01Definitions

1.1. The Seller. The online shop www.epalinca.ro is owned and operated by:

1.1.1. The producer. The Products sold on the Site are made and bottled by ZEKULHYDA S.R.L., VAT no. 40648975, Trade Register no. J5/686/2019, Str. Petőfi Sándor 116, 417435 Săcueni, jud. Bihor, România. The Seller buys them from the producer and sells them in its own name as a distributor; the sales contract is concluded with the Seller only.

1.2. Site — the domain www.epalinca.ro, its subdomains and every page reachable through them.

1.3. Content — all information on the Site that can be visited, viewed or accessed: texts, images, graphics, visual identity elements, product descriptions, prices, and the content of communications sent to the Customer electronically.

1.4. Customer / Consumer — the adult natural person or legal entity accessing the Site and/or placing an order. A Consumer is any natural person acting for purposes outside their trade, business, craft or profession (GEO 34/2014, GO 21/1992).

1.5. Order — the electronic document through which the Customer expresses the intention to buy the selected Products under these terms.

1.6. Distance contract — the contract concluded between the Seller and the Customer through the Site, without the simultaneous physical presence of the parties (GEO 34/2014).

1.7. Products — the spirits (palinka, fruit distillates) and accessories offered for sale on the Site.

1.8. Transaction — the collection or refund of an amount resulting from the sale of a Product, through the payment methods made available by the Seller.

02General provisions

2.1. Using the Site and placing an order means that you have read, understood and fully accept these Terms and conditions together with the Privacy policy, the Cookie policy, the Delivery and payment page and the Returns policy, which form an integral part of the contract.

2.2. The Seller may update the Terms at any time. The version applicable to an order is the one in force on the day the order is placed; it is provided to you on a durable medium in the confirmation e-mail.

2.4. The Customer is responsible for all activity carried out through their account or order details and undertakes to use the Site in accordance with the law and good practice. Excessive alcohol consumption seriously harms your health. Do not drive under the influence of alcohol.

03Content and intellectual property

3.1. The entire Content of the Site — the Zekulhyda trademark, the name epalinca.ro, the texts, photographs, graphics, labels and visual identity — is the property of the Seller or is used with the consent of its owners and is protected by Law no. 8/1996 on copyright and Law no. 84/1998 on trademarks. Copying, reproducing, distributing, modifying or republishing it, in whole or in part, without the Seller's prior written consent is prohibited.

3.2. Product images are for illustration; batches may show slight differences in colour or labelling that do not affect the quality of the Product. The Seller takes all reasonable care to keep the Content accurate, but obvious clerical or calculation errors are not binding.

3.3. “Pălincă” is a geographical indication protected for spirit drinks under Regulation (EU) 2019/787. The essential characteristics of the Products (category, alcohol content, net volume, producer) are shown on the label and on each product page in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.

04Contact and communications

4.1. The Seller publishes its full contact details on the Site: Str. Morii 24, Săcueni, jud. Bihor, 417435 · office@epalinca.ro · 0742 908 047.

4.2. By completing a form on the Site or placing an order, the Customer agrees to be contacted by the Seller by any available means (e-mail, phone, SMS) in connection with the order or request. Communications sent to the e-mail address provided by the Customer are deemed received.

4.3. Commercial communications (newsletter, offers) are sent only with the Customer's prior, express consent, under Art. 12 of Law no. 506/2004; you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in each message or at the e-mail address above.

05Personal data

5.1. Personal data is processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and Law no. 190/2018, as detailed in the Privacy policy.

5.2. The data provided when ordering is used to perform the contract (processing, invoicing, delivery), to meet legal tax and accounting obligations and, with your consent, for commercial communications. It may be passed to the providers involved in fulfilling the order (courier, payment processor, shop platform) and, on request, to the competent authorities.

5.3. You have the rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability and objection, and the right to lodge a complaint with ANSPDCP (dataprotection.ro). Requests go to office@epalinca.ro.

5.4. The Site uses cookies; details and management options are described in the Cookie policy.

06Orders and access to the service

6.1. An order is placed by completing the checkout steps and pressing the button that explicitly indicates the obligation to pay (“Checkout”), as required by Art. 8 of GEO 34/2014. The order is an offer to purchase addressed to the Seller.

6.2. After placing the order, the Customer automatically receives the order confirmation by e-mail, in accordance with Law no. 365/2002 on electronic commerce. The system only allows orders for Products that are in stock, and the confirmation e-mail includes the Seller's statement of acceptance of the order.

6.3. The distance contract is concluded when the Seller confirms, on a durable medium (e-mail), its acceptance of the order placed by the Customer, in accordance with art. 8 (9) of OUG no. 34/2014 — that is, when the order confirmation e-mail referred to in clause 6.2, issued after the Products' availability in stock has been verified, is sent. The card payment confirmation or the dispatch notification neither condition nor mark the conclusion of the contract. Clauses 6.4 and 6.5 continue to apply.

6.4. The Seller may refuse or cancel an order, informing the Customer, where:

• the transaction is not authorised by the card-issuing bank or the payment is not confirmed;
• the details provided by the Customer are incomplete or incorrect;
• the ordered Product is no longer available or the displayed price contains an obvious error;
• the Customer's age cannot be verified, or there are reasonable indications of fraud or bad faith;
• the Customer has repeatedly refused previous parcels or has breached these Terms.

6.5. If a Product becomes unavailable after the order is placed, the Customer is informed as soon as possible and may choose a replacement, a postponement or cancellation of the order with a full refund.

07Products, prices, payment and delivery

7.1. Prices. All prices are in Romanian lei (RON) and include VAT and the excise duty applicable to alcoholic beverages under the Romanian Fiscal Code. Prices do not include delivery, which is shown separately before the order is completed (Art. 6 of GEO 34/2014). The price displayed when the order is placed applies.

7.2. Where a price reduction is announced, we indicate the prior price, i.e. the lowest price applied in the 30 days before the reduction, in accordance with GO 21/1992 as amended by GO 58/2022.

7.3. Payment. Payment is made by the methods shown at checkout: bank card, processed securely by our partner payment processor (the Seller does not store card data), or cash on delivery, where available. No additional fee is charged for card payments.

7.4. Invoicing. The invoice is issued on the basis of the details provided by the Customer, who is responsible for their accuracy. It is sent electronically to the e-mail address provided and, where required by law, transmitted through the Romanian RO e-Factura system (Law no. 296/2023, GEO 120/2021). By accepting the Terms, the Customer agrees to receive the invoice electronically.

7.5. Delivery. Delivery is made by courier, within Romania only, to the address given in the order. The estimated time and costs are shown on the Delivery and payment page; unless otherwise agreed, the Products are delivered within 30 days of the conclusion of the contract (Art. 18 of GEO 34/2014). The risk of loss or damage passes to the Customer on taking physical possession of the Products (Art. 20).

7.6. We recommend checking the parcel on receipt, in the presence of the courier. Visible damage should be recorded in the courier's report and reported to the Seller as soon as possible. The Products are excise goods delivered in sealed packaging with the fiscal marking applied by the producer.

08Consumer rights and liability

8.2. The Products must be returned without undue delay and no later than 14 days from the day you communicate your withdrawal; the direct cost of returning them is borne by the Customer (Art. 14). The Seller refunds all amounts received, including the cost of standard delivery, no later than 14 days from being informed, and may withhold the refund until the Products, or proof of their dispatch, are received (Art. 13). The Customer is liable for any diminished value resulting from handling beyond what is necessary to establish the nature and characteristics of the Products.

8.3. Exception (Art. 16(e) of GEO 34/2014): the right of withdrawal does not apply to sealed Products which have been unsealed after delivery and cannot be returned for health protection or hygiene reasons. Bottles whose seal, capsule or tax strip has been opened or damaged cannot be returned, unless the Product is non-conforming.

8.4. Conformity. The Seller is liable for any lack of conformity existing at delivery, under GEO 140/2021, for 2 years. In the event of a lack of conformity you are entitled, in the order set by law, to have the Product brought into conformity (replacement), to a proportionate price reduction or to termination of the contract, free of charge. The natural sediment of fruit distillates, natural colour variation between batches and damage caused by improper storage after delivery do not constitute a lack of conformity.

8.5. Complaints. Complaints may be sent to office@epalinca.ro or 0742 908 047; we reply within 30 calendar days.

8.6. Liability. The Seller is liable to the consumer as provided by law. The Seller is not liable for irresponsible consumption of the Products or consumption contrary to legal requirements, for non-performance due to force majeure (unforeseeable and insurmountable events, including courier or payment service outages beyond the Seller's control), or for the content of third-party sites the Site may link to. Nothing in these Terms limits the rights granted to consumers by mandatory law.

09Dispute resolution

9.1. Any disagreement is settled, first of all, amicably, by contacting the Seller directly.

9.3. Disputes that cannot be settled amicably or through SAL fall under the jurisdiction of the competent courts of Romania; for consumers, jurisdiction is determined according to consumer protection rules.

10Final provisions

10.1. The Seller reserves the right to change the structure and content of the Site, and these Terms, without prior notice; changes apply to orders placed after their publication.

10.2. Should any clause of these Terms be held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining clauses stay in force.

10.3. These Terms and conditions are governed by Romanian law.

10.4. By placing an order, the Customer confirms having read and accepted these Terms and conditions without reservation.

GRĂDINA VERDE S.R.L. · Str. Morii 24, Săcueni, jud. Bihor, 417435 · office@epalinca.ro · 0742 908 047 · www.epalinca.ro