Terms of service
Hi! My name is Simone Michiels, the person who started The Bookworm in 2025.
How awesome of you that you are here reading my terms and conditions. I totally understand that reading another set of terms and conditions isn’t necessarily the highlight of your day, however, it is important that you take a bit of time to read about our agreements. This way we keep misunderstandings to a minimum.
1. Please allow me to introduce myself
My name is Simone Michiels and I am the owner of The Bookworm, an online bookstore located in Rotterdam. To be more precise: Ben Websterstraat 22, 3069XJ Rotterdam. I am registered as a business owner at the chamber of commerce (Kamer van Koophandel) under this number: 72151390. And my VAT number (BTW nummer) is NL001809408B52.
If you would like to email me, feel free to do so to this address: info@thebookworm.eu
2. Definitions
Let’s look at some definitions of words that I will be using in these terms and conditions:
I / me / mine: The small business The Bookworm in Rotterdam. Ben Websterstraat 22, 3069XJ. Chamber of commerce (Kamer van Koophandel) number 72151390.
You / Your: the natural or legal person who has entered into an agreement with me. The natural or legal person who is not acting in the exercise of profession or business and enters into a distance contract with me.
We / us: you and me
Website: www.thebookworm.eu
3. Applicability of these terms and conditions
My terms and conditions apply to every offer made by me, and to every distance contract concluded between you and me.
It could be that we decide to do things a bit differently than we initially agreed on. This means we need to make new agreements that are different from these terms and conditions. These new agreements are only valid in writing.
Before you buy something from me, the text in these terms and conditions will be offered to you. If this is not possible for whatever reason, I will let you know how you can obtain these terms and conditions, before we come to an agreement. If necessary, I will physically send them to you, free of charge.
Do you also have terms and conditions? Please be aware that your terms and conditions do not apply, and are rejected by me. We will be working under my terms and conditions.
4. The agreement
The agreement between you and me is established by acceptance of my offer by you.
If you accept my offer digitally, I will confirm digitally. If I don’t confirm it to you digitally, you can dissolve the agreement.
We can only make changes to our agreement by mutual consent. If you want to change something about our agreement, let me know as soon as possible. I will do the same. If I want to change something about our agreement, I will let you know as soon as possible.
If changes need to be made to the agreement, this will be done in writing, and it only applies when we both have given our written approval.
I have taken all the actions available to me to assure that paying for your product or service on my website is secure. Your personal data is stored only as long as necessary to fulfill our agreement, and to fulfill my legal / tax obligations.
I can – within the legal frameworks – inform myself whether you are up to your payment obligations, as well as all those facts and factors that are important for a responsible conclusion of the distance contract. If I, on the basis of this investigation, have good reasons to not enter into the agreement with you, I am allowed to refuse any order or request.
5. My offer
Yes! You have decided to buy a product from my website.
If my offer has a limited period of validity, or is subject to certain conditions, this will be stated in the offer.
The offer on the website is non-binding in nature. I am entitled to change and adjust the offer.
My offer contains an accurate description of the offered items, digital contents or services. I will always try my best to give a description that is as accurate as possible of the offer, so that you can make an accurate judgement.
In the event that you can’t see what you’re buying in real life, for instance when you order online, I will provide pictures of the product. These pictures will be as accurate as possible.
However please keep in mind that colors might appear differently on different screens when you buy something online. I will always try to present the colors as accurately as possible.
All images, specifications and data in the offer are an indication and cannot be a reason for compensation or dissolution of the distance contract.
If you wish to see more images before purchasing a product, you can send me an email.
My offers will contain any information needed for you to know what your rights and obligations are.
Obvious mistakes or obvious errors in the offer do not bind me.
6. Changing my terms and conditions
You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time at this page
I am allowed to change my terms and conditions or add information, at any time. If changing my terms and conditions affect our agreement, I will inform you of course. If you don’t agree with these changes, you have to let me know as soon as possible, but within 14 days, in writing via email. If you don’t do this, I will assume that you agree with the changes.
7. Prices
The prices of my products and services are as stated on my website. Unless there is a very clear mistake being made. In case of printing and typesetting errors, I am not obliged to deliver the product according to the incorrect price.
All my prices are in Euros and with VAT included. This does not apply to products offered second-hand by me (these products are free of VAT).
During the validity period stated in the offer, the prices of the products offered will not be increased, except for price changes due to changes in statutory VAT rates.
Notwithstanding the previous sentence, I may offer products whose prices are subject to fluctuations in the financial market and over which I have no influence, with variable prices. This link to fluctuations and the fact that any prices mentioned are target prices shall be stated in the offer.
Price increases within 3 months after the conclusion of the agreement are only allowed if they are the result of statutory regulations or provisions (think of the VAT rate).
Price increases from 3 months after the conclusion of the agreement are only allowed if the Entrepreneur has stipulated them and:
they are the result of statutory regulations or provisions; or you have the authority to terminate the agreement as of the day on which the price increase takes effect.
If prices change due to decisions of our government, the charges will be passed on to you.
When you order something from my shop you can immediately pay with Ideal or Credit card. In other cases you will receive an invoice via email and you must pay within 14 days of the invoice date.
If you want to order something, but you can’t use any of the available payment methods, please send me an email.
8. Compliance agreement and additional warranty
I guarantee that the products and/or services comply with the agreement, the specifications stated in the offer, the reasonable requirements of soundness and/or usability and the legal provisions and/or government regulations in force on the date the agreement was concluded. If agreed, I also guarantee that the product is suitable for other than normal use.
An additional guarantee provided by me, my supplier, manufacturer or importer never limits the legal rights and claims that the you can assert against me under the agreement if I have failed to fulfil my part of the agreement.
An additional guarantee is understood to mean any obligation of me, my supplier, importer or manufacturer in which I grant you certain rights or claims that go beyond what I am legally obliged to do in the event that I have failed to fulfil my part of the agreement.
Any defects or incorrectly delivered products must be reported to me in writing within 4 weeks of delivery. Products must be returned in their original packaging and in new condition. This does not apply to second-hand products.
Compliance agreement and additional warranty are more limited for second-hand products. A second-hand product does not have the same properties as a newly offered product, according to the socially accepted standards. When buying a second-hand product, you accept that it does not have the same qualities as a new product.
9. Delivery and execution
I will always take the utmost care when receiving and executing your order for products.
Your order will be sent to the address that you have made known to me (so please always check your address when ordering products).
I will always execute orders with speed and efficiency, but at the latest within 7 days, unless a longer delivery period has been stated on the website and you have agreed to this longer delivery period.
If delivery is delayed, or if an order cannot or can only be partially carried out, you will be informed of this no later than 2 days after you placed your order. In this case you have the right to dissolve our agreement immediately without cost. You have no right to compensation. If you dissolve the agreement because the delivery is delayed, or an order cannot or can only be partially carried out, I will refund the amount paid as soon as possible, but at the latest within 14 days after you have dissolved the agreement.
All the delivery times are an indication. You can’t derive any rights from any delivery times mentioned. Exceeding the delivery time doesn’t give you right to compensation.
If delivery of an ordered product proves impossible, I will make an effort to provide a replacement item. At the latest upon delivery, it will be communicated in a clear and comprehensible manner that a replacement article is being delivered. With replacement articles, the right of withdrawal cannot be excluded.
The risk of damage and / or loss of products rests with me until the time of delivery to you, or a previously designated and made known to me, representative, unless otherwise expressly agreed.
10. Payment
Unless we agree otherwise, the amounts owed by you to me, must be paid directly by you.
You have the duty to report inaccuracies in payment details provided, or mentioned immediately and in writing to me.
In case you don’t pay, I (subject to legal restrictions) have the right to charge the reasonable costs made. I will have to let you know in advance.
11. Intellectual property
I own all the rights to my artwork, and images on this website and social media, made by me. Art made by me may never be reproduced without buying the full or partial rights by you, or without written permission from me, nor is it allowed to make any changes to the work.
12. Force majeure
In a case of force majeure, I don't have to fulfill my obligations to you.
But what exactly is force majeure? Force majeure are unforeseeable circumstances that prevent me from fulfilling my contract. It refers to a situation where the performance of a contractual obligation has become impossible for a party due to an event which was beyond their control
Some examples of force majeure
- Illness
- Non-delivery or late delivery by suppliers or other third parties engaged
- Governmental actions
- Strikes
- A pandemic
- Passing away
- Fires
In case of force majeure on my side, I have the option to temporarily suspend the performance of the agreement. I will notify you if this happens.
If fulfillment of the agreement is impossible for longer than a month, or permanently impossible due to the force majeure, the agreement can be dissolved, by either one of us.
13. Complaints procedure
When you buy something from my webshop, I hope you are a happy customer. If not, you can file a complaint.
It’s my obligation that I have sufficiently publicized complaints procedure, and that I handle complaints in accordance with this complaints procedure.
If you want to file a complaint about the performance of our agreement, you have to do this within 7 days after you found the defect, in writing to me. You describe the complaint clearly to me.
If you submit a complaint, you will be answered by me within 14 days from the day I have received the complaint. It might be the case that I need a foreseeably longer processing time, I will respond within 14 days to let you know I received your complaint, and will give you an indication of when you can expect a more detailed answer.
If you have a complaint, you should always first turn to me.
A complaint does not suspend my obligations, unless I indicate otherwise in writing.
If I find a complaint justified, I will, at my discretion, either replace or repair the delivered products free of charge.
14. Disputes and applicable law
It can happen that a conflict arises. Did a conflict arise? We will try to resolve this together first. If we can’t resolve it together, we can always take it to court.
On agreements between you and me to which these general terms and conditions apply, only Dutch law applies. Also if you live in another country.
15. Shipping and returns
Orders are usually shipped by registered mail with Postnl, or Deutsche Post/ DHL. The ordered items will ship 2-3 weeks after fulfillment of the payment, or after finishing the commissioned work. Depending on demand, I usually ship faster. Once the shipment is processed you will receive an email from me.
If you are located outside of the European Union you are responsible for any extra costs like import taxes, customs duties, or fees levied by the destination country. If you have any questions about import taxes, customs duties or other fees, please contact your local customs office or post office for more information.
16. Right of withdrawal (Herroepingsrecht)
When you receive your order, you are entitled to revoke our contract within fourteen days without giving any reason. I am allowed to ask you what the reason is, but you don’t have to give me a reason.
The cooling-off period is a period of time during which you can change your mind about an agreement that you have made or something that you have decided to buy.
The cooling-off period shall be fourteen days from the date on which you or a third party, designated by you and who is not the carrier, have or has taken the goods in possession.
If your order contains more than one item, the cooling-off period starts on the day you, or a party designated by you, have / has received the last item of the order.
I am allowed to refuse an order that contains items with different delivery times.
In order to exercise your right of withdrawal, you must notify me of your resolution to revoke the contract, in writing. When I have received your notification, I will confirm to you that I have received your notification.
The revocation period shall be deemed complied with if you dispatch the notice on the exercise of the right of revocation before expiration of the revocation period. So what this means; if you want to use your right of withdrawal, let me know within 14 days.
You are only liable for any diminished value of the product resulting from the handling of the product which goes beyond what is permitted, see 13 Obligations of the customer during the cooling-off period
Digital content is excluded from the right of revocation, due to the inability to return without being sure that the consumer does not have a copy on a durable medium.
Gift cards are also excluded from the right of revocation.
17. Obligations of the customer during the cooling-off period
During the cooling-off period, you will handle the product and the packaging with the utmost care.
You will only unpack or use the item to the extent necessary to check the nature and the characteristics of the item, to determine the operation of the product, and to decide if you want to keep the product or not.
If you handle the item in a way that goes beyond what is permitted as stated above (16. Obligations of the customer during the revocation period), you are liable, and only then, for the resulting reduction in value of the item.
You are not liable for the reduction of value of the item, if I haven’t provided you with all legally required information about your right to withdrawal before or during the conclusion of our agreement.
18. Using your right to withdrawal and the costs thereof
If you want to use your right to withdrawal, make it clear to me within the 14 days (as explained above in 1. Right to withdrawal (Herroepingsrecht) ).
After you have notified me that you’re using your right to withdrawal, you, or a designated third party, will send the item back to me as soon as possible, but within 14 days.
You don’t have to do this when I have offered to you to pick up the item.
You will send the item and any accessories back to me in their original state, as far as this is reasonably possible. So always keep the packaging material when you have unpacked the item and you’re inspecting it.
I will send you instructions on how to send it back to me, you follow these instructions.
The risk and the burden of proof for the correct and timely exercise of the revocation right lie with you.
If you revoke this contract, I shall repay to you all payments that I have received from you, including the cost of delivery (except additional cost resulting from your choice of any other kind of delivery than the least expensive standard delivery offered by me).
When you have ordered more than one item, and you decide to return only part of the order, I don’t have to pay back the shipping costs that you originally paid to have the items shipped to you.
I may reject repayment until I receive back the items.
I will use the same means of payment that you used for paying, for reimbursements. Unless we agree to another method. The refund is free of charge for you.
You will return to me, whether by shipping it or delivering it to me in person, the items without any delay. Not any later than fourteen days from the date on which you notified me on the revocation of the contract.
You will have to pay the direct costs of return shipment of the items.
The right of revocation does, among others, not exist in respect of contracts:
● on the delivery of goods that are not prefabricated, and for the manufacture of which an individual choice or designation by the consumer is relevant, or which are clearly customized to the personal needs of the consumer.
● Digital products and gift cards
19. Gift cards
Gift cards are valid for 2 years from the date of purchase.
A gift card from The Bookworm can only be used at The Bookworm online bookshop.
A gift card from The Bookworm can not be exchanged for money.
Please don't lose the gift card or the code on the gift card. If you lose the gift card, or the code on the gift card, The Bookworm is not liable.
I may transfer my rights to others. You may only do so after I have given my written permission.
Congratulations! You’ve read all the terms and conditions.