Terms of use
1. Identity and acceptance
1.1 These Terms of Use govern the use of the Académica app (iOS and Android) and the app.academica.pt website, of the Associação Académica de Coimbra (AAC), tax number 500032173, with registered office at Rua Padre António Vieira, s/n, 3000-315 Coimbra, Portugal. The Portuguese version prevails.
1.2 You can contact AAC by phone on +351 239 851 050, through the form on the Support page (in the app or on the website) or at the support email shown there.
1.3 By using the app or the website, you accept these terms. Shop purchases and fee payments are also governed by points 4 to 6, which act as general terms of sale.
1.4 How we process your data is described in the Privacy policy.
2. The service
2.1 The app and the website are free and have no advertising. You only pay for what you buy or the fees you pay, under points 4 to 6.
2.2 They let you:
a) follow the news and events of AAC and its structures (Cultural and Socio-scientific Sections, Sports Sections and Student Groups);
b) follow structures and receive notifications;
c) ask to join a section and pay section membership fees;
d) see and update your member details and issue the membership declaration;
e) buy from the AAC shop;
f) contact AAC.
2.3 Almost everything works without signing in. When there is no network, the app shows the last content loaded, which may be out of date.
3. Member area
3.1 You sign in with your membership number and date of birth, and confirm with a code sent to the email registered with AAC. If you are not a member yet, you can become one through the app by asking to join a section.
3.2 You are responsible for keeping access to your email and phone secure. If you lose your phone, end your sessions on another device or ask for help through Support. When you stop being a member, your app session ends.
3.3 The member card in the app shows your name, number and fee status in your sections. It is not an official identity document.
3.4 Member data is that of AAC's member register, kept in this platform and managed by the AAC Secretariat. In My details, in the app, you can see it and update your phone, address and email (the email after confirming the new address with a code). Name, date of birth, tax number and identification details change by request, which the Secretariat validates and may decline, with a note. You must keep your details accurate and up to date.
3.5 You can issue a membership declaration in the app as a PDF, digitally signed by AAC, which certifies your status on the date of issue and is valid for 30 days. Only active members whose registration is validated can issue it. Any change to the document invalidates the signature, and you may not use it altered, or after it expires, as proof of your current status. It is not an official identity document.
3.6 Anyone under 18 may only ask to join a section with the authorisation of a responsible person (parent, guardian or other relative), who confirms the request with the code sent to their email. By acting as the responsible person, that person declares that they may authorise the membership and act on the minor's behalf.
3.7 Each underage member may have up to two responsible persons. Requests made in the app stay pending until the Secretariat validates them. The responsible person signs in to the minor's member area with the minor's membership number and date of birth and their own email, and can do in the app everything the member can; their actions are logged in their name.
3.8 The responsible person's access ends when the member turns 18 or when the Secretariat removes them.
4. Sections, membership requests and fees
4.1 Each section decides membership requests and may have its own conditions, which you accept when you send the form. Those conditions are the section's and add to these terms.
4.2 Fees belong to the sections, not to AAC: each section sets its own periods, amounts and due dates, and each payment is for a single section.
4.3 A fee is only paid when the payment provider confirms the payment. An online payment service fee (point 6.3) may be added to the fee amount, always shown before you pay. You receive the invoice-receipt by email or, depending on how AAC invoices, a receipt and then the invoice.
4.4 You can leave a section whenever you want, in the app. That section's unpaid fees are no longer charged to you; fees already paid are not refunded, unless required by law or decided by AAC.
4.5 Some section votes are held on AAC's voting platform (eleicoes.academica.pt). Who may vote is set by the rules of each vote (for example, seniority and fees up to date), in accordance with the applicable Statutes and regulations; voting takes place on that platform, which has its own conditions.
5. Shop
5.1 Orders
a) Purchases are made in the app; the website shows the items and opens the app to buy;
b) Prices are in euros and include VAT at the legal rate. Shipping costs and the online payment service fee (point 6.3), where applicable, are shown separately before you pay and included in the total;
c) When you confirm an order (the "Order with obligation to pay" button), the items are reserved for the time shown to pay (at least 30 minutes). If payment is not completed in that time, the order is cancelled and the reservation released. If you choose a Multibanco reference, the items stay reserved while the reference is valid (the deadline is shown in the app); if it is not paid in time, the order is cancelled;
d) The purchase contract is concluded when payment is confirmed. You receive the confirmation by email, with the pickup code;
e) Made-to-order items are produced after payment, within the time shown on the item;
f) Item images are illustrative; colours and sizes may vary slightly;
g) We issue an invoice for every purchase. If you want your tax number on it, enter it before paying: once issued, the invoice cannot be changed.
5.2 Pickup and shipping
a) Pickup: at the place and during the hours shown in the app, with the QR code or the order code. We let you know when the order is ready;
b) Shipping: when available, only to addresses in Portugal, at the price shown. Delivery times are indicative. Check your address before paying.
5.3 Right of withdrawal
a) If you are a consumer, you may withdraw from the purchase within 14 days from the day you receive or pick up the items, without giving a reason (Portuguese Decree-Law 24/2014);
b) To do so, tell us through the Support form or by email, with the order number;
c) You must return the items, unused and in their original packaging where possible, within 14 days of telling us; postal return costs are yours;
d) We refund all payments received, including standard shipping and the service fee, within 14 days of receiving your notice, using the same payment method (for Multibanco reference payments, by bank transfer to the IBAN you give us), and may withhold the refund until we receive the items or proof that you sent them;
e) This right does not apply to items made to your specifications or clearly personalised;
f) You may use the model withdrawal form in the Annex, but it is not required.
5.4 Guarantee
a) Items have the 3-year legal guarantee of conformity (Portuguese Decree-Law 84/2021);
b) If an item is defective or not as described, contact us through Support.
6. Payments and refunds
6.1 Payments are processed by AAC's payment provider, ifthenpay (or Stripe, if AAC uses it), by MB WAY (the request reaches your MB WAY app and you have a few minutes to confirm it), card (on the provider's secure page) or Multibanco reference (the entity, reference and deadline are shown in the app; pay at an ATM or in online banking).
6.2 AAC does not receive or store your card details, nor does it store your MB WAY number.
6.3 Payments made in the app may carry a service fee (a fixed amount and/or a percentage of the amount paid), which covers the cost of the online payment. The fee is always shown separately before you pay and included in the total, the receipt and the invoice. Counter purchases and payments recorded by AAC have no fee.
6.4 A purchase or fee is only paid once the payment provider confirms it, not when you return to the app.
6.5 Refunds: refunds use the same payment method: for MB WAY and card, through the provider; for Multibanco references, by bank transfer to the IBAN you give us. We email you when the refund is requested, with the indicative time (in business days) for the money to reach your account, which also depends on your bank. If the provider does not yet have enough balance for the refund (AAC is paid daily), the refund is recorded and made automatically as soon as possible, without prejudice to the legal deadlines, in particular that of point 5.3(d).
6.6 Except where the law provides otherwise (for example, withdrawal or lack of conformity of an item), the service fee is not refunded, as it covers a payment service already provided.
7. Proper use
7.1 You agree not to:
a) use the app or the website for unlawful purposes, or send false or offensive messages, reports, forms or change requests, or send them on behalf of someone else (except as the responsible person of an underage member, under points 3.6 to 3.8);
b) try to access data or areas you are not allowed to, or get around security measures;
c) overload the service, including with automated requests.
7.2 AAC may limit or block access for anyone who does not follow these terms.
8. Content and intellectual property
8.1 The content of the app and the website (texts, images, AAC's name and logo) belongs to AAC, its structures or whoever provided it, and may not be used for commercial purposes without permission.
8.2 You may share links to news, events and items.
8.3 Structures publish their own content, reviewed by AAC where applicable. If you find incorrect or inappropriate content, use the Report option.
9. Third-party links and services
9.1 The app and the website link to third-party services (for example, event tickets, social networks and maps apps), which are governed by their own terms. AAC is not responsible for them.
10. Availability, errors and liability
10.1 We do our best to keep the app and the website running and the information accurate but, like any software, they may have errors and failures. They are provided as they stand at any given time, with no guarantee of continuous or error-free operation.
10.2 The service may be unavailable, slow or incomplete, in particular because of:
a) maintenance, updates or fixes;
b) network, server or device failures, or the use of an outdated version of the app or the operating system;
c) failures of the third-party services it relies on (for example, the payment provider, email delivery or Apple and Google notifications);
d) changes to events, times and prices.
10.3 We may change, suspend or end features of the app or the website, in whole or in part. This does not affect orders and payments already made, nor the rights arising from them.
10.4 What prevails: if what the app or the website shows differs from AAC's records, the payment provider's confirmation (point 6.4), AAC's membership register and the order confirmation email prevail. A screen or notification showing wrong information does not, by itself, create rights or obligations.
10.5 Price or description errors: if, because of a technical or input error, an item is shown with an obviously wrong price or description, AAC may cancel the order, letting you know by email, and refunds the full amount paid (point 6.5). If you prefer, you may keep the order at the correct price.
10.6 Charges made in error: if a failure makes you pay twice or for nothing, AAC refunds the amount wrongly charged (point 6.5) as soon as it detects it or you report it through Support.
10.7 Reporting errors: if you find an error or failure, report it through Support. We aim to fix it as soon as possible, without guaranteeing a deadline. You must not take advantage of an error for your own benefit or to the detriment of others.
10.8 To the extent permitted by law, AAC is not liable for:
a) indirect damage or loss of profit resulting from using, or being unable to use, the service;
b) damage caused by network failures, your device or third-party services beyond AAC's control;
c) losses resulting from decisions based on outdated information, in particular information shown while offline (point 2.3).
10.9 The limitations in point 10.8 do not apply to damage caused wilfully or by gross negligence, to damage to life, physical or moral integrity or health, or to any other case where the law does not allow liability to be excluded or limited (Decree-Law no. 446/85).
10.10 Nothing in these terms limits your statutory rights as a consumer, in particular the warranty on items (point 5.4) and the right of withdrawal (point 5.3).
10.11 The app and the website are developed, hosted and maintained by AAC's service providers, who are not parties to these terms. These terms are entered into with AAC only: requests, complaints and refunds are always addressed to AAC (point 1.2).
11. App stores
11.1 Apple and Google are not parties to these terms and are not responsible for the app or its support.
11.2 Use of the app is also subject to the rules of the store you downloaded it from.
12. Changes to these terms
12.1 We may change these terms when the service or the law change. The date of the last change is shown at the top.
12.2 Changes do not apply to orders or payments already made.
13. Complaints, governing law and disputes
13.1 You can make a complaint through Support or in the Portuguese Electronic Complaints Book (www.livroreclamacoes.pt).
13.2 For consumer disputes, you may turn to an alternative dispute resolution body (Portuguese Law 144/2015):
a) Centro de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo da Região de Coimbra (CACRC), Avenida Fernão Magalhães, 240, 1.º, 3000-172 Coimbra, Portugal, phone +351 239 821 690, geral@cacrc.pt (www.cacrc.pt);
b) Centro Nacional de Informação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo (CNIACC) (www.cniacc.pt), with supplementary jurisdiction across Portugal.
13.3 More information on the Portuguese Consumer Portal (www.consumidor.gov.pt).
13.4 These terms are governed by Portuguese law. Without prejudice to mandatory consumer protection rules, the courts of Coimbra have jurisdiction.
Annex: model withdrawal form
(Complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the purchase.)
To: Associação Académica de Coimbra, Rua Padre António Vieira, s/n, 3000-315 Coimbra, Portugal (phone +351 239 851 050), through the Support form or the support email shown on the Support page.
I hereby give notice that I withdraw from my contract of sale of the following goods: [items]
Order number: [number]
Received / picked up on: [date]
Name of consumer: [name]
Address of consumer: [address]
IBAN for the refund (only if you paid by Multibanco reference): [IBAN]
Signature of consumer (only if this form is sent on paper): [signature]
Date: [date]