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Conditions générales de la vente Vandapower
GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
OF SALE VANDAPOWER NV
- General
- 1.1 These General Terms and Conditions of Sale (together the “Conditions”) govern the offering, sale and delivery of all goods (the “Goods”) from or on behalf of Vandapower NV, with registered office at B- 9420 Erpe-Mere, Joseph Cardijnstraat 14, RPM Ghent (Section Ghent), VAT BE 0860.092.268 (the “Seller”) to customer (the “Customer”). They are available on www.vandapower.com, Seller’s Quotation and/or Seller’s Confirmation (as defined below) and/or Seller’s invoices. Except for the (specific) terms and/or conditions as set out in Seller’s Quotation and/or Seller’s Confirmation, which in case of discrepancy with these Conditions will prevail, these Conditions supersede any and all prior oral and written communications of the parties in respect of the sale and delivery of the Goods and shall apply in preference to and supersede any and all terms and conditions submitted by Customer at any time. All orders for Goods submitted by the Customer to the Seller will be deemed to be an offer by the Customer to purchase Goods pursuant to the Conditions and each such order will be treated as an individual and legally binding contract entered into between the Seller and any Customer in respect of the Customer’s purchase of Goods. Equally, the acceptance of a Seller’s Quotation by the Customer, the acceptance by Customer of any delivery of Goods from Seller, and, in general, any communication or conduct of the Customer which confirms an agreement for the delivery of Goods by Seller, shall constitute (however in a refutable way) an unqualified acceptance by Customer of these Conditions. Save as to Article 1.2 of these Conditions, these Conditions may only be varied or waived by a duly executed written agreement between Seller and Customer.
- 1.2 Seller shall be entitled to update/amend the Conditions and by and as of the moment of notifying Customer of such update/amendment, or by sending the updated or amended Conditions to Customer, or by posting them on www.vandapower.com, these revised Conditions shall apply to all dealings between Seller and Customer, following such notice, sending or posting. The Customer is advised to frequently consult the Seller’s website on possible updates or amendments of the Conditions.
- 1.3 Any electronic communication between Seller and Customer shall be considered to be a “writing” and/or “in writing”. The electronic communication system used by Seller will serve as main proof for the content and the time of delivery and receipt of such electronic communication.
- Quotations, orders and confirmation- Cancellation
- 2.1 No quotation in respect of the Goods provided by the Seller to the Customer (“(Seller’s )Quotation”), no advertisement or issue of a catalogue by the Seller will constitute an offer to sell any Goods to the Customer or to any other person. Orders are not binding until accepted by Seller in writing (“(Seller’s) Confirmation”) or until Seller delivers the Goods to the Customer. In case of discrepancy between the Seller’s Quotation and the Seller’s Confirmation, the latter will prevail. Statements and agreements made by Seller’s employees, officers, representatives and/or agents are not binding unless, and only to the extent that, these are confirmed or made in writing by duly authorized representative(s) of Seller.
- 2.2 Except as provided for in Article 6.3, any samples supplied to Customer are supplied solely for information purposes and in no way imply any express or implied conditions or warranties of any kind, including as to quality, description, merchantability, suitability or fitness for any purpose and Customer shall be deemed to have satisfied itself as to such matters prior to ordering the Goods.
- 2.3 Unless otherwise expressly stated in Seller’s Quotation, and/or in Seller’s Confirmation, any orders confirmed by the Seller are binding and non-cancellable nor returnable by the Customer. The Customer’s wrongful non-acceptance or rejection of Goods or cancellation or repudiation of Seller’s Confirmation shall entitle the Seller to recover from the Customer the price of such Goods, in addition to any other damages caused by such action.
- Prices
- 3.1 Prices and currencies of Seller’s Goods are as set out in Seller’s Quotation, and/or as set in Seller’s Confirmation in respect of these Goods. Unless stated otherwise by Seller in these documents, Seller’s prices include standard packaging but do not include Value Added Tax or any other similar applicable taxes, duties, levies or charges in any jurisdiction levied in relation to the Goods or the delivery thereof (“Taxes”). The amount of any Taxes levied in connection with the sale of the Goods to Customer shall be for Customer’s account and shall be added to each invoice or separately invoiced by Seller to Customer.
- 3.2 Unless the prices have been indicated as firm by Seller in Seller’s Quotation, and/or in Seller’s Confirmation, Seller is entitled to increase the price of the Goods still to be delivered if the cost price determining factors have been subject to an increase. These factors include but are not limited to: raw and auxiliary materials, energy, products obtained by Seller from third parties, wages, salaries, social security contributions, governmental charges, freight costs and insurance premiums. Seller shall notify Customer of such increase.
- Payment and Customer’s credit
- 4.1 Unless expressly stated otherwise in Seller’s Quotation and/or in Seller’s Confirmation, the Seller will issue an invoice in respect of each delivery of Goods prior to despatch from the Seller’s premises and the Customer must pay the amount of such invoice in full and in cleared funds and/or obtain a letter of credit in favour of the Seller on terms acceptable to the Seller (at its absolute discretion), prior to and as a condition of the despatch of the Goods.
- 4.2 Where the Seller has agreed that payment of the invoice in respect of Goods may be made after delivery of the Goods, and unless otherwise agreed in writing (but not to exceed the maximum payment term permitted under applicable law), payment shall be made on the basis of net cash, to be received by Seller within thirty (30) days following the date of Seller’s invoice for the Goods by means of transfer into the bank account mentioned on the invoice. All payments shall be made without any deduction on account of any Taxes and free of set-off or other counterclaims.
- 4.3 With regard to payment of the price for Goods, time is of the essence. Seller may, without prejudice to any other rights of Seller, charge interest, ipso jure, no prior notice being required, on any overdue payment at the higher rate of either twelve percent (12%) per annum or one and a half times the prevailing rate under applicable law per annum, but not to exceed the maximum interest rate permitted under applicable law, from the due date computed on a daily basis until all amounts outstanding are paid in full. All costs and expenses incurred by Seller with respect to collection of overdue payments (including, without limitation, reasonable attorney’s fees, expert fees, court costs and other expenses of litigation) shall be for Customer’s account. Furthermore, in case of overdue payment, the Seller may suspend or cancel further deliveries of Goods under any contract with the Customer, and/or alter the terms of payment (including, for example, requiring payment in advance or by letter of credit or similar instrument) in respect of future deliveries and/or orders.
- 4.4 Every payment by Customer shall in the first place serve to pay the judicial and extra-judicial costs and the interest owed by it and afterwards shall be deducted from the oldest outstanding claim regardless of contrary advice from Customer.
- 4.5 Any complaint with respect to the invoice must be notified to Seller within fourteen (14) days after the date of invoice. Thereafter Customer shall be deemed to have approved the invoice.
- Delivery and acceptance
- 5.1 Unless expressly stated otherwise in Seller’s Quotation and/or in the Seller’s Confirmation in respect of these Goods, all deliveries of Goods shall be EXW Seller’s registered office (the “Delivery (Point)”). The term EXW shall have the meaning set forth in the latest version of INCOTERMS published by the International Chamber of Commerce at Paris, France, at the time of Seller’s Confirmation. Customer shall accept the Goods upon Delivery.
- 5.2 Unless expressly stated otherwise in Seller’s Quotation and/or in Seller’s Confirmation in respect of these Goods, any times or dates for delivery by Seller are estimates and shall not be of the essence. Seller is entitled to deliver the Goods in parts and to invoice separately. Any delay in delivery or deviations in quantity of any Goods shall not relieve Customer of its obligation to accept delivery thereof, respectively to accept the quantity delivered. Unless timely delivery was expressly stated in Seller’s Quotation and/or in Seller’s Confirmation, as of the essence, the Seller shall thus not be liable for any delay in delivery and any delay shall extend the time for delivery correspondingly.
- Examination and conformity to specifications
- 6.1 On Delivery and during the handling, use, processing, transportation, storage and sale of the Goods (the “Use”), Customer shall examine or let examine on his behalf the Goods and satisfy itself that the Goods delivered meet all contractual requirements.
- 6.2 Complaints about the Goods shall be made in writing and must reach Seller not later than fourteen (14) days from the date of Delivery in respect of any defect, default or shortage which would be apparent from a reasonable inspection on delivery, and fourteen (14) days from the date on which any other claim was or ought to have been apparent, but not later than six (6) months from the date of Delivery of the Goods. Use or processing of the Goods shall be deemed to be an acceptance of the Goods.
- 6.3 A determination of whether or not delivered Goods conform to the agreed specifications for the Goods as stated in Seller’s Quotation and/or in Seller’s Confirmation in respect of these Goods or, in the absence of agreed specifications, to the most recent specifications held by Seller or provided by the manufacturer at the time of delivery of the Goods (the “Specifications”), shall be done mainly by analysing the samples or records (e.g. catalogue, drawing, bill of material) retained by Seller in accordance with the methods of analysis used by Seller. Goods that Seller consents or directs in writing to be returned shall be returned to Seller at the risk of Customer, to the destination directed by Seller.
- 6.4 Complaints, if any, do not affect Customer’s obligation to pay as defined in Article 4.
- Transfer of risk and property- Reservation of Title
- 7.1 The risk of the Goods shall pass to Customer on Delivery and upon such transfer the Customer shall assume full and exclusive custody of such Goods, including the responsibility to comply with applicable laws, regulations and rules in connection with delivery of such Goods.
- 7.2 Goods for which delivery is suspended pending payment by Customer, as well as Goods of which delivery is wrongfully rejected or not accepted by Customer, shall be held and stored by Seller at the risk and expense of Customer.
- 7.3 The ownership of the Goods shall not pass to Customer and full legal and beneficial ownership of the Goods shall remain with Seller unless and until Seller has received payment in full for the Goods, including all secondary costs such as interest, charges, expenses etcetera and including payment of any other sum which is due from Customer to Seller.
- 7.4 In the event of termination on the basis of Article 15 of these Conditions, Seller shall, without prejudice to any other rights of Seller, be entitled to require immediate re-delivery of the Goods for which it may invoke a retention of title.
- 7.5 Until payment for the Goods has been completed, Customer shall: (i) hold the Goods as Seller’s fiduciary agent and bailee; and, (ii) keep the Goods separate and in a clearly identifiable manner and as Seller’s property; and (iii) notify Seller immediately of any claims by third parties which may affect the Goods, and (iv) adequately insure the Goods against all risks for their full price from the date of Delivery; and (v)not pledge or offer Goods as guarantee or collateral security, provided that the Customer may resell the Goods or use the Goods in the ordinary course of its business.
- 7.6 Should the Goods (or any of them) be sold, assembled, mixed with other substances or converted into a new product, the sale, assembly, mixture or conversion shall be deemed to have been effected on behalf of Seller and Seller shall have the full legal and beneficial ownership of the sold, assembled, mixed or new products, but without accepting any liability whatsoever in respect of such sold, assembled, mixed or converted goods in relation to any third party, and the Customer hereby shall indemnify Seller in relation thereto.
- 7.7 Seller may at any time after payment for any Goods has become due take possession of such Goods or any of them (which for the avoidance of doubt will include the right to stop the Goods in transit) and remove them and Customer shall be deemed to have granted authority to Seller to enter upon the Customer’s premises or other premises and vehicles or modes of transport where such Goods may be by its employees or agents to take possession of such Goods. The foregoing is without prejudice to any other statutory right or privilege granted to an unpaid seller.
- 7.8 All claims which Customer may or will have with regard to the Goods delivered, against any third party (including, without limitation, a customer of Customer, a third party who may have caused damage to or destroyed the Goods, an insurance company, …), will revert ipso jure to Seller as long as payment for the Goods have not been completed. Customer shall have the obligation to inform his own debtor of the assignment of debt and to submit to Seller proof of such notification. Seller shall equally be entitled to notify the Customer’s debtor of the assignment, it being understood that such notification on behalf the Seller shall in no way relieve Customer of his obligation in this regard.
- 7.9 The Seller is entitled to bring an action against the Customer for the price of the Goods in the event of non-payment by the Customer by the due date even though property in the Goods has not passed to the Customer and/or has the right by notice to the Customer at any time after Delivery to pass property in the Goods to the Customer as from the date of such notice.
- Warranty
- 8.1 Seller warrants that on the date of Delivery, the Goods shall conform to the Specifications and that the Goods were produced and its components assembled in accordance with current good manufacturing practices.
- 8.2 If and to the extent Goods fail to meet such warranty, as shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of Article 6 of these Conditions, Seller may at its own option within a reasonable time (i) either repair or replace the Goods at no charge to Customer, or (ii) issue a credit for any such Goods in the amount of the original invoice price. Accordingly Seller’s obligation shall be limited to such repair, replacement or credit of the Goods.
- 8.3 Seller’s obligations under Article 8.2 shall be contingent upon receipt by Seller of timely notice of any alleged non-conformance of Goods and, if applicable, the return of the Goods, in accordance with Article 6 of these Conditions. The foregoing warranty is exclusive and in lieu of all other warranties, representations, conditions or other terms, express, implied, statutory, contractually or otherwise, including, without limitation, any warranty of merchantability, suitability or fitness for any purpose, or absence of infringement of any claim in any intellectual property right covering the Goods.
- Limitation of liability
- 9.1 The liability of Seller for any and all claims for damages arising out of or in connection with the Goods and the Use thereof shall not exceed the sum of Customer’s payments for the Goods that are the subject of the claim. The Seller shall not be liable to Customer or any other person for any kind of special, incidental, indirect, consequential or punitive damage or loss, cost or expense, including without limitation, damage based upon lost goodwill, lost sales or profits, work stoppage, production failure, impairment of other goods or otherwise, and whether arising out of or in connection with breach of warranty, breach of contract, misrepresentation, negligence or otherwise.
- 9.2 In no event shall Seller be liable for any claim of breach of warranty based on or caused by (i) accident, abuse, alteration, wrong assembly, or misuse, (ii) failure to store, use or consume the Goods under normal operating conditions or environment, (iii) use or consumption of the Goods in combination with any equipment, process, or product other than that necessary for the normal use or consumption of the Goods; (iv) any attempt by the Customer or a third party to remedy the defect before; (v) any other reason beyond Seller’s reasonable control; or (vi) the Customer’s negligence or intentional misconduct..
- 9.3 The warranty obligations of Seller shall only apply if Customer notifies Seller in writing and not later than fourteen (14) days after appearance of the matter in respect of which the warranty may apply, but in no event later than six (6) months from the date of Delivery of the Goods.
- 9.4 Nothing in the Conditions excludes or restricts the Seller’s liability (i) for death or personal injury of the Customer resulting from the Seller’s negligence or from its fraudulent misrepresentation, (ii) for its intent or serious fault or for the intent or serious fault of its appointees and (iii) save in case of force majeure, for non-compliance of essential obligations which were expressly stated in Seller’s Quotation and/or in Seller’s Confirmation as of the essence.
- Force majeure
- 10.1 Neither party shall be liable in any way for any damage, loss, cost or expense arising out of or in connection with any delay, restriction, interference or failure in performing any obligation towards the other party caused by any circumstance beyond its reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of God, laws, statutes, ordinances, regulations, legislative measures, acts of governments or other administrative measures, orders or decrees of any court, earthquake, flood, fire, explosion, war, terrorism, riot, sabotage, accident, epidemic, strike, lockout, slowdown, labour disturbances, difficulty in obtaining necessary labour or raw materials, lack of or failure of transportation, breakdown of plant or essential machinery, emergency repair or maintenance, breakdown or shortage of utilities, delay in delivery or defects in goods supplied by suppliers or subcontractors (“Force Majeure”).
- 10.2 Upon the occurrence of any event of Force Majeure, the party suffering thereby shall promptly inform the other party by written notice thereof specifying the cause of the event and how it will affect its performance of its obligations under Seller’s Confirmation. In the event of any delay, the obligation to perform shall be suspended for a period equal to the time loss by reason of Force Majeure. However, should a Force Majeure event continue or be expected to continue for a period extending to more than two (2) months after the agreed Delivery date, the Seller is entitled to cancel the affected part of Seller’s Quotation and/or Confirmation.
- Modifications and information, indemnity
- 11.1 Unless the Specifications have been agreed to be firm for a certain period or quantity of Goods, Seller reserves the right to change or modify the Specifications, construction and/or manufacture of Goods and to substitute materials used in the production and/or manufacture of Goods from time to time without notice. Customer acknowledges that data in Seller’s catalogues, specification sheets and other descriptive publications distributed or published on its websites by Seller, may accordingly be varied from time to time without notice.
- 11.2 Unless expressly stated otherwise in Seller’s Quotation and/or in Seller’s Confirmation in respect of these Goods, any advice, assistance or recommendation given, or any details and information provided by the Seller with regard to the suitability and Use of the Goods are general and given without taken into account the Customer’s specific need and purpose and accepted at the Customer’s sole risk; they shall not be binding and Seller does not assume any liability based on any such general consultations or information.
- 11.3 The Customer must not solely rely on any information displayed on the website or contained in product datasheets but must mainly use its own skill and judgment to ascertain whether any Good is of a suitable nature for the Customer’s need and purpose and how such Good is to be used.
- Compliance with laws and standards
- 12.1 Seller makes no promise or representation that the Goods shall conform to any law, statute ordinance, regulation, code or standard (“Laws and Standards”) other than those which mandatory apply to the Seller. Customer shall be exclusively responsible for (i) ensuring compliance with all Laws and Standards associated with its intended Use of the Goods; and (ii) obtaining all necessary approvals, permits or clearances for such Use.
- Independent contractors
- 13.1 Seller and Customer are independent contractors, and the relationship created hereby shall not be deemed to be that of principal or agent. No sale to or obligation of either party towards a third party shall in any way bind the other party.
- Non-assignment
- 14.1 Neither party may assign any of the rights or obligations under Seller’s Quotation or Confirmation without the prior written consent of the other party, provided however, that Seller may assign such rights and obligations, wholly or partly, to any of its parent companies, subsidiaries or affiliates or to a third party acquiring all or a substantial part of Seller’s assets or business relating to the Goods.
- Suspension and termination
15.1 If (i) Customer is in default of performance of its obligations towards Seller, or (ii) if Seller has reasonable doubts with respect to Customer’s performance of its obligations to Seller and Customer fails to provide to Seller adequate assurance of Customer’s performance before the date of scheduled delivery and in any case within thirty (30) days of Seller’s demand for such assurance; or if Customer becomes insolvent or unable to pay its debts as they mature, or goes into liquidation (otherwise than for the purposes of a reconstruction or amalgamation) or any bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, or similar proceeding shall be instituted by or against Customer or if a trustee or receiver or administrator is appointed for all or a substantial part of the assets of Customer or if Customer enters into a deed of arrangement or makes any assignment for the benefit of its creditors, then, without prejudice to any other rights of Seller, Seller may by notice in writing forthwith: (i) demand re-delivery and take repossession of any delivered Goods which have not been paid for, for which purpose Customer hereby grants an irrevocable right and licence to Seller to enter upon all or any of the premises where the Goods are or may be located and all costs relating to the recovery of the Goods shall be for the account of Customer; and/or (ii) suspend its performance or terminate Seller’s Confirmation for outstanding delivery of Goods unless Customer makes such payment for Goods on a cash in advance basis or provides adequate assurance of such payment for Goods to Seller; without any intervention of courts being required and without liability for Seller of whatsoever kind arising out of or in connection with such suspension or termination.
15.2 In any such event of (i) and/or (ii), all outstanding claims of Seller shall become due and payable immediately with respect to the Goods delivered to Customer and not re-possessed by Seller.
- Waiver
- 16.1 Failure by Seller to enforce at any time any provision of these Conditions shall not be construed as a waiver of Seller’s right to act or to enforce any such term or condition and Seller’s rights shall not be affected by any delay, failure or omission to enforce any such provision. No waiver by Seller of any breach of Customer’s obligations shall constitute a waiver of any other prior or subsequent breach.
- Severability and conversion
- 17.1 In the event that any provision of these Conditions shall be, in whole or in part, held to be invalid, inapplicable, illegal, null and void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall not be affected and shall continue to apply. The provision whose enforceability is compromised will automatically be replaced by a legally enforceable provision and in accordance with the intent of the parties and to the maximum extent permitted by law.
- Governing law and Dispute Resolution
- 18.1 The parties’ rights and obligations arising out of or in connection with Seller’s Confirmation and/or these Conditions shall be governed, construed, interpreted and enforced according to the laws of Belgium, excluding principles of conflict of laws. The applicability of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) is excluded.
- 18.2 The parties agree that any suits, actions or proceedings that may be instituted by any party shall be initiated exclusively before the competent courts of Ghent (Section Ghent), Belgium.
- Survival of rights
- 19.1 The parties’ rights and obligations shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors, permitted assigns, directors, officers, employees, agents and legal representatives. Termination of one or more of the rights and obligations of the parties, for whatsoever reason, shall not affect the provisions of these Conditions which are intended to continue to have effect after such termination.
- Headings
20.1 The headings contained in these Conditions are included for mere convenience of reference and shall not affect their construction or interpretation.
- Intellectual Property
21.1 To the Seller’s best knowledge no third party intellectual property rights were infringed as a consequence of the sale and/delivery of the Goods and Seller shall not be held liable for any loss or damages in that respect.
21.2 The sale of Goods shall not, by implication or otherwise, convey any license under any intellectual property right relating to the compositions and/or applications of the Goods, and Customer expressly assumes all risks of any intellectual property infringement by reason of its importation and/or Use of the Goods, whether singly or in combination with other materials or in any processing operation.
Only the English version of these Conditions shall be authentic and shall, in case of inconsistency, prevail over any translation of these conditions in another language.