General conditions of sale
1. Introduction
PAULEAU WATERSPORTS, a network of committed water sports schools, offers a range of sustainable water sports activities specialized in teaching. Our core business is “new gliding activities”: Kite, Wing, Foil, but also all paddle-powered sports, so that we can adapt to most weather conditions and let you enjoy a rich and varied natural environment.
Our services are marketed and organized directly by our school, or marketed and organized by our partners. It’s up to you to find out about them on our website and to contact the appropriate person.
Our in-house services are designed to suit all levels, from beginner to advanced.
Our schools work with local players to create a local synergy, specific to the politics of the area in which they operate. We scrupulously comply with current local legislation, while respecting and exchanging ideas with those already involved.
Our aquatic activities take place in a natural environment and do not stop at simply providing sporting services. We play a more general role of transmission, based on the notion of natural heritage, where the human element is at the heart of our services. Our aquatic sports services are also cultural.
Our mission is to perpetuate our structure, by ensuring your happiness and safety, while guaranteeing that the sites where we offer our services are safe.
Welcome to a new era of Écoles De Glisses.
2. Reservations
Bookings for our courses, workshops or rentals can be made via our website https://www.pauleau-watersports.com, by telephone on 07 83 92 93 50, or by e-mail to contact@pauleau-watersports.com.
Our partner’s booking software enables you to view our available slots and register easily. You can contact us by phone or email to ask us to open slots corresponding to some of your availabilities if they are not accessible via the software. We will do our best to open up these dates by contacting other instructors.
Moving a reserved slot using our software
You have access to your own “customer account” to adjust your bookings according to the latest weather conditions. This is a real plus for our weather-dependent activities. Check our live availability via the software to easily reschedule your session. The session may be cancelled due to changing weather conditions. You are free to reschedule your session via the software and refuse the price change (reduced headcount surcharge) or service change (adaptation of the session to the latest weather conditions that does not meet your expectations). Despite all the advantages of our booking software, and of your personal account linked to our school, don’t hesitate to contact us by e-mail / voicemail / sms if you encounter the slightest difficulty in rescheduling one or more new sessions.
Reservation software, customer account balance operation
Your personal account, provided by our partner, the owner of the booking software, allows you to easily reschedule your services and pay for sessions online or at the counter. Your balance may be zero, in debit or in credit, depending on the service you have booked and the one that will take place on “D-day”.
- Nil balance : The service you have booked and paid for is the one that takes place on D-day. It can also be a service of the same amount. In this case, you have nothing to pay.
- Debit balance : If the service you booked at the last minute is more expensive than the service you booked and paid for, depending on weather conditions and the number of participants, your session balance will be in debit. If you wish to go ahead with the service, the difference must be paid after the session. We will inform you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether or not to accept the extra charge. You can pay at the counter by cash or credit card. It is also possible to pay within three days, after the end of the service, via a QR code payment link or a bank transfer sent to your e-mail or telephone.
- Credit balance : In the event that a “last-minute” service, depending on weather conditions and number of participants, is less expensive than the service you had booked and paid for, your session balance will be in credit. The difference is paid to you in the form of a credit note in your personal account (nominative credit note), which can be used for any other service booked by our school within a 12-month period.
3. Cancellations
14-day cooling-off period for online bookings.
If you wish to withdraw from an online order placed with our school, you have a period of fourteen (14) days to cancel your order (L. 121-21 Code de Consommation). If you have paid a deposit, we will pay you the full amount of your deposit less the costs of our partners: the booking software and our payment provider.
No cooling-off period when paying “over the counter”.
If you wish to pay for one or more services at the school “at the counter”, sessions are due from the moment of purchase.
4. Pricing and services
Smaller classes (one-to-one and semi-private) inevitably lead to faster progress. The instructor’s real-time advice via radio is increased because the number of students in the class is smaller; breaks with theoretical explanations on sand can be organized more easily before resuming the activity full of energy; instructor demonstrations are more numerous and practice time is considerably extended. A reduced number of students will inevitably lead to an increase in the price of the course, unless our school decides otherwise. You can reschedule your session if you don’t want to pay the higher price.
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5. Service begun due in full or in part
All services begun on a “session” or “course” basis are due. It may be partially due in the event of unforeseeable and exceptional weather conditions, or it may be due in full in the event of another service adapted to the current weather conditions.
Any course started is due.
Whatever the number of sessions you have committed to: X3, X6, X9, X12, the course is due in full. Once autonomous, the balance of the sessions can lead to a discount for the purchase of our second-hand equipment used by our school, or can be transferred to another person for 50% of the balance of the sessions to be paid by the new person. In any case, no refunds will be made for courses that have already begun.
All “session” services are due in full or in part.
Service begun is due in full if our school has warned you of upcoming weather conditions.
If conditions are unstable, you will be warned. It’s up to you to “take the risk” of trying your luck, hoping that the conditions meet your expectations, or by agreeing to go on another of the themed services we offer in 12 knots and under: “Beach Kite”, “Light Wind Kite”, “Safety Kite”. If you agree to go with us, the session is due in full, and the amount to be paid will be adapted to the service provided (see “customer account balance” section).
Service begun due in full or in part if weather conditions have not been forecast by our school.
In spite of the updating and accuracy of the professional weather models we consult, we may be mistaken about future weather conditions. In this case, your experience may not be what you expect. Our instructors will do their utmost to adapt to the current conditions to ensure that your session is a success. Session objectives may differ from those initially planned.
Beach kite, safety kite and light wind kite lessons usually take over. In general, we take advantage of these weather conditions to enable trainees to learn from these thematic lessons, which are fully profitable in this type of light weather. Nevertheless, if these explanations are not beneficial to certain students for justified reasons (already done with us or elsewhere) or not justified (simply not interested in learning in this type of conditions), the billing will be adapted at the free discretion of the school.
Billing varies according to each individual. We take into account the liabilities, level and motivation of each trainee to define a fair price. Our school not only sells practice, but also skills and explanations that may be beneficial to some and less so to others. In this case, the session is due in full or in part. It can vary from 30%, 50%, 80% or 100%. It is at the discretion of our school and also takes into account the time needed to practice the activity when weather conditions suddenly stop, without any prediction on our part prior to departure.
If, after the session, the trainee does not wish to repeat this type of session and to be called when the wind is above a certain strength, he/she must let us know. We will mark this on their “client account” and respect their wishes.
6. Rentals
In principle, our school prefers to validate your level before renting you equipment. However, depending on the information you give us, we may be able to trust you and rent you equipment, for which you will be responsible during the rental period agreed with us. Our school is free to refuse to rent you equipment at any time if we consider that you are not capable or if the weather conditions are not suitable for renting equipment.
PAULEAU WATERSPORTS liability & Compulsory rental insurance :
We will not be held responsible for any damage to the rented equipment, or to the equipment of another kiteboarder, and/or for any personal injury to you or another person during your rental. That’s why you need to have RC kite insurance to rent from us. We strongly recommend an A.I., which is not compulsory but highly recommended.
Rental & Weather :
You have checked the local weather conditions with our school before handing over the equipment. On certain practice sites, rental may be more or less easy. This depends on a number of factors, which each of our schools is aware of and will remind you of.
Conditions in the South of France:
Weather conditions in the south of France are special, as the wind changes rapidly and can be unstable in power and direction. It’s not a dangerous wind if the renter is familiar with these conditions and has taken the time to master them in the past. We will not rent you equipment if you have no experience of this type of wind. These conditions, specific to the South of France, are also present in other parts of the world. Let us know where you’ve learned and your past experience. We’ll do our best to guide you towards a rental or, if that’s not possible, towards a teaching or coaching service before you take up the rental.
Condition of Equipment, Damage and Rental Delay :
Material damage:
The lessee is responsible for the rented equipment within the meaning of article 1719 et seq. of the French Civil Code, which deals with the lessee’s obligations towards rented property. Article 1732 clearly states that the lessee is obliged to return the leased item in the condition in which it was received. The following exception highlights the exclusion of force majeure. For us, this exception is excluded. You must adapt to the weather conditions when renting our equipment. They have been validated in advance by our school, which is familiar with local conditions. For us, an accident is due to a lack of anticipation on your part or a lack of safety skills that you can learn during our “Kite safety” teaching service.
Late return :
In the event of late return of equipment, our school may charge you a surcharge corresponding to the closing time of our school or the impossibility of renting the equipment again if it was booked following your session.
Rental deposits :
Deposit for theft :
In the event of partial or total theft of equipment, our school reserves the right to retain all or part of the deposit.
Damage deposit :
In the event of damage or deterioration, our school reserves the right to keep all or part of the deposit. The cost of repairs will be at the discretion of the school or, if the customer does not agree, of an independent sailmaker who will give us their expert opinion in order to calculate the cost of repairs. The cost of the sailmaker’s expert opinion will be borne by the lessee who has not reached a compromise with the school. If the repairs are not feasible, PAULEAU WATERSPORTS’ professional insurance may sue the renter to recover the total amount, which may exceed the deposit requested.
Amount of deposit required :
For all equipment rentals, a deposit may vary from 50 to 3000 EUR. It can be deposited in cash, cheque or bank imprint at the school’s discretion, depending on the amount and whether our school knows you.
7. Session sequence
The program includes welcome, equipment, preparation and loading of equipment if not already done, as well as travel to the activity site, setting up of equipment (if not already done), practice of the activity and return to the school. Our school provides a minimum of one hour of practice on each of our services.
8. Course location
On our practice sites, whether in deep or shallow water, we will always do our utmost to have at least one motorboat. For PAULEAU WATERSPORTS, this is an essential element in the provision of our services. Not only for your safety and comfort, but also to speed up your progress and save energy.
9. Equipment
PAULEAU WATERSPORTS provides the equipment needed for the activities. This includes:
- Technical equipment : Kite / Bar / Wing / Support (board and paddle) / Foil)
If you have your own technical equipment, a reduction per lesson may be applied. It will be validated before each session by the school / instructor and may change according to various factors: seasonality, condition of your equipment and compatibility with your level, level of the group and yourself. - Personal protective equipment (PPE): Thermal suits adapted to the season / Harnesses / Vests / Slippers / Helmet / Radio
Your own PPE will not be discounted. However, they can help you feel more comfortable during your sessions with us. - Comfort” accessories often necessary for the activity and rarely supplied by other schools: Neoprene slippers with sole / cap / sunglasses with leash / sun cream (as little harmful as possible for the environment).
If you have any of these items, please feel free to bring them along, as they’ll be useful for all water sports activities, with or without us. - Take something to keep you hydrated. If you haven’t thought of it, we have water bottles on sale at the school to tide you over and/or a water point to fill your flask/bottle.
10. Insurance
All participants must be insured for the practice of these “new water sports” (Kite, Wing, Foil).
Insurance in France :
To be insured, you must certify that you are medically and physically fit to practice kitesurfing or wingfoiling, and able to dive and swim at least 50 meters.
Civil Liability (RC) Obligatory.
French legislation requires you to have third-party liability insurance for the above-mentioned activities (kite, wing, foil). This insurance requirement applies to all schools on French territory, and generally runs for one calendar year (FFV or FFVL insurance) or 12 consecutive months (AFKITE, our partner professional association of kite instructors).
Personal accident insurance (I.A) strongly recommended.
Legislation requires us to offer you optional personal accident insurance. Particularly useful if you are injured as a result of working with us.
In plain English:
To draw a more understandable parallel: on the road, you can’t insure damage to your car if you don’t first insure damage to others. It’s the same legislation in France, for us schools. If you want to work with us, take out RC Kite insurance and, if you wish, an I.A.
Regular services :
Additional personal insurance to be paid at our school if you practice regularly or wish to commit to a course.
If you wish to commit to a progression process and take regular classes with our school, we will ask you to sign a personal liability insurance policy. Without this insurance, we won’t be able to continue providing services unless you send us a certificate with another insurance policy that mentions “Civil liability as owner, keeper, driver and user of kitesurfs and kiteboards”.
The insurance required will depend on the instructor: During your training, an instructor may ask you to take out additional insurance. This insurance depends on the federation/professional group with which the instructor in question works. This supplement will never exceed around thirty euros over 12 months or a calendar year.
Limit of one named insurance policy per calendar year / 12 consecutive months: If several instructors not affiliated with the same insurance company are involved in your training, they will not all be able to ask you to sign the insurance policy with which they work. Our PAULEAU WATERSPORTS school policy prohibits this. In this case, the first insurance policy signed by the name of the person concerned, or our school’s group insurance policy, will take over in the event of an accident.
One-off or occasional services :
PAULEAU WATERSPORTS group insurance:
In order not to increase the price of our services, our commercial group insurance covers you when you work with us. This condition is valid if you subscribe to a one-off “per session” service or if you attend our school on an occasional basis. In other words, less than twice in thirty consecutive days, or three times in a calendar year. As soon as you commit yourself to a training course, you will be required to sign a personal liability insurance policy and an optional personal accident insurance policy.
Individual Accident :
Our commercial group insurance covers you for personal accident insurance for one-off or occasional services. You don’t need to add anything.
Insurance, namely :
Putting the notion of school kiting accidents into perspective:
Don’t think “serious accident” or “dramatic accident” when we talk about accidents. In France, serious accidents are extremely rare in kite schools, as the profession is highly regulated. The safety framework in France is taken very seriously. These serious accidents, often highlighted by the media, are more likely to involve individual practitioners. That’s why we recommend that you join a club once you’ve completed your training. When we speak of a school accident, we tend to think of a sprained ankle or too much pressure on a knee ligament/cartilage. These minor traumas can quickly prevent you from walking/driving, and therefore impact on your quality of life for a short period. If left untreated, they can remain weaknesses for the rest of your life.
A reminder of our commitment to safety:
Our school adapts courses to the weather conditions, taking into account not only your level but also your physical condition. To avoid any accidents, we prefer to postpone a session rather than have you injured as a result of an activity with us.
Rental insurance?
Renting equipment from a school requires you to take out Kiteboarder’s Liability Insurance. Even if you are “autonomous”, the school is providing you with a service. As a result, you’ll need a kiteboarder’s liability policy. Your bodily injury, property damage and consequential loss will be covered.
I.A. facts:
Many people think they’re insured for kitesurfing with a certificate of insurance offered through their banks or another organization. Beware, these are often I.A.’s! You can only choose this option if you don’t use the services of a school in France. As a school on French territory, we must have you sign a minimum RC Kite insurance policy and, optionally, an I.A. if you wish. Whatever the service you choose (teaching, coaching, rental).
11. Safety
Safety is our top priority. Instructors’ instructions must be followed at all times. If we feel that your attitude is endangering you, the rest of the group or individual riders on the site, we reserve the right to cut your session short without any refund for the current session. We will reimburse you for the remainder of the sessions paid (via bank transfer) if you had a course credit with our school. We will, however, deduct any fees charged to us by our partners. These include the booking software and our payment provider.
Monitor expertise :
The instructor is the only person authorized to make decisions concerning the organization of sessions. He can propose alternative activities in the event of unfavorable weather conditions, or suggest postponing the session. Our school is experienced in local weather conditions. We do our utmost to ensure that you make the most of them.
Possible and sometimes compulsory breaks:
Our experience leads us to spot signs of fatigue that you may not be able to detect once you’ve started your activity. We’re here to remind you to be vigilant, and that fatigue is part of progress. It varies from person to person, depending on weather conditions and how busy the site is. It’s not exclusively linked to physical condition, but also depends on concentration and psychomotor coordination, which are quite demanding in our activities. We can offer you one or even two breaks. You are free to refuse them until such time as we feel you are no longer “efficient” in controlling the kite. In this case, you pose a safety problem for yourself and others, and we’ll ask you to go home and rest for a few minutes before resuming (about ten minutes is usually enough). This “compulsory” break is part of the session and cannot be held against us if we feel you are no longer “capable”.
12. Liability
PAULEAU WATERSPORTS cannot be held responsible for accidents or personal injury occurring during the practice of the activities, except in the case of proven negligence on our part.
13. Gift vouchers and training courses
Gift vouchers require full payment and are valid for one year from the date of payment. For training courses, full payment is mandatory and due in full in its entirety. Courses run for 12 months from the first day of the course, with the first course starting within four months of the payment date.
14. Necessary information about you
Your registration on our schedule requires that you provide us with essential information concerning our accounting/tax obligations: Last name, first name, e-mail address, postal address. This also enables us to better plan the organization of our sessions. This information is entered into our partner’s software, and we use it to track your progress if you return to our school after several months’ absence, or if another instructor takes over your progress. We know where you left off and how your last session went, so we can monitor your progress and adapt our instructions/exercises accordingly. We keep this information until you are autonomous in the activity. Once you are autonomous, it’s up to you to let us know if you wish to remove your information from our database. Indeed, we may contact you to offer new services in line with your level (downwind, strapless coaching, freestyle, etc.) to suggest a new experience / progression.
15. Image rights
PAULEAU WATERSPORTS and its instructors take image rights seriously.
We generally send you photos/videos of the session afterwards, provided that the session went smoothly for our instructor and that he or she had enough time to take them. We may need this “content” to feed our website and social networks. If you do not wish to be photographed in this way, you can let us know by ticking the appropriate box on the booking form.
If you do not wish to be photographed at all, please let us know in person when you come to the school. We will respect your choice and immortalize the progress of the other students, taking care not to show you in the frame.
16. Intellectual property rights, trademarks and prohibition of counterfeiting
The site pauleau-watersports.com holds the rights to use all elements published on the site, including, but not limited to, texts, images, graphics, logos, icons, sounds and software. In addition, the name “Paul’eau” is a registered trademark. Any reproduction, representation, modification, publication or adaptation of all or part of the elements of the site, by any means or process whatsoever, is strictly forbidden without the prior written authorization of Paul GONZALES E.I, owner of the brand image.
This also includes any imitation or reproduction of the specific organization of the school and the realization of its courses, which could be considered as an infringement liable to prosecution by its professional insurance in connection with the protection of this trademark. Any unauthorized act concerning the site or its content will be considered an infringement and will be prosecuted in accordance with articles L.335-2 et seq. of the French Intellectual Property Code.
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17. Disputes
The present terms and conditions of the pauleau-watersports.com website are governed by French law, and any dispute or litigation arising from the interpretation or execution of these terms and conditions shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts having jurisdiction over the company’s registered office. The reference language for the settlement of any disputes shall be French.
How the Paul'eau school works in Sète
1. Course location in Sète
In Sète, we teach mainly on the sandbar and in shallow water. We can also teach in deep water if the level of the group allows it and/or the performance lends itself to it.
2. Schedules in Sète
On the Etang de Thau and in mainland France, our training sessions can be held from sunrise to sunset. These times vary greatly depending on light conditions throughout the year.
Departures
Class times are generally given between 4pm and 9pm the day before, with an appointment at the school between 8am and 6pm. At certain times of the year, we may need to validate morning lessons for an afternoon departure. We will do our best to validate your lesson at 10am for a 1pm lesson or 12pm for a 2pm departure. Please let us know where you live so that we can take your travel time into account. If you have more than 30 minutes’ travel time, and if the weather conditions are too uncertain, we sometimes prefer to cancel the course even if the weather conditions may turn out well. This depends on how up-to-date the weather models we consult are. These professional, more accurate and up-to-date models enable us to manage these departure times as effectively as possible, but the weather forecasts are still not 100% reliable.
Returns
At the height of summer, courses can finish at 10pm. Please let us know if you have any time constraints, so that we can do our best to respect the return time indicated in our sales descriptions. If we don’t necessarily have a class scheduled after yours, we sometimes have to extend the session. This is why our course durations are not always fixed. This essential information should be communicated before the start of the course, so that our instructors are aware of it and can plan their sessions as effectively as possible.
3. Kiteboarding services in Sète
Traditional Kiteboarding courses
SMALL CLASSES: PRIVATE AND SEMI-PRIVATE
We can use the boat to give you lessons in open water (drifting, deep water) if you wish, the weather conditions are right and the whole group has the level to take advantage of it.
- DURATION Private lessons :
A private lesson lasts 2h30. No surcharges apply. - DURATION Semi-private lessons :
Semi-private lessons are for 2 people and last around 3 hours.
If you are on your own, our school will inform you as soon as possible and offer you the possibility of paying a supplement for a private lesson. You are free to accept or refuse. The surcharges are available here: “Surcharges- If you accept, the lesson will last about 3 hours.
- If you refuse, we can postpone the session to our joint availability, where we will reduce the session time to a 2h/2h30 private lesson.
- PREMIUM Semi-private lessons:
Semi-private lessons are for 2 people and last around 3 hours.
If you are on your own, our school will inform you as soon as possible and offer you the possibility of paying a supplement for a private lesson. You are free to accept or refuse. The surcharges can be viewed here: “Surcharges- If you accept, the lesson will last around 3h/3h30.
- If you refuse, we can postpone the session to our joint availability, or reduce it to one lesson.
Group courses
Group lessons are limited to three people per lesson. We do not use the boat in open water / drift for group lessons. Unless the level of the group allows it. Call us for more information.
- DURATION Group lessons :
Group lessons are for 3 people and last about 4 hours. - COURSE ADJUSTMENT: Group course:
If the number of participants is less than three, our school will inform you as soon as possible of the amount you will have to pay as a supplement at the end of the course. You are free to accept or refuse. We work on the assumption that your progress is accelerated in a reduced class. You practice longer and benefit from more instructor advice and demonstrations. You can consult the surcharges here: “Surcharges- If you accept, the course will last approximately 4h/4H30.
- If you refuse, we can postpone the session to our joint availability. We can also reduce your session time from 30 minutes to one hour. In other words, a session of between 3h/3h30 instead of 4/4h30 for a group lesson with no extra charge.
- COURSE COMMITMENT and PRIVATISATION in reduced numbers:
You can book a small-scale course (one-to-one or semi-private) after committing to a group course. This allows you to make faster progress. You benefit from our boat logistics during the session if the wind direction and the level of the other person allow it.
"Thematic" Kite courses
The “light wind” themed courses have very specific session objectives, accessible to all levels in wind conditions up to 12/14 knots maximum. They are called: Beach Kite, Safety Kite and Light Wind Kite. They often replace traditional progression courses, where the focus is on getting upwind and practicing the activity. The boat can also be used for certain themed courses, depending on the objectives of the session and the needs of the participants.
The “Perfectionnement”, kite strapless or kite foil courses are reserved for upwind kiteboarders. The boat can be used depending on the wind direction and the level of the group.
Children’s kite courses are reserved for minors and are open to all levels. Depending on the age and level of our “children” requests, we may reduce the group size to less than 6 people for greater safety and better progress.
Our “ other services ” kite
These services are aimed more at those who have passed the upwind objective and want access to guidance, supervision or our equipment to sail independently.
4. Modification of price and/or services following reservation and payment of a service in Sète
Our school in Sète reserves the right to modify the service or the price of the service at the last minute. The buyer agrees not to hold the school responsible for these last-minute changes inherent to this type of activity, “weather dependent”. Our school takes into account the level of each person in the group to ensure a quality service. We do our utmost to give you as much advance notice as possible, so that you can reschedule if you wish. It’s up to you whether or not to accept the extra charge and/or the new service, which is more suited to last-minute weather conditions.
Last-minute price changes
The purchaser accepts the school’s pricing policy, which is based on the fact that a reduced number of students leads to an increase in the price of the course listed here. The buyer is free to accept this surcharge or to reschedule the course. Please take the time to let us know if your budget allows you to pay this surcharge. We’ll let the whole group know as soon as possible so that you can make your own arrangements.
Note: At the last minute, a change to the planned service or the extra cost of a reduced number of participants may cause some people to feel uncomfortable. That’s why we ask you to let us know in advance if you are able to pay this extra charge and are open to taking another of our services, more suited to the weather:
- If not, we will cancel your service and move your slot to our new joint availability.
- If that’s the case, we’re sure your flexibility will enable you to make the most of the latest weather conditions and speed up your progress.
Payment method on you
Please make sure you have a means of payment for your course, whether by credit card, bank transfer or cash, so that you can pay a surcharge at the end of the course if necessary.
Modifications to the Services :
PAULEAU WATERSPORTS reserves the right to modify the type and content of services offered, depending on weather conditions, instructor availability and group composition. Please take the time to let us know your level and objectives so that we can adapt the services to your expectations, in accordance with the latest weather conditions. This will enable us not to contact you if the weather conditions are not acceptable for your level/expectations. For this reason, the school cannot be held responsible for any changes to the services offered.
5. Cancellation conditions prior to service in Sète via our software
Thanks to our software, customers can cancel at any time. However, there are a few rules.
You can cancel if the cost of the service changes at the last minute, whether it's for a “session” or “course” payment.
A reduction in the number of people in the group, initially scheduled as full, will necessitate payment of a surcharge. You are free to cancel the course and reschedule it for another date. This type of cancellation must be postponed. Under no circumstances can it lead to a refund of the deposit or balance paid:
- For group bookings of three people, you can cancel at the last minute if the number of people on the course is 2.
- For a two-person semi-private course, you can cancel at the last minute if the number of participants is 1.
If you pay per session, you can cancel if the session objective no longer corresponds to the expected session because weather conditions no longer allow it.
By paying on a “per-session” basis, you are more flexible, and we believe that you are completely free to choose whether or not to attend a service other than the one you were expecting. You can refuse to follow our new service in accordance with “last-minute” weather conditions. This type of cancellation results in a compulsory postponement and cannot lead to any reimbursement. We will not refund the deposit or the balance paid.
Example: if you have booked a group lesson “à l’unité” in which you were due to finalize your “upwind” objective, and the weather conditions at the last minute force us to revise the session objective because the conditions are too weak, we will offer you, if you wish, a themed session adapted to the latest conditions. For example, in light winds: “Kite beach”, “Kite light wind”, “Kite safety”. If you don’t think it’s right for you, you can cancel and reschedule your session for another time.
You can cancel your course if your skills and knowledge on our “Light wind”, “Beach kiting” and “Safety kiting” courses have already been covered with us or another school.
Three of our themed sessions have been designed to meet the objective of complete autonomy, and generally take place in winds of less than 12 knots: “light wind”, “beach kiting” and “safety kiting”. The aim of our courses is to help you progress towards your goal of going upwind, but not only. We aim for complete autonomy, which can be achieved with at least two of the sessions listed above. If you’re not comfortable with one of these sessions, please let us know. This will allow us to give you the choice of attending again with us, if it was with another school, or postponing the session if you prefer. This type of cancellation results in a compulsory postponement and cannot lead to any refund. No refund of either the deposit or the balance paid.
6. Period of validity of services in Sète
ONE-TIME: Session valid for one (1) year from date of payment.
We do not provide refunds if you have already paid for the session. You have 12 months to complete your lesson. In certain exceptional cases decided by the school / referring instructor, we can refund you, we will deduct the booking fees taken by our booking platform and the fees taken by our payment provider.
COLLECTIVE TRAINING: Validity of one (1) year's course credit from the date of the first course.
If you have paid for one or more courses, you have a course credit with our school. You have 12 months from the start of your first course to use them. If your course does not start within (4) four months from the date of purchase, the 12 months will start to run out. If you wish to be reimbursed, you have 14 days to withdraw for a distance purchase if the service has not begun.
AVOIR: Only valid for services we organize in-house.
In Sète, paddle sports are not organized by our school but by our partner KAYAKMED, so assets are not available for kayak and paddle in Sète.
7. Payment in Sète
Payment methods accepted include credit cards, QR code payment links, bank transfers and cash. Payments are nominative and cannot be transferred to anyone else without our agreement. Your session credits are available in your customer account.
Single sessions: TO BE SET PRIOR TO THE ENTIRE SESSION
All our “individual” services must be paid in full at the time of booking in order to validate your current place. This includes
- Traditional kite courses: private, semi-private, group, private groups.
- Thematic kitesurfing: children’s kitesurfing, beach kitesurfing, light wind kitesurfing, safety kitesurfing, foil kitesurfing, strapless kitesurfing.
- Other Kite services: Supervised sailing, Kite drop-off, Kite rental, Kite level validation.
Single payment by the same person for a group: 30% UPON BOOKING, THEN BALANCE WITHIN SEVEN DAYS PRIOR TO SERVICE.
If the payer is paying for one or more “single” sessions for several people (family, group of friends), we prefer to pay with a deposit to reserve places, followed by a balance to be paid before the service. This means you don’t have to pay the full cost of the “single” sessions in advance if you need to come to our school several months after booking. On our side, this deposit secures your coming and allows us to best plan the upcoming schedule.
Deposit :
If the payer is required to pay for a course for several people, we can draw up an estimate for which you will have to pay 30% of the balance by bank transfer within (3) three days in order to reserve your slot(s). If the deposit has not been paid within fourteen days of the quotation being sent, each day being counted (working days + weekends + public holidays), your booking will be cancelled. Your places may potentially be taken by another booking that has paid the deposit. You will be placed on the “waiting list” for the dates concerned, or you may choose other dates that have not been reserved, in order to be placed on the “main list”.
Balance :
The balance will be requested from one (1) to seven (7) days before the event or, if our school knows you, on the same day, directly at the counter, before or after the event. If this is your first booking with our school, we may ask you to pay the balance more or less quickly, starting seven (7) days before your first booking. If you do not reply within (2) two days of a reminder by phone, sms or e-mail, we reserve the right to allocate the slot to another group that has paid in full. In this case, you’ll be placed on the “waiting list”, where we’ll move your slot to new shared availability. Exceptionally, and if our school agrees, you can also have your deposit refunded in full, after deducting the costs of our partners: our booking software and our payment provider. Our business is highly seasonal, and we need to be sure of your commitment during periods of high demand. Mainly during the summer.
Payment Group course: FULL PAYMENT BEFORE FIRST CLASS OR JUST AFTER FIRST CLASS.
All our courses must be paid for in full before or immediately after the first lesson. If, after the first lesson, the buyer wishes to withdraw from a “course” commitment, the “unit” price will be invoiced directly at the counter after the first session. All our courses are nominative. Sessions cannot be transferred to another person, except in exceptional cases validated by our school, or in the case of a commitment to a course of 9 to 12 sessions (for a supplement, see “Kite course”).
8. AFKITE insurance
AFKITE, recommended by Paul'eau kiteschool.
RC Kite – Mandatory and nominative:
The kiteboarding school run by Paul GONZALES, founder of PAULEAU WATERSPORTS, is affiliated with the Association Française de Kite (AFKITE), and most independent instructors recommend this insurance for their independence from the political networks of French sports federations. The cost of liability insurance for 2024 is 25EUR for students, 27EUR for minors and 35EUR for adults. Unlike other insurance policies provided by federations, this policy runs for 12 consecutive months rather than one calendar year. It also offers very attractive cover and a lower deductible than insurance provided by the federations (FFVL and FFV).
Individual Accident Insurance (I.A) – Optional and nominative
Legislation requires us to offer you optional Individual Accident Insurance. Particularly useful if you are injured as a result of working with us, we suggest that you take out I.A. with our partner AFKITE, depending on your needs.
Our I.A. advice for self-employed workers: We recommend these I.A. benefits to all students, and especially to self-employed workers. They can often be combined with your other professional daily benefits, and can increase your daily benefit ceiling in the event of an accident. I.A.s are not substitutes for each other; very often, they are cumulative. Note: You are free to take out your I.A. with many other insurers or brokers. Kite liability insurance in France, on the other hand, is offered by very few brokers. Schools are the main contact for this specialized insurance.
Practising outside the school? The AFKITE PRATIQUANT is for you: If you plan to practice outside a school in the twelve months following your subscription, we advise you to take out “practitioner” insurance. We remind you that to practice outside a school, your level must allow it. We remind you that going upwind does not necessarily guarantee you full autonomy. You need to be able to handle situations that require safe navigation (collision, entanglement with a third party) to prevent injury or damage to equipment. If in doubt, continue with supervised sailing with a school.