufacturer commercial warranty may exist in parallel without reducing the legal guarantee.

Goods with digital elements and updates

For goods with digital elements, specific rules apply. Where updates are necessary to keep conformity, the consumer must install updates following reasonable instructions.

Failure to install necessary updates may influence conformity assessment where the defect is directly linked to missing required updates.

After sales procedure

The customer contacts support@great-technology.be with invoice, product reference, detailed defect description and useful evidence such as photos, videos or error messages.

A diagnosis may be required to identify cause: simple tests, updates, reset, remote diagnosis or workshop drop off.

Where goods are returned, proper packaging is required. Damage caused by insufficient packaging may be charged to the customer.

Bringing into conformity and remedies

Conformity is restored by repair or replacement under statutory conditions within a reasonable time and without cost for the consumer, unless impossible or disproportionate.

If bringing into conformity is impossible or not performed within a reasonable time, statutory remedies may apply: price reduction or termination, subject to the applicable framework.

Situations generally outside scope

The following situations are generally outside scope where they do not result from lack of conformity:

  • Normal wear and consumables.
  • Accidental damage: drop, shock, liquid, overvoltage, oxidation, fire.
  • Unauthorised intervention, disassembly, modification or third party repair causing the issue.
  • Malware infection or unauthorised installation where the origin is not a conformity defect.

Secure payments

Legal basis and standards: Directive EU 2015 2366 PSD2 and the associated strong customer authentication rules, including Commission Delegated Regulation EU 2018 389. Personal data protection is governed by Regulation EU 2016 679 GDPR.

Payments on the online shop are processed by regulated payment service providers. Great Technology does not store full card numbers, card security codes or equivalent sensitive authentication data on its own systems when the customer pays online. Card security and processing are handled by the payment provider according to industry standards, including PCI DSS requirements where applicable.

Strong customer authentication may be required, for example 3D Secure, depending on the payment method, the issuing bank, the transaction context and the risk analysis performed by the payment provider. If authentication fails or is refused, the order cannot be completed and no contract is formed for that transaction.

Anti fraud controls may include automated checks, confirmation requests or temporary holds. Where a payment is authorised but later rejected, reversed or charged back, Great Technology may suspend delivery and may request an alternative secure payment method before shipping.

Refunds are performed through the same payment method unless the customer expressly agrees otherwise. The effective credit on the customer account depends on banks and providers and may appear between 7 and 30 calendar days from refund approval.

Legal basis late payment and collection Belgium

Consumer legal basis: Belgian Code of Economic Law Book XIX Consumer debts, which frames amicable collection, requires a free first reminder, a minimum payment period after reminder and caps on costs and indemnities chargeable to a consumer.

Business legal basis: Belgian Act of 2 August 2002 on combating late payment in commercial transactions, applicable in business to business relations.

Due date and suspension

Unless specific conditions apply, invoices are payable immediately or by the due date stated. Any payment facility must be granted in writing.

In case of non payment, Great Technology may suspend non essential services to the extent permitted by law.

Business customers

In B2B, late interest and a collection indemnity may apply under the Act of 2 August 2002 and contractual clauses.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, Great Technology applies a fixed indemnity of fifteen percent of the due amount with a minimum of one hundred fifty EUR, plus interest at the applicable commercial transaction rate.

Consumers

In B2C, Great Technology applies the Book XIX procedure: free reminder, minimum payment period after reminder, then costs and indemnity within statutory caps.

Indicatively, statutory caps depend on the due amount: maximum 20 EUR for a debt up to 150 EUR, maximum 30 EUR plus ten percent of the portion above 150 EUR up to 500 EUR, maximum 65 EUR plus five percent above 500 EUR, with an overall maximum. Great Technology applies the caps in force at the time of collection.

Any clause more unfavourable to the consumer is deemed unwritten to the extent incompatible with mandatory rules.

Complaints, mediation and applicable law

Complaints are sent to support@great-technology.be with order or invoice reference, precise description and useful evidence.

The parties seek an amicable solution first. For consumers, recognised mediation mechanisms exist in Belgium.

Applicable law: Belgian law. For business customers, jurisdiction of the courts of Brussels unless otherwise agreed in writing. For consumers, mandatory jurisdiction rules may apply depending on consumer residence.

Belgian Consumer Mediation Service

Belgian Consumer Mediation Service: mediationconsommateur.be, contact@mediationconsommateur.be, phone 02 702 52 20.