General terms and conditions

Identity of the Association

Non-profit organisation Centre de Langues in Louvain-la-Neuve and -en-Woluwe, abbreviated as “CLL – Centres de Langues” – Place de l’Université, 25 – B-1348 – Louvain-La-Neuve – C.B.E.: 0431.176.282 – Tel: +32 (0) 10 47 06 06 – contact@cll.be – www.cll.be

Online contact form: https://www.cll.be/fr/contact

Live chat: you have the possibility to receive a transcript of the “chat” conversation with CLL provided you enter your email address at the beginning of the conversation.

General Provisions and Definitions

1° These general terms and conditions govern all relations between the non-profit organisation CLL – Centres de Langues (hereinafter “CLL”) and its clients, unless expressly waived and accepted in writing by CLL. By simply placing an order, the client agrees to these general terms and conditions and waives any general or specific conditions mentioned in their own order forms, letters, or commercial documents, whether handwritten or otherwise, issued before or after the date of our documents.

2° The term “course” as used in these conditions refers to a training unit on a given date and for a specific number of hours (e.g.: a 2-hour course on 28 February from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.).

– The term “session” as used in these conditions refers to a complete course programme (e.g.: a 30-hour A2-level English course starting on 22 January and ending on 12 April).

3° In accordance with Article 5.226 of the Civil Code, “force majeure” occurs when one of the parties is unable to fulfil its contractual obligations due to an external cause beyond its control (i.e. no fault can be attributed to it under Article 5.225 of the Civil Code). In this regard, the unforeseeable and unavoidable nature (the consequences could not have been avoided despite all due diligence) of the obstacle to performance must be taken into account. Examples (non-exhaustive) include strikes, teacher illness, weather events, health crises, wars, etc.

4° CLL brochures and online offers are prepared in good faith, based on the information available at the time of drafting. Any errors or changes will be communicated to the client by means of an erratum or notice of changes.

In certain circumstances (including the occurrence of force majeure under Article 3°), CLL may be required to temporarily or permanently cancel a course format, while remaining available to offer the client an alternative.

5° The client must provide CLL with all relevant information expressly requested or reasonably necessary for the proper organisation of their training. If the client provides incorrect information that results in additional costs for CLL, those costs will be charged to the client.

6° CLL may charge the client for any costs arising from changes the client makes to the original booking.

Enrolment

7° Upon registration, the client is definitively and irrevocably committed to CLL, regardless of whether a deposit has been paid, and subject to Articles 10° and 11° below.

8° Course enrolment may be made by phone, email or in person at one of the CLL Centres. Upon receiving the enrolment, the client will receive a confirmation by hand, post or email. The enrolment, as stated in this confirmation, commits the client to attend the course during the period and schedule specified.

9° The client may also register online via the CLL website (www.cll.be) or one of its affiliated websites. In this case, by confirming the reservation, the client irrevocably commits to the chosen course session. Upon validation, the client will receive an email confirmation. The registration, as outlined in this email, obliges the client to attend the course during the specified period and schedule.

Cancellation

10°a. Unilateral cancellations of course registrations must always be made either by registered post, by email to contact@cll.be, or in person by the client at the reception of the Centre where the training was to take place (where the client will sign a cancellation form).

Except in cases of force majeure as defined in Article 3°, the cancellation fee for unilateral withdrawal is set as follows:

• Cancellation more than 31 days before the course: 8% of the course fee;

• Cancellation between 31 and 22 days before the course: 15% of the course fee;

• Cancellation between 21 and 15 days before the course: 30% of the course fee;

• Cancellation between 14 and 8 days before the course: 50% of the course fee;

• Cancellation between 7 and 1 day before the course: 75% of the course fee;

• Cancellation on the day of the course or no-show: 100% of the course fee.

10°b. If the course was purchased remotely within the meaning of Article I.8, 15° of the Belgian Code of Economic Law, the consumer client (as defined in Article I.1, 2° of the same code) has the right to notify CLL of their withdrawal from the contract, without penalty and without having to give a reason, within 14 calendar days from the conclusion of the contract.

Before the end of the 14-day withdrawal period, the consumer client must notify their decision to withdraw by email (contact@cll.be).

To do so, the consumer client may either:

• Use the withdrawal form in Annex 1,

• Or submit a clear and unambiguous statement of their intention to withdraw.

The burden of proof regarding the exercise of the right of withdrawal lies with the consumer client in accordance with Article VI.49, §4 of the Code of Economic Law.

CLL will refund all payments received from the consumer client without undue delay and no later than 14 days after being informed of the client’s decision to withdraw, via email (contact@cll.be). The refund will be made using the same means of payment as the original transaction, unless the consumer client agrees otherwise in writing and provided that no fees are incurred as a result.

In accordance with Article VI.46, §8 of the Code of Economic Law, if the consumer client wishes to begin the course during the 14-day withdrawal period, they must make an express request to CLL and expressly acknowledge that they will lose the right of withdrawal once the contract is fully performed (i.e. full access is granted to the training).

For the purpose of Article VI.53, 1° of the Code of Economic Law, CLL considers that the service is fully delivered once access to the training has been granted.

10°c. For à la carte options and individual courses with flexible scheduling, any session not postponed at least one working day before the scheduled time will be considered as delivered and invoiced. To be valid, postponement must be made in writing more than 24 hours in advance to contact@cll.be. This option is free of charge up to four reschedulings per course session. Beyond that, any additional rescheduling will be invoiced.

10°d. For official exams organised by CLL (Test d’Évaluation du Français, Certificaat Nederlands als Vreemde Taal), the cancellation fees for unilateral withdrawal are as follows (except in cases of force majeure under Article 3°):

• Cancellation more than 20 working days before the scheduled exam: 5% of the exam fee;

• Cancellation less than 20 working days before the scheduled exam: 100% of the exam fee.

Adjustment of Training Conditions

11° If the number of enrolments is below the minimum required to run a course, or if there are significant changes to the dates or number of course hours, CLL reserves the right, unless otherwise agreed between the parties, to cancel the session and refund the client the full amount paid for that session.

Enrolment Fee

12° All prices mentioned in CLL programmes are inclusive of all taxes. They always include a non-refundable €25 administrative registration fee.

13° The enrolment fee must be paid no later than the last working day before the first session. CLL reserves the right to deny access to the course to any individual who has not paid the full registration fee, without prejudice to its right to demand full payment under Article 10°a (no-show).

14°a Unless otherwise requested, invoices are sent by email to the participant or the individual/legal entity financing the course. They are payable in full upon receipt.

14°b If the client is a consumer as defined in Article I.1, 2° of the Code of Economic Law, any payment delay (exceeding the contractual or legal deadlines) will be subject to Book XIX of the Code of Economic Law.

If the consumer client does not pay by the due date, CLL will send a formal notice in the form of a first payment reminder by post or email.

The client will then have fourteen (14) calendar days to pay the outstanding amount.

This period begins on the third working day after the reminder is sent by post, or the day after the email is sent.

If payment is not made by the end of the 14-day period, the consumer client’s debt will be increased by:

• Late payment interest calculated at the reference rate plus 8 percentage points (per Article 5, para. 2 of the law of 2 August 2002 on combating late payment in commercial transactions);
  AND

• A fixed indemnity, not exceeding:

  • €20 if the amount due is €150 or less;

  • €30 plus 10% of the amount due between €150.01 and €500 if the outstanding amount is between €150.01 and €500;

  • €65 plus 5% of the amount due over €500, with a maximum of €2000 if the outstanding amount exceeds €500.

15° Except in cases of duly justified force majeure (Article 3°), anyone who drops out of a session remains liable for the full enrolment fee.

16° Any public funding toward the enrolment fee (e.g. training vouchers, language cheques, KMO portefeuille in Flanders) must be declared upon registration and processed in line with current regulations. The client must provide proof before the start of the training and remains liable for the full enrolment fee if the funding is refused. This funding does not apply to courses under promotional or discounted offers.

Instalment Payments

17° CLL offers the option to pay for certain course sessions in instalments, according to a predefined payment schedule. This is free of charge and available only for credit card payments. The client choosing this option commits to following the instalment agreement. If the agreement is not respected or if the credit card is blocked for any reason, CLL will apply an administrative fee of €80, without prejudice to claiming the total remaining balance.

Course Participation

18° The premises and materials made available to participants for their courses must be used reasonably and with due care. Any damage will be charged to the responsible individual.

19° CLL reserves the right to deny access to a course to any participant whose behaviour disrupts other group members or other CLL clients. Any exclusion for disciplinary reasons will be without refund or compensation.

Accommodation Booking

20° Any request for accommodation booking will only be confirmed upon full payment of the rental amount. For any cancellation made before the start of the rental period, 50% of the total rental price remains due. If the cancellation occurs after the rental period has started, the full amount remains due.

Client Responsibility

21° The client is liable for any damage caused to CLL, its employees and/or representatives, either through fault or due to non-fulfilment of their contractual obligations. Fault is assessed by reference to the behaviour of a prudent and reasonable person placed in the same circumstances.

Complaints Procedure

22°a. Before the course starts:
If the client has a complaint before the start of the course, it must be submitted as soon as possible by registered post or with acknowledgment of receipt, to CLL at the address specified in point d. below.

22°b. During the course:
Complaints arising during the execution of the contract must be submitted as soon as possible so that a solution can be sought. The client should contact the Head of the CLL Centre where they are taking the course (in-Centre courses), a CLL Business representative, or a representative of the company or institution organising the training (in-company courses), or directly the CLL Quality Manager. The complaint must be submitted in writing and include at least the factual grounds on which it is based.

22°c. After the course:
Complaints that could not be submitted during the course, or that were not satisfactorily resolved during the course, must be submitted no later than one week after the end of the training, either by registered post or in writing with acknowledgment of receipt. Any complaint submitted after this period will be considered inadmissible.

22°d. Contact details of the CLL Quality Manager:
CLL – Centres de Langues – Quality Manager – 25 Place de l’Université – B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve – quality@cll.be.

Specific Terms and Conditions: Companies and Institutions

23° Course bookings are made by email. Upon receipt of the order, the client will receive an order confirmation by email. From that moment, the client has 48 working hours to modify the original order. After this period, the order is considered final and the client is contractually bound to CLL.

24° In the absence of a specific procedure requested by the client (as part of a tender or specified on the order form), any course order will be invoiced for the full amount as an advance payment.

25° CLL invoices are payable in full upon receipt. Any amount unpaid by the due date will be automatically increased, without prior notice, by a late payment interest of 1% per month and a fixed indemnity of 10% with a minimum of €40.

26° Unilateral cancellations of ordered course sessions must always be made either by registered post or by email to cancel@cll.be.

Cancellation fees are defined as follows:

• Cancellation between 31 and 22 days before the scheduled course: 15% of the course fee;

• Cancellation between 21 and 15 days before the scheduled course: 30% of the course fee;

• Cancellation between 14 and 8 days before the scheduled course: 50% of the course fee;

• Cancellation between 7 days and 1 day before the scheduled course: 75% of the course fee;

• Cancellation on or after the first day of the course: 100% of the course fee.

27° Any course not postponed at least one working day in advance will be considered as delivered and invoiced. To be valid, the rescheduling must be requested in writing more than 24 hours before the course begins, by email to cancel@cll.be. This rescheduling option is free of charge up to four times per ordered course session. Beyond that, any additional rescheduling will be invoiced.

28° Reporting procedures for the course must be communicated to CLL at the time of ordering. Otherwise, CLL’s standard procedure will apply.

Specific Terms and Conditions: Use of Walloon Region Training Vouchers

29° Eligibility Conditions
Walloon Region Training Vouchers are accepted as partial payment for certain CLL training courses. The beneficiary must meet the conditions set out by the regional system, namely: be a salaried employee in the private sector or a self-employed person as a primary occupation; carry out their activity in Wallonia (excluding the German-speaking region); possess a valid NSSO number or company number; have obtained prior approval from the Walloon Region; and be in possession of the Training Vouchers before the course begins. A list of non-eligible professions is provided by the Walloon Region and will be shared with the client upon request for training.

30° Usage Conditions
The client undertakes to submit the Training Vouchers to CLL no later than the first day of the course.
Failing that, the full training amount will be invoiced to the client at the applicable rate, without deducting the vouchers.
The number of vouchers that may be used is limited to the number of hours of training actually attended, within the limits set by the Walloon Region.

31° Cancellation or Absence
In the event of cancellation or absence from a course, the Training Vouchers cannot be used, and the unattended hours will be invoiced in full to the client (calculated as: hourly rate = total course price divided by the number of hours, rounded up).
It is the client’s responsibility to check whether the costs remain payable under the rules of the Walloon Region.

32° Non-transferability
Training Vouchers are personal and non-transferable. They may only be used by the person named on the identification document linked to the voucher.

33° Control and Validation
If the Walloon Region refuses to validate or reimburse the vouchers (e.g. due to non-compliance with conditions, missing supporting documents, quota exceeded, etc.), the client will be liable for the full amount corresponding to the hours of training concerned.

Specific Terms and Conditions: Online Courses and Tests

34° Definition
CLL may offer online language courses and tests through its platforms: CLL Visio, Language Campus (L-Campus), Language Examination Centre, and Language Testing (L-Testing).

35° Equipment
To fully use the CLL online courses and tests services, users must have the necessary equipment (computer, tablet, or smartphone) and an internet subscription with a service provider.
CLL cannot be held responsible for difficulties accessing the platforms due to network disruptions or internal network restrictions on the client’s side.

36° Absence

In case of absence (no show) from a scheduled online service, the session will take place without the user. It will not be rescheduled and will not result in any refund.

37° Rescheduling

Any session not rescheduled at least one working day before the scheduled appointment will be considered as delivered and therefore invoiced.
To be valid, the rescheduling must be made directly by the user on the relevant platform.

38° User Rights

CLL’s online course and testing platforms offer the client a non-transferable, non-exclusive and limited right to access, use and display platform content, provided the user complies with these general terms and conditions. Platform materials are provided to the user solely for private and non-commercial use. Some services on these platforms are only available to registered users of CLL or the specific platform.

By choosing to purchase a subscription or register for a trial on a CLL platform, the user agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions outlined in these general terms and conditions.

39° Use of Platforms

Access to and use of CLL’s platforms is personal to the user and may not be transferred to any other person or entity. The user may only access and use these platforms for lawful purposes.

The user is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their account, username and password on these platforms.

The user undertakes to notify CLL of any unauthorised use of their account on a CLL platform. To ensure the proper functioning of the Service, the user must also keep their registration details accurate and up to date. Failure to do so may affect the accuracy and efficiency of the service.

At CLL’s sole discretion, it may terminate a user account or modify, recover or delete any username associated with the account, for any reason (including illegal or unauthorised use).
CLL is under no obligation to retain any record of user accounts or of any data or information stored via the account and/or Services.

Access to and use of CLL’s online course and testing platforms may be temporarily interrupted for various reasons, including (but not limited to) equipment failure, periodic updates, maintenance or repair, or any other actions that CLL, at its sole discretion, may choose to undertake.

40° Intellectual Property

All materials on CLL platforms—including content, text, images, software, audio and video files, documentation, emails, and the site itself—remain the exclusive property of CLL or its licensors. These materials are protected by international copyright laws, trademark laws and other intellectual property rights. The user may not display, distribute, sublicense, translate or reproduce any copyrighted materials, trademarks or proprietary information without CLL’s prior written consent.

41° Access and Interference

The user declares that:

• They will not use any robot, spider, scraper, deep link or other automatic data collection or extraction tool, program, algorithm or methodology to access, obtain, copy or monitor any part of a CLL online platform without CLL’s express written consent, which may be denied at CLL’s sole discretion;

• They will not use or attempt to use any engine, software, tool, agent or other device or mechanism (including but not limited to browsers, spiders, robots, avatars or intelligent agents) to navigate or search a CLL platform, other than the search engines and search agents made available through the service and generally available third-party web browsers (such as Microsoft Explorer);

• They will not post or transmit any file containing viruses, worms, Trojan horses or any other contaminating or destructive feature, or otherwise interfere with the proper functioning of CLL’s online platforms;

• They will not attempt to decipher, decompile, disassemble or reverse-engineer any software that is part of CLL’s online platforms.

The user’s usual mobile operator rates, such as text messaging charges, will apply when accessing a CLL online platform via mobile devices.

Occurrence of Force Majeure or Change of Circumstances

42°a. When a situation of force majeure (as defined in Article 3°) occurs, the contract entered into with CLL may be affected in accordance with Articles 5.100 to 5.102 of the Civil Code, in one of the following ways:

• Suspension: if the force majeure renders the execution of the contract temporarily impossible, and resuming the contract remains useful for both parties once the force majeure ends. This solution shall be preferred over any other;

• Termination: if the force majeure permanently prevents execution of the contract. In this case, the client shall be refunded the portion of the contract not performed—i.e. courses not attended—at the time of the force majeure. The refunded amount shall be calculated proportionally to the total agreed price, excluding the non-refundable €25 administrative fee (see 12°).

42°b. In the event of a change of circumstances, the parties agree to apply Article 5.74 of the Civil Code, which provides:

“Each party must perform its obligations even if performance has become more onerous, whether due to an increase in the cost of performance or a decrease in the value of the counter-performance.

However, the debtor may request the creditor to renegotiate the contract in order to adapt or terminate it when all of the following conditions are met:

1° a change of circumstances renders the performance of the contract excessively onerous to the extent that performance can no longer reasonably be required;
2° the change was unforeseeable at the time the contract was concluded;
3° the change is not attributable to the debtor under Article 5.225;
4° the debtor has not assumed this risk; and
5° the law or contract does not exclude this possibility.

The parties must continue to perform their obligations during the renegotiation.

If renegotiations fail or are refused within a reasonable period, either party may request the court to adapt the contract to reflect what the parties would reasonably have agreed upon had they foreseen the change in circumstances, or to terminate the contract, wholly or in part, effective from the date of the change, on terms determined by the court. Proceedings are conducted as summary proceedings.”

Refund

43°a. If CLL must issue a refund to the client, the following terms apply:

• If the refund results from course cancellation by CLL, the full course fee will be refunded;

• If the refund results from an error or fault by the client, the course fee will be refunded minus a €25 administrative fee.

43°b. Refunds of any amount paid from a foreign account will be subject to all applicable transaction fees, borne by the client.

43°c. Refunds of any amount paid by credit card will be subject to a 2.5% transaction fee, payable by the client.

Data Protection Policy

44° In managing the personal data it receives from clients, CLL complies with the provisions of GDPR Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data. The privacy policy is available on our website: https://www.cll.be/fr/confidentialite. The client acknowledges having read and accepted this policy.

Miscellaneous

45° Unless otherwise stated in writing to CLL prior to the start of training, testimonials, films, recordings or photos involving the client or in which the client appears may be used for promotional purposes, in any form or on any media.

Dispute Resolution

46° Contracts entered into with CLL under these general terms and conditions are governed by Belgian law.

47° In case of dispute, only the Justice of the Peace of the 2nd canton of Wavre and the courts of the judicial district of Walloon Brabant shall have jurisdiction.

Annex 1 – Withdrawal Form (Consumer Client)

Book VI of the Code of Economic Law (Article VI.49, §1, 1°)
MODEL WITHDRAWAL FORM

(Please complete and return this form by email to contact@cll.be only if you wish to withdraw from the contract.)

To the attention of:
CLL – Centres de Langues – Place de l’Université, 25 – B-1348 – Louvain-la-Neuve

I/We () hereby notify you of my/our () withdrawal from the contract concerning the following service:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ordered on (DD/MM/YYYY): ……………………………………………………………

Name of the consumer client(s):
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Address of the consumer client(s):
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Email address of the consumer client(s):
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Date & Signature of the consumer client(s)
(only if this form is notified on paper)

(*): delete as appropriate