Nutzungsbedingungen

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Elim Camping, you accept and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use the service. These terms are designed to be fair to both campers and campsite owners, and to make clear what Elim Camping does and doesn’t do.

2. Our role: platform, not host

Elim Camping is a digital marketplace platform that connects campers (people seeking camping accommodations) with campsite owners (the operators of those accommodations). We operate this platform as a hosting service under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA).

What this means in practice:

• We are the platform. We build the website, host the listings, handle messaging, and maintain the infrastructure.
• Campsite owners are the hosts. They own and operate the campsites, set prices and availability, accept or decline booking inquiries, and deliver the actual camping experience.
• We are not a booking agent, not a travel agency, and not a party to any booking between a camper and a campsite owner.
• We are not responsible for the condition, accuracy, or quality of campsite listings, the conduct of campsite staff on site, or the outcome of individual bookings. We are responsible for running the platform fairly and for acting on illegal or policy-violating content when we become aware of it.

The content you see on Elim Camping — campsite descriptions, photos, pricing, availability, amenity claims — is created and submitted by hosts, not by us. We do not independently verify every claim, though we do run automated checks and investigate reports.

3. User Responsibilities

You agree to use Elim Camping only for lawful purposes and in a way that does not infringe on the rights of others. Prohibited conduct includes:

• Harassing, threatening, or targeting any person
• Providing false or misleading information about your identity, a campsite, your travel requirements, or the price and amenities of a listing
• Interfering with the operation of the platform or its servers
• Posting content that is illegal under EU, German, or other applicable law — see our Illegal Content Policy for details
• Engaging in fraud, off-platform payment solicitation, or bait-and-switch practices — see our Fraud & Deception Policy
• Misrepresenting a listing as family-friendly when it does not meet the standards in our Child & Family Safety Policy
• Attempting to gain unauthorised access to Elim Camping systems
• Scraping or systematically copying platform data for any purpose not covered by these terms

4. Booking and Payment

Elim Camping does not currently process payments. Payment and settlement terms are entirely between the camper and the campsite owner. Before confirming a booking:

• Verify dates, pricing, and amenities directly in the conversation with the owner
• Be cautious of any request to move payment off-platform to wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards — this is a common fraud pattern
• Keep all negotiation on the Elim Camping messaging thread where we have a record to protect you if something goes wrong

5. How listings are ranked and shown

When you search on Elim Camping, the order of campsite results is determined primarily by:

• Geographic relevance — how well the campsite matches the region or map area you’re searching
• Listing completeness — how much information the owner has filled in (photos, description, amenities, pricing)
• Data quality signals — whether the listing is verified, whether the owner has claimed it, and whether the basic information has been confirmed against external sources
• Your filter and sort choices — the filters and sort order you select always take precedence over our default ranking

We do not currently accept payment for preferential ranking or search-result placement. If that ever changes, we will clearly disclose sponsored or promoted results as such, in line with Article 26 of the Digital Services Act. Our current search ranking does not use any form of personalisation based on your account profile or inferred characteristics.

6. Content moderation and enforcement

We moderate content on Elim Camping to keep the platform safe and useful. We take action on content that violates these terms or any of our specific policies, and on content that is illegal under applicable law.

Enforcement actions we may take, depending on the severity of the violation:

• Written warning and a request to correct the issue
• Removal, disabling, or editing of specific content (a photo, a listing, a message)
• Demotion of a listing in search results or removal of family-friendly tags
• Temporary suspension of an account
• Permanent termination of an account, with a ban on re-registration
• Reporting to law enforcement or competent authorities, where the conduct is illegal or where we are required by law to report

We aim to act proportionately. We act immediately on clear violations of our Child & Family Safety Policy or Illegal Content Policy. For borderline cases, a human reviewer evaluates the situation before any enforcement action, and we give users a chance to respond where appropriate.

When we take an enforcement action against content you posted or an account you control, we notify you of the decision and give you reasoned grounds for it, in line with Article 17 of the Digital Services Act — unless doing so would interfere with a legal investigation or put someone at risk of harm.

7. Reporting illegal content or policy violations

Anyone can report illegal content or policy violations on Elim Camping. See our Illegal Content Policy for the full process. In short:

• To report a specific listing, use the “Report this listing” button on the campsite detail page
• For anything else — messages, user behaviour, off-platform contact — email trust@elimcamping.com
• For child-safety emergencies, contact emergency services (112 in the EU) first, then email us with “URGENT CHILD SAFETY” in the subject

We acknowledge reports without undue delay and respond with the outcome. Reports submitted by trusted flaggers under Article 22 of the Digital Services Act receive priority review.

8. Complaints-handling process

If you disagree with a decision we’ve made — your listing was removed, your account was suspended, your report was dismissed, or any other moderation action you believe was wrong — you have the right to complain and have the decision reviewed. This is our internal complaints-handling process under Article 20 of the Digital Services Act.

How to file a complaint

• Email complaints@elimcamping.com with the subject line “Complaint:” followed by a short description
• Include the decision you’re complaining about (the notification email reference, if we sent you one, or a description of what happened), and why you think it was wrong
• Attach any evidence you have — screenshots, correspondence, documentation of the campsite, etc.

What happens next

1. We acknowledge receipt of your complaint within two business days.
2. Your complaint is assigned to a reviewer who was not involved in the original decision. This is a core requirement — a different pair of eyes looks at it.
3. We review the original decision in light of what you’ve told us, any new evidence, and the policy at issue.
4. We respond with the outcome within ten business days. Possible outcomes: the original decision is upheld, modified (e.g. a full ban becomes a warning), or reversed (the content or account is restored).
5. Complex cases may take longer. If so, we’ll tell you the expected timeline and the reason for the delay.

If you’re not satisfied with our response

Our internal complaints process is not the only option. You also have these routes:

• Out-of-court dispute settlement (Article 21 DSA): you can bring the dispute to a certified out-of-court dispute settlement body. We will engage in good faith with any body certified in Germany or another EU Member State.
• Digital Services Coordinator: you can contact the Digital Services Coordinator of your country, which in Germany is the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency).
• Judicial remedies: you retain the right to bring the matter to a competent court in Germany or your country of residence.

9. Limitation of Liability

Elim Camping is provided on an “as-is” and “as-available” basis. We do our best to provide a reliable, safe service, but we cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of listings — that content is provided by campsite owners and, despite our automated checks and review, may contain errors. Elim Camping is not responsible for:

• The conduct, accuracy, or quality of campsite listings or owner information
• Disputes between campers and campsite owners
• Lost, delayed, or non-refundable payments
• Campsite cancellations or changes made by owners
• Any damages or losses arising from your use of the platform, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law

Nothing in these terms limits our liability for matters that cannot be limited under mandatory German or EU consumer protection law.

10. Intellectual Property

All platform content — logos, design, text, graphics, source code — is the property of Elim Camping or our licensors and is protected by German and international copyright law. Campsite listings and owner-submitted content remain the property of the owners who submitted them, who grant Elim Camping a licence to display and process that content for the operation of the platform. You may not reproduce, republish, scrape, or transmit platform content without written permission.

11. Termination

You may close your account at any time. Elim Camping may terminate or suspend your account if you violate these terms or any of our specific policies, following the enforcement process in section 6 and subject to your right to complain under section 8. When we terminate an account for violation, we preserve evidence for any legal process and we may prevent re-registration with the same identifying information.

12. Amendments

We may amend these Terms of Service from time to time. When we make material changes, we’ll update the “Last updated” date and, where appropriate, notify registered users directly. Continued use after a change means you accept the updated terms. Minor clarifications, formatting changes, or corrections do not count as material changes.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms of Service are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, without prejudice to mandatory consumer protection provisions under EU law or the law of your country of residence. Subject to those mandatory provisions, the courts of Germany have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes arising from these terms or the use of Elim Camping.

14. Right of Withdrawal for Consumers (Widerrufsbelehrung)

If you are a consumer (Verbraucher, § 13 BGB), you have the right to withdraw from the contract for the use of the Elim Camping platform within 14 days without giving any reason. The withdrawal period is 14 days from the day you create your account. To exercise this right, send an unambiguous statement (e.g. an email) to support@elimcamping.com within the period, or simply delete your account from your account settings. Since use of the platform is free of charge for campers, no payments need to be reversed.

Important — accommodation contracts with campsites: The right of withdrawal does NOT apply to accommodation contracts you conclude with a campsite for a specific date or period (§ 312g Abs. 2 Nr. 9 BGB). Whether and how a confirmed booking can be cancelled is governed by the cancellation terms of the respective campsite — please check them before confirming a booking. Elim Camping merely transmits your booking request to the campsite (see section 2) and is not a party to the accommodation contract.

15. Contact

Questions about these Terms of Service: support@elimcamping.com
Reports of illegal content or policy violations: trust@elimcamping.com
Complaints about our decisions: complaints@elimcamping.com
Law enforcement and legal process: legal@elimcamping.com