1. Communication between Shops and Skroutz
Communication between Skroutz and shops is particularly important, as it helps resolve potential issues with user orders. In cases where a shop does not respond to any communication from Skroutz for more than 4 working days and the shop has active orders to be shipped during that period, Skroutz may proceed with the temporary deactivation of the shop on Skroutz and transfer the orders to another shop for processing.
2. Compensation Policy
Depending on the business model of the store (Marketplace core, Fulfilled by Merchant), the Compensation policy is formed as follows.
Marketplace Core Model (deliveries are handled by Skroutz)
Skroutz assumes responsibility for compensating the store for products that are found to be damaged or destroyed by the buyer and/or the courier company upon their return to the store, as well as for products lost by the courier company during transportation.
Specifically, the store is obliged to receive all returned products. If, upon receipt of the product by the store, damage or destruction is found, a compensation request can be submitted through a special process followed in the Merchants Panel within 7 working days of receiving the product. The compensation request must be accompanied by the corresponding proof document certifying the damage or destruction (e.g., a photo of the damaged packaging or product, and depending on the type of product to be returned, a report from an authorized technician, etc.). Exceptionally, and only in cases where product damage is detected, which must be confirmed by an authorized service, the compensation request can be submitted within 15 working days, and if the official service is located abroad, the request must be submitted within 30 working days.
Following the compensation request, Skroutz will conduct a review to determine the cause of the damage or destruction. If it is proven to be due to the consumer's or the courier company's fault, compensation will be provided as follows:
(a) In cases of product destruction, compensation equal to 80% of the retail price of the product at the time of purchase will be provided.
(b) In cases of partial damage to the product, compensation equal to 40% of the retail price of the product at the time of purchase will be provided.
(c) In cases of destruction of the factory packaging, compensation equal to 20% of the retail price of the product at the time of purchase will be provided.
(d) In cases of products confirmed by the courier company/transport company to have been lost during transportation, compensation equal to 80% of the retail price of the product at the time of purchase will be provided.
Any request for reconsideration of the compensation decision or its percentage can be made within 7 working days after the store is informed about the compensation or non-compensation.
The total compensation amount that Skroutz pays to stores cannot exceed 0.75% of the store's annual turnover through the Skroutz Marketplace. For new stores, the 0.75% limit applies after the first €200 in turnover or after the first three months from the dispatch of their first order through the Skroutz Marketplace, whichever comes first.
*In the event that the store has not completed twelve months from the first order on the Skroutz Marketplace, it will be prorated on an annual basis.
FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant) Model (deliveries are handled by Merchant)
The store is obliged to receive all returned products. If, upon receipt, the products are found to be damaged, destroyed, or lost during transit by the courier company, the merchant must address the matter directly with the carrier, as all courier-related negotiations fall under the merchant's responsibility.
However, in the case the returned products are determined to be damaged or destroyed by the buyer and/or Skroutz upon their return to the store, Skroutz will assume responsibility for compensating the store, as outlined in the aforementioned section (Marketplace Core Model).
3. Product Repair and Response Time
In the event that a product has been returned as defective and has been sent for repair/service to a shop, the merchant must:
(a) Return the product repaired or the final report/result of the service, legally signed by a specialized technician, within 15 working days from the day the product was received. In case the official service is located abroad, the corresponding procedure must be completed within 30 working days.
(b) Respond to any communication from Skroutz regarding the repair process within 2 working days in order to promptly inform the user.
(c) In case the above time limit for the return of the product or the submission of the service report is not met, it is inferred that the merchant accepts the return and the existence of a defect, and the user is compensated by Skroutz for the full value of the product, if requested. The amount paid to the user is deducted from the next payment that Skroutz makes to the merchant.
4. Invoice Issuance
Shops that have activated the provision of issuing invoices are obligated to issue an invoice for orders upon request. If a shop no longer wishes to issue invoices for future orders, it should deactivate this provision through the Partner Portal, on the "Shops Services" page. For pending orders while the provision was active, shops must issue invoices regularly and without exception.
Exceptions: The above deactivation option is not allowed for products in the categories of Laptops, Mobile Phones, Consoles, and Tablets (Article 39A products). Shops participating in the categories of Laptops, Mobile Phones, Consoles, and Tablets, as well as products referred to in Article 39A of the VAT Code, as applicable, can receive orders without the payment of VAT as provided for, with electronic verification of the beneficiaries through the system.
5. Returns Management
In the event that a user requests a product return for any reason (withdrawal request, order execution error, defective product, etc.), the shop receives all the information regarding the product to be returned, the reason for the return, quantity, purchase date, and customer details. Therefore, for the returns process from the shop's perspective, providing the purchase receipt from the user is not mandatory.
Exceptions to this policy are returns that require further technical inspection of the product and returns of products for which the purchase receipt was issued using a standard cash register; in such cases, the purchase receipt must be provided.
This policy solely pertains to the product return process and does not, under any circumstances, affect the process of issuing (sending/communicating to the user) purchase receipts for product purchases, which remains mandatory.
6. Change of Details
Any changes related to business information, address, contact details, tax-related information, company details (e.g., conversion from a natural person to a legal entity, changes in the legal form of an entity, changes in the ownership structure of an entity, changes in the legal representative of an entity, VAT registration number), or any details that may potentially mislead consumers must be recorded and updated through the Partner Portal as soon as possible, and in any case, within 24 hours.