1. Liability for defects
The seller is liable for defects present in a book on receipt by the buyer and for defects that appear within two years of delivery (Section 619 et seq. of the Civil Code as amended with effect from 1 July 2024). This period is commonly referred to as the warranty period.
If a defect appears within that period, the book is presumed to have been defective on delivery. The customer does not have to prove when the defect arose.
A defective book means in particular: missing, blank, duplicated or misordered pages, smudged or illegible print, a cracked or unglued spine, a damaged cover, or delivery of a different title or a different language edition than the one ordered.
Liability does not extend to wear from ordinary reading, to damage caused by the customer (water, writing and colouring in, tearing out pages), or to characteristics inherent in the edition — for example the shade and weight of the paper, the exact format, or a cover design differing from the illustrative photograph in the catalogue.
2. Reporting a defect
A defect can be reported by e-mail at info@parvilectores.sk or by post to the seller's registered address. Since 1 July 2024 the law calls this reporting a defect rather than making a complaint; the two mean the same thing.
The customer should state the order number, the title of the book and a description of the defect. A photograph speeds things up considerably but is not a condition, and neither is the original parcel packaging.
The seller will confirm receipt without undue delay and no later than 3 working days, and will issue the customer a record of the reported defect stating the date and the description of the defect.
The seller will remedy the defect within a reasonable period and no later than 30 days from the day the defect was reported (Section 623 of the Civil Code). The customer will receive written notice of how the matter was resolved.
3. Remedies for a defective book
The customer is entitled to have the defect remedied free of charge. The law offers a choice between repair and replacement; for a book, repair is generally impossible or disproportionate, so the seller remedies defects by replacing the book with the same title.
If the title is unavailable, or if replacement would involve disproportionate cost or delay, the customer is entitled to a reasonable price reduction or to withdraw from the contract and receive a full refund.
The customer may withdraw immediately, without a prior replacement, if the seller refuses to remedy the defect, if the same defect reappears after a replacement, or if the defect is so serious that the book cannot serve its purpose — for example where part of the text is missing.
The cost of returning a defective book to the seller is borne by the seller. The method of return is agreed in the reply to the report of the defect.
4. Supervisory authority
The supervisory authority for consumer protection is the Slovak Trade Inspection, Inspectorate for the Žilina Region (Inšpektorát SOI so sídlom v Žiline pre Žilinský kraj), Predmestská 71, P. O. BOX B-89, 011 79 Žilina, Slovakia. The customer may contact it if the seller fails to handle a reported defect properly or on time.
