Terms and Conditions
Article 1 - ACCEPTANCE - OPPOSABILITY
The present General Terms of Sale (GTS) apply by rights to all sales of
Products (hereinafter referred to as: “Products”) concluded by one of the
companies belonging to the SERGE FERRARI group (the aforementioned
company is hereinafter referred to as “SERGE FERRARI”) with any Buyer
(hereinafter referred to as: “the Buyer”) who approves them and acknowledges
that it is fully aware of them and consequently undertakes not to require
performance of any conflicting document and in particular its own general terms
and conditions of purchase. Any special terms must have been expressly
accepted by SERGE FERRARI under the conditions specified in Article 2. In
this case, the special terms complete the present General Terms of Sale and,
in the event of a contradiction, shall prevail over them. If SERGE FERRARI
does not require performance of any of the present clauses at a given time, it
cannot be deemed to have waived its right to require performance of any of the
aforementioned terms subsequently. The Buyer accepts that SERGE
FERRARI may subsequently amend reasonably the present General Terms
within reason, and that their relationship shall always be governed by the most
recent terms in force when the order was placed.
Article 2 - QUOTATIONS - ORDERS
2.1. All orders placed by the Buyer must be placed in writing (by email, fax or
letter) and indicate the Buyer’s customer number, the reference of the Product
ordered, the full name, quality and colour of the Product, the delivery and billing
address, the order number and the order date.
SERGE FERRARI cannot be held liable for errors or delays that may result
from orders containing incomplete or incorrect information.
An order will only be deemed accepted once SERGE FERRARI has sent
confirmation of the order or that the order has been filled.
The Buyer has two working days from time that the confirmation of order is sent
to make known any differences between its order and the confirmation. Failing
that, only the confirmation shall be deemed authentic, in particular regarding
the price and delivery lead times.
An order will only be accepted by SERGE FERRARI if the Buyer provides
sufficient financial guarantees.
2.2. Any quotations and proposals made by SERGE FERRARI to a Buyer are
valid for one month from the date of issue by SERGE FERRARI, unless
otherwise provided.
The contract is formed on receipt by SERGE FERRARI of the quotation
accepted by the Buyer.
2.3. Once the contract has been formed in accordance with the provisions of
Article 2.1 or 2.2 (hereinafter referred to as: the “Contract”) the Contract cannot
be cancelled and the sales price is due in full.
2.4. All orders by the Buyer must comply with the minimum order volume for
the Products, which will be indicated to the Buyer on request. If the order does
not comply with this volume, penalties will be applied, calculated by SERGE
FERRARI based on its current rate.
2.5 Any request to modify a Contract will only be carried out on acceptance by
SERGE FERRARI and will result in an additional charge. In any case, SERGE
FERRARI will not accept any request for modification if the order has already
been produced, the Product is not in stock, or the order has already been
physically prepared. However, SERGE FERRARI may agree to add a Product
before delivery, depending on the case.
2.6 The Products of SERGE FERRARI may change according to technical
advances and SERGE FERRARI reserves the right to change their
characteristics at any time. The Buyer must makes sure that it has up-to-date
documentation for which the technical data is still valid.
Article 3 - PRICE
3.1. If a quotation is provided, the applicable price is the price indicated in the
quotation accepted by the Buyer, or if no quotation is provided, it is the price
indicated in the acknowledgement of order.
3.2. Except as otherwise provided in the Contract, the prices of the Products
are indicated in US Dollars exclusive of tax, according to the EXW INCOTERM
(ICC 2010), at SERGE FERRARI’s warehouses.
3.3 Except as otherwise provided, the packaging for the Products will be billed
to the Buyer at cost. It will not be taken back.
Revision: SERGE FERRARI reserves the right to change its rates at any time,
in particular in the event of an increase in the cost of raw materials. In any case,
SERGE FERRARI will inform the Customer of the new rates as soon as they
are available, and the increased prices will apply to orders placed after the
Customer has been notified of the new rates.
3.4. If the price of the Product is accompanied by a Service provided by SERGE
FERRARI, the price of the Product will be increased by the cost of the Service,
which is not included in the scope of the warranties specified in Article 10.
3.5 Sales of the Products for export are based on the rate in force increased by
VAT, unless written proof of exemption is provided on the order date.
Article 4 – SERVICES
In connection with the sale of the Products, the Buyer may entrust the provision
of Services (hereinafter referred to as “Services”) to SERGE FERRARI. The
obligations of SERGE FERRARI depend on the Service entrusted to it. There
are two types of Services:
4.1 Study - Design
The Buyer may order from SERGE FERRARI technical feasibility study
Services prior to acquisition by the Buyer of SERGE FERRARI’s Products. This
Service may result in particular in the performance of tests/production of
prototypes.
SERGE FERRARI will issue a quotation for these Services under the conditions
provided for in Article 2 above. In this connection, SERGE FERRARI may make
recommendations throughout the provision of the Service, in particular
regarding the choice of equipment that will make it possible to achieve the
required performance. These recommendations are provided for information
only and the Buyer cannot hold SERGE FERRARI liable on their account.
4.2 Processing of the Products
SERGE FERRARI provides Services to process the Products (cutting in the
required format etc.) on behalf of the Buyer and at its request.
In this connection, the Service and associated price are agreed at the time of
sale of the Products in accordance with Article 2.
4.3 Other Services
Any additional Service provided by SERGE FERRARI will be billed under the
terms and rates of SERGE FERRARI in force when the order is placed.
If necessary SERGE FERRARI will send a detailed quotation to the Buyer.
Article 5- MADE-TO-ORDER PRODUCTS
5.1 Made-to-order products are Products produced by SERGE FERRARI
according to the specifications provided by the Buyer. Production by SERGE
FERRARI of made-to-order Products is always subject to validation of the
technical feasibility of made-to-order production by SERGE FERRARI. Where appropriate, SERGE FERRARI will charge the Buyer for this study in
accordance with Article 4.1. In order to be validated, an order for made-to-order
Products must comply with the minimum quantify of Products notified by
SERGE FERRARI to the Buyer.
5.2 The Buyer undertakes to accept that the quantity of Products delivered may
vary up or down by 10% due to uncertainties regarding production of made-toorder Products. Unless expressly agreed beforehand by SERGE FERRARI,
any seconds resulting from the production of made-to-order Products ordered,
that are produced by SERGE FERRARI, will be delivered with the top quality
Products and will also be billed. SERGE FERRARI will not accept any returns
of made-to-order Products.
Article 6 - DELIVERY - RISKS
6.1. Except as otherwise provided in the Contract, the Products sold by SERGE
FERRARI are delivered according to the CIP incoterm. By express agreement,
regardless of the incoterm chosen, it is however agreed that the delivery costs
paid by SERGE FERRARI under the incoterm chosen will be wholly reinvoiced
to the Buyer, who is ultimately liable for these costs, which the Buyer expressly
accepts.
Notwithstanding the preceding provision, delivery expenses will not be
reinvoiced for deliveries carried out by SERGE FERRARI if the order exceeds
the carriage paid threshold specified in the Contract.
6.2. The delivery lead times of the Products are provided for information only
and the Buyer cannot claim the cancellation of the order, penalties or
compensation and/or refuse to pay the price or down payments provided for in
the order, on the basis of them.
6.3. In any case, without prejudice to the measures to be taken regarding the
carrier, any objection by the Buyer or its service provider regarding apparent
defects must be made within three days of receipt of the Products.
Unless the complaint is confirmed within that deadline by registered letter with
acknowledgement of receipt, no complaint regarding apparent defects will be
accepted by SERGE FERRARI. No returns will be accepted without the prior
agreement of SERGE FERRARI. SERGE FERRARI may decide to replace the
Products at its sole discretion.
Article 7 - TRACEABILITY/COMPLIANCE WITH TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
7.1. The Products sold by SERGE FERRARI have technical characteristics that
require compliance with rules regarding production and traceability.
Consequently, SERGE FERRARI reserves the right to sell its Products solely
to professionals.
7.2. Buyers of SERGE FERRARI’s Products undertake to comply with all of the
rules regarding use and installation of the Products as well as the traceability
of the Products that they order, use and/or market.
7.3. For building sites or work where the colour must be identical, the Buyer will
inform SERGE FERRARI of that constraint and check that the cloths used
come from the same production run. SERGE FERRARI cannot be held liable
for non-compliance with the technical specifications or use of different batches
for assembly after delivery of the Products.
Article 8 – PAYMENT
8.1 Except as otherwise provided in the Contract, the Products must be paid
for within thirty days of the date of issue of the invoice, by cheque or bank
transfer, unless special terms apply.
8.2 Except as otherwise provided in the Contract, no discount will be granted
in the event of advance payment.
8.3 Any late payment shall result in interest on arrears equivalent to the
EURIBOR one-month rate increased by three percentage points and
entitlement to payment of an inclusive amount of forty (40) euros for recovery
costs. SERGE FERRARI reserves the right to change the terms of payment
applicable to the Buyer. The Buyer cannot put forward any grounds whatsoever
for deferring or changing the terms of payment, in particular a dispute regarding
the quality or nonconformity of the Products or late delivery. In addition, in the
event of non-payment, SERGE FERRARI shall be entitled to suspend all or part
of the deliveries until payment in full of the amounts due, require immediate
payment of the outstanding balance due, and suspend or cancel the orders in
progress, without prejudice to its right to claim damages and/or the cancellation
of the Contract.
8.4 Any knowledge of a substantial change in the economic or financial
situation of the Buyer, even after the orders have been partly filled, may result
in revision of their conditions of performance. SERGE FERRARI also reserves
the right to require guarantees at any time for payment of its invoices.
Article 9 - RESERVATION OF TITLE – TRANSFER OF RISK
9.1. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY CLAUSE TO THE CONTRARY, TRANSFER
OF OWNERSHIP OF THE PRODUCTS ORDERED TO THE BUYER WILL
ONLY TAKE PLACE AFTER PAYMENT OF THE PRICE IN FULL BY THE
BUYER.
9.2. Until ownership of the Products of SERGE FERRARI has been transferred
to the Buyer, the Buyer shall refrain from pledging them or granting any right to
them whatsoever to a third party.
9.3. SERGE FERRARI reserves the right to claim the Products by any means.
The handing over of a title creating an obligation to pay (bill of exchange etc.)
does not constitute payment as defined in the present clause.
9.4. Since the transfer of risk takes place according to the delivery incoterm
chosen, the present clause does not prevent the transfer to the Buyer of the
risks related to the Products.
Article 10 – WARRANTY – LIABILITY
10.1. It is up to the Buyer to inform SERGE FERRARI of the characteristics of
the Products that it requires, and in particular the commercial and technical
information required to properly assess the Products required and ensure that
the characteristics decided on fully meet its expectations. The Buyer is
therefore deemed to be fully aware of the Products that it acquires and
acknowledges that it has been able to obtain information regarding the
Products ordered. In particular it alone is responsible for choosing the place of
installation of the Products.
10.2. The Buyer is also responsible for implementing and installing the Products
in accordance with the standards, good practice and safety regulations of the
country of destination.
10.3. Some of the Products marketed by SERGE FERRARI are covered by a
contractual warranty.
In this case, regarding the terms of the warranty applicable (duration, start,
tearing strength, fire-retardant qualities, waterproof qualities, percentage of
costs covered, exclusions from warranty etc.) it is up to the Buyer to refer to the
terms of the contractual warranty for the Product that will be given to it on
request.
10.4. Moreover, for Products bought and resold by SERGE FERRARI, any
warranty applicable is that of the manufacturer of the Products that SERGE
FERRARI markets.
10.5. In all cases where they exist, the contractual warranties attached to the
Products never apply if the Product:
(i) has been subject to incorrect use, negligence, modification or an accident,
such as accidental damage to the exterior finish, or has been subject to
excessive wear and tear, friction, scratches or perforations that exceed normal
use;
(ii) has been exposed to harmful chemicals, worn out excessively by machines,
equipment or any person, exposed to excessive pressure or sources, weather
conditions that are abnormal or not suited to the Product, falling objects, an
explosion, fire, flood, riot, civil unrest, outside forces, defective or inadequate
installation, an act of war, radiation, harmful smoke or foreign substances in the
atmosphere.
(iii) has been damaged during handling by the Buyer, another user or the
consumer of the Products, or has been subject to a high level of atmospheric
pollution, detergents or aggressive, unsuitable or ineffective cleaning.
(iv) has been used in architectural structures that do not comply with recognised
engineering standards, or repaired or modified by any person other than a
representative of SERGE FERRARI in any way whatsoever, whereas, in the
opinion of SERGE FERRARI alone, this has an impact on the quality and
effectiveness of the Products.
10.6. Any claim made by the Buyer under this contractual warranty must be
made in writing, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt to SERGE
FERRARI at the address indicated in the contractual warranty terms of the
Product within thirty (30) days of discovery of the alleged defect. Failure to
notify SERGE FERRARI within thirty (30) days of discovery of any defect shall
result in the warranty becoming without legal effect for that specific defect.
After notification of an alleged defect, SERGE FERRARI shall be entitled to
inspect the Product in order to take the appropriate corrective measures in time.
If the representatives of SERGE FERRARI are not allowed to inspect the
alleged defect, the contractual warranty shall be null and void and without legal
effect for that defect.
10.7. SERGE FERRARI DOES NOT ACCEPT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLICIT
WARRANTY OBLIGATION OTHER THAN THE OBLIGATION STIPULATED
IN THIS ARTICLE, AND IN PARTICULAR ANY WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR APPROPRIATENESS FOR A SPECIFIC USE.
SERGE FERRARI shall provide the Services and produce the Products in
accordance with good practice, and will fulfil its contractual obligations with
every possible care in use within the profession. In case of doubt regarding the
interpretation of a clause or if the provisions do not make it possible to
determine the extent of SERGE FERRARI’s obligations, the Buyer
acknowledges that SERGE FERRARI’s obligations constitute best endeavours
obligations.
By common consent, the parties agree that SERGE FERRARI cannot on any
account be required to compensate for consequential injury (such as in
particular loss of production, loss of customers, commercial damage, damage
to image, data loss etc.) that the Buyer may suffer.
FURTHERMORE, IN ITS RELATIONS WITH THE BUYER, SERGE
FERRARI'S LIABILITY CANNOT ON ANY ACCOUNT EXCEED THE
AMOUNT PAID BY THE BUYER IN RETURN FOR ITS OBLIGATIONS.
SERGE FERRARI may always block liability proceedings by bringing into
conformity or replacing a defective or off-specification product.
Any claim by the Buyer that SERGE FERRARI has failed to fulfil its contractual
obligations must be justified and sent by registered letter with
acknowledgement of receipt within one year of the date of discovery of the facts
likely to justify the aforementioned claim. Failing this, the Buyer is deemed to
have waived all criticism of the performance by SERGE FERRARI of its
contractual obligations.
Article 11 - FORCE MAJEURE
SERGE FERRARI shall not be liable for any non-performance of the Contract
if this non-performance is the direct or indirect consequence of a force majeure
event such as in particular: any natural disaster, war, riot, attack, extreme hot
or cold spell, flood, fire or strike, either at SERGE FERRARI or at its service
providers, suppliers, public services or post offices, an order by the public
authorities (ban on imports or exports etc.), break in supply, or major incident
affecting SERGE FERRARI’s equipment.
Performance of the Contract shall be immediately suspended in the event of a
case of force majeure. If the force majeure event lasts for more than 60 days,
the Contract shall be cancelled on the initiative of the first party to act.
Article 12 - CANCELLATION
SERGE FERRARI is entitled to terminate the Contract by rights, by registered
letter with acknowledgement of receipt:
- in case of non-performance by the Buyer of all or part of its obligations, in
particular its obligation to pay, thirty days after issuing formal notice by
registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, to no avail;
- in case of a deterioration in the Buyer's financial or commercial situation, that
may result in non-payment.
In the event of cancellation of the Contract, SERGE FERRARI shall be released
from its obligation to deliver. It shall return any amounts paid by the Buyer for
orders not yet filled, unless the cancellation is due to an offence by the Buyer.
SERGE FERRARI shall not be required to pay any compensation to the Buyer.
Article 13 - TOLERANCE AND SEVERABILITY
If SERGE FERRARI does not require performance at a given time of any of the
provisions of the present General Terms, it cannot on any account be deemed
to have waived its right to require performance subsequently, in particular if it
does not request an overdue payment.
If one of the clauses is cancelled, this does not affect the validity of the other
clauses hereof.
Article 14 - SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES
14.1. ANY DISPUTE RELATING TO THE OPERATIONS SPECIFIED IN THE
PRESENT GENERAL TERMS SHALL BE SUBMITTED TO THE EXCLUSIVE
JURISDICTION OF THE COMMERCIAL COURT OF THE HEAD OFFICE OF
SERGE FERRARI WHICH HAS SOLE JURISDICTION.
14.2. All of the clauses of the present General Terms and all of the sales
operations specified in them are subject to applicable law of SERGE
FERRARI’s head office, to the exclusion of any international agreement.
Article 15 - PROOF
In case of a dispute, the parties agree to accept faxes and emails as original
documents that may be used as evidence, and undertake not to contest this
means of proof, unless they dispute their authenticity.