General Terms and Conditions of Sale
Domestic and International Shipments
(E-Chrono)

See older versions of T&C

These General Terms and Conditions of Sale (hereinafter the “GTCS”) apply when an order is placed by a private person on the Chronopost website:  www.chronopost.fr (hereinafter the “Website”).

The GTCS are enforceable against the Sender, who by checking the box provided for this purpose before placing their order, acknowledges that they have read and agreed to them. The GTCS may also be read directly on the Site and/or downloaded from it. 

They may be modified at any time. The GTCS applicable to the Sender are those in effect on the order date.

 

These GTCS do not apply to orders placed on the website : www.chronoshop2shop.fr. 

 

Subject to CHRONOPOST’S express agreement, none of the Sender’s special terms and conditions prevail over these GTCS.

 

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of these GTCSis to set forth the terms according to which the domestic and international document and good transportation services are performed under CHRONOPOST® trademark.

 

The offers for  domestic and international transportation services, the specific characteristics of the proposed services, and the list of destination countries for international shipments are provided on the Website.

 

In addition to its network for transportation and delivery to addressees’ homes, Chronopost offers a network of “nearby points” suggested by Chronopost (“Relais Pickup”) for its Chrono Relais, Chrono Relais DOM, and Chrono Relais Europe services. Chronopost reserves the right at any time to change the Relais Pickup sites indicated on the Website.

 

Regardless of its capacity, and in particular as forwarding agent or carrier, once parcels are collected, CHRONOPOST will transport them to the agreed destination using the route, procedure, and carriers it chooses.

 

2. PARCEL SIZE AND WEIGHT LIMITS

The consigned parcels (packaging and contents included) must be within the following limits:

Weight: less than or equal to 30 kg. For the Chrono Relais service: less than or equal to 20 kg;

Minimum dimensions: 30 cm x 21 cm, minimum thickness 3 cm or 200 grams;

Maximum dimensions: the sum of the length + 2 x the height + 2 x the widths must not exceed 300 cm, with the length not exceeding 150 cm. For the Chrono Relais service: the sum of the length + 2 x the height + 2 widths must not exceed 250 cm, with the length not exceeding 100 cm.

 

If the parcel does not meet these size and weight requirements, it is shipped at the Sender’s risk and CHRONOPOST will be exempt from liability.

 

3. SERVICE RESTRICTIONS 

In general, CHRONOPOST cannot accept: 

- any goods within the scope of domestic or international regulations on dangerous products such as, but not only, ammunition; gases; or inflammable, radioactive, toxic, infectious, or corrosive materials; or any objects that by their nature or packaging may endanger drivers or handling personnel, the environment, or transport vehicle safety, or that may damage the other parcels being transported, vehicles, or third parties;  

- jewelry; clocks and watches; precious stones and metals; coins; currency; banknotes; financial instruments or transferable securities; payment instruments or means; debt securities or commercial paper; gift certificates; telephone cards or their equivalent; or in general, any paper document or other fungible medium that makes payment possible and/or is subject to cash-in-transit law;

- animals of any kinds living or dead; plants in all forms; goods under controlled temperature; perishables products or goods; biological or blood sample; organs; or any product subject to suspended excise taxes;

- all types of weapons including imitation weapons; narcotics; psychotropic drugs; pieces of art, artwork; antiques; collector’s goods; or publications or audiovisual materials prohibited by any applicable law; 

- responses to calls for tenders; prequalification files in the context of procurement contract awards; application files and copies of examination papers: and all prototypes. 

 

CHRONOPOST cannot accept any items for international shipment that fall within the scope of the restrictions above, or any furs or items barred from importation into the destination country.

 

The Sender undertakes to inform CHRONOPOST of any non-obvious particularities of the good that may affect how the transportation service is performed.

 

If the Sender consigns objects or documents to CHRONOPOST that are within the scope of the restrictions above, such items will be shipped at the Sender’s sole risk and CHRONOPOST will be exempt from liability. The Sender will therefore be liable for any consequences related to the failure to comply with such restrictions and for any harm caused to third parties and/or to CHRONOPOST. 

 

In the event of non-compliance with the above provisions, CHRONOPOST may dispose of the parcels in a reasonably expedient manner, in particular to abandon their forwarding, and Sender agrees to indemnify CHRONOPOST for all the consequences resulting for the latter, regardless of their nature.

 

If the Sender consigns goods to CHRONOPOST subject to paid excise taxes, without prejudice to the above restrictions, the Sender will comply with the applicable regulatory constraints, in particular as regards traceability, in order to be in a position to certify, if necessary, correct handling of such taxes, such that CHRONOPOST may never be involved or held liable on that score.

 

4. SENDER’S OBLIGATIONS 

  • Contents: the Sender is held liable for any damage that may be caused to third parties and/or to CHRONOPOST by a parcel that does not comply with the restrictions described in the above article and for any consequences relating to non-compliance with such restrictions.

  • Mandatory information: the Sender is liable for the information on the consignment note created on the Website, in particular the information related to the surname and first name for natural person, business name for legal entity, and also the geographic address of the addressee (including the door code), telephone number, and/or email address. Those mandatory information must be precise, correct, and complete so that delivery in normal conditions is possible. 

  • Packaging: parcels must be prepared and conditioned in a secure environment. They must be packed in a closed and resistant packaging, suitable for the contents and meets the various transport requirements, including continuous handlings. Failing this, parcels is carried at the Sender’s sole risk and peril. The Sender undertakes to pass on his/her parcel(s) to CHRONOPOST after having securely stamped the waybill(s) published on the chronopost.fr website. Each parcel must be covered by a waybill with a distinctive parcel reference. These waybills must be affixed to the flat surface of the parcel, the barcode must be visible and clearly printed. In the event that the waybill affixed to the parcel is not properly affixed, badly positioned, unreadable, partially hidden, soiled, or does not allow the bar code to be read, CHRONOPOST cannot be held responsible for any delay in delivery.

  • Weight: the Sender will indicate the parcel’s weight, which will be reported on the consignment note. CHRONOPOST reserves the right to correct any error in or omission of the weight on the basis of indications provided by weighing equipment inspected periodically. 

  • Customs formalities: in the event that customs formalities must be completed, the exporter and/or importer gives a direct representation mandate to CHRONOPOST in its capacity as Registered Customs Representative, in order to act in its name and on its behalf in the context of customs declarations. Customs clearance services shall be invoiced in accordance with the provisions of the GTC’s Article 10 “PRICE”.

The exporter and/or the importer must submit all necessary documents for the completion of customs formalities complying with applicable regulations, and to provide its EORI number and its intracommunity VAT if applicable. The Sender will be required to pay any expenses borne by CHRONOPOST in the event of an inaccurate declaration and any charges incurred by the addressee which have not been paid by the latter. Unless otherwise agreed, only DAP shipments (Incoterm ® ICC 2020: Delivery At Place) are accepted by CHRONOPOST. No parcel may be shipped under the temporary exports regime. CHRONOPOST cannot be held responsible for any act or omission attributable to the exporter and/or the importer or the Customs department. The exporter and/or the importer will be solely liable for any financial consequences stemming from declarations or documents that are inaccurate, incomplete, inapplicable or provided late, and for any failure of regulations, including customs, that might result in CHRONOPOST’s having to pay duties, additional taxes or a fine to the authority in question. The mandate given to CHRONOPOST does not include representation in the context of a dispute with customs administration. 

A support tool for customs procedures is available on www.chronopost.fr. 

 

5. RIGHT TO INSPECT PARCELS – EXPORT CONTROL

In the context of customs or security inspections, Sender agrees that CHRONOPOST, in its capacity as an authorized agent, or any government authority, including the customs, may at any time open and inspect parcels entrusted to CHRONOPOST, without its being possible for exercising of this right to in any way affect the fact that the sender will remain solely responsible for the veracity of their declarations.

Furthermore, the Sender is hereby informed that all parcels loaded onto aircraft are likely to be subject to safety inspections which may involve the use of X-rays.

If after having suspended the shipment for safety reasons or controls, CHRONOPOST fails within a reasonable period of time to obtain the instructions of the Sender or the addressee, and/or the documents necessary for the resumption of the shipment, CHRONOPOST will be entitled to destroy the parcel or dispose of it, without it’s liability being held for account.  

 

For international shipments, the Sender represents and warrants that it complies with all applicable national and international export control regulations, and in particular that it complies with any restrictive measure or embargo imposed by an international organisation.  The Sender ensures that it will not entrust CHRONOPOST with parcels, if the Sender or any third party concerned by the shipment is subject to restrictive measures or placed under embargo by an International Organisation (UN, EU, US, etc.). The Sender acknowledges that it does not appear among the persons or entities identified on any list drawn up by an international organisation, in particular on the “Specially Designated Nationals List” (SDN) issued by the OFAC (US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control), and that it will not entrust CHRONOPOST with parcels to an addressee who appears on those lists. 

Failing this, CHRONOPOST reserves the right to (i) suspend or interrupt the delivery, (ii) give to the competent authorities all required information and apply the procedure required by them, including the destruction of the parcel at the expense of the Sender, and this without CHRONOPOST’s liability being held for account. 

 

6. ACCEPTANCE / DELIVERY 

Parcels may be dropped off in CHRONOPOST offices, post offices, or Relais Pickup agencies.

 

Deliveries are not made to TSA, Cedex, Boîte Postale, CS, Libre Réponse, or Poste Restante addresses.

For pickup on request (POR), pickup is made at the address the Sender indicates on the consignment note.

 

Upon delivery, the addressee must accurately and completely report all damage or loss of content in writing on the delivery slip, and sign and date it.

 

The addressee’s digitized signature and any reproduction of it, or any indisputable means of secure identification, constitute proof of delivery of the parcel(s), and the parties acknowledge that such signature has the same legal value as a traditional signature on paper.

 

Any good pending delivery shall be released to the addressee or his/her agent on presentation of an identity document and after the payment of any applicable duties and taxes (VAT, customs duties, dock dues (octrois de mer), other taxes), as well as the customs clearance services performed by CHRONOPOST. For domestic shipments, the amount of time a parcel will be held is indicated on the Website.

 

For national shipments, and unless otherwise specified by the Sender, an interactive delivery service (Predict) is offered to the addressee, who will receive a notification when the parcel is picked up, as well as in the event of an unsuccessful delivery. The addressee could then directly change:

- the date of initial delivery (within a maximum of six (6) business days from the initial date), and/or

- choose another delivery point than the one initially designated by the Shipper, i.e. a local delivery point proposed by CHRONOPOST within the initial delivery perimeter, or choose the address of an identified neighbour or choose a safe delivery location in agreement with CHRONOPOST.

This service is only activated if the addressee's phone number and/or e-mail address are correctly transmitted to CHRONOPOST.

In the event that the addressee communicates an instruction to CHRONOPOST modifying the delivery day, the Sender cannot claim any compensation based on the delay.

 

In case the parties (Sender and/or recipient) have previously agreed on the possibility to collect and/or deliver even in the absence of the sender or the recipient, the service is deemed to be perfectly performed on the sole basis of the mentions of computerised tracking established by CHRONOPOST.

 

7. LIABILITY

7.1 LOSS/DAMAGE

CHRONOPOST is liable in the event of proven loss or material damage caused to the parcel during transportation, or non-delivery, except when the Sender or addressee is at fault or there is a force majeure event, an inherent defect in the item, or the packaging is inadequate, which constitute cases of exemption from liability.

If established, CHRONOPOST’S liability will, upon presentation of supporting documentation, be held: 

  • for professionals, up to the value of the goods at the time of the loss, the cost of repair, or the direct costs to reconstitute documents, subject to a limit of 250 euros per parcel. 
    However, for Chrono Classic, and Chrono Relais Europe services, compensation is limited to 33 euros per kilogram and cannot exceed 1000 euros per parcel, upon presentation of supporting documentation.

  • for consumers, in accordance with the provisions of the standard transport contract applicable to public road transport, shown in Appendix II of article D3222-1 of the Transport Code. 

7.2 LATE DELIVERY

CHRONOPOST cannot be held liable for late delivery in case of force majeure as defined by article 1218 of the Civil Code. The parties agree that a late delivery resulting from a regulatory measure imposed by public authorities due to a pandemic, or any other measure taken by public authorities likely to affect the delivery timeframes, will be considered in particular as a case of force majeure. 

For domestic shipments, delivery times are understood to be for parcel pick-up from Monday through Saturday morning and for a delivery from Monday through Friday, except holidays. Saturday delivery is a possible option.

In the case of a late drop-off (indicated by the employee of the post office, the CHRONOPOST’s agency, or the Relais Pickup and indicated in the parcel tracking or by the presence of a star on the date stamp on the consignment note), the parcel will not be collected until the next day.

For certain coastal islands, the delivery time may be longer by one day. For Corsica, and the day after holidays, delivery may be made during the day without a time commitment.

For international shipments, delivery times are understood to apply for parcel pick-up from Monday through Friday, except for shipments dropped off on Saturday, for which the delivery times run from the following Monday. Deliveries are made on business days, except holidays, in the destination country.

Delivery times per service and per country are available on www.chronopost.fr.

Any damage relating to a late delivery or to a refusal of the parcel as result of a late delivery, likely to be caused as part of the export control, as mentioned in article 5, cannot be subject of any claim for compensation, CHRONOPOST’s liability cannot be held thereby. 

For professionals, CHRONOPOST’s liability will be held only in the event of damage that is proved to result from a delay in delivery caused by CHRONOPOST. CHRONOPOST will pay compensation that may not exceed the price of the transportation, excluding duties, taxes, and miscellaneous costs, upon a written request made in accordance with the procedure set forth in the “Claims” article below.

For consumers, CHRONOPOST’s liability will be held in accordance with the provisions of the standard transport contract applicable to public road transport, shown in Appendix II of article D3222-1 of the Transport Code. 

7.3 COMPENSABLE LOSS

CHRONOPOST shall not be liable for any loss that is not a direct, immediate and predictable consequence of the non-performance of the contract. 

 

8. INSURANCE FOR THE TRANSPORTED PROPERTY

The Sender may insure the contents of its parcel for up to 5,000 euros by paying the corresponding premium, in accordance with the prices and terms indicated on the price lists printed in point of sale or on www.chronopost.fr.

The Sender must declare the value of the property being transported from the first euro, and pay the corresponding premium before shipment.  

The insured value automatically replaces the contractual limit on liability for loss and damage. 

It does not cover consequential damages, loss resulting from delay, or indirect loss (such as lost market, lost profits, lost enjoyment, etc.).

The insurance does not cover goods and documents to which a service restriction applies, the Sender’s or addressee’s fault, defective items, inadequate packaging, acts of terrorism, popular uprisings, riots, conditions of war, or any nuclear damage. Because CHRONOPOST purchases the insurance on the Sender’s behalf, the Sender has a direct remedy against the insurer for compensation of its losses. 

 

9. CLAIMS

Subject to forfeiture and automatic denial, any claim must be addressed in writing specifically to “Customer Service”, the address of which is printed on the bill of lading, by the following deadlines:

  • for domestic shipments: within no more than fourteen (14) days following delivery for consumers and no more than three (3) days following delivery for professionals;
  • for international shipments: within no more than twenty-one (21) days following delivery for any professional or consumer. 

Claims must be explained and must include a description and proof of loss (consignment note, purchase receipt, photographs proving the damage, etc.).

Claims will only be authorized if the transportation price has been paid. 

Unless detailed reservations are expressed by the consignee on the delivery slip, the claimant must prove the damage occurred during transport and establish that such damage is attributable to the transportation.

 

10. PRICE OF THE SERVICE AND PAYMENT METHODS

The service is invoiced according to the destination zone, the type of service ordered, and the actual or volumetric weight of the parcel, depending on the service selected and the price applicable on the order date.

Prices for services are indicated in euros, all taxes included.

In all cases, the price of the transportation service(s) is broken down in detail in the order summary displayed before the order is validated.

For payments made by debit or credit card, the Website has a secure online payment system that scrambles and encrypts the transmission of banking data.

The price is payable in its entirety, using one of the secure online payment methods, upon validation of the order.

Payment occurs:

- when the parcel is picked up, for payments by debit or credit card;

- when the order is placed, for payments made through PayPal.

Professional Senders may sign up for direct debit payment from a bank account. This payment method is activated upon a request made to CHRONOPOST through the My Account page.

If a payment is invalid, incomplete, or nonexistent for a reason attributable to the Payer, the sale of the products will be cancelled and the Payer will be liable for any costs arising therefrom. If applicable, a civil and/or criminal suit may be brought against such Payer.

Under the mandate given to CHRONOPOST, in its capacity of Registered Customs Representative, customs clearance services, in addition to customs duties, dock dues (octrois de mer), VAT, and other applicable taxes, will be paid at the delivery of the parcel, according to the pricing in force depending on to the country of destination and the Incoterm® ICC 2020.

 

11. WITHDRAWAL 

11.1. Withdrawal right 

The right to withdraw applies to the Sender’s orders according to the following terms. 

Only a Sender who is a consumer as defined in Article 1 of the French Consumer Code (“any individual acting for purposes that are outside the scope of their commercial, industrial, artisanal, professional, or agricultural business”), has a right to withdrawal.

The withdrawal right may be exercised before the parcel is loaded, i.e., only if the transportation service that was ordered has not been used, either wholly or partially. 

 

The withdrawal right does not apply to transportation services for which a pickup on request was scheduled or when the parcel was dropped off at a post office, Relais Pickup, or Chronopost office, in accordance with Article L 221-28 of the French Consumer Code. 

A consumer/Sender has fourteen (14) days to exercise their withdrawal right without giving an explanation.

The cooling-off period expires fourteen (14) days after the day the order was placed.  

To exercise their withdrawal right, a consumer/Sender must notify Chronopost of their unambiguous decision by completing the withdrawal paper form, download here, and by sending it to Service Client Chronopost – 29 bis boulevard de la Chanterie 49480 Saint Sylvain d’Anjou, or through the online withdrawal form. The form must be sent before the cooling-off period expires.

11.2. Effects of the withdrawal

If a consumer/Sender withdraws, within 14 days of receiving the withdrawal decision Chronopost will reimburse the price the consumer/Sender paid when they placed their order, using the same payment method the Customer used for the initial transaction and without this generating any costs for the consumer/Sender.

 

12. MEDIATION

If a consumer files a claim and Chronopost’s answer is unsatisfactory or not received within two months of the claim being filed, such consumer may contact the La Poste group’s mediator at: Médiateur du groupe La Poste, Case Postale D160, 9 rue du Colonel Pierre Avia, 75757 Paris Cedex 15, https://mediateur.groupelaposte.com. The mediator has jurisdiction over all disputes concerning all of the services covered by these general terms and conditions of sale. Mediation is free. Consumers may contact the La Poste group mediator directly or through an intermediary (consumers group, attorney, elected official, another mediator, etc.).

 

13. ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE ANTI-BRIBERY LAWS

The parties undertake to respect the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact relating to Human Rights, Labor Rights, the environment, and the fight against corruption, as well as all regulations relating to the fight against terrorism and money laundering. They undertake to respect and maintain in force adequate procedures in order to ensure compliance with all applicable anti-corruption/anti-bribery laws and regulations. As such, each party represents and warrants that it has not and will not give, or will not promise to give, directly or indirectly, a sum of money or any other pecuniary benefit or not, to any person, and in particular any representative of a public authority, for the purpose of influencing any act or decision, in particular in order to obtain commercial advantages or business relations. 

 

CHRONOPOST has a business ethics program including a Business Conduct Code and a Sustainable procurement charter, available on www.chronopost.fr that it undertake to respect. 

 

14. CANCELLATION, INVALIDITY

If any of the provisions of these GTCS is declared void or deemed not written, all the other provisions will continue to apply.

 

15. STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

All lawsuits are time barred one year after the delivery date or the day on which delivery should have been made.

 

16. PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION 

The definitions in Article 4 of European Regulation 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (hereinafter the "GDPR") shall apply.

  • Roles and responsibility: As part of its services, CHRONOPOST may process personal data (hereinafter the "Data") belonging to senders and recipients. Each party is responsible for its own Processing as an "independent or disjoint" Data Controller. The parties undertake to comply with all legal provisions relating to Data protection, in particular the GDPR.

The sender undertakes, prior to the transmission of the Data to CHRONOPOST, to communicate all the information required by Article 13 of the GDPR to the persons concerned. 

The processing conditions are detailed in CHRONOPOST's Data Protection Policy. It is specified that the Data contained in the parcels do not constitute Processing for CHRONOPOST.

  • Use of Data by CHRONOPOST: CHRONOPOST collects and uses the Data transmitted for: 
    • the performance of transport and related services (tracking parcels, sending delivery notifications, managing delivery preferences, correcting addresses, embargo control, customs formalities, exchanges with customer service, etc.); 
    • to measure the level of satisfaction of customers and recipients of CHRONOPOST services via satisfaction surveys (by e-mail or telephone) and the production of statistics;
    • to send offers of similar products and services to CHRONOPOST's sending customers, unless explicitly refused;
    • to enable the implementation of contractual and pre-contractual measures with the sending customer;
    • to improve its services and offers.

CHRONOPOST undertakes not to make any marketing use or any other use unrelated to the performance of transport services and associated services. In particular, CHRONOPOST undertakes not to carry out any prospecting, rental, transfer or exchange of any kind whatsoever in relation to the persons concerned whose Data have been provided by the sending Customer. The Client is however informed that in the context of an optional service offer, the purpose of which is in particular to improve the quality of service, the recipient is offered the possibility of creating a CHRONOPOST account in order to benefit therefrom. In this context, CHRONOPOST is the Data Controller.

  • Recipients of the Data: The recipients of the Data are CHRONOPOST, La Poste and its subsidiaries, as well as its partners, service providers and subcontractors. These recipients are located in the European Union or outside the EU. Transfers outside the EU are carried out under the responsibility of CHRONOPOST and are subject to compliance with the provisions of Chapter V of the GDPR.
  • Security and Confidentiality: CHRONOPOST implements technical and organisational measures to ensure, taking into account the state of the art, a level of security and confidentiality appropriate to the risks presented by the processing and the nature of the Data processed. 
  • Rights: Any data subject may exercise his or her rights at any time. These include the right to rectification, opposition, portability or deletion, as well as the right to limit processing. The form for exercising these rights is available at the following address: https://www. https://www.chronopost.fr/en/rights-personal-data.

 

17. APPLICABLE LAW - JURISDICTION

These terms and conditions are governed by French law.

Any dispute with a professional related hereto lies within the sole jurisdiction of the Commercial Court of Paris.