General Terms and Conditions of the VBS GmbH

Corporate Information

VBS Vet Verlag Buchhandel and Seminar GmbH, hereinafter referred to as VBS GmbH, is a manufacturer and distributor of media as well as continuing education courses in the field of veterinary medicine. 

Address of the registered office:
Im Riemen 27
64832 Babenhausen
Germany

VBS GmbH is represented by: Managing director (CEO) Dr. med. vet. Beate Egner

Registration court: Local court D-64283 Darmstadt, Germany | Commercial register No.: HRB 85544
EU VAT No.: DE252057983, Atlas: 5068096

Privacy Policy
The link to our data privacy policy.

This English language translation of the General Terms and Conditions serves for informational purposes only and has no legal authority. The decisive text is the version written in German. Therefore, in case of differing interpretations between the German and English versions, the German version shall take priority.

The title of “VBS GmbH” in the following text always and equally refers to the services provided by the managing director, all employees, staff members, respective agents and representatives.

Status of the Terms and Conditions: 3 January 201

Contract

When does a contract take effect?

1. Upon placing an order in the Webshop
2. Upon placing a written order through other channels.

An order placed in the Webshop is considered binding once the customer clicks on the “Purchase” button to complete the purchase of the goods in the shopping cart. VBS GmbH is obligated to deliver or provide the services to the customer once VBS GmbH has confirmed receipt of the order, and a payment from the customer has been deposited into the VBS GmbH bank account.
Access to on-line courses (e-learning content) is normally provided through a link that requires the customer to re-register. A password is then provided in order for the customer to log into the course.

Contract

When does a contract take effect?

1. Upon placing an order in the Webshop
2. Upon placing a written order through other channels.

An order placed in the Webshop is considered binding once the customer clicks on the “Purchase” button to complete the purchase of the goods in the shopping cart. VBS GmbH is obligated to deliver or provide the services to the customer once VBS GmbH has confirmed receipt of the order, and a payment from the customer has been deposited into the VBS GmbH bank account.
Access to on-line courses (e-learning content) is normally provided through a link that requires the customer to re-register. A password is then provided in order for the customer to log into the course.

Reservation of Proprietary Rights

The reserved goods or products remain the property of VBS GmbH until the purchase has been paid in full. Installment payments are only applicable to orders totaling over 500.00 Euro. VBS GmbH reserves the right to ship partial orders that are proportional to the installment payment received. The course fee must be paid in full by the time the course commences.

Shipment cost for articles requiring shipment

The buyer is responsible for an additional fee required to package and ship orders. Customers ordering on-line are required to accurately indicate their shipping zone (and country), as VBS GmbH is not obliged to deliver the purchased goods otherwise.

The first shipment cost indicated in the online shop is an estimate without engagement. The precise shipment cost is subject to calculation by the VBS GmbH and, if different from the estimate, will be sent to the customer in a second final invoice.

The buyer will incur an additional fee of 12 Euro for packaging and shipping costs if a reminder for payment notice is issued. The buyer is obliged to provide immediate payment for the total amount including additional fees. If custom charges are incurred in the buyer’s country of purchase, the buyer is obliged to pay them to the competent authorities.

Customer Account at our Shop

The customer is required to open an account and provide personal data in order to place an order. The customer may update the personal data if necessary. Orders that have been placed will appear in the customer account. This data is handled confidentially according to our privacy policy.

Electronic Invoice

By registering, the customer consents to VBS GmbH sending an electronic invoice to the e-mail adress indicated in the registration form.

Customer Cancellation Policy

The buyer has a right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without providing any reason. The time period for the right to withdrawal payment for shipped products begins on the date on which the products were received. The buyer is responsible for the costs of returning the purchased products. The buyer is obliged to return the goods undamaged and in their original condition back to VBS GmbH. Defective product and discounted items are excluded from the return policy. Online course material that has already been used is generally not refundable. Please refer to the terms of cancellation.

Payment Options

Payment options for deliveries and services provided by VBS GmbH can be selected from the following payment methods on our Webshop:

• PayPal
• Direct debit
• Credit card
• Via prepayment
• Via invoice

VBS GmbH only accepts these methods of payment

Pricing

All prices quoted in the Webshop catalog are legally inclusive of German VAT. Once the buyer registers an address and country of origin, the product pricing, depending on the categorization of the product, will then be quoted as a gross total that includes the VAT of the buyer’s country of origin or contains the German VAT (this currently applies to all book pricing). As soon as the registered or prospective customer logs in once again, the price will be quoted based on the customer’s country of origin. The customer is responsible for providing the correct address and is obliged keep it updated.

Scope

All prices quoted in the Webshop catalog are legally inclusive of German VAT. Once the buyer registers an address and country of origin, the product pricing, depending on the categorization of the product, will then be quoted as a gross total that includes the VAT of the buyer’s country of origin or contains the German VAT (this currently applies to all book pricing). As soon as the registered or prospective customer logs in once again, the price will be quoted based on the customer’s country of origin. The customer is responsible for providing the correct address and is obliged keep it updated.

Third Party Content

After payment has been received, the customer may be redirected to third party content (usually applicable to the e-learning content). In these cases, the customer will receive an email with a link to the corresponding offer.

Usage Rights

Purchasers of e-learning courses receive time restricted and limited (non-exclusive) rights of usage (user licenses), which may be used for a licensed space or transferred to one other person who then becomes the authorized user of the licensed space. Purchasing of product does not transfer copyright, usage or other property rights to the buyer or user. The acquired or received contents, documents or products are to be used solely by the purchaser for the intended purpose, and may not be publicly reproduced, lent, duplicated, copied or made available to third parties for exploitation, usage or further publication. The buyer or user may not remove any copyright notices, trademarks or other rights reserved from the products or documents. The purchaser is required to educate their employees about these regulations as deemed necessary. Breaches of contract disclosure are liable for damages and will be fined, based on each individual case, up to 100,000.00 Euro.

Images (Video or Photographs)

Participants are permitted to video or take pictures during a seminar only and exclusively with written permission. Violations and publications without written approval may face penalties up to 100.000,00€. The amount may be reduced as part of a judicial review at the discretion of a court of law. Please note that videos or photographic material will be compiled during our events and parts of them may be published. If you do not agree with these terms, please make your objections known to us.

Disclaimer

The customer cannot claim any damages, loss of profits or other financial drawbacks, property damage or personal injury that may have arisen due to services or defective services provided by VBS GmbH, except in cases of gross negligence. VBS GmbH is not liable for injuries to participants that occur during the seminars, unless it was caused by intent or gross negligence on the part of VBS GmbH. The participant accepts that animals may react unpredictably depending on the situation and that accusations of intent or negligence against VBS GmbH in the case of injuries caused by animals are excluded. Participants must have been vaccinated for tetanus and possess valid liability insurance for personal injury and property damage. VBS GmbH is not liable for costs or financial drawbacks incurred by the participant/party placing the order when seminars are postponed, changed or canceled. VBS GmbH reserves the right to make changes to the seminars, which may affect the course content, sequence of events or the instructors/lecturers. VBS GmbH will refund the seminar fees in cases of a cancellation by VBS GmbH. Partial reimbursements of seminar fees may be refunded only if courses must be shortened due to adverse circumstances, whereby the amount of course content taught is reduced. VBS GmbH is not liable for lost profits or consequential damages due to the use of any content, products or participation in our courses. In cases where damaged products are delivered or the performance of services by VBS GmbH is deemed defective, the customer or client has the right to rectification when possible. Customers are entitled to a reduced fee, decreased purchase price or refund only after the problem cannot be rectified. VBS GmbH is not liable for damages caused by the use of linked websites.

Cancellation Policy

Registration is binding once the application form or the online registration has been submitted. Cancellations must be made in writing. An email is a sufficient means of written cancellation, and the cancellation takes effect once VBS GmbH confirms the receipt. Cancellations made up to 8 weeks before the start of the course will incur a cancellation fee totaling 15% of the seminar fee. If a cancellation is made 3 to 8 weeks before the start of the course, 50% of the seminar fee will be refunded. If a cancellation is made within 3 weeks of the start of the course, refunds are no longer possible and the entire seminar fee is payable unless the customer can prove that no damage in the amount was incurred. Central European Time Zone (CET) applies. The same cancellation conditions apply to blended learning courses. Cancellation is no longer possible if an e-learning course has already started.

Professional Confidentiality

Participants maintain absolute confidentiality with respect to their experience with VBS GmbH events including the lecturers and the participants present at an event. VBS GmbH agrees to keep personal data, events, behaviors and statements from participants at an event confidential. Statements that must be handed over to qualified authorities in accordance with applicable laws are excluded from the mutual confidentiality policy.

Severability Clause

If any of the clauses in these terms and conditions is deemed to be ineffective, all other clauses will retain their validity. The ineffective clause can be replaced by a clause that comes closest to the intended legal effect of the invalid clause.

Applicable Law

These General Terms and Conditions are subject to German law. Jurisdiction in case of disputes is in Darmstadt. This only applies to merchants and legal entities.