Terms of Service

1. Introduction

Welcome to Book and Explore ("the Platform"), operated by ΣΠΥΡΟΣ ΛΑΜΠΟΣ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣ, a sole proprietorship (ατομική επιχείρηση) registered in Greece with ΑΦΜ 136394810, located at ΘΕΣΗ ΦΛΟΚΑ 0 - ΖΑΚΥΝΘΟΣ, 29100, Greece.

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our website www.bookandexplore.com and all related services. By using the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

The Platform is available to customers worldwide. All transactions are processed in EUR (€) and are subject to the laws of Greece, regardless of your location.

2. Definitions

• "Platform" — The Book and Explore website and all associated services
• "We/Us/Our" — ΣΠΥΡΟΣ ΛΑΜΠΟΣ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣ, operating Book and Explore
• "Customer" — Any person who browses, books, or purchases services through the Platform
• "Provider" — A verified individual or business that lists and delivers services through the Platform
• "Service" — Any rental, experience, activity, or tour listed on the Platform
• "Booking" — A confirmed reservation for a Service made by a Customer

3. Nature of the Platform

Book and Explore is an online marketplace that connects Customers with local service Providers in Zakynthos, Greece. We do not own, operate, or control the services listed. Providers are independent third parties, not employees or agents of Book and Explore.

We facilitate bookings and payments, but the actual service delivery, quality, and safety are the sole responsibility of the Provider. We verify Providers during onboarding but do not guarantee the quality of any specific service.

Payment model: The Platform collects the full payment from the Customer and holds it securely. The Provider does not receive any funds until after the service is delivered. For rentals, the Provider payout occurs 24 hours after the rental end date/time. For experiences, the Provider payout occurs 24 hours after the experience start date/time. The Platform retains its commission from the held funds. This model ensures customer refunds can be processed fairly and quickly.

4. Eligibility & Age Requirement

By using the Platform and making a booking, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years old and have the full legal capacity to enter into binding contracts under the laws of your jurisdiction and Greece.

Why 18+? Under GDPR Article 8 and Greek Civil Code Article 134, processing personal data of children under 16 requires verifiable parental consent, and contracts with minors are voidable. Since our platform processes booking data (name, email, phone) and forms payment contracts, we require all users to be adults to ensure valid contract formation and data protection compliance.

4.1 Underage Bookings

If we discover or are notified that a booking was made by a person under 18 years of age:

• The Platform reserves the right to cancel the booking and issue a full refund, regardless of our standard cancellation or no-refund policies
• If the service has already been delivered or the Provider has already been paid, we reserve the right to recover the refunded amount from the Provider or offset it against future earnings
• Claims based on lack of legal capacity (underage booking) must be submitted within 30 days of the booking creation date or the scheduled service date, whichever is earlier
• After this 30-day period, the booking is deemed to have been validly made by a person of legal capacity, and our standard cancellation and refund policies apply

Good faith processing: The Platform processes all bookings in good faith based on the user's representation of age. We do not verify age at the time of booking. If an underage booking is discovered after the service date and after Provider payout has occurred, we will refund the Customer where legally required, but we reserve the right to recover such amounts from the Provider or through other legal means.

5. Guest Bookings (No Account Required)

Customers can make bookings as guests without creating a user account. You only need to provide your name, email, and phone number at checkout. You are responsible for ensuring this information is accurate so we can send booking confirmations and updates.

6. Bookings and Payments

All bookings are subject to availability. When you complete a booking:

• You will be charged the full amount shown at checkout, including any applicable taxes
• All prices are in EUR (€)
• Payments are processed securely through Stripe
• You will receive a booking confirmation email with your details
• A unique booking reference and coupon code will be generated for your reservation

Payment holding: The Platform holds the full payment until the service is delivered. After the service date/time, the Provider's share is transferred to their Stripe Connect Express account. The Platform retains its commission.

7. Cancellation and Refund Policy

Our refund policy is detailed in our separate Refund Policy. By making a booking, you agree to those terms. In summary:

• Full refund if you cancel 48 hours or more before the scheduled service
• Partial or no refund if you cancel less than 48 hours before, at our discretion
• No refund for no-shows or cancellations after the service has started

Refunds are processed by the Platform, not the Provider, because the Platform holds the funds until service delivery.

8. Provider Relationship

Providers on the Platform are independent contractors. We do not employ them, and they are solely responsible for:

• The quality, safety, and delivery of their services
• Obtaining necessary licenses, insurance, and permits
• Complying with all applicable laws and regulations
• Issuing receipts or invoices to Customers upon service delivery (where required by Greek law)

Currently, Providers do not have a self-service dashboard. All onboarding, service setup, and administrative changes are managed by our team. Providers communicate with us directly for any updates or issues.

9. Customer Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose
• Make fraudulent bookings or payment attempts
• Harass, abuse, or threaten Providers or our staff
• Attempt to bypass our payment system or booking flow
• Scrape, copy, or extract data from the Platform without authorization
• Interfere with the security or operation of the Platform

We reserve the right to cancel bookings, block access, and report illegal activity to authorities without prior notice.

10. Intellectual Property

All content on the Platform — including text, images, logos, software, and design — is owned by Book and Explore or licensed to us. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works without our written permission.

Provider-submitted images and descriptions remain the property of the respective Provider, but by submitting them, Providers grant us a license to display them on the Platform.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Book and Explore and ΣΠΥΡΟΣ ΛΑΜΠΟΣ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣ shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including lost profits, arising from your use of the Platform or any service booked through it.

Our total liability for any claim arising from your use of the Platform shall not exceed the total amount you paid for the specific booking giving rise to the claim.

We are not liable for:

• Actions, omissions, or negligence of Providers
• Personal injury, property damage, or loss during a booked service
• Force majeure events (weather, natural disasters, strikes, pandemics)
• Technical failures of third-party services (Stripe, Google, hosting providers)

12. Dispute Resolution

We encourage Customers and Providers to resolve disputes directly and amicably. If a dispute cannot be resolved, it will be governed by the laws of Greece and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Zakynthos, Greece.

For EU consumers, you may also have recourse through the EU Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/odr.

13. Force Majeure

We are not responsible for failures or delays caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, pandemics, government actions, internet outages, or failures of third-party payment processors.

14. Modifications to Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. For significant changes, we will notify you via email or a prominent notice on the website.

15. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Platform at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. Upon termination, all provisions that by their nature should survive termination shall remain in effect, including ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, and limitations of liability.

16. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, please contact:

• Email: hi@bookandexplore.co
• Phone: +30 6947490427
• Address: ΘΕΣΗ ΦΛΟΚΑ 0 - ΖΑΚΥΝΘΟΣ, 29100, Greece