Terms of sale

This is an English translation of the Conditions générales de vente, provided for convenience. Only the French version is binding.

Article 1. Purpose and scope

These general terms of sale (the “Terms”) govern the subscription to and use of the Lorne & Vale service (the “Service”), provided by LORNE VALE, a French simplified joint-stock company (SAS) with a share capital of €20, registered with the Strasbourg Trade and Companies Register under number 107 702 185, registered office 30 Chemin des Friches, 67500 Haguenau, France, intra-EU VAT number FR52107702185 (“Lorne & Vale”). Contact: contact@lornevale.com, +33 7 67 01 26 69.

The Service is reserved for professionals (companies, associations, sole traders) who use it for the needs of their business (the “Client”). It is not offered to consumers.

The Terms prevail over any document of the Client, including its general terms of purchase, unless Lorne & Vale agrees otherwise in writing. A quote, an order form or special terms signed by both parties prevail over the Terms for what they expressly settle. The Terms are sent to any professional who asks for them.

Article 2. Definitions

• Workspace: the Client’s environment on the web platform lornevale-platform.com and in the iPhone app.
• User: a natural person, employee or agent of the Client, invited by the Client into the Workspace.
• Assistant: the function of the Service that carries out Tasks.
• Task: a request handed to the Assistant, from the first message to its outcome, questions and follow-ups included.
• Recipient: any person the Assistant writes to on the Client’s behalf.
• Record: the history of the actions of the Assistant and of the Users in the Workspace, each entry chained to the one before it, with signed checkpoints.
• Pilot: the first monthly subscription period, described in article 5.
• Client Data: the content and personal data that the Client or its Users place in the Workspace, or that the Assistant receives for the Client.

Article 3. The Service

3.1. The Service lets the Client hand Tasks to the Assistant in a sentence, typed or dictated. The Assistant asks a clear question when an essential detail is missing, writes and sends the emails needed, follows up when there is no reply and reports the outcome. Its functions and rules of action are described in Annex 1.

3.2. The Service includes the web platform for Mac and PC, the iPhone app once it is made available to the Client, French and English, the Record and the data processing agreement (Annex 2).

3.3. Functions that require connecting one of the Client’s mailboxes or calendars (sorting emails, reading and writing the calendar) are available only once the Service offers that connection and the Client has set it up.

3.4. Lorne & Vale may change the Service. A change that removes an essential function is announced at least 30 days in advance; the Client may then cancel without charge before it takes effect.

Article 4. The plans

4.1. Team plan. €249 excluding VAT a month for one company, for 1 to 5 Users, with 100 Tasks a month included, shared between them, with no minimum term.

4.2. Founding price. The first ten (10) Clients on the Team plan pay €149 excluding VAT a month, from the Pilot onwards, and keep that price for as long as their subscription is not cancelled, even if the price of the Team plan changes later. The founding price is offered at ordering while the ten places are not all taken; a place once taken is not freed when its Client cancels. The benefit ends when the subscription ends, whatever the cause, or on a move to another plan. It is attached to the Client and cannot be transferred.

4.3. Business plan. €549 excluding VAT a month for one company, for up to 15 Users, with 300 Tasks a month included, shared between them, and priority support by email, with no minimum term.

4.4. Enterprise plan. Beyond 15 Users, or for a volume of Tasks above the Business plan’s, a price and special terms suited to the Client’s team and volume of Tasks are agreed in writing in a quote, with a security review carried out with its IT team. The plan is invoiced by LORNE VALE and paid by bank transfer.

4.5. Extra tasks. The Task counter goes back to zero at the start of each monthly period; unused Tasks do not carry over. Beyond the Tasks included in the Team or Business plan, a new Task is still accepted and is invoiced at €3.00 excluding VAT (Team) or €2.50 excluding VAT (Business), on the invoice for the following period. Once the subscription is cancelled, no invoice follows: until the end of the current period, only the included Tasks remain available.

4.6. Safety limit. To protect the Service, each period also includes a volume of 30 analysis operations per included Task (3,000 for the Team plan, 9,000 for the Business plan), raised by the same amount for each block of extra Tasks started, a block being as many Tasks as the plan includes (100 for the Team plan, 300 for the Business plan). If this volume is reached before the end of the period, new analyses wait for the start of the next period, unless a higher limit is agreed with Lorne & Vale.

4.7. Changing plan. Moving from the Team plan to the Business plan, or the reverse, is done on request to contact@lornevale.com and takes effect on the next renewal date. The Tasks of each period are counted and invoiced under the plan in force during that period. The Workspace accepts at most the number of Users of the plan (5 for the Team plan, 15 for the Business plan); to add more, the Client changes plan.

Article 5. The first month: pilot and refund

5.1. Pilot. A new Client’s first monthly period is a 30-day Pilot, invoiced at the monthly price of the chosen plan (article 4). It starts on the day the first period is paid or, for an order on quote, on the set-up day fixed by the quote (“Day 1”), and ends on the thirtieth day (“Day 30”).

5.2. Target. Before any Task, a single target is set in writing (the “Target”) and kept in the Workspace. The Target concerns the Assistant’s work as the Record traces it: times, follow-ups, outcomes or questions returned to the Client. It cannot concern the reply, agreement or behaviour of a Recipient or any other third party, nor the results of the Client’s business. Unless the parties accept another target in writing on Day 1, the Target, shown in the Workspace and repeated in the welcome email, is: “within 7 days, every Task handed over is resolved, with an answer or a question for the Client”. A Task is resolved when the Assistant has returned an outcome containing the answer obtained, or has sent the Client a question or a decision to take. Periods during which the Task waits for an answer, a decision, an access or information from the Client do not count towards the 7 days.

5.3. Tasks counted. The Tasks counted are those handed over by the Users during the Pilot, within the scope of the Service described in Annex 1, that were resolved by Day 30 at the latest or whose 7-day period has ended by that date. Not counted: Tasks cancelled or paused by the Client; Tasks whose execution is prevented by inaccurate or incomplete information from the Client, or by an access it has not given or has withdrawn; Tasks outside the scope of the Service or contrary to article 11; Tasks that meet no real need of the Client’s business, or that are created or conducted in order to make the Target fail.

5.4. Threshold. The guarantee in article 5.6 applies when at least ten (10) Tasks are counted. Below that, the Target cannot be judged and the price of the Pilot remains due.

5.5. Review. No later than the first working day after Day 30, Lorne & Vale sends the Client a written review drawn from the Workspace’s Record, which keeps a trace of each of the Assistant’s actions. The review lists the Tasks counted and those excluded, with the reason. The Client may contest it in writing within 15 days of receiving it, by pointing to the Record entries concerned; otherwise, the review is deemed accepted. Whether the Target is met is established by the Record. A Client who cancels within 7 days of receiving the review does not owe the following monthly period, whatever the result of the review; if that period has already been charged, it is refunded within 14 days.

5.6. Refund. If the Target is not met, Lorne & Vale refunds the price paid for the Pilot, and any VAT invoiced, without the Client having to ask: it issues a credit note and pays the amount back to the card or account used for payment, within 14 days of sending the review, or of its answer to a challenge. The refund does not end the subscription: the Client chooses whether to continue or to stop, under article 7.

5.7. Nature of the commitment. The Target founds a commercial commitment to refund, not an obligation of result. The refund of the Pilot is the only consequence of not meeting the Target; it does not deprive the Client of the rights the Terms give it if Lorne & Vale breaches its other obligations.

5.8. Once per company. The Pilot and its refund guarantee apply only once per Client, identified by its SIREN number, and only once for companies that control each other or are under common control within the meaning of article L. 233-3 of the French Commercial Code.

Article 6. Ordering and set-up

6.1. The Team and Business plans are ordered online, at lornevale-platform.com/start: choice of plan, business email address, company, acceptance of the Terms, then payment by card. The version of the Terms accepted and the time of acceptance are kept with the order. The order becomes firm on payment, confirmed by email. The Enterprise plan is ordered by signing the quote.

6.2. After payment, the Client sets up its Workspace in a few minutes: verification of its address, two-step sign-in, company, first Task and email forwarding. If it prefers, it asks for a 20-minute set-up call with a founder, on a working day offered when ordering or in the Workspace; Lorne & Vale confirms the call within one working day.

6.3. The Client appoints at least one owner User, who administers the Workspace, its roles and its rules.

Article 7. Term, renewal and cancellation

7.1. The subscription runs in successive monthly periods from Day 1. Each period renews automatically for one month, with no minimum term.

7.2. The Client may cancel at any time, from the Workspace or by email to contact@lornevale.com. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current monthly period. The period started remains due, without a pro rata refund, except for the Pilot refund provided for in article 5.

7.3. Lorne & Vale may end the subscription at the end of a monthly period, with 30 days’ notice. It then refunds the sums paid for any period not yet started.

7.4. If a party seriously breaches its obligations and does not remedy the breach within 15 days of a formal notice by email, the other party may terminate as of right, without prejudice to any damages. Serious breaches include a failure to pay and a use of the Service contrary to article 11.

7.5. When the subscription ends, access to the Workspace ends. What happens to the Client Data is governed by article 14.

Article 8. Suspension

8.1. When a card payment fails, the Client is informed by email and the payment is retried automatically. The Service continues for 7 days; after that, and until payment, the Assistant takes no new Task, while the Workspace’s history remains available.

8.2. For an invoice payable by bank transfer, Lorne & Vale may suspend all or part of the Service if payment is still missing 15 days after a reminder.

8.3. Lorne & Vale may suspend the Service without notice, after informing the Client, in the event of clearly unlawful use, a threat to security or a risk to third parties.

8.4. The suspension is lifted as soon as its cause disappears.

Article 9. Prices, invoicing and payment

9.1. Prices are in euros, excluding taxes. VAT is added at the applicable rate where it applies.

9.2. The subscription is invoiced in advance at the start of each monthly period, the Pilot on Day 1. Extra Tasks of a period appear on the invoice for the following period. Invoices are issued by LORNE VALE electronically and remain available in the Workspace.

9.3. The Team and Business plans are paid by card, on ordering and then at each renewal, by automatic charge to the registered card. Payment is processed by the payment provider Stripe: Lorne & Vale never has access to the card number, and the Client may change card at any time from the Workspace. Invoices for the Enterprise plan are payable by bank transfer, on receipt and no later than 15 days after their date of issue. No discount is granted for early payment.

9.4. Any late payment automatically incurs, without prior reminder, penalties calculated at the interest rate applied by the European Central Bank to its most recent refinancing operation plus 10 percentage points, and a fixed indemnity of €40 for recovery costs (articles L. 441-10 and D. 441-5 of the French Commercial Code).

9.5. Lorne & Vale informs the Client of any new price at least 30 days before it applies. A Client who refuses it may cancel without charge before that date. The founding price in article 4.2 is not affected.

9.6. A payment received twice is refunded to the card or account used for payment within 5 working days.

9.7. Any dispute about an invoice is sent in writing to contact@lornevale.com within 30 days of its issue, stating the lines disputed. After that period, the invoice is deemed accepted. The undisputed part remains payable when due.

9.8. A card payment disputed with the Client’s bank for a sum that is due counts as a payment default within the meaning of article 7.4. Fees the payment provider then charges Lorne & Vale may be claimed from the Client, on proof.

Article 10. How the Assistant works

10.1. Sending mandate. The Client authorises Lorne & Vale to send, in its name and on its behalf, the emails needed to carry out its Tasks, within the rules of Annex 1 and the approval rules of its Workspace. The emails are sent from a Lorne & Vale address, with a reply address specific to each sending, so that the Recipient’s reply comes back to the Task.

10.2. Decisions. The Assistant makes no commitment for the Client: a purchase, a booking, a contract or an expense is submitted to the Client for decision. The Client alone judges the decisions it takes on the basis of the information passed on.

10.3. Written content. Messages and outcomes are written by the Assistant through automated analysis and drafting. Despite the Service’s rules and checks, they may contain errors or omissions. A Recipient’s reply is reported as it was received, without verification by Lorne & Vale. The Client checks important information before acting.

10.4. Delivery. Acceptance of an email by the sending provider proves sending, not receipt. Lorne & Vale does not guarantee that an email is delivered, read or answered.

10.5. Transparency. Lorne & Vale may tell Recipients that the message is written and sent by an assistant on the Client’s behalf.

Article 11. The Client’s obligations

11.1. The Client uses the Service in accordance with the law and the Terms. It is responsible for the Tasks it hands over, for the information it provides and for its choice of Recipients, with whom it has a legitimate relationship.

11.2. It refrains from using the Service for mass prospecting, sending unsolicited messages, unlawful or misleading content, infringing the rights of third parties or getting around the limits of the Service.

11.3. It ensures that only its Users access the Workspace, keeps their sign-in details confidential and maintains the two-step sign-in that the Service requires of owners and administrators.

11.4. It places sensitive data (health, full bank details, identity documents) in the Workspace only if a Task truly requires it.

11.5. It informs its Users and, where applicable, the persons concerned of the use of the Service, in accordance with the GDPR.

Article 12. Availability and support

12.1. Lorne & Vale uses reasonable means to keep the Service continuously available, without guaranteeing that it will never be interrupted. Planned maintenance interruptions are announced when possible.

12.2. Support is provided by email at contact@lornevale.com, in French or English, on working days, with priority for the Business and Enterprise plans. A 20-minute set-up call with a founder is included on request (article 6.2).

Article 13. Personal data

13.1. For the Client Data processed in the Workspace, the Client is the controller and Lorne & Vale is its processor within the meaning of article 28 of the GDPR. The data processing agreement (Annex 2) forms part of the contract and applies to all plans. It is sent to the Client on request to contact@lornevale.com.

13.2. For account management, invoicing and business relationship data, Lorne & Vale is the controller, as described in its privacy notice.

13.3. Client Data is hosted in the European Union. The sub-processors and the safeguards covering any transfer outside the Union are listed in Annex 2 and on the Service providers page.

13.4. Lorne & Vale answers any data request (access, correction, export, erasure) within 24 hours and carries it out within one month at most, or within the time limit of article 14.2 for an erasure.

Article 14. Reversibility and erasure

14.1. During the subscription, the Client may at any time export its Data in a structured, commonly used format, from the Workspace settings or on request. It is up to the Client to do so before the subscription ends, the Data then being erased within the time limit of article 14.2.

14.2. No later than one week after the end of the subscription, or after an erasure request from the Client, Lorne & Vale deletes the Client Data. Kept are: invoices and payment records, for the legal period; the Record, six years after each entry, to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; the sub-processors’ logs, for the periods given in the privacy notice. When the Client closes the company from the Workspace settings, erasure runs within minutes; this closure is possible only once the subscription has ended. During a period in progress, the Client may request erasure by email: the subscription then ends at once, the period started remaining due (article 7.2). Backup copies, kept for 7 days at most, then expire on their own.

Article 15. Confidentiality

Each party keeps confidential the non-public information of the other obtained in connection with the contract, for its duration and for 3 years after it ends, unless required by law. The people at Lorne & Vale who access Client Data are bound to secrecy.

Article 16. Intellectual property

16.1. Lorne & Vale keeps all rights in the Service, its software, its app, its content and its brands. It grants the Client, for the term of the subscription, a personal, non-exclusive and non-transferable right to use the Service for the needs of its business.

16.2. The Client keeps ownership of the Client Data and of the outcomes produced for it. It grants Lorne & Vale the right to process them only to the extent needed to provide the Service.

16.3. Lorne & Vale does not use Client Data to develop or train analysis or drafting systems.

Article 17. Liability

17.1. Lorne & Vale is bound by an obligation of means.

17.2. It is not liable for decisions taken by the Client, for the replies, actions or omissions of Recipients, for inaccurate information provided by the Client, for unavailability caused by networks or third-party services beyond its control, or for a use of the Service contrary to the Terms.

17.3. Neither party is liable for indirect damage, such as loss of revenue, customers or opportunity.

17.4. Lorne & Vale’s total liability, for all causes combined, is limited to the amount excluding taxes paid by the Client under the contract in the 12 months before the event giving rise to it.

17.5. These limits do not apply in the event of gross negligence or wilful misconduct, to bodily injury, or where the law prohibits them.

Article 18. Force majeure

Neither party is liable for a failure caused by force majeure within the meaning of article 1218 of the French Civil Code. If the impediment lasts more than 30 days, either party may terminate by email, without compensation; sums paid for the period not performed are refunded.

Article 19. Changes to the Terms

Lorne & Vale may change the Terms. The new version is notified to the Client by email at least 30 days before it comes into force. A Client who refuses it may cancel without charge before that date; otherwise, it applies from the following monthly period.

Article 20. Evidence and notices

The emails exchanged and the Record, each entry of which is chained to the one before it, are evidence between the parties of the exchanges and of the actions carried out in the Workspace, unless proven otherwise. Notices under the Terms are given by email: to contact@lornevale.com for Lorne & Vale, to the address of the Workspace owner for the Client.

Article 21. Subcontracting and assignment

Lorne & Vale may use providers to supply the Service, under the conditions of Annex 2. The Client may not assign the contract without Lorne & Vale’s written consent.

Article 22. Governing law and disputes

The Terms are governed by French law. The parties first seek an amicable solution. Failing that, any dispute falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Strasbourg, including in the event of multiple defendants or third-party proceedings.

Annex 1. Description of the Service and the Assistant’s rules

What the Assistant does

• Receives a Task in a sentence, typed or dictated, with an email address or a company document where needed.
• Asks a clear question, with ready answers, when an essential detail is missing, instead of guessing.
• Writes and sends the emails, watches for the reply and follows up after 24 hours without a reply; after two follow-ups without a reply, it asks the Client whether to wait or to contact someone else.
• Sorts incoming emails when the Client’s mailbox is connected: summary, urgency, points to clarify and a reply to review.
• Reports the outcome clearly, with each step kept in the Record.

The rules it follows

• It writes only to addresses that appear in the Task or in the Client’s answers.
• It sends at most 6 emails over 7 days for the same Task.
• It submits every purchase, booking, contract and expense to the Client.
• Any Task can be paused, resumed or cancelled at any time.
• The owners, administrators and managers of the Workspace decide who can hand over Tasks and who approves what.

Where it works

• Web platform in Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox, with nothing to install; iPhone app with Face ID and dictation, once it is made available.
• French and English, in the app, on the web and in the emails it writes.

Security

• Each document is encrypted (AES-256-GCM) with a key of its own, protected by X25519 and ML-KEM-1024, with keys specific to each company.
• Each entry of the Record is chained to the one before it (SHA-256); its checkpoints are signed (ML-DSA-87, SLH-DSA and Ed25519).
• Two-step sign-in on the web, Face ID on iPhone, access rules on every table of the database.
• Data and application hosted in the European Union; names, email addresses and other identifiers detected are replaced by tokens before anything is sent for analysis.

Outside the scope of the Service

Phone calls, postal mail, payments, signatures, steps that require being physically present, and any Task that is unlawful or contrary to article 11.

Annex 2. Data processing agreement

The data processing agreement, made under article 28 of the GDPR, is a separate document that forms part of the contract (article 13.1). It is sent to the Client on request to contact@lornevale.com.