General Terms and Conditions of Sale and Website Use
Effective as of 25 March 2014
1. Definitions
Whenever used in these General Terms and Conditions of Sale and Website Use, or in connection with their performance, the following terms shall have the meanings given below.
Producer: Association Mer et Rencontres, Maison du Nautisme, 4 digue Nicolas II, 59942 Dunkerque Cedex 2, Association under the French Law of 1901, represented by its president, Mr Jean-Louis Decoster, SIRET number 950 382 804 00017.
User: refers to any natural person using the website to consult the services offered by the Producer, make online bookings and, where applicable, pay for the services ordered.
Beneficiary: refers to the person or persons indicated as beneficiaries of the service at the time of the order.
Parties: refers jointly or separately to the User and the Producer.
Service: refers to the service or product offered for sale on the website and provided by the Producer to the beneficiary or beneficiaries in exchange for the voucher.
Order: refers to the online booking and payment, via the website, of a service provided by the Producer by a User.
Voucher: refers to the document sent to the User by email when the order is validated. It includes, in particular, the name of the beneficiary, the nominal value, the purchase date, the description of the service and a unique identification number.
Website: refers to the Producer’s website available at www.meretrencontres.com.
2. Purpose
These General Terms and Conditions of Sale and Website Use define the terms and conditions under which the Producer offers and sells services to Users through its website.
They constitute a contract between the User and the Producer. They come into force on 25 March 2014 and cancel and replace all previous versions.
Any order placed by the User implies full and unconditional acceptance of these General Terms and Conditions of Sale and Website Use.
By accessing the website and/or placing orders, the User declares that they have read, understood and accepted the terms of sale and website use prior to placing their order.
The services available on the website are reserved for adult natural persons, excluding any sale to professionals or for the purpose of resale to third parties.
Users ordering through the website are deemed to be purchasing in France and are therefore subject to French law.
3. Purchase and booking of a service
3.1. Required conditions
Any User purchasing a service must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a contract.
Any person placing an order on the website guarantees the Producer the accuracy of the information provided and personally undertakes responsibility for the persons registered for the same service.
3.2. Description of services
When booking a service, it is the User’s responsibility to check the exact content of the proposed service.
The Producer makes every effort to describe as accurately as possible the services offered on the website. However, services may be subject to changes, which will be notified to the User as soon as possible.
The duration of the services offered is given for information purposes only. The User may not rely on a variation in this duration resulting from the nature of the activities or the circumstances in which they were carried out.
The photos appearing on the website are non-contractual.
The services do not include transport to the meeting point at the Producer’s premises.
3.3. Restrictions
Certain activities are only accessible subject to certain physical, weather, health, age, weight or skill conditions. These conditions are indicated for each service on the website.
The Producer reserves the right to refuse the requested service or postpone the booking if the required conditions are not met by the beneficiary or beneficiaries.
Due to the nature of certain activities, the Producer may ask the beneficiary to sign a liability waiver or provide a deposit cheque.
The Producer may also require the production of any fitness certificate required for the practice of certain activities.
In these cases, the Producer shall not be required to compensate the User or the beneficiary if they are unable to take part in the service because they do not meet the required conditions.
3.4. Availability
The Producer endeavours to update the availability of its services in real time.
However, due to simultaneous connections by different Users, a service that appears available at the time of consultation may no longer be available when the User validates the order.
For each order, the availability of the services is systematically checked by the Producer.
If the Producer informs the User that the service is unavailable after the order has been validated, the contract will become null and void and the price paid will be refunded to the User, excluding any other amount.
3.5. Order, validation and confirmation
The User selects the service or services of their choice, as well as the booking date and time.
The User completes the information requested and required for the booking, including the number of beneficiaries, their surnames, first names, dates of birth and addresses.
The User chooses the payment method for the order and then validates the order. The contract between the User and the Producer is then validly concluded.
The electronic signature in the form of a double click, associated with the authentication procedure, has the value of a signature and expresses the party’s consent to the obligations arising from the act.
The contract is deemed to have been formed when the order is validated by the second click.
The order definitively binds the User, who may no longer cancel the contract except with the express agreement of the Producer.
The contractual information will be confirmed by email, with the invoice and voucher attached.
The voucher is valid only for the activity and date selected on the website when the order was placed. It must be handed over by the beneficiary to the Producer on the day of the service.
4. Prices
The prices of the services are indicated in euros including all taxes and correspond to those in force on the day of the order.
The service description pages on the website specify what is included in the price.
Unless otherwise stated, the price does not include transport to the location of the service, accommodation and stay expenses, meals and drinks, expenses payable on site, or any service not expressly mentioned in the service description.
5. Payment terms and methods
Payment for services is made online by bank card, including Carte Bleue, Visa or Eurocard/Mastercard.
The User must enter the card number, expiry date and security code located on the back of the card directly in the fields provided.
The full amount of the order will be debited from the bank card on the day of the order.
The Producer reserves the right to suspend the processing of any order and any service in the event of non-payment or refusal of bank card payment authorisation.
6. Right of withdrawal
In accordance with Article L.121-20 of the French Consumer Code, in the case of distance selling, the buyer has a withdrawal period of 7 days from the confirmation of the order by the Producer.
However, the right of withdrawal does not apply to leisure services that must be provided on a specific date or according to a specific schedule.
Consequently, the 7-day withdrawal option for exchange or refund is not applicable to dated services booked with the Producer.
7. Modification, postponement and cancellation
Any modification to the initial booking will only be accepted with the agreement of the Producer. Administrative fees of 10% will be applied to the amount of the booking.
In the event of a request for total cancellation of the service, the following fees apply.
Cancellation less than 7 days before the service: 100% of the amount.
Cancellation less than 30 days before the service: 75% of the amount.
Cancellation less than 60 days before the service: 50% of the amount.
Cancellation more than 60 days before the service: 25% of the amount.
In the event of non-use, loss or destruction of the voucher, the beneficiary may not claim any refund.
The Producer’s liability cannot be engaged in the event of loss, theft or non-use of the voucher after the confirmation email has been sent.
The Producer reserves the right, before the start of the activity, to cancel it in the event of force majeure or insufficient number of participants. This cancellation will entitle the client to a postponement or a full refund of the sums paid for the activity, depending on the chosen formula.
Reduced rates are non-refundable, whatever the reason.
Any refund will be issued within a maximum period of 20 working days.
A late arrival or early departure will not give rise to any refund.
For 2-hour sessions, any refund request must be sent within a maximum period of one month after the date of the cancelled service. After this period, the client will receive a credit note valid for 1 year.
The client may not claim any additional compensation if the cancellation is imposed by circumstances beyond the Producer’s control, force majeure, safety reasons or unfavourable weather conditions.
The Producer also reserves the right to remove any person whose conduct or actions would disrupt the proper running of a service. Such a measure will not give rise to any refund.
8. Liability of Users and Beneficiaries
The User acknowledges having read these General Terms and Conditions of Sale, as well as the information and advice included in the description of the proposed service.
The User also acknowledges having informed the beneficiary or beneficiaries of the said service if they are not themselves the beneficiary.
Each beneficiary must comply with the instructions, advice and recommendations of the supervisors.
The Producer cannot be held liable for accidents caused by the recklessness of one or more beneficiaries.
The Producer reserves the right to expel at any time a beneficiary whose behaviour is considered dangerous to themselves or to other participants. In this case, no refund will be possible.
Minors must, for all activities, present parental authorisation or be accompanied by an adult and responsible person.
The User is informed that certain activities are high-risk sports that may cause serious physical or brain injuries and may result in the death of the beneficiary or beneficiaries.
The User is invited to check that this type of activity is compatible with the physical condition of the beneficiary or beneficiaries.
In certain cases, the Producer may ask the beneficiary to sign a liability waiver.
9. Producer liability
9.1. Best-efforts obligation
For all services provided, the parties expressly agree that the Producer is only subject to a general best-efforts obligation.
The Producer undertakes to use all reasonable means to provide, under the best possible conditions, the service ordered by the User as described on its website.
9.2. General limitation of liability
If the Producer’s liability were to be engaged due to the non-performance or improper performance of the service, only direct damages resulting from the non-performance of its contractual obligations may give rise to compensation.
Indirect damages, including moral or commercial prejudice, loss of profit, turnover, orders or customers, shall not give rise to compensation.
The amount of compensation that may be charged to the Producer is limited to the sums received by the Producer for the service.
The Producer’s liability cannot be engaged if the non-performance or improper performance of its contractual obligations is attributable to the User, the beneficiary, a third party or a case of force majeure.
Websites directly or indirectly linked to the Producer’s website are not under its control. The Producer assumes no responsibility for the information published on these websites.
9.3. Damage and insurance
The Producer has taken out professional civil liability insurance with AXA, the insurer of the FFCV to which the association is affiliated: AXA Agency, Julien Vidal, 34 avenue Georges Pompidou, 31270 Cugnaux.
This civil liability insurance covers the participant if they injure someone or unintentionally cause material damage to sports facilities and equipment.
However, it does not cover the participant’s bodily injury or damage caused to their equipment. Participants are advised to check with their insurer that they have taken out individual accident insurance.
A specific information notice setting out the covered guarantee thresholds is available on request.
The Producer declines all liability for theft, loss or deterioration of personal belongings occurring during the activities or in the changing rooms.
The trainee or their legal representative is personally responsible for all damage, loss or deterioration caused by them.
9.4. Activity schedules
For minor participants, the Producer declines all liability if the minor is dropped off and left alone in front of the activity location.
It is the responsibility of the legal representative to hand the child directly to the supervisor at the activity location and to collect them at the end of each session.
For adult participants, the Producer declines all liability in the event of early departure or late arrival for the booked activities.
10. Force majeure
The obligations contained herein shall not apply or shall be automatically suspended without compensation if their performance becomes impossible due to a case of force majeure or a fortuitous event.
Each party must inform the other party by any means and as soon as possible in the event of a force majeure event preventing it from performing all or part of its contractual obligations.
The parties must make every effort to prevent or reduce the effects of non-performance of the contract caused by a force majeure event.
If the event lasts more than thirty days from its occurrence, the agreement may be terminated without the User, the beneficiary or the Producer being entitled to claim damages.
11. Website access
The Producer endeavours to provide permanent access to the website, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
However, access to the website may be suspended at any time and without notice, particularly in the event of breakdowns, failures, network paralysis or maintenance operations.
The Producer reserves the right to modify the content of the website at any time and without notice.
The User undertakes not to hinder access to the website or its proper functioning in any way.
The Producer cannot be held liable for any direct or indirect damage due to an interruption, malfunction, suspension or shutdown of the website.
The User acknowledges having the skills and means necessary to access and use the website.
Access to the website is free of charge. The costs of access to and use of the telecommunications network are borne by the User.
12. Intellectual property
The entire website, its structure, presentation and content constitute a work protected by French and international legislation on copyright and intellectual property.
The Producer owns or holds the rights to all elements composing this website, including texts, data, drawings, graphics, photos, animations, sounds and downloadable documents.
All rights of use, reproduction, representation, modification, adaptation or translation are reserved exclusively for the Producer and its possible rights holders.
Any total or partial reproduction, representation, distribution or redistribution of the website content without the Producer’s express prior authorisation is prohibited.
The reproduction of texts and web pages from the website on paper remains authorised, provided that distribution is free of charge, the integrity of the reproduced documents is respected and the source is clearly cited.
Copies of the documents contained on this website may only be made for information purposes and strictly private use.
The trademarks, company names and logos appearing on the website are protected. Any total or partial reproduction without authorisation is prohibited.
13. Hypertext links
The website contains hypertext links providing access to websites that are not published by the Producer. The Producer cannot be held liable for the content of websites accessed by the User in this way.
The creation of hypertext links to the website’s homepage is authorised. Links to specific pages of the website are subject to the Producer’s prior authorisation.
The URL of the target page must be clearly indicated. The user website must not present the Producer’s website as its own or distort its content.
No mirroring of the website, meaning placing it online at another URL, is authorised.
14. User tracking
The User is informed that, during visits to the website, a cookie may be installed automatically and temporarily stored in memory or on their hard drive.
Users acknowledge having been informed of this practice and authorise the Producer to use it.
They may object to the storage of cookies by configuring their browser to be notified when a cookie arrives and to be able to refuse it.
The cookies used on this website will only be used for analysis and optimisation purposes by the Producer.
15. Personal data
When using the website, the User may be required to provide various personal data.
The User declares that they have been informed of this automated processing of information, in particular the management of email addresses. This file has been declared to the CNIL under number 1753674.
The Users’ personal data is intended for the Producer, who is authorised to store it electronically, use it and communicate it to third parties or technical and commercial partners.
This data allows Users to use the services and receive commercial offers for similar products or services.
The User acknowledges that the Producer may be required, in order to comply with applicable law, to disclose personal data concerning them.
In accordance with the French Data Protection Act, Users have the right at any time to access, modify, rectify and delete data concerning them.
To exercise this right, they may send their request, indicating their surname, first name, email address and the subject of their request, to the Producer by email at meretrencontres@wanadoo.fr or by post to Association Mer et Rencontres, 4 Digue Nicolas II, BP 107, 59240 Dunkerque.
The completion of information marked as mandatory is essential for the management of the User’s order.
The information entered is intended for the Producer, its subcontractors and its technical and commercial partners.
The purpose of processing this information is to manage, secure and validate the order, prevent online fraud and send commercial offers.
16. Protection of minors
In accordance with Article 1124 of the French Civil Code, non-emancipated minors are incapable of entering into a contract.
Consequently, orders intended for minors must be placed by persons exercising parental authority.
In the event of accidental collection of personal data relating to a minor, persons exercising parental authority may object to its retention by the Producer.
17. Miscellaneous
These General Terms and Conditions of Sale and Website Use express the entirety of the obligations of the parties with respect to their purpose.
The User acknowledges and accepts that the Producer’s tolerance of a situation does not have the effect of granting them acquired rights.
Such tolerance cannot be interpreted as a waiver of the right to assert the rights concerned at a later date.
If one or more provisions of these General Terms and Conditions of Sale and Website Use are held to be invalid, the other provisions shall retain their full force and effect.
18. Disputes
18.1. Evidence
The Producer may use as evidence any act, program, data, file, recording, operation or other element established, received or stored directly or indirectly by the Producer or its technical service providers.
Records stored by the computer system of the Producer or its technical service providers are accepted as proof of communications between the parties, use of the website and payments made.
Orders and invoices are archived on a reliable and durable medium.
18.2. Applicable law
This contract is governed by French law, to the exclusion of any other law or convention, regardless of the place of use of the website or performance of the services.
18.3. Jurisdiction
In the event of a dispute, and if no amicable settlement is reached, the Producer and the User shall refer the matter to the competent courts of the place of the Producer’s registered office.
19. Producer contact details
Name: Mer et Rencontres.
Legal form: Association under the French Law of 1901.
Address: Maison du Nautisme, 4 Digue Nicolas II, 59240 Dunkerque.
Telephone: 03 28 29 13 80.
Intra-community VAT: not subject to VAT.
Email: meretrencontres@wanadoo.fr.
Updated on 14/08/2025