Terms of Sale

These terms of sale govern the sale of online French-language lessons and culture discussions offered by Josselin Douineau, sole trader (SIRET 98108366000028), on the site available at https://french-overseas.com.

Any booking confirmed and paid for on this site constitutes full acceptance of these terms of sale.

Sessions last 1 hour. Two formulas are offered:

French Lesson (structured)

• •1 session: 50€ / session
• •Pack of 3 sessions: 45€ / session
• •Pack of 5 sessions: 40€ / session

Culture Discussion (informal conversation)

• •1 session: 35€ / session
• •Pack of 3 sessions: 31.50€ / session
• •Pack of 5 sessions: 28€ / session

All sessions take place online, by video call (a Google Meet link is provided with the confirmation) — no in-person option is offered on this site.

Prices are set and charged in euros (€); an equivalent amount in another currency may be shown for convenience at checkout, but only the euro amount is contractually binding. Prices are not subject to VAT (article 261-4-4°-b of the French General Tax Code — private lessons given by an individual, paid directly by their students) and may change at any time; only the price shown at the time of booking applies to that booking.

A valid promotional code, provided by the teacher, can be entered at payment: the discount is then applied to the amount due. Each code may have its own validity period and conditions of use.

Booking one or more sessions is done directly online, in the client's own chosen time reference (see article 4). Full payment by card via our provider Stripe is due immediately upon booking — no session is considered booked until payment is confirmed.

As an exception, a client's first booking of a single session (not a pack), from an email that has never booked on the site, is a free 30-minute discovery session (versus 1 hour for a standard session), confirmed directly without payment, across both formats (lesson or discussion). Intended as a first trial, this offer is reserved for good-faith use.

The client may decline it at the time of booking, by ticking the box provided, and book a full 1-hour session at the standard rate instead. The offer then remains available to them for a future booking.

A session can only be booked provided it starts at least 48 hours after the time of booking (Paris time); slots available in less than 48 hours are no longer offered for online booking.

A confirmation email summarizing the booked session(s) is sent to the address provided by the client as soon as payment is validated.

A session booked and paid for by a client is no longer offered to other visitors of the site.

The client agrees to comply with the Code of Conduct, which forms an integral part of these Terms of Sale.

The teacher's real availability is set in Paris time (France). For convenience, the site lets the client select their own UTC offset so session times are displayed in their own local time throughout booking, confirmation, and reminder emails.

The client is responsible for selecting the correct UTC offset for their own location. In case of a discrepancy, the time reference recorded internally (Paris time) prevails.

The lesson or discussion takes place online via the video call link sent with the confirmation.

The client agrees to be present and reachable at the booked time. In case of an unreported absence, the session is considered due and is not subject to any refund or rescheduling (see article 7).

A stable internet connection is required on both sides for the session to proceed correctly; the teacher cannot be held responsible for an interruption caused by a technical issue beyond their control.

Under French law, which governs these terms of sale (see article 11), the right of withdrawal does not apply to service contracts to be performed on a specific date or according to a specific schedule — this is the case for sessions booked on a precise time slot (article L221-28 12° of the French Consumer Code).

As a result, any confirmed and paid booking is final: no refund is possible, including in case of a change of mind, subject to the slot-rescheduling option described in article 7.

As an exception, and by way of derogation from article 6, the client may request that a booked session be moved to another available date/time, provided the request is made at least 48 hours before the originally scheduled time (Paris time).

Past this 48-hour deadline, no change is possible and the session remains due under the conditions of article 6.

The move is made directly from the My Bookings page (reachable via the link you received by email), limited to one move per session and subject to the availability shown. Beyond that one move, or for any other request, please contact us by email or phone (see contact details in article 11).

Reciprocally, if the teacher is exceptionally unable to hold a booked session, the client will be informed as soon as possible and offered a new slot at no extra cost.

In very rare cases, a booked and paid session may turn out to be unavailable right after payment is confirmed — for example if the teacher's calendar was updated at the same time. This remains exceptional, even when only a single session out of a pack is affected.

If this happens, the client is informed on the confirmation page as well as by email, and the affected session(s) appear in their My Bookings page, where they choose a new date themselves from the actual availability. This rescheduling carries no notice period and does not use up the session move provided for elsewhere in these terms, since the unavailability is not of their doing. The rest of the booking, if any, remains confirmed unchanged; no refund is necessary, as the session remains due and will be provided on the newly chosen date.

If the client does not reschedule themselves, the session remains due to them without any time limit: we contact them directly to agree a date (see contact details in article 11), and they may also reach us at any time by the same means.

In the rarer case where a technical incident prevents us from finding the booking matching a confirmed payment, the client is automatically and fully refunded, and informed by email.

The teacher commits to providing lessons and discussions with seriousness and professionalism. Their liability cannot be engaged in case of language-proficiency progress deemed insufficient by the client, as no specific outcome can be guaranteed.

As all sessions take place by videoconference, their proper conduct assumes a functioning internet connection on both sides; the teacher cannot be held liable for an interruption caused by a technical issue beyond their control.

Data collected during booking (name, email, phone) is processed under the conditions described in our Privacy Policy, to which the client is referred for further detail.

These terms of sale are governed by French law, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer-protection provisions of the client's own country of residence, where such provisions would otherwise apply. In case of a complaint, the client is invited to contact the teacher at josselin.douineau.1987@gmail.com or at +33 6 25 45 01 76; an amicable solution will be sought first.

Failing an amicable resolution, and in accordance with French consumer mediation rules (articles L616-1 et seq. of the French Consumer Code), a client residing in France may refer the matter free of charge to the consumer mediator designated for the professional. Josselin Douineau has joined the mediation service of the Centre de la Médiation de la Consommation de Conciliateurs de Justice (CM2C), which appoints a mediator for each case; referrals are made through its website (cm2c.net) or by post, to CM2C, 49 rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris. For a client located outside France, and to the extent no mandatory local dispute-resolution mechanism would apply instead, French courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute relating to these terms of sale.