GECS E-Learning

These Terms and Conditions govern your access to and use of the GECS E-Learning platform at elearning.globaleducs.com, operated by Global Educational & Cultural Services ("GECS", "we", "us"). They cover your use of the platform (Part A), your cancellation and refund rights (Part B), and how we handle your personal data (Part C). By creating an account you agree to Parts A and B and confirm you have read Part C.

Provider details

Global Educational & Cultural Services
[REGISTERED ADDRESS]
Company registration number: [NUMBER]
VAT number: [VAT]
Email: [CONTACT EMAIL]

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Part A — Terms of Use

A1. Accounts

You must provide accurate, complete and current information when registering, including your full legal name and a valid email address. Your name as entered in your profile is printed on any certificate you earn, so it must match the name you wish to appear on official documents. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for all activity under your account. Accounts are personal and may not be shared, sold or transferred.

You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. If you are under 18, you confirm that a parent or guardian has consented to your use of the platform.

A2. Enrolment and access

Access to a paid course begins once payment is confirmed and continues for the access period stated on the course enrolment page at the time of purchase. For the Business English course this period is 180 days. When the period ends your enrolment lapses and course content is no longer available, although certificates already issued remain retrievable from your profile.

A3. Prices and payment

Prices are shown on the course enrolment page and include VAT where applicable. Payments are processed by Stripe Payments Europe, Ltd. We do not receive or store your card details. Your purchase is complete when Stripe confirms the payment and the platform enrols you in the course.

A4. Certificates

Certificates are issued automatically when you meet the completion requirements published in the course. Each certificate carries a unique GECS reference number and a separate verification code that allows a third party to confirm its authenticity. We may revoke a certificate obtained through misrepresentation, account sharing or breach of these Terms.

A5. Acceptable use

You agree not to: copy, download, record, redistribute or publish course materials; share your account or certificate credentials; attempt to gain unauthorised access to the platform or other users' data; upload unlawful, offensive or infringing content; or use automated tools to extract content. Assessment must be your own work.

A6. Intellectual property

All course materials, including text, audio, video, exercises, assessments and certificate designs, are owned by GECS or its licensors and are protected by copyright. Your enrolment grants you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access the materials for your own learning during the access period. No other rights are granted.

A7. Availability

We aim to keep the platform available continuously but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may suspend access for maintenance, and we may update or withdraw course content to keep it accurate and current.

A8. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or close your account if you breach these Terms. Where a breach is not material we will give you notice and an opportunity to remedy it. You may close your account at any time by contacting us; closing your account does not entitle you to a refund except as set out in Part B.

A9. Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence or for fraud. Subject to that, our total liability to you in connection with a course is limited to the amount you paid for it. We do not guarantee any particular learning outcome, employment result or recognition by any third party of the qualification obtained.

A10. Changes and governing law

We may update these Terms. Where changes are material you will be asked to review and accept the new version at your next sign-in. These Terms are governed by Greek law. The courts of [CITY], Greece have jurisdiction, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer protection rights you have in your country of residence.

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Part B — Cancellation and Refund Policy

B1. Statutory right of withdrawal

If you are a consumer resident in the European Union, Directive 2011/83/EU gives you the right to withdraw from a distance contract within 14 days of concluding it, without giving any reason.

B2. How immediate access affects that right

Our courses are digital content supplied without a tangible medium. Under Article 16(m) of the Directive, the right of withdrawal is lost once performance has begun, provided that you gave your prior express consent and acknowledged that you would thereby lose the right. At checkout you are therefore asked to confirm that you want immediate access and that you acknowledge losing your right of withdrawal once you begin.

If you do not start the course, your 14-day right of withdrawal remains intact. In practice:

• You purchased but have not opened any course activity — full refund within 14 days, no reason needed.
• You purchased and have started the course — the statutory right no longer applies, but the goodwill grounds below may still cover you.

B3. Goodwill refunds

Beyond your statutory rights, we will refund a purchase where you were charged more than once for the same course; where a technical fault on our side prevented access and we could not resolve it within a reasonable time; or where the course as delivered differs materially from its published description.

We do not normally refund for change of mind after starting, lack of time to complete the course, failure to pass the final assessment, or expiry of the access period.

B4. How to request a refund

Email [CONTACT EMAIL] from the address registered on your account, stating your name, the course, and the date of purchase. You may use the model withdrawal form but are not required to.

B5. How refunds are made

Approved refunds are returned through Stripe to the original payment method, normally within 14 days of our accepting the request. We charge no processing fee. When a refund is issued your enrolment is cancelled, access ends, and any certificate issued for that course is revoked.

B6. Courses we cancel

If we withdraw a course while you still have valid access, we will refund the unused portion of your access period pro rata, or offer an equivalent course, at your choice.

B7. Disputes

If you are not satisfied with our decision you may refer the matter to the Greek Consumer Ombudsman or use the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

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Part C — Privacy Policy

GECS is the data controller for personal data processed on this platform, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and Greek data protection law. Contact for data protection matters: [DATA PROTECTION CONTACT EMAIL]. Data Protection Officer: [NAME OR "not appointed"].

C1. What we collect

• Account data — first name, surname, email address, username, password (stored hashed), country, city, timezone, preferred language, and any optional profile information or picture you add.
• Learning data — courses you enrol in, activity completion, SCORM progress and scores, quiz attempts and answers, grades, certificates issued and their reference numbers, and feedback form responses.
• Transaction data — the course purchased, amount, currency, date, and the payment reference returned by Stripe. We never receive or store your full card number.
• Technical data — IP address, browser and device information, and access logs.

C2. Why we process it, and on what legal basis

• Providing the course and issuing certificates — performance of our contract with you, Art. 6(1)(b).
• Processing payments and keeping accounting records — contract and legal obligation, Art. 6(1)(b) and (c).
• Platform security, fraud prevention and abuse detection — legitimate interests, Art. 6(1)(f).
• Improving our courses using evaluation form responses — legitimate interests, Art. 6(1)(f).
• Marketing emails, where offered — your consent, Art. 6(1)(a), which you may withdraw at any time.

C3. Who we share it with

We share personal data only with recipients that need it: Stripe Payments Europe, Ltd. for payment processing and fraud prevention; [HOSTING PROVIDER], which hosts the platform and its database; our email delivery service; Google, for bot detection on the sign-up form via reCAPTCHA; accrediting or verification bodies where you ask us to confirm a certificate, or where a third party verifies one using its verification code; and authorities where we are legally required to disclose.

We do not sell your personal data and we do not use it for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal effects.

C4. International transfers

The platform is hosted within the EU. Where a processor transfers data outside the EEA, the transfer is covered by an adequacy decision or by Standard Contractual Clauses.

C5. How long we keep it

• Account and learning records — for the life of your account and [RETENTION PERIOD] after your last sign-in, then deleted or anonymised.
• Certificates and their reference numbers — retained indefinitely so certificates remain verifiable, unless you ask for erasure.
• Accounting and transaction records — for the period required by Greek tax law, currently [PERIOD] years.
• Server and access logs — [PERIOD].

C6. Your rights

You have the right to access your data, to rectify inaccurate data, to erasure, to restriction of processing, to data portability, and to object to processing based on legitimate interests. Where processing is based on consent you may withdraw it at any time without affecting prior processing. You can download a copy of your data or request deletion from your profile under "Data privacy", or by contacting [DATA PROTECTION CONTACT EMAIL]. Please note that erasing your account may make an issued certificate unverifiable.

C7. Cookies

The platform sets a session cookie (MoodleSession) that keeps you signed in and without which it cannot function, and an optional cookie (MOODLEID_) that remembers your username on the login page. Stripe and Google reCAPTCHA set their own cookies during payment and sign-up respectively. We use no advertising cookies, tracking pixels or cross-site analytics. You can block cookies in your browser, but blocking the session cookie will prevent you from signing in. If we add or change the cookies we use, this section is updated and, where required, we ask for your consent.

C8. Complaints

Please contact us first. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (www.dpa.gr) or the supervisory authority in your country of residence.