General terms and conditions of sale

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VAHANA SAS, registered with the Lunel Trade and Companies Registry (RCS) under number 81110719200023, with its registered office at 15 chemin des Rompudes, Domaine du Vallon, 34160 Saint-Jean-de-Cornies, France, sells equestrian equipment online for horses and riders, including: halters, lunge lines, carabiners, saddle pads, flags, balls, sticks, ropes, gaiters, girths and rattles.

These General Terms and Conditions of Sale (“GTCS”) are intended to inform any prospective customer, whether an individual or a legal entity, of the conditions and procedures under which VAHANA SAS sells and delivers ordered products. They define the rights and obligations of the parties in the context of the sale of products by the seller to the customer.

These GTCS apply, without restriction or reservation, to all sales made by the seller through its website: https://www.vahana.fr

Placing an order on this website constitutes full and unconditional acceptance of these terms and conditions.

ARTICLE 1 – PRICES

1.1. 1.1. Product prices are listed in euros, inclusive of all taxes (VAT), subject to any changes in the applicable French VAT rate. Shipping costs are charged in addition to the product price and vary based on the order value or weight.

1.2. 1.2. All orders, regardless of their origin, are payable in euros.

1.3. 1.3. VAHANA SAS reserves the right to modify its prices at any time. Products will nevertheless be invoiced at the rates in force at the time the order is recorded, subject to availability. Any price change will be communicated to the buyer before the order is confirmed.

1.4. The VAT rate indicated on the order form is that applicable on the day of the order.

1.5. 1.5. The applicable VAT rate, regardless of the buyer’s location, is the seller’s rate, i.e. 20%.

1.6. 1.6. For deliveries outside the European Union, any applicable customs duties and related formalities are the exclusive responsibility of the buyer.

Article 2 – Retention of Title

Products purchased on www.vahana.fr remain the property of VAHANA SAS until full payment has been received.

ARTICLE 3 – ORDERING

1. Online Orders

Orders placed on https://www.vahana.fr go through several click-based validation steps completed by the buyer. The final validation during the checkout process constitutes acceptance of all information related to these GTCS.

2. Quote-Based Orders

Customers may submit a quote request via the website, from their customer account, or by email. VAHANA SAS will then send a proposal that the customer can validate, add to their cart and complete online, or finalise by email.

3. Phone Orders

Phone orders may only be recorded with the prior agreement of VAHANA SAS. They will only become effective upon receipt of payment, under the terms defined at the time of the order.

ARTICLE 4 – VALIDATION

Before concluding the contract, the customer must be informed by the seller of the essential characteristics of the product. By placing an order, you confirm that you have read and accepted these General Terms and Conditions of Sale.

ARTICLE 5 – COMMITMENT

When the customer validates their order, this validation constitutes acceptance of these GTCS. It cannot be called into question except in the exercise of the right of withdrawal within 14 days of receiving the order, in accordance with Article L.221-18 of the French Consumer Code.

ARTICLE 6 – ORDER CONFIRMATION

In accordance with Article 1369-2 of the French Civil Code, the seller undertakes to confirm the customer’s order by means of an acknowledgement of receipt sent by email within 24 hours. This confirmation will specify the contents of the order, its cost, the chosen payment method, and the delivery terms.

ARTICLE 7 – PROOF

Unless proven otherwise, data recorded on www.vahana.fr and archived by the seller constitutes proof of all transactions between VAHANA and its customers.

ARTICLE 8 – PRODUCTS AND AVAILABILITY

The essential characteristics of products offered for sale on https://www.vahana.fr are made available to the buyer before they confirm their order.

Product photographs are provided for illustrative purposes only and shall not be considered binding on VAHANA. Product colours may vary from one production run to another, as items are handcrafted. VAHANA cannot be held liable in any way whatsoever. Product colours may vary from one production run to another, as items are handcrafted.

In accordance with Article 1369-1 of the French Civil Code, product and price offers are valid for as long as they are visible on the site, subject to available stock. For products not held in our warehouse, offers are valid subject to availability from our suppliers. For products not stocked in our warehouse, our offers are subject to availability from our suppliers. Availability information is provided at the time you place your order.

Products are typically sent within 24 , except for out-of-stock items.

As this information comes directly from our suppliers, occasional errors or changes may occur. Should a product become unavailable after your order is placed, we will notify you by email or letter as soon as possible. Based on your instructions and after informing you of the supplier’s estimated delivery time, we will either cancel or process your order. If an online payment has already been made, you will be refunded in full.

ARTICLE 9 – DELIVERY

9.1 General information

Products purchased on the site are dispatched according to the terms and timescales set out in the “Delivery” section, following payment validation and, where applicable, clearance of customs documents (for deliveries outside the EU). Products are delivered to the address provided during the ordering process. In the event of a delay, you will be notified by email.

Delivery times for metropolitan France range from a minimum of 24 hours to a maximum of 72 hours after dispatch, depending on stock levels and supplier information. For deliveries within Europe, please allow 6 to 8 days. For deliveries outside Europe, timescales vary depending on the destination and the nature of the goods.
Certain products may not be eligible for all delivery methods due to their intrinsic characteristics (nature, size, fragility, etc.). VAHANA reserves the right to adapt the delivery method based on the products ordered and the destination.

VAHANA shall not be held liable for any consequences arising from a delivery delay caused by a force majeure event, including but not limited to a total or partial strike by postal services or carriers, or disasters caused by floods or fires.

9.2 – Delivery problems

You must note any reservations regarding the delivered product (e.g. damaged or already opened parcel) on the delivery note presented by the carrier, and notify VAHANA, within 3 days of receiving the goods. If the parcel appears to be lost or undelivered, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can liaise with the delivery service. Please take a photograph of the parcel if it is damaged.

9.3 – Product Compliance

VAHANA SAS undertakes to refund or exchange any products that do not match your order. In such cases, please notify us in writing with full details and return the product(s). The request must be made within 7 working days of delivery. Claims made after this deadline cannot be accepted. Claims made after this deadline cannot be accepted.

Products must be returned in the condition in which you received them, with all delivered components (box, packaging, QR code label). Return shipping costs will be reimbursed at the invoiced rate. Return shipping costs will be reimbursed at the invoiced rate.

The return address is:
VAHANA c/o BOOST
99 impasse de la Station
30900 Nîmes
France

ARTICLE 10 – Warranty

In accordance with Article 4 of Decree No. 78-464 of 24 March 1978, the provisions herein cannot deprive the consumer of the statutory guarantees that require the professional seller to provide cover against all consequences of hidden defects or lack of conformity of the product sold.

Hidden defects must: cause undeniable harm to the use or appearance of the product, render it unusable, have existed at the time of purchase, and have been concealed. A lack of conformity is defined as a product that does not match the description provided at the time of purchase and the expected use for that type of item (Article L.217-4 of the French Consumer Code).

Statutory guarantee of conformity with the contract (Article L.211-1 of the French Consumer Code): claims resulting from a lack of conformity must be made within two years of delivery of the item (Article L.211-12).

Statutory guarantee against hidden defects (Articles 1641 to 1649 of the French Civil Code): the limitation period is two years from the date of discovery.

Important: products sold on Vahana.fr are explicitly presented as handcrafted items and may display minor imperfections in appearance, texture or colour that are inherent to this type of production. Such characteristics shall not under any circumstances be considered hidden defects or a lack of conformity within the legal meaning of those terms. Return shipping costs cannot therefore be claimed on these grounds.

ARTICLE 11 – PAYMENT

Payment for your purchases may be made by:

– PayPal or bank card (Visa, Mastercard, other debit cards) for online orders.

– Bank transfer, if this option is selected during the online checkout process.

Full payment must be made at the time of ordering. Amounts paid shall not under any circumstances be considered as deposits or advance payments. The full order amount will be collected by the seller upon order validation.

ARTICLE 12: SECURE PAYMENT

For card payments, our website is protected by a reliable security system in partnership with Qonto bank, recognised by banking institutions. Your card details are never transmitted over the network, as the payment transaction takes place directly on the bank’s server. Your details are therefore never stored by our systems and will be requested again for each purchase on our site.

You may also pay securely using your PayPal account (https://www.paypal.com).

We accept the following cards:

Credit card
Visa
Mastercard
American Express

All payments on our site use an HTTPS (SSL) encrypted connection between the customer’s device and the payment service. Any intercepted data would appear as an unintelligible and indecipherable string of characters.

Article 13 – Exchanges and Returns

13. 1 – Echanges

Delivered products may be returned for exchange to VAHANA SAS under the conditions and in accordance with the instructions set out below. Please contact us by email before returning any item for exchange so that we can agree on the procedure. Products must be returned unused and in their original packaging. Products must be returned in new condition and in their original packaging.

Exchange return procedure

Products may be exchanged; however, return shipping costs remain the responsibility of the buyer. The costs associated with the new delivery are also borne by the buyer.

Return by parcel or courier

VAHANA accepts the return by parcel or courier of any item purchased on https://www.vahana.fr, provided it is returned within 2 (two) weeks of the date on which the buyer received the order. Return shipping costs and the original delivery costs remain the buyer’s responsibility. Any risk associated with returning the product is borne by the buyer.

13.2 – Right of Withdrawal (Money-Back Guarantee)

In accordance with Article L.221-18 of the French Consumer Code, you have 14 days from receipt of your order to exercise your right of withdrawal, without having to provide reasons or pay any penalties. Products must not have been used.

Items must be returned in their original condition and complete (packaging, accessories, instructions, etc.) to allow them to be resold as new, and must be accompanied by a copy of the invoice for efficient processing.

If a product is returned incomplete or damaged, we reserve the right to refuse the refund. In all other cases, products will be refunded under the same conditions as the original payment.

Return shipping costs are the customer’s responsibility, as are the original outbound shipping costs for the item concerned.

Refunds will apply to the product price only and will be processed as soon as possible, within no more than 14 days of the date on which the right was exercised, in accordance with Article L.221-24 of the French Consumer Code. VAHANA may also issue a store credit if the buyer requests it.

For all returns, please provide clear reasons for the return. To ensure your parcel is tracked and your withdrawal request is processed successfully, we strongly recommend using a tracked shipment. If you return the parcel without tracking, we accept no liability in the event of non-receipt, and no postal investigation will be possible.

ARTICLE 14 – INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

All elements of the vahana.fr website are and remain the exclusive intellectual property of VAHANA. No one is permitted to reproduce, exploit, or use, in any way whatsoever, even in part, any elements of the site, whether in the form of photographs, logos, visuals or text.

ARTICLE 15 – PERSONAL DATA

VAHANA undertakes to protect the confidentiality of information provided by the buyer in connection with the use of certain services. All personal data is subject to the provisions of French Law No. 78-17 of 6 January 1978 on information technology, data files and civil liberties, as well as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR – EU Regulation 2016/679).

As such, users have the right to access, modify, rectify and delete information held about them. Requests may be submitted at any time by post to:

VAHANA – 15 chemin des Rompudes, 34160 Saint-Jean-de-Cornies, France

or by email via the contact form available on the website.

ARTICLE 16 – LIABILITY

Products offered for sale comply with French legislation in force and with standards applicable in France. x VAHANA SAS shall not be held liable for failure to comply with the legislation of the country in which the product is delivered (for example, where a product is prohibited). I t is your responsibility to check with local authorities regarding any restrictions on importing or using the products or services you intend to order.

Photographs and visuals illustrating the products are provided for guidance only. VAHANA shall not be held liable for non-performance of the contract in the event of force majeure, stock shortages, disruption or total or partial strikes by postal services, transport providers and/or communication services, flooding, or fire.

In the case of purchases made for professional purposes, VAHANA shall not be liable for any indirect damages arising from these terms, including loss of business, loss of profit, loss of opportunity, damage or costs incurred as a result of purchasing the products.

The seller cannot be held responsible if the recipient is absent at the time of delivery, or if the customer (or designated person) fails to collect or collects the products late from the carrier after a delivery notice has been left.

Note on phishing: phishing is a method used to deceive users by replicating a website and making them believe they are purchasing from the official merchant site. Should VAHANA fall victim to such fraud, its liability cannot be engaged as it is itself a victim.

ARTICLE 17 – APPLICABLE LAW AND JURISDICTION

Any dispute relating to the use of the vahana.fr website is subject to French law. Jurisdiction is attributed to the competent French courts.

In the event of a dispute, the customer is first invited to contact VAHANA’s customer service team to seek an amicable resolution. If no agreement can be reached, and in accordance with Articles L.611-1 et seq. of the French Consumer Code, the consumer may refer the matter free of charge to the following consumer mediator:

CM2C – Centre de la Médiation de la Consommation de Conciliateurs de Justice