1. Validity of the General Terms
Our GTC apply exclusively to all contracts concluded by us. We shall only be bound by deviating GTC of our buyers or other contractual partners if we have expressly agreed to them in writing. These terms and conditions shall be deemed accepted at the latest upon receipt of the goods. They shall also apply if we carry out the delivery without reservation in the knowledge of conflicting terms and conditions of the customer.
2 Conclusion of contract, written form
a) Unsere Angebote sind freibleibend, verzollt, soweit nicht anders vermerkt EXW Geesthacht einschl. Verpackung. Ein Vertragsschluß kommt erst durch unsere schriftliche Auftragsbestätigung zustande.
b) Nebenabreden sowie Änderungen und Ergänzungen des
Vertrages sind nur wirksam, wenn wir sie schriftlich bestätigt haben.
3. Prices
a) Our prices are exclusive of the statutory value added tax.
b) Liegen zwischen Vertragsschluß und dem für die gesamte Lieferung oder Teile derselben vorgesehenen Liefertermin mehr als sechs Wochen und erhöhen sich nach dem Vertragsschluß aus nicht von uns zu vertretenden Gründen Aufwendungen, die wir im Zusammenhang mit der Lieferung tätigen müssen, sind wir berechtigt, die anfallenden Mehrkosten von unseren Kunden zusätzlich zu dem Vertragspreis zu verlangen. This shall apply irrespective of whether such additional costs are based on statutory or other provisions and/or actual circumstances. The expenses to be borne by our customer in accordance with sentence 1 include in particular export and import duties such as customs duties and levies as well as taxes, storage costs, freight costs, shipping charges, insurance premiums and the like.
c) Validity of an offer for some types of spices: For the moment
4. Terms of payment
a) For new customers, the first two orders shall be made against advance payment. As a rule, payment by the customer must be made in cash upon delivery of the goods, otherwise within 14 days of receipt of the invoice, but no later than 30 days after delivery, without any deductions, in cash or by bank transfer to us free of charge for us. The handing over of bills of exchange and cheques, which require our prior consent, shall only be deemed to be fulfilment upon their complete encashment.
b) If the customer fails to meet his payment obligations in accordance with the contract for reasons for which he is responsible, or if he suspends his payments, we shall be entitled to call in the entire remaining debt.
c) Orders for packaging and labelling according to special customer requirements are subject to advance payment.
d) In the event of non-compliance with payment obligations or information about the poor financial situation of a buyer, we shall be entitled to withdraw from the contract at any time or to make the delivery dependent on an advance payment.
5. Set-off and right of retention
Offsetting or retention of payments is only permissible in the case of counterclaims recognised by us or legally established. Furthermore, the customer shall only be entitled to a right of retention insofar as his counterclaim is based on the same contractual relationship.
6. Default of the customer
a) In the event of default on the part of the customer, we are entitled, without prejudice to further rights, to make further partial deliveries as well as deliveries under other contracts dependent on the provision of security by the customer.
b) The statutory regulation shall apply to the amount of interest on arrears.
7. Delivery deadlines and delivery weights/weight deviations
a) Agreed delivery periods and delivery weights are only to be understood as approximate, unless they are expressly confirmed by us as firmly agreed. If delivery periods and delivery weights are only to be understood as approximate in accordance with sentence 1, we may exceed delivery periods by up to two weeks and deviate from delivery weights by up to 10% upwards or downwards.
b) The weight stated by us upon delivery shall be decisive. However, the customer may request a weighing at his own expense. Weight deviations can only be notified within three days after delivery of the goods. The customer must allow us to check the weight deviation without delay.
c) Unless otherwise expressly stipulated, we reserve the right to round up or down a posted order quantity in order to be able to deliver in packaging units in stock.
8. Partial deliveries
a) We are entitled to make partial deliveries to a reasonable extent, in particular if the partial deliveries can be used independently by the buyer and no fixed delivery date has been agreed for the entire delivery.
b) In the case of partial deliveries, each delivery shall be deemed a separate transaction. A defective or delayed delivery shall not affect partial deliveries already made or still outstanding. Insofar as the partial performance is of no interest to him, the customer shall be entitled to withdraw from the contract in its entirety or to claim damages for non-performance of the entire contract.F
9. Call-off
If, in the case of delivery on call, the customer does not call off the goods within the agreed period or, if no period has been agreed, within 6 months of conclusion of the contract, we may set the customer a reasonable period of grace for the call-off and withdraw from the contract after its fruitless expiry. We shall also have the right to deposit the goods in question or to realise them by way of self-help sale. If the customer is responsible for the delayed call-off or failure to call-off the delivery, we may also claim damages for non-performance under the conditions of the first sentence above.
10. Default of acceptance
a) Insofar as the customer is responsible for the delay in acceptance, we shall be entitled, after unsuccessful determination of a reasonable deadline and without prejudice to proof of greater damage, to demand compensation in lieu of performance in the amount of 25% of the purchase price of the delivery not accepted. The customer shall have the right to prove that we have suffered no or only minor damage. We may refuse the delivery of the partial quantities not accepted in due time without this affecting the validity of the rest of the contract.
b) If the customer is in default of acceptance, we are entitled to demand compensation for any additional expenses incurred
11. Shipping / Transfer of riskƒ
a) If we ship goods, this is done for the account of the customer. The same applies if we follow a shipping instruction of the customer.
b) The risk of accidental deterioration or accidental loss shall pass to the customer when the goods are handed over to the transport person. The same applies in the case of transport by our people at the start of the transport and in the case of collection of the goods by the customer's people with the handover of the goods to them.
12. Self-delivery
We are only obliged to deliver subject to correct, complete and timely delivery to ourselves: this also applies to the supply of the raw and auxiliary materials required for the manufacture of the goods.
13. Warranty
a) We shall not be liable on the basis of public statements made by us, the manufacturer or its agents if and insofar as the purchaser cannot prove that the statements influenced its decision to purchase, if we did not know and did not have to know the statements or the statement had already been corrected at the time of the decision to purchase.
b) An insignificant reduction in the value or suitability of the item does not constitute a defect. Immateriality shall be deemed to exist in particular in the case of minor deviations in shape and colour, weight as well as if the defect disappears by itself within a short period of time or can be remedied by the buyer himself with quite insignificant effort. Immateriality shall also be deemed to exist in the case of deviations within the customary limits.
c) If the purchaser demands subsequent performance due to a defect, we may, at our discretion, remedy the defect ourselves or deliver a defect-free item as a replacement. The purchaser's right to reduce the purchase price or to withdraw from the contract in the event of failure of the subsequent performance remains unaffected. The following clause 14 shall apply to claims for damages and reimbursement of expenses due to defects.
d) Obvious defects must be reported to us in writing within 3 days of receipt of the goods. This applies in the same way to obvious transport damage, even if we are not responsible for the transport. If the buyer fails to notify us in due time, this shall be deemed as unconditional approval of the goods.
e) In commercial transactions, the buyer must inspect the goods immediately, at the latest within three days of receipt, and notify us of any complaints in writing without delay. If the buyer fails to notify us, this shall be deemed to constitute unconditional approval. The warranty for hidden defects which could not be detected within the period of three days despite careful inspection is excluded if the buyer does not give written notice of these immediately after discovery.
f) Otherwise, warranty claims shall be excluded if, as a result of onward shipment or processing of the goods delivered by us or similar, it is no longer possible for us to check whether a defect in the goods actually exists.
g) If the defect is based on a delivery or service provided to us by a third party, the Buyer may only demand that our warranty claims and/or claims for damages against the third party be assigned to him. Only if the buyer's prior, legal claim against the third party fails, can the buyer make a claim against us in accordance with the above provisions.
h) Only the direct purchaser is entitled to warranty claims against us and these are not assignable.
i) §§ 478, 479 BGB remain unaffected.
j) We shall bear the transport costs required for subsequent performance only to the extent that they are incurred for subsequent performance at the agreed place of delivery.
14. Liability
We shall only be liable in accordance with the following provisions:
a) We shall be liable for intentional or grossly negligent conduct of our organs, legal representatives and executive employees.
b) Any claims for damages - irrespective of the legal grounds - due to slightly negligent breach of non-essential contractual obligations by our corporate bodies, legal representatives, executive employees and ordinary vicarious agents are excluded. The above sentence 1 shall apply accordingly in the event of intentional or grossly negligent breach of non-essential contractual obligations by our ordinary vicarious agents.
c) In the event of a slightly negligent breach of material contractual obligations by our corporate bodies, legal representatives, executive employees and ordinary vicarious agents, we shall be liable under any legal aspect only for foreseeable damage typical of the contract and not for remote consequential damage The above sentence 1 shall apply mutatis mutandis in the event of an intentional or grossly negligent breach of material contractual obligations by our ordinary vicarious agents.
d) All further contractual or non-contractual claims of the buyer are excluded.
e) Liability under the Product Liability Act, liability for damages arising from culpable injury to life, limb and health as well as the provision of § 444 BGB and liability arising from other guarantees shall remain unaffected by the above provisions.
f) The buyer shall be liable to us for all damages arising from the breach of duties to cooperate.
15. Limitation
a) The buyer's claims due to defects shall become statute-barred one year after delivery of the purchased item. Sections 478, 479 BGB remain unaffected by this provision.
b) Ansprüche des Käufers auf Schadensersatz aus anderen Rechtsgründen verjähren in 18 Monaten. Für den Verjährungsbeginn gilt § 199 Abs. 1 und Abs. 3 BGB.
c) Insofar as we are liable for gross negligence, damages resulting from culpable injury to life, limb and health and for guarantees assumed as well as under the Product Liability Act in accordance with clause 14 above, the statutory limitation provisions shall apply.
16. Retention of title
a) The goods delivered by us shall remain our property until payment of all our existing and future claims arising from the business relationship with the Buyer, including any ancillary claims and current account balances.
b) Der Käufer ist berechtigt, die Vorbehaltsware im Rahmen des ordentlichen Geschäftsganges zu verwenden, zu vermischen oder zu be- und verarbeiten. Die Be- und Verarbeitung der Ware erfolgt für uns als Hersteller im Sinne von § 950 BGB. Bei einer Verbindung oder Vermischung mit uns nicht gehörenden Sachen werden wir Miteigentümer in unmittelbarer oder entsprechender Anwendung der §§ 947, 948 BGB, und zwar im Verhältnis des Wertes der Vorbehaltsware zu dem Wert der anderen verarbeiteten Ware im Zeitpunkt der Verarbeitung. Für den Fall, daß die Verbindung oder Vermischung in der Weise erfolgt, daß die Sache des Käufers als Hauptsache anzusehen ist, wird bereits jetzt vereinbart, daß der Käufer uns anteilsmäßig entsprechend dem vorgenannten Wertverhältnis Allein- oder Miteigentum überträgt. Die Gegenstände, an denen wir nach den vorstehenden Bestimmungen Allein- oder Miteigentum erwerben, verwahrt der Kunde für uns unentgeltlich, Ansprüche gegen uns erwachsen ihm weder aus der Vermischung noch aus der Verarbeitung noch aus der Verwahrung. Für die durch Verbindung oder Vermischung entstehende neue Sache gilt im übrigen das gleiche wie für die Vorbehaltsware. Unter der Bedingung der vollständigen Zahlung nach Buchstabe a) wird die neue Ware bzw. unser Miteigentumsanteil an den Käufer übereignet.
c) The buyer is entitled to resell the goods and the items resulting from their processing in the ordinary course of business subject to retention of title. Pledges and transfers by way of security of the reserved goods or the assigned claims are not permitted. The customer hereby assigns all claims arising from the sale of goods subject to retention of title including the claims assigned pursuant to letter
b) items owned by us with all ancillary rights and security interests as well as balance claims within the framework of a current account in the amount of our claims as security for all our claims referred to in letter
a) bezeichneten Forderungen ab. Wir nehmen die Abtretung an. Bei der Veräußerung von Ware, an der wir Miteigentum haben, beschränkt sich die Abtretung auf den Teil der Forderung, der unserem Miteigentumsanteil entspricht. Wird Vorbehaltsware zusammen mit Sachen, die nicht unser Eigentum sind, zu einem Gesamtpreis veräußert, beschränkt sich die Abtretung auf den anteiligen Betrag unserer Rechnung einschließlich Umsatzsteuer für die mitveräußerte Vorbehaltsware. Die vorstehende Regelung gilt entsprechend für die Werklohnforderung, wenn der Kunde die Vorbehaltsware zur Erfüllung eines Werk- oder Werklieferungsvertrages verwendet.
d) Die Befugnis zur Weiterveräußerung der Vorbehaltsware ist ausgeschlossen, wenn die Abnehmer des Käufers die Abtretung der gegen sie gerichteten Forderungen ausgeschlossen haben. Der Käufer hat gegenüber seinen Vertragspartnern die Aufrechnung und das Zurückbehaltungsrecht in gesetzlich zulässigem Umfang auszuschließen. Auf unser Verlangen ist der Kunde jederzeit verpflichtet, uns die Schuldner der an uns abgetretenen Forderungen sowie deren Anschriften mitzuteilen.
e) Der Kunde ist verpflichtet, die Vorbehaltsware sowie diejenigen Sachen, an denen wir nach den vorstehenden Bestimmungen Allein- oder Miteigentum erwerben, pfleglich und sorgsam zu behandeln und für uns kostenlos zu verwahren. Er hat sie gegen übliche Gefahren zu versichern und tritt hiermit Entschädigungsansprüche gegenüber Versicherern oder sonstigen Ersatzpflichtigen in Höhe des Rechnungsbetrages an uns ab. Wir nehmen die Abtretung an.
f) Der Kunde ist ferner verpflichtet, uns jede Beeinträchtigung oder Gefährdung unserer Rechte an der in unserem Eigentum stehenden Ware, insbesondere durch Pfändungen oder sonstige Eingriffe Dritter, unverzüglich mitzuteilen und alle keinen Aufschub duldenden Sicherungsmaßnahmen einstweilen zu treffen. Die uns durch die Geltendmachung unseres Eigentums und unserer Rechte an den Forderungen entstehenden Kosten hat der Käufer uns zu erstatten.
g) Der Käufer bleibt zur Einziehung der Forderungen ermächtigt, unbeschadet unserer Befugnis, die Forderungen ebenfalls einzuziehen. Andere Verfügungen über die in unserem Eigentum stehende Ware sowie die an uns abgetretenen Forderungen darf der Kunde nur mit unserer vorherigen schriftlichen Zustimmung vornehmen. Wir werden die Ermächtigung zur Verfügung bzw. Einziehung nur widerrufen, wenn der Kunde mit einer Zahlung uns gegenüber in Verzug gerät, seine Verpflichtungen uns gegenüber aus dem Eigentumsvorbehalt nicht nur unerheblich verletzt, das Insolvenz- oder Gesamtvollstreckungs- bzw. Vergleichsverfahren über sein Vermögen beantragt oder eröffnet wird oder sonst eine wesentliche Verschlechterung in den Vermögensverhältnissen des Käufers eintritt. Der Käufer hat eingegangene Beträge sofort an uns weiterzuleiten, soweit unsere Forderungen fällig sind, anderenfalls aber diese Beträge gesondert für uns zu verwahren.
h) If we have exercised the authorisation pursuant to the preceding subparagraph
g), the customer is obliged, at our request, to inform us of all goods owned by us and of the customers to whom he has sold such goods, to enable us to take possession of the goods owned by us, in particular to take back the goods, to notify his customers of the assignment of the claims assigned to us and to provide us with all information required to enforce our claims and to hand over the documents required for this purpose.
i) Bei vertragswidrigem Verhalten des Käufers, insbesondere bei Zahlungsverzug, ist der Käufer verpflichtet, die Ware auf unser Verlangen zurückzugeben. Soweit wir die Ware nach Satz 1 zurücknehmen oder pfänden, liegt darin kein Rücktritt vom Vertrag. Im Fall der Rücknahme sind wir berechtigt, die Gegenstände nach vorheriger Androhung und angemessener Fristsetzung nach freier Verfügung bestmöglich zu verwerten. Der Verwertungserlös wird nach Abzug angemessener Verwertungskosten auf unsere Ansprüche angerechnet.
j) If the value of the securities existing for us exceeds the secured claims by more than 20 %, we shall release securities to this extent at our discretion at the request of the buyer.
17. Place of performance
The place of performance for all mutual obligations arising from the purchase contract is Geesthacht.
18. Place of jurisdiction
In the case of contracts with merchants, the place of jurisdiction for all disputes concerning the conclusion of the contract as well as the mutual claims arising from it, also in the case of purchasers who do not have a general place of jurisdiction in the Federal Republic of Germany, is Schwarzenbek; however, we are also entitled to take legal action at the purchaser's place of business. In the case of contracts with merchants, legal disputes shall be settled at our discretion either by the ordinary court in accordance with the above agreement on the place of jurisdiction or by the Hamburg Friendly Arbitration in accordance with § 20 of the Platzusancen für den Hamburgischen Warenhandel. We shall also have the aforementioned right of choice if the customer wishes to assert claims against us. We shall exercise the right of choice within 14 days of receipt of the written request from the buyer, otherwise the right of choice shall pass to the buyer. In the case of notices of defects, we shall be entitled to demand, at our discretion, that the quality of the goods be determined in accordance with the "Regulativ für Qualitätsfeststellungen durch Sachverständige" (Regulations for Quality Determinations by Experts), published by the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce on 12 April 1911.
19. Applicable law
The Law of the Federal Republic of Germany shall apply exclusively, to the exclusion of the application of the Hague Uniform Laws on the Sale of Goods and the International Sale of Goods pursuant to the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods of 11 April 1980.F
20. Severability clause
Insofar as these General Terms and Conditions of Business are or become invalid, this shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions. In this case, the affected provision shall be replaced by an individual regulation to be negotiated.
