Terms of sale

1. Identity of the seller

sochateaux.com and the French Château Summit are operated by Heritage Avenue, Strada Memorandumului 20, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, CUI RO47489621. Contact: contact@sochateaux.com.

2. Accounts

Some features require an account. You must provide accurate information, keep your password confidential, and inform us promptly of any unauthorised use. We may suspend or close an account that breaches these terms or applicable law.

3. Products and services offered

• Strategy Calls: a one-to-one consulting session with the founder, delivered via video conference. Duration and price are shown on each product page.
• Digital downloads: PDF guides and high-definition photographs, delivered through a signed download link.
• Support contributions: voluntary financial support for the editorial project, with optional public acknowledgement on the supporters page.
• The French Château Summit: Premium Passes and Premium Pass gift cards for the online event, governed by section 8.

Other product categories may be added over time and will be covered by these terms, or by complementary terms presented at the point of purchase if specific rules apply.

4. Prices and taxes

Prices are shown in the currency stated on each product page, all taxes included where applicable. Value Added Tax is applied based on your billing location and on the nature of the product, using Stripe Tax. The applicable rate is shown before payment and on the invoice issued for every paid order.

5. Order and payment

Orders are placed through the Stripe Checkout interface. The contract is formed when the payment is confirmed by the payment service provider. You receive a confirmation email with the invoice attached as a PDF. Card data is processed by Stripe and never stored on our servers.

6. Delivery

• Digital downloads: delivered immediately after payment through a signed link valid for one hour. The link can be regenerated from the order page in your account.
• Strategy Calls: scheduled through the booking interface after payment. A confirmation email contains the meeting link and a calendar invitation.

7. Right of withdrawal and refunds

For digital downloads delivered immediately upon payment, the European Union 14-day right of withdrawal is waived by the explicit checkbox shown at checkout, as permitted by Directive 2011/83/EU. Strategy Calls are non-refundable and can be rescheduled up to 24 hours before the call, as described in our refund policy. Support contributions are not refundable. Summit Premium Passes and gift cards follow the specific rules of section 8.

8. The French Château Summit

The French Château Summit (the "Summit") is an online event organised by Heritage Avenue (So Châteaux) on sochateaux.com, scheduled from March 1 to March 7, 2027. It is governed by Romanian law (section 14). The rules below apply to Summit registrations, Premium Passes and Premium Pass gift cards. The other sections of these terms apply wherever this section is silent.

8.1 Registration and Premium Pass

• Free registration requires a sochateaux.com account. It gives access to the content described as free on the Summit page.
• The Premium Pass gives access to the content and features described as Premium on the Summit page at the time of purchase. Its price depends on the purchase date and is shown in US dollars before payment.
• A Premium Pass is personal and attached to one account. It cannot be resold, transferred or shared. Sharing access, or recording and redistributing Summit content, may lead to the account being suspended without refund.

8.2 Programme

The programme, speakers, partners, session order and times are given as an indication. We may change them, replace a speaker or a session, or adjust the format, without this giving a right to a refund, as long as the Summit takes place substantially as announced. Premium replays remain available without time limit for as long as sochateaux.com operates. Access requires a compatible device and an internet connection, which remain the participant's responsibility.

8.3 Questions and expert answers

Questions submitted by participants are moderated before publication and may not all be published or answered. Answers given by experts and partners express their own views. They are general information, not personalised legal, tax, financial or technical advice. Any service a participant then orders from a partner is a separate contract between the participant and that partner.

8.4 Premium Pass refunds

A Premium Pass can be refunded in full on simple request sent to contact@sochateaux.com until February 28, 2027, 11:59 PM Paris time. No reason is required. The refund is made to the original payment method, usually within 14 days. After this deadline the Premium Pass is no longer refundable, including when the participant does not attend. Once refunded, the Premium Pass ends and the registration becomes a free registration.

8.5 Gift cards

• A Premium Pass gift card gives one Premium Pass to the person who activates it on their account. It can be activated once, does not expire and cannot be exchanged for cash.
• The buyer is responsible for passing the code on to the recipient. A code activated by a third party before we are told of its loss cannot be replaced.
• Gift cards are non-refundable, except if the Summit is cancelled as described below.

8.6 Cancellation by So Châteaux

We may cancel the Summit, in particular if circumstances prevent it from taking place under satisfactory conditions. In that case, every Premium Pass and every gift card, activated or not, is refunded in full to its buyer, and we inform participants by email. This refund is the only compensation due, and other costs incurred by participants are not covered. If the Summit is postponed instead, Passes and gift cards remain valid for the new dates, and any buyer who prefers a refund can request it within 14 days of the announcement.

8.7 Right of withdrawal

The Summit is a leisure service provided on specific dates. Under Romanian Government Emergency Ordinance no. 34/2014 on consumer rights, which transposes Article 16 of Directive 2011/83/EU, the 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply to Premium Passes or gift cards. The contractual refund rights described in this section apply instead, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer protection that applies to you.

9. Photographs and content licence

High-definition photograph purchases are governed by a personal-use licence shown in full at checkout and recorded with the order. The full licence text is available on our photo licence page.

10. User-generated content

When you comment, post messages, or contribute content, you keep ownership of the text you write and grant us a non-exclusive licence to display it on sochateaux.com as part of the editorial experience. You agree not to post illegal, defamatory, harassing, or copyright-infringing content. We can moderate, hide, or remove contributions that breach this rule.

11. Intellectual property

All editorial content, video productions, photographs, and graphic elements published by So Chateaux are protected by copyright. Personal, non-commercial consultation is permitted. Any redistribution, broadcasting, public display, or commercial use requires prior written consent from Heritage Avenue SRL.

12. Service availability

We aim for a continuously available service but we cannot guarantee uninterrupted access. Planned maintenance is announced in advance whenever possible. We are not liable for interruptions caused by force majeure or by service providers beyond our control.

13. Liability

Our liability is limited to direct damages caused by our breach of these terms and capped at the amount paid by the customer for the order concerned in the twelve months preceding the event. Nothing in these terms excludes liability for fraud, gross negligence, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.

14. Applicable law and disputes

These terms, every transaction made on sochateaux.com and the French Château Summit are governed by Romanian law. Any dispute that cannot be resolved amicably falls under the jurisdiction of the competent courts of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. This does not deprive a consumer of the protection of mandatory consumer rules that cannot be excluded by contract. Before any legal action, please write to contact@sochateaux.com so we can look for an amicable solution.

15. Changes

We may amend these terms to reflect new products, legal updates, or operational changes. The date at the top of the page indicates the current version. Existing orders remain governed by the terms in force at the time of purchase.