Terms of Service

1. Purpose

Culture Guides connects independent cultural guides and mediators (the “guides”), cultural venues (museums, galleries, workshops) and clients wishing to book a tour, workshop, talk or mediation session.

It supports two kinds of connection: a client booking an activity (Part A), and a guide answering a listing published by a venue looking for a guide (Part B).

Culture Guides does not organise the activity itself: it is delivered by the guide, who is solely responsible for it.

2. Verification of guides and venues

Every guide submits a professional card or equivalent document, a SIRET business number, a professional liability insurance certificate and an identity document. A venue submits its SIRET number, its insurance certificate and the identity document of its legal representative.

The “Verified” badge is granted after these documents have been reviewed by the Culture Guides team.

3. Booking and payment

A booking is confirmed once payment is captured by Stripe.

The displayed price is set by the guide, taxes included. Culture Guides charges a 15% commission on the booking amount; the remainder is paid to the guide.

4. Cancellation

Clients may cancel and be fully refunded up to 48 hours before the activity starts. After that, no refund is due. If the guide cancels, the client is fully refunded.

5. Publishing a listing and applying

A verified venue may publish a listing stating the service required, the location, the date or recurrence, the language, the group size and the fee offered to the guide. Verified guides may apply, optionally proposing their own fee.

The venue freely chooses the guide it selects. No application creates an obligation to hire, and no listing creates an obligation to apply. The connection takes effect when the venue selects an application.

6. Invoicing and guide remuneration

For services arising from a listing, the advertised fee is the net amount due to the guide. Culture Guides’ commission, equal to 10% of that fee, is added on top and borne by the venue. The total invoiced to the venue is therefore the guide’s fee plus that commission.

Self-billing mandate. In accordance with Article 289, I-2 of the French General Tax Code, the guide mandates Culture Guides to issue, in the guide’s name and on the guide’s behalf, the invoices for services arising from a listing. The guide remains responsible for their own tax and social security obligations, may contest each invoice within the applicable period, and may revoke this mandate at any time from their account, with effect for future services.

Value added tax. The guide declares their VAT status on registration and informs Culture Guides of any change. Invoices issued for a guide benefiting from the French small-business VAT exemption bear the statement “TVA non applicable, article 293 B du CGI”. The guide alone bears the consequences of an inaccurate declaration.

7. Payment by the venue

The venue pays either by card when it selects a guide, or against an invoice. In the latter case, payment falls due within 30 days of the invoice date.

Late payment automatically incurs interest at the rate applied by the European Central Bank to its most recent refinancing operation, increased by ten percentage points, plus a fixed recovery charge of 40 euros, in accordance with Article L. 441-10 of the French Commercial Code.

The guide’s fee is paid after the service has been delivered and the venue’s payment has actually been received.

8. No employment relationship

Guides operate entirely independently. They organise their own work, set or negotiate their fee, and remain free to accept or decline any listing. These terms create no relationship of subordination and no employment contract, whether between the guide and Culture Guides or between the guide and the venue, save for any separate agreement concluded directly between them.

9. Rules of use

Users must not publish unlawful, abusive or discriminatory content. Contact details are hidden until a booking or an assignment is confirmed. Any content can be reported from the app; Culture Guides may remove it and suspend the account concerned.

10. Guide obligations

Guides declare that they operate lawfully and hold the necessary authorisations and insurance. They undertake to honour accepted bookings and the assignments for which they have been selected.

11. Liability

Culture Guides is responsible for the proper operation of the platform. The quality and safety of the activity are the guide’s responsibility.

12. Governing law

These terms are governed by French law. Consumers may use a consumer mediation service free of charge.