General conditions
1. Definitions
Supplier: Varico B.V. and all its affiliated companies including but not limited to Sunsit B.V., based in Vught and Sunsit HK Limited based in Hong Kong
Buyer: the buyer or customer of the Supplier being any natural person or legal entity, who wishes to enter into or has entered into an agreement with the Supplier;
Delivery: the delivery of goods, as well as the performance of services or work.
2. Applicability
2.1 These general conditions apply to all quotations, advice, offers, sight consignments, sales, deliveries, agreements and other legal relationships made or entered into by the Supplier and form part of all agreements entered into between the Buyer and the Supplier and all other legal relationships between these parties.
2.2 The applicability of Buyer’s general terms and conditions is expressly excluded, unless the parties have expressly agreed otherwise in writing.
2.3 If the Supplier enters into agreements with the Buyer more than once, these General Terms and Conditions shall always apply to all subsequent agreements and legal relationships, regardless of whether they are explicitly declared applicable at that time.
2.4 The invalidity of one or more of the clauses in these general terms and conditions shall not affect the validity of all other clauses. Should a clause in these general terms and conditions prove to be invalid for any reason, the parties shall be deemed to have agreed on a valid replacement clause that approaches the invalid clause as closely as possible in scope and purport.
2.5 Agreements contrary to or in addition to these General Terms and Conditions shall only be valid if and insofar as they have been confirmed by the Supplier in writing and then only for the one-off specifically described transaction.
2.6 The Supplier’s failure to exercise its rights in a particular case shall not result in the forfeiture of rights for a subsequent case.
2.7 If in these general terms and conditions reference is made to the requirement of written form, then this is also met if this is done electronically and therefore but not exclusively by way of an e-mail or WhatsApp.
3. Offers and tenders.
3.1 General offers, (price) statements by the Supplier in catalogs, brochures, quotations and other media shall not bind him and shall only apply as an invitation to make an offer by the Buyer after which the Supplier may deviate from the aforementioned offers. Without prejudice to the provisions in these general terms and conditions, a quotation and statement of other conditions shall only be binding on the Supplier if they are made in writing and specifically to the Buyer, if the Buyer accepts them in writing before the expiry of the stated expiration date and the Supplier sends a definite order confirmation thereupon.
3.2 Forwarding of offers or other similar documentation shall not oblige the Supplier to accept an order placed as a result thereof. The Supplier reserves the right not to accept/execute orders in deviation from the quotation without giving reasons or to adjust the conditions including but not limited to the condition that delivery is made cash on delivery or execution only takes place after advance payment.
4. Agreement
4.1 Without prejudice to the provisions of these general conditions, an agreement with the Supplier shall only be concluded if and insofar as the Supplier definitively accepts or confirms an order or assignment from the Buyer in writing or by sending a final order confirmation by the Supplier to the Buyer. The Supplier’s written acceptance or order confirmation is deemed to accurately and completely reflect the agreement. The Buyer must immediately notify the Supplier if the representation in the order confirmation is incorrect failing which any inaccuracies can no longer be invoked.
4.2 Additional arrangements, changes or promises made by those involved in the agreement including personnel, suppliers, agents, representatives or other intermediaries of the Supplier, shall only bind the Supplier if the Supplier has confirmed these arrangements, changes or promises in writing.
4.3 If a natural person enters into an agreement with the Supplier on behalf or for the account of another natural person or legal entity, he declares – by placing the order/order – that he is authorized to do so. This person shall be jointly and severally liable for all obligations arising from the contract in addition to the other natural person or legal entity if the person/legal entity represented fails to fulfill its obligations under the contract with effect from the first moment of non-performance.
4.4 Information provided by the Supplier under the Agreement in the form of brochures, leaflets, assembly or operating instructions, price lists, drawings or shipping documents shall not form part of the Agreement and shall therefore, inter alia, not be included with a Delivery, unless otherwise provided therein.
4.5 In the case of deliveries that, contrary to the provisions of Article 4.1, were made on the basis of verbal agreements and for which no quotation or order confirmation was sent, the invoice shall be considered the order confirmation. It shall be deemed to reflect the agreement correctly and in full.
4.6 Each agreement is entered into under the suspensive condition that the Buyer – at the sole discretion of the Supplier – proves to be sufficiently creditworthy for the financial performance of the agreement. The Supplier shall have the right not to commence execution of the agreement if he has reason to believe that the Buyer will not (be able to) pay the agreed price or at least a part thereof.
4.7 If a model, sample or example has been shown or provided by the Supplier, it is presumed to have been shown or provided only by way of indication: the qualities of goods to be delivered may differ from the sample, model or example, unless it was expressly stated that delivery would be made in accordance with the sample, model or example shown or provided.
5. Changes
5.1 If the Buyer wishes to change an order after its acceptance by the Supplier, it shall send a written request to the Supplier to that effect. The Supplier is not obliged to accept the change. The Supplier can hold the Buyer to the established agreement.
5.2 In case the Supplier accepts changes in the order, it is authorized to increase the agreed price by an amount necessary to cover the costs and expenses associated with the changes or delays, at the sole discretion of the Supplier.
6. Prices
6.1 Unless otherwise agreed, all prices mentioned in documentation other than the contract are subject to price changes. Prices included in a price list/catalog are non-binding and do not bind the Supplier. Orders based on prices included in a price list shall be delivered by the Supplier at the prices applicable at the time the agreement is concluded as mentioned in the quotation without prejudice to the right to adjust these prices on the basis of the provisions of these general terms and conditions.
6.2 Unless otherwise agreed, the Free On Board (FOB, according to Incoterms 2010) prices are those mentioned in the contract/final order confirmation:
– based on the level of purchase prices, exchange rates, wages, labour costs, social security and government charges, freights, insurance premiums and other costs applicable during the quotation or order date;
– exclusive of import duties, taxes, levies (imposed by the government) payable ex works (EXW.) up to the port of shipment and which will be charged separately;
– excluding the costs of unloading at the port of arrival, transportation to the port of arrival and insurance to be borne by Buyer;
– in USD ($) or EUR (€) as specified in the contract.
6.3 Unless otherwise agreed, the Free On Board + (FOB+) prices are stated in the contract/final order confirmation:
– based on the level of purchase prices, exchange rates, wages, labour costs, social security and government charges, freights, insurance premiums and other costs applicable during the quotation or order date;
– exclusive of import duties, taxes, levies (imposed by the government) payable ex works (EXW.) up to the port of shipment and charged separately;
– excluding the costs of unloading at the port of arrival, transportation to the port of arrival, transportation to Buyer from the port of arrival (freight charges) and insurance and charged separately;
– In USD ($) or EUR (€) as further specified in the contract.
6.4 Unless otherwise agreed, the Delivered Duty Paid (DDP, according to Incoterms 2010) prices are mentioned in the contract:
– based on the level of purchase prices, exchange rates, wages, labour costs, social security and government charges, freights, insurance premiums and other costs applicable during the quotation or order date;
– including import duties, taxes, levies (imposed by the government) payable ex works (EXW.) up to the port of shipment and which are charged separately;
– including the costs of unloading at the port of arrival, transportation to Buyer from the port of arrival (freight charges), transportation to the port of arrival and insurance and which are charged separately;
– in USD ($) or EUR (€) as further specified in the contract.
6.5 If, among other things but not exclusively as a result of changes in exchange rates, changes in government regulations, increases in raw material prices or other causes, the cost price of the goods to be delivered undergoes an increase after entering into the agreement, the Supplier is entitled to increase the agreed prices by the same percentage of increase. The Supplier shall inform the Buyer thereof as soon as possible. The Buyer shall be obliged to pay the Cost Price thus increased.
6.6 If the Buyer and the Supplier have agreed to multiple deliveries in an agreement, the Supplier is also entitled – in addition to the provisions in article 6.5 – to adjust its prices each year in line with the inflation rate applicable in the European Union (HICP) and China, whichever is higher. Any deflation rate will not be taken into account.
6.7 Product prices are based on a fixed exchange rate (RMB/USD) determined by the Supplier on September 1 of the current year. If the current exchange rate differs from this determination by more than 3%, a price increase or decrease, respectively, shall be implemented. For freight rates, the exchange rate (EUR/USD) on the invoice date shall apply.
6.8 Discounts can only be agreed upon in writing and apply only to the specific order.
7. Payment
7.1 Payments for Free On Board (+) deliveries shall be made by bank transfer to the bank account stated on the invoice, without any deduction or set-off, within 8 days from date of invoice, stating Supplier’s payment reference. Unless otherwise agreed, the invoice will be prepared immediately after shipment and presented to Buyer for payment.
7.2 Payments for Delivered Duty Paid deliveries must be made by bank transfer to the bank account stated on the invoice, without any deduction or set-off, within 8 days of the invoice date, quoting Supplier’s payment reference. Unless otherwise agreed, the invoice will be issued immediately after shipment and presented to Buyer for payment.
7.3 The Supplier shall at all times have the right to require full payment before it executes the agreement or during its execution if it has indications that the Buyer will not or cannot fulfill its obligations.
7.4 The value date indicated on the Supplier’s bank statements shall be decisive and shall be considered the payment day.
7.5 The Buyer shall never be entitled to set off unless the Supplier has agreed to this in writing.
7.6 Objections to the amount of invoices or otherwise do not suspend Buyer’s payment obligations.
7.7 Every payment made by the Buyer shall first serve to pay the interest owed by him, then the collection and administrative costs incurred by the Supplier, and finally, it shall be deducted first from the oldest outstanding claim whether or not the payment expressly states otherwise.
7.8 The term of payment stated in the invoice shall be considered a strict deadline. If this term is exceeded, the Buyer shall be legally in default without further notice. In such case, all Supplier’s claims against the Buyer shall become immediately due and payable.
7.9 If the Buyer is in default with respect to any payment obligation to the Supplier, he shall be liable for interest at the rate of 15% per annum, the principle being interest on interest.
7.10 In the event of default, the Buyer shall further owe the Supplier all actual judicial and extrajudicial costs incurred by the Supplier in collecting the claim.
7.11 If for any reason the Supplier gives the Buyer a delay in the performance of any performance, the new deadline is always of a fatal nature.
8. Suspension and dissolution
8.1 If the Buyer fails to meet one or more of its (payment) obligations to the Supplier, or fails to do so on time or properly, the Supplier shall be entitled, in addition to the other remedies mentioned in these General Terms and Conditions, including claiming performance, to dissolve the agreement and other related agreements in whole or in part with immediate effect and without judicial intervention, or to suspend the Supplier’s performance of its obligations under the agreement until payment has been made in full.
8.2 Under the circumstances described in paragraph 8.1, the Buyer shall also be liable for all losses suffered by the Supplier as a result of the Supplier dissolving the agreement in whole or in part, or suspending performance of its obligations.
8.3 Supplier is further authorized to suspend the fulfillment of its obligations, or to dissolve all or part of the agreement with immediate effect and without judicial intervention in the event that Buyer:
(a) is declared bankrupt, or a petition is filed for bankruptcy, applies for suspension of payments, submits a request for suspension of payments or application of the statutory debt restructuring scheme, and if all or part of its assets are attached;
(b) offers a composition to its creditors;
(c) dies or is placed under guardianship;
(d) discontinues or transfers all or an important part of his business, including bringing the business into a company or partnership to be incorporated or already existing, or changes the object of the business, or proceeds to wind up his business;
(e) or otherwise appears to be insolvent.
8.4 Should one or more of the circumstances referred to above in paragraphs 1 and 3 occur, then all the Supplier’s claims on the Buyer and the said claim under the relevant agreement(s) in accordance with the provisions of Article 7.8 shall be immediately due and payable in full and/or the Supplier shall be entitled to take back the relevant goods, if already delivered. In that case, the Supplier and its authorized representative shall be entitled to enter the Buyer’s premises in order to take possession of the goods in question.
9. Delivery
9.1 The Supplier is entitled to deliver in partial deliveries. A separate agreement shall be deemed to have been concluded with the Buyer for each partial delivery, so that each partial delivery can be invoiced separately.
9.2 Agreed delivery times are not binding and are only indicative. A stated delivery time is therefore never a deadline unless otherwise agreed in writing.
9.3 If the Supplier requires information from the Buyer as part of the execution of the agreement, the delivery time shall commence after the Buyer has made it available to the Supplier.
9.4 If, at the request of the Buyer and with the cooperation of the Supplier, the Delivery is postponed, expedited or cancelled before it has been delivered or paid for, the Supplier is entitled to charge the Buyer for all costs and damages incurred by it as a result of this circumstance.
9.5 The Buyer is obliged to take delivery of the goods to which the agreement relates at the time of Delivery and/or delivery. If the Buyer does not take delivery of the goods to be delivered by the Supplier, the goods shall be stored at his expense and risk. If the Buyer has not collected the goods within two weeks and at his expense, the Supplier shall have the right to sell the goods to third parties and to hold the original Buyer liable for any loss. If the Buyer refuses to take delivery of items ordered by it or produced in accordance with its specific wishes, the Buyer, shall owe liquidated damages in the amount of 30% of the net invoice value of those items. The original Buyer shall at all times be obliged to reimburse the cost of the aforementioned storage and the (additional) shipping and administrative costs incurred by the Supplier.
9.6 Items received after Delivery may be returned without any valid reason only if the Supplier has given its express prior written consent.
10. Risk / transport
10.1 The risk for loss and damage to the goods passes to Buyer at the moment the goods are loaded at the shipping port if it is a Free On Board (+) delivery. Any form of damage occurring after this moment shall be the sole responsibility of Buyer.
10.2 The risk of loss and damage to the goods passes to Buyer at the time the goods are delivered to Buyer if it is a Delivered Duty Paid delivery.
11 Retention of title
11.1 Notwithstanding the Free on Board and Delivered Duty Paid regulations in the Incoterms 2010, the Supplier reserves ownership of all goods delivered or to be delivered to the Buyer under the agreement until full payment of the consideration by the Buyer including any claims for damages has been made. After payment, the Buyer shall immediately acquire ownership of the delivered goods by operation of law.
11.2 As long as the Purchaser is not yet the owner of the goods delivered by the Supplier, the Purchaser shall only be entitled to dispose of these goods in the ordinary course of its business. The goods delivered under retention of title cannot serve as security in any form whatsoever (including pledging) for claims of third parties.
11.3 In the event that the Supplier wishes to exercise his ownership rights referred to in this article because no payment or timely payment has been made, the Buyer hereby unconditionally and irrevocably authorizes the Supplier or a third party to be designated by the Supplier to enter all those places where the Supplier’s property is located in order to give the Supplier the opportunity to take possession of it. The Buyer shall cooperate fully in this respect under penalty of an immediately payable fine of EUR 500 for each day or part of a day that no cooperation is given.
11.4 The Buyer is obliged to store the goods delivered under retention of title with due care and as recognizable property of the Supplier. The Buyer is obliged to insure the goods against fire, explosion and water damage as well as theft for the duration of the retention of title and to make the policies of these insurances available to the Supplier for inspection on first demand. All claims of the Buyer against the insurers of the goods by virtue of the aforementioned insurance policies shall be pledged by the Buyer to the Supplier as additional security for the Supplier’s claims against the Buyer, as soon as the Supplier indicates that it wishes to do so. The Buyer undertakes to cooperate with this pledge without delay at the Supplier’s request.
12 Research and defects
12.1 The Buyer is obliged to examine the delivered goods, or have them examined, at the time of delivery or transfer. In doing so the Buyer must check whether the quality and quantity of the delivered goods correspond with what has been agreed. Defects, shortcomings, damage and deviations must be noted on the waybill/packing slip, immediately reported to the Supplier by telephone and in writing within two working days after delivery, failing which it is established that the delivery is sound.
12.2 Damage, deviations or defects which could not reasonably have been discovered at the time of delivery must be reported to the Supplier in writing within fourteen days of receipt of the goods, but in any case within thirty days of 31 August of the calendar year of delivery, by means of submission of the standard damage registration form to which photographs of the deviation are attached. In case of missing or not ordered goods, Buyer shall attach the waybill or packing list, on which the defects are indicated, to the above-mentioned letter. After expiration of the period of fourteen days, the buyer shall be deemed to have approved the delivered goods and to have accepted the possible presence of the defects referred to here.
12.3 Inaccuracies in the invoice must be reported in writing within fourteen days of the invoice date after which time the inaccuracies can no longer be invoked by Buyer.
12.4 In the event of externally visible defects in goods and missing or unordered goods which the Supplier decides are for the Supplier’s account and risk, the Supplier shall have the option of replacing, delivering, repairing or taking back the goods in question against crediting the Buyer. The Supplier shall only accept returned goods if and insofar as he has previously agreed to their return and if the goods are delivered to the address to be given by the Supplier in the original packaging and in the condition in which the Supplier delivered these goods to the Buyer. Costs of (dis)assembly shall be borne by the Buyer. The Buyer has no other rights in this respect.
12.5 If, after delivery, the goods are changed in nature and/or composition, damaged in whole or in part, or repackaged, the Buyer’s right shall lapse as far as claims for defects in the delivered goods are concerned.
12.6 Minor deviations and differences that are customary in the trade or technically unavoidable, including the following deviations, are accepted by the Buyer:
– deviations in quality, color, weight, finish and size of less than 10%;
– natural colors, lines, bumps, dents and hairline cracks in wood;
12.7 Claims regarding items belonging to a partial shipment do not affect previous and subsequent partial shipments that are part of the same order.
12.8 The exercise of any rights under this Article 13 shall not relieve the Buyer of its payment obligations to the Supplier. These must be fulfilled in full.
13 Guarantee
13.1. Supplier shall grant a warranty with respect to regular usability by the consumer (first consumer Buyer) of the goods delivered by him of 60 months, starting from the day of purchase. The Purchaser shall grant the aforementioned warranty to the consumer. In the case of manufacturing defects that manifest themselves before sale to the consumer, a warranty period of 24 months commencing on the date of Delivery to the Buyer shall apply (day of delivery is day of shipment from country of origin). The warranty for both dealer and consumer is limited to manufacturing defects and does not include damage due to general wear and tear, improper, careless and incompetent use, maintenance, rusting of steel parts, damage due to commercial use, failure to observe assembly and maintenance instructions and as a result of storage and transportation. Goods reduced in price are excluded from the warranty.
13.2 In the case of the consumer warranty, the Supplier has the option of replacing, repairing or taking back against credit to the Buyer in the case of goods for which it has been established that they were no longer usable within the period specified in Article 13.1. In the case of a dealer warranty – as described in Article 13.1 – the Supplier may additionally choose to credit the purchase price with 2% if, in the Supplier’s opinion, it concerns an acceptable deviation. The Buyer shall have no other rights than the aforementioned. If use is made of the option to replace or repair, then – both in the case of the consumer warranty and the dealer warranty – no new warranty period commences but the remaining period of the warranty under which a claim was made applies.
13.3 Claims by the Buyer under this article shall be valid only upon submission of the original invoice from the ultimate buyer/consumer and shall not affect his payment obligation to the Supplier.
13.4 Dispatch of goods in respect of which a claim is made under the guarantee shall take place at the expense and risk of the Buyer, and after prior consultation with the Supplier.
13.5 The Supplier shall evaluate a warranty claim. If the Supplier rejects a warranty claim, the Buyer shall be bound by it and the Supplier shall owe nothing to the Buyer, unless the Supplier has agreed otherwise with the Buyer.
13.6 If the Buyer does not, does not properly or does not timely comply with any obligation arising from the agreement(s) concluded with the Supplier, the Supplier is not liable for any warranty.
14 Liability
14.1 In the event of a default, Supplier shall only be bound to comply with the provisions of these general terms and conditions
14.2 Notwithstanding the provisions in Article 14.1 the Supplier shall never be liable for losses of whatever nature, direct or indirect, including in any case but not limited to trading losses, loss of profits, damage to movable or immovable property or to persons, suffered by the Other Party or third parties, in connection with goods supplied by the Supplier.
14.3 Insofar as any limitation of liability in these General Terms and Conditions has no effect, the Supplier shall only be bound to compensate the damage that is insured by it and never higher than the amount paid out by this insurance in the case concerned. Insofar as the Supplier cannot invoke the aforementioned limitation, the Supplier shall never be liable for more than the invoice value of the order, at least up to that part of the order to which the liability relates.
14.4 In accordance with the provisions of Article 14.1, the Supplier shall not be liable for losses, of whatever nature, arising because the Supplier (Contractor) has relied on incorrect and/or incomplete data provided by or on behalf of the Buyer (Client).
14.5 The Buyer guarantees that the goods as well as the instructions for use comply with the legislation of the country in which it sells the goods purchased from the Supplier including safety requirements. The Supplier accepts no liability in this regard and the Buyer indemnifies the Supplier in the event the Supplier is held liable by a third party in the context of the foregoing.
15 Force majeure
15.1 Supplier has the right to suspend the fulfillment of its obligations if it is temporarily prevented from fulfilling its contractual obligations to Buyer due to force majeure.
15.2 Force majeure shall include the circumstance that suppliers, subcontractors of the Supplier or carriers engaged by the Supplier fail to meet their obligations or fail to meet them in time, the weather, earthquakes, fire, power failure, loss, theft or loss of tools or materials, road blocks, strikes or work stoppages and import or trade restrictions. Force majeure is also understood to mean what is understood in this regard in the law and case law, as well as all external causes, foreseen or unforeseen, which the Supplier cannot influence, but which prevent the Supplier from fulfilling his obligations. Strikes in the Supplier’s company, excessive absenteeism of the Supplier’s personnel, government measures including import and export bans, postal strikes, traffic congestion, traffic jams, power failures and stagnation in deliveries by suppliers are included.
15.3 Insofar as the Supplier has already partially fulfilled his obligations from the agreement at the time of the commencement of the force majeure or could fulfil them, and independent value can be attributed to the fulfilled or still to be fulfilled part respectively, the Supplier is entitled to separately invoice the part already fulfilled or still to be fulfilled respectively. The Buyer is obliged to pay this invoice as if it were a separate agreement.
16 Intellectual property
16.1 The delivered goods can only be traded by the Buyer under the Supplier’s brand. All intellectual property rights with respect to the goods delivered by the Supplier – including the Suns brand – shall belong exclusively to the Supplier. The Buyer shall only have the right to use images of the brand and products to promote the goods delivered by the Supplier. The Supplier has the right to give instructions regarding such use. These instructions must be followed by the Buyer.
16.2. Supplier believes in good faith that its goods and its trademark do not infringe the rights of third parties. If a third party informs the Buyer that the trademark and/or the goods infringe its rights, the Buyer shall immediately inform the Supplier thereof and surrender the defense to the Supplier. Buyer shall do nothing to harm Supplier’s position and shall strictly follow Supplier’s instructions.
16.3. Supplier shall, from the moment a third party believes that the Supplier’s goods/mark infringes its rights, be entitled to immediately take back the goods or replace the mark with another mark or no mark. The Buyer shall then be credited for the purchase prices of the goods delivered. Supplier does not accept any liability in this regard for the remainder.
17 Applicable law
17.1 Dutch law shall apply without giving effect to the applicable rules of private international law.
17.2 The Vienna Commercial Code (C.I.S.G.) does not apply, nor does any other international regulation from which exclusion is permitted.
17.3 With respect to the interpretation of international trade terms, the Incoterms 2010 as compiled by the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris shall apply to the extent not deviated from in these General Terms and Conditions.
18 Disputes
18.1 Disputes arising from these general conditions and the legal relationships to which they apply shall be tried exclusively by the Dutch court in the district of Oost- Brabant. However, the Supplier remains authorized to summon the Buyer before the court that has jurisdiction according to the law.
18.2 A dispute shall be deemed to exist as soon as either party so declares. If and insofar as there is a dispute about the interpretation of the present terms and conditions of the Supplier, the version in the Dutch language shall be decisive in the resolution thereof.
18.3 Judgements given by the competent court pursuant to Article 18.1 are enforceable in the countries where the Purchaser is domiciled and doing business. The Buyer shall in no way oppose the execution of a judgment given by the court with jurisdiction on the basis of these general conditions, including obtaining exequatur in the aforementioned areas.