General Liability Disclaimer (GLD)

The client understands and agrees to the following:

IdeaMerge, LLC, and/or its affiliates ("IdeaMerge") provides its services subject to the following disclaimer.

IdeaMerge, LLC, is an independent intermediate between the client and the rental or lease company. Ideamerge's primary function is to rent cars, campervans, motorhomes and similar recreational vehicles and to lease tax-free short-term French car leases. IdeaMerge exercises good faith and reasonable skill, care and diligence to ensure that proper arrangements have been made for your rental or lease.

IdeaMerge makes reasonable efforts to represent only reputable rental and lease companies. The rental and lease companies listed on IdeaMerge's website are believed to be reputable and engaged in the business that they purport. The inclusion or exclusion on the website of any company, person or entity, however, does not guarantee the suitability of their services, products or vehicles.

IdeaMerge makes every effort to keep the information on its site current and up to date, but cannot guarantee the site is free of errors or omissions. IdeaMerge retains the right to update or change the information on the site at any time.

The rates and other prices on the website apply to new bookings only; they do not apply retro-actively, i.e. to existing bookings.

The rates and other prices on the website are often heavily discounted. Occasionally a rate or other price may be displayed incorrectly due to an error or omission. If you send us a request with an incorrect rate or price, we will notify you of the correct rate or price as soon as possible and give you the option to proceed or cancel.

The rental contract is between the rental or lease company and the client. That contract and any information presented by the rental or lease company to the client govern the terms and conditions of the client's rental or lease and supersedes all correspondence from IdeaMerge and all information on IdeaMerge's website.

IdeaMerge does not own, control, operate or manage the operations of any rental or lease company, rental or lease company contractor(s), roadside assistance company, campground or any other third party. IdeaMerge does not offer or provide roadside assistance. The rental or lease company is responsible for the condition and operability of the rental or lease vehicles and the operation of the roadside assistance.

As such IdeaMerge, and its agents, shall not be liable for any negligence, omission, bankruptcy, breach of contract, misrepresentation, or similar act committed by a rental or lease company, its employees, agents, contractors or any other third party that causes any type of loss or injury to the client. These losses include physical or emotional injury, property damage, economic damage, and all other types of damage or loss.

Further, IdeaMerge is not liable for any loss or injury resulting from a vehicle substitution, such as a vehicle downgrade or upgrade, or other changes imposed by a rental or lease company.

Persons who operate or travel in motor vehicles do so at their own risk. This applies in all countries, including those where the client is not familiar with the local traffic laws, road signs, parking restrictions, driving practices or vehicles or does not speak and understand the local language. The client agrees to assume all risks directly or indirectly involved in such travel.*

As such, IdeaMerge does not warrant the safety of the client and is not liable for any loss or injury suffered by a client that is caused by the rental or lease vehicle, any collision or accident, any hotel, campground or similar accommodation, any third-party transportation or other service, any criminal act, any act of a governmental authority, any act of God or act beyond IdeaMerge's control. For any loss or injury caused by the circumstances described above, the client agrees to seek redress against a third party and not IdeaMerge.

The vehicle may be equipped with an electronic GPS positioning system. You agree that this equipment may be used to trace the vehicle, to find its exact position, and to shut down the vehicle, if necessary.

The vendor may store the client's personal data. The vendor may forward these data, via appropriate authorities, to third parties with a justified interest, if the client actually behaves dishonestly regarding the rental or if the vendor has sufficient reason to believe such behavior will occur. For example, such transfer of client information may occur if the information provided by the client to complete the rental process is incorrect or misleading in essential points or if the vehicle is not returned within 24 hours of the expiry of the rental or lease period) or if claims have to be made in judicial proceedings or if cash checks presented by client are not honored or if the client fails to notify the vendor about a technical defect, road traffic offense or similar.

IdeaMerge recommends the client purchase travel insurance and/or trip cancellation insurance to insure against the risks of any unexpected occurrence or loss.

IdeaMerge remains responsible for any negligent act of its own. Any claim against IdeaMerge must be filed in writing within 30 days after completion of the rental or lease period. The exclusive venue for any claim or action against IdeaMerge shall be the State of Oregon, USA and shall be adjudicated under the jurisdiction and laws of Oregon, USA. The sole extent of IdeaMerge's liability shall not exceed the amount actually paid by the client to IdeaMerge. Claims against a rental or lease company or other third party may be subject to different rules.

Please review all other IdeaMerge notices and policies posted on the website; they govern a visit to our website. IdeaMerge retains the right to change its policies, disclaimers and conditions at any time.

If any of the above disclaimers, or part thereof, is deemed invalid or unenforceable, the invalid part shall be severed and shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any remaining disclaimers.

* For more information related to travel risks, please see the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) http://www.asirt.org.

General Legal Notices

1) Insurance

In an effort to best represent our vendors and benefit our clients, IdeaMerge presents insurance information on its website. However, IdeaMerge does not offer or provide insurance. Rather, all insurance and insurance products are provided by the rental or lease company ("vendor") or their insurance company and all issues related thereto are decided by the vendor or their insurance company. You agree to hold IdeaMerge harmless for any damage or loss suffered by you, or anyone in your travel party, that relate to insurance in any way.

2) Vendors

In accordance with vehicle-rental industry standard, the rental or lease company's ("vendor's") terms and conditions and depot addresses are subject to change without notice. Likewise certain fees and taxes imposed by governments are subject to change (or imposition) without notice. Such occurrences are rare and the vendor is obligated to inform IdeaMerge in advance. IdeaMerge in turn endeavors to inform our affected clients about such changes as soon as possible.

3) No Credit Card Transaction Fees

As travelers ourselves, we at IdeaMerge strive to eliminate the cost of doing international business. As such, we do not charge a credit card transaction fee. Compare this to some of our competitors who charge a credit card fee (e.g. 1.95%) on the rental or lease price. We find this cost inappropriate and unnecessary. Regarding payment via PayPal, however, we do charge a 1.5% fee to take non-USD, i.e. non-US dollar, payment via PayPal.

4) Purpose of Vehicle Usage

You must inform IdeaMerge if you are using the vehicle for a purpose other than its primary use of driving and camping or for a special purpose, such as to transport merchandise, professional supplies, filming a movie, etc.

5) Changing or Cancelling a Reservation

a) Changing your Reservation. A request to change your reservation, such as adding an accessory or changing a travel date or city, must be authorized in advance by the vendor. The vendor may charge an invoice-change fee. Please do not expect to make changes when you pick up the vehicle or while traveling.

b) Changes and Cancellation. If you reduce the number of rental days, the motorhome rental vendor may charge a cancellation fee on the days eliminated. If you change the pick-up or return location the motorhome rental vendor may consider it a cancellation and charge a fee. There are no refunds for early vehicle return of a motorhome rental and no refund for unused miles (or kilometers) that have been pre-paid.

c) Cancellation. If applicable, the vendor will charge a fee if you cancel your reservation. These fees are controlled and published by the vendors. We must pass these fees on to our clients. The corresponding, relevant IdeaMerge cancellation fee schedule reflects the particular vendor's cancellation fee schedule and is clearly presented by IdeaMerge during the online reservation process. On rare occasion, the vendor may offer to move your rental or lease to new dates and waive the cancellation fee. Such offer is not guaranteed. We recommend that you purchase travel insurance to address this and other risks. IdeaMerge exercises no control over the vendors’ cancellation policies.

d) Pick-up day cancellation. If you refuse to accept the offered vehicle at the depot, the vendor may consider it a cancellation, impose a fee and deny a refund. These situations are rare and vendors normally try to avoid cancellation, by modifying the offered vehicle or offering a different vehicle.

e) Reasons for Cancelling or Changing. The vendors and hence IdeaMerge do not accept the following as grounds to waive a cancellation fee or grant a refund.

i) Medical reasons.

ii) Flight cancellation due to any reason including those outside of the client's control.

iii) Weather or other acts of God that causes a rental to be delayed or cancelled such as fire, flood, volcano, earthquake, storm, hurricane or other natural disaster.

iv) Any other event, foreseeable or unforeseeable, within or beyond the client's control, that causes a rental to be delayed or cancelled such as a labor interruption, civil strife, terrorist act, war, embargo, blockade, government-imposed travel restrictions or warnings, etc.

v) Changes to the terms and conditions of the insurance, most notably the geographic domain in which the insurance is effective.

6) Vehicle Rental Security Deposit

The car or motorhome rental company requires a security deposit from you when you pick up the vehicle. IdeaMerge has no control over the deposit, its amount, the conditions of return, the vendor's method of charging, etc.

Such deposit is not required when you pick-up a French tax-free short-term car lease.

a) Amount. The amount of the deposit depends on the vendor, although normally it is equal to the vehicle's insurance deductible. Some vendors offer an insurance supplement that reduces the deductible and the security deposit.

b) Requirements. One valid credit card must be used to place the security deposit. The credit card's owner must be present at pick up, sign the rental contract and be a traveler in the vehicle. It is your responsibility to be sure the card has enough credit to suffice for the deposit. Debit cards, cash or travelers checks are not accepted for the security deposit. If you have any questions about your credit card you must ask IdeaMerge in advance. The credit card used to place the deposit may be different than the card used to pay IdeaMerge.

c) Payment. The security deposit is refundable, however the vendor will retain any amount owed for vehicle damage, cleaning expenses, late fees, traffic tickets, etc. Some vendors charge the security deposit to the card and, after return, credit the card for any deposit amount returned. (Typically these vendors do not apply the credit upon the return occasion but rather do so within about a month, this because they often need time to accurately determine the value of the damage.) Some vendors merely authorize the charge by making an imprint of the card and later charge the card for any amounts owed.

d) Cancellation. Failure to pay the security deposit will result in a cancellation of the reservation and no refund will be granted.

e) Reasoning. Paying the security deposit with a credit card is a motorhome and automobile rental industry standard. The vendor is entrusting property worth tens of thousands of US dollars and must take extra precautions. Vendors have found that a person who cannot present a valid credit card is a greater credit risk than one who can.

A car rental executive used the following analogy: "Let's say you're going to a wedding. You can rent a tuxedo with no questions asked. If you destroy the tuxedo you'll be responsible for a couple hundred dollars. However, a rental vehicle is worth $30,000 to $60,000. So it's a numbers game and we need to have some way of being sure that the risk is not higher than it needs to be when we rent a vehicle."

7) Vehicle Damage and Breakdown

Unless we or the vendor explicitly state otherwise, the following are true.

In the case of a motorhome breakdown a replacement motorhome is not guaranteed but rather is subject to availability and other factors. Any refunds for consequent expenses are made by the rental company or their sub-contractors, not by IdeaMerge. There is no guarantee that expenses will be refunded. Normally hotel and transportation expenses are refunded; whereas meals, phone calls and other expenses are not.

Some of the rental and lease depots in Europe do not have an English-speaking employee. Most of the repair shops in Europe do not have an English-speaking employee. If the vehicle breaks down, you must call both the emergency service and the rental company as soon as possible to ensure both parties have notice. Communication between the service and the rental or lease company cannot be guaranteed.

If your vehicle breaks down on a weekend, it will likely not be replaced or fixed until at least the following Monday. (In Europe especially, nearly all repair shops are closed on Sunday, and a majority are closed on Saturday as well.) Of course some such repairs require several days to complete.

If you are involved in an accident of any sort, you should immediately report it to the local police.

During a client's use of a rental motorhome, the vendor is not generally obligated to secure the repair of vehicle features not essential to travel — such as air conditioning, plumbing, the refrigerator, stove, microwave, GPS navigation, radio, CD player, TV/VCR/DVD, other appliances, automatic step, slide-out functionality, awning, generator, cruise control, locks, blinds and propane gas units, among other such features. Which is to say, the client accepts the risk that such features might become and remain inoperable during the rental. Naturally, however, in most cases such repairs are indeed effected with the assistance and, ultimately at least, with the funds of the vendor.

8) Car and Motorhome Rental Exceptions and Exclusions

Unless we or the vendor explicitly state otherwise, the costs associated with the following damages to a rental car or rental motorhome — including towing, recovery, and salvage costs, as well as demurrage costs (i.e. for the duration the vehicle is unavailable due to repairs after the rental) — or the costs associated with the following losses or with the following injuries to persons (whether occupants of the vehicle or not) are excepted or excluded from coverage by the insurance which is associated with the rental. In this following list the word "client" means not only every person who signs the vendor's rental contract but also, by association, that person's or those persons' travel partner(s) and guest(s) in the rental vehicle. Yet only persons whom the vendor lists on said rental contract and who sign and date it are authorized by the vendor to drive the rental vehicle.

9) Reviews, Comments, Communications and Other Content

Visitors may post reviews, comments, photos, questions and other information to our website. The content cannot be illegal, obscene, threatening, defamatory, infringing on any rights, injurious to a third party or contain software viruses. It cannot be political campaigning, commercial solicitation or any form of "spam." You may not use a false e-mail address, impersonate any person or entity, or otherwise mislead as to the origin of the content. IdeaMerge reserves the right to remove or edit such content.

If you do post content or submit material you grant IdeaMerge a nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sublicensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, distribute, and display such content throughout the world in any media. You grant IdeaMerge and sublicensees the right to use the name that you submit in connection with such content. You warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the content that you post; that the content is accurate; that use of the content you supply does not violate this policy and will not cause injury to any person or entity; and that you will indemnify IdeaMerge for all claims resulting from content you supply. IdeaMerge has the right but not the obligation to monitor and edit or remove any activity or content. IdeaMerge takes no responsibility and assumes no liability for any content posted by you or any third party.

10) License and Site Access

IdeaMerge grants you a limited license to access and make personal use of this site with the exceptions below. Any unauthorized use terminates the license granted. The license does NOT grant the right to do the following except with express written consent of IdeaMerge:

a) sale or make commercial use of the site or its contents;
b) collect and use of any product listings, descriptions, or prices;
c) make any derivative use of this site or its contents;
d) download or copy of account information for the benefit of another merchant;
e) use data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools.
f) frame or utilize framing techniques to enclose any trademark, logo, or other proprietary information (including images, text, page layout, or form) g) use any meta tags or any other "hidden text" utilizing IdeaMerge's name or trademarks or
h) download (other than page caching) or modify any portion of the site.

You are also granted a revocable and nonexclusive right to create a hyperlink to the home page of IdeaMerge.com so long as the link does not portray IdeaMerge, or its products or services, in a false, misleading or offensive manner. You may not use any IdeaMerge logo or other proprietary graphic or trademark as part of the link without express written permission.

General Advisories

A. The Vehicle in General

1) Drive Carefully. You are responsible for any vehicle damage you cause, both wilful and by negligence. Be sure the vehicle is low enough to clear overhead obstacles and narrow enough for bridges and roads. Have a person assist you from outside when operating a motorhome in reverse.

2) Test Drive. Test drive the vehicle at and near the depot; if you notice anything unusual, especially the clutch, or see any warning lights on the dashboard, notify the depot immediately.

3) Vehicle Damage. Motorhomes tend to be more expensive to repair than cars, chiefly because the pieces involved — e.g. side panels, windshield, etc — are larger. Thus even surface marks, scratches, and windshield chips cost more. As with car rentals, such damages are not considered normal wear and tear. Your security deposit will be debited for vehicle damage. However, depending on logistics and the severity of damage, a damaged rental vehicle might not be repaired for some time after the rental. In fact the vendor (rental company) is not even obligated to get the damages repaired; as owners or leasers of the vehicle, they might choose to sell the vehicle as-is and thus absorb by way of a lower sale price the cost of damages. Hence it is the industry standard that qualified mechanics employed at or by the vendor estimate the cost of damages and that the vendor charge for damages based on those estimates. Generally vendors try to let cosmetic damages accumulate to a sort of optimal point relative to aesthetic sensibilities, demand for the vehicle, the number of parts (e.g. side panels) involved, and the value of the damages. By thus bundling damages they spread the risk, resulting in increased vehicle availability and an insurance deductible/excess which is lower than it otherwise would be.

4) Problems. You must report any motor or equipment problem, however minor, to the vendor immediately. The vendor must have an opportunity to fix the problem and keep the vehicle safe. You cannot claim, and may be responsible for, damages resulting from unreported vehicle problems.

5) Mobile Phone. Carry a mobile phone with you in case of emergency and confirm with your service provider that you can call toll-free and over-seas phone numbers. Please give IdeaMerge the number so we or the vendor can contact you if necessary.

B. The Vehicle Details

1) Specific Model. The vendors try to provide the model requested but they cannot guarantee a certain vehicle model or layout. For the same price, the vendor reserves the right to substitute a vehicle from the same, an equivalent, or a higher-rated or larger group of vehicles (yet still appropriate to your driver's license and party), according to the vendor's system of grouping vehicles. Any higher third-party costs associated with a larger vehicle — such as campground fees, tolls, and fueling costs — are to be borne by the customer. Moreover, neither the vendor nor IdeaMerge is liable for any loss or injury resulting from a vehicle substitution or associated with the vehicle's size.

2) Vehicle Specifications. In accord with the Specific Model advisory above, all floor plans, images, and most measurements and specifications should be considered approximate, not guaranteed and subject to change at any time without prior notice. They are intended as a guide only.

3) Bed Sizes. IdeaMerge is not responsible if any beds in the vehicle are too small for the passengers. Our website presents the number of sleeping places in each motorhome and the dimensions of each bed. The bed dimensions are on the vehicle specifications page. The information we present is identical to the information we receive from the vendor. Be advised the vendors report that the dimensions of the beds should be considered approximate and might differ slightly from the actual bed size. Nevertheless, we urge you to study the bed sizes very carefully to be sure they are large enough for each passenger in the vehicle. Likewise, if we present multiple models categorized in the same vehicle group you have ordered, you should study the bed sizes of those models, because if you are given a different model than the one you ordered, if will most likely come from that same vehicle group if not from a group of larger vehicles. Please contact IdeaMerge if you have any doubts or require any kind of special sleeping arrangement.

4) Air Conditioning. The type of air conditioning, if any, described per vehicle is typically consistent across the aforementioned particular group of vehicles to which that vehicle is assigned by the vendor and is typically present on any equivalent or higher-rated group of vehicles; however it is possible that exceptions to this rule exist or will occur, in which case it is the responsibility of the vendor and the client to negotiate an agreement regarding the equivalency of any substitute vehicle. With respect to roof air conditioning (i.e. generated by A/C current via the public electrical grid or a generator), note that it is typically not present on all vehicles in a vendor's fleet and that such air conditioning is typically capable of cooling the vehicle interior by no more than 20 degrees Farenheit (6.67 degrees Celsius) relative to the outside air temperature.

5) Manual Transmission. If you have booked a manual transmission vehicle, you must be proficient at operating a manual transmission before you pick up. If you cannot operate the transmission correctly, the vendor might refuse to deliver the vehicle. There are no refunds in these cases. Almost all the motorhomes and campervans available for rental in Europe have a manual transmission rather than an automatic transmission.

6) Vehicle Key. There is one key for all vehicle doors. If the key is lost, or a lock damaged, you will have to pay for new locks.

7) Fueling the Vehicle. Be careful to put the correct fuel in the vehicle. For example, in Europe a diesel fuel pump nozzle is considerably wider than either a leaded gasoline pump nozzle or the even smaller unleaded gasoline pump nozzle and indeed will not fit into either such tank. Consequently a gasoline nozzle will fit into a diesel tank. Therefore, be careful not to put gasoline into a diesel tank. Even a liter of gasoline added to the tank of a modern diesel vehicle can cause irreversible damage to the injection pump and other components due to its relatively low lubricity. A green pump delivers unleaded gasoline or else diesel, a blue leaded gasoline. Diesel pumps are sometimes colored black, sometimes green. Diesel pumps are chiefly signified linguistically, either with the very word diesel or with one of the equivalents: gas-oil, gaz-oil, gasolio, gasóleo, dieselolie, mazot, motorina, or nafta. Make sure you do not mistakenly pull up to a truck diesel pump. The size of the nozzles for the truck pumps versus the car/motorhome pumps is different. A truck fuel nozzle is too big to fit into a car or motorhome's diesel fuel pipe, and the flow rate is much greater. By the way, LPG (i.e. propane) pumps similarly occupy their own island.

C. Picking up

1) Procedure. The depot explains how the vehicle and its equipment function. The pick-up procedure takes about one hour. Ask questions to resolve any doubts and refuse to be rushed.

2) Inspection. Carefully inspect the vehicle's surface. Point out any marks, scratches, etc., to the depot staff. Take time-stamped photos of the vehicle including the roof, or video tape the inspection, so nothing is missed. The depot records vehicle damage on a damage checklist that you will have to sign.

3) Interior. Examine the vehicle's interior to be sure it's clean, all appliances function, all cabinets and windows close properly, etc. The toilet cassette should be cleaned everyday it is used.

4) Insurance. Examine the insurance documentation provided upon the pick-up occasion by the vendor. The terms and conditions of the insurance are subject to change between the time you booked the rental or lease and the pick-up occasion. Again, insurance changes are outside the control of IdeaMerge. Take special note of the geographic domain in which the insurance is effective.

5) Security Deposit. For car and motorhome rentals, you must place a security deposit with a valid credit card in the name of a person who is at the depot and travelling in the vehicle.

6) Depot Parking and storage. At some motorhome rental depots parking is permitted. You must ask in advance. Some motorhome rental depots allow you to store personal items while you are travelling.

7) Changes. Please do not expect to make changes to the booking when you pick up the vehicle or while traveling.

D. Accessories and Equipment

1) Accessories. Make sure all of your requested accessories are included. Check them at the depot to be sure they are in satisfactory condition and tell the staff if you have questions or doubts.

2) Equipment. Make sure all vehicle equipment is included and in satisfactory condition such as the hose, cleaning supplies, etc.

3) Features. Ask how all features work, especially the awning (if present). You will be charged for damage to a vehicle feature. Some features, such as the awning and bike rack, are not guaranteed, because the vehicle might be delivered directly from the factory with no time for installation.

4) GPS Units. Test the GPS unit (if present) to be sure it works correctly. Note: it might be less expensive and more effective for you to buy a GPS navigation device before your trip, load it with the appropriate software, and program it with points of interest. Special navigation software for large vehicles (motorhomes, trucks) is now on the market, from the likes of Magellan and Rand McNally.

5) Manuals. Check whether the vehicle manual is in the vehicle and in a language you can understand.

6) Maps and Guides. Please bring a road map and at least two campground guides with you (if you plan to camp), either in book or software form. Be sure they are up-to-date, as such information changes frequently. Do not rely on the vendor's maps and guides (if present), as they might not be satisfactory.

7) LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) for heating and cooking (alias "camping gaz" or "propane"). Ask the depot for appropriate LPG connectors/adapters for each country you plan to visit, and make sure the motorhome's LPG heating/cooking cylinders are sufficiently full upon pick-up and upon crossing national borders. Many European, Scandinavian, British and Irish rental motorhomes employ LPG cylinders (or bottles) which are meant to be exchanged by the customers rather than refilled by customers or by retail operations, the customer paying only for the LPG. The refilling of such cylinders by retail businesses is prohibited in the UK and in many other countries because it is a dangerous process and one which can easily be performed improperly. Continental exchangeable cylinders are not typically available on the UK or Irish markets; and there is no adapter on the general market which interfaces continental heating and cooking systems to the "Calor" gas exchangeable cylinders standard in the UK and Ireland. So, you might need to bring extra, full exchangeable cylinders if you are crossing to the UK or Ireland for an extended tour. UK and Irish vendors supply the standard Calor gas exchangeable cylinders for travel in the UK and Ireland. When a client is traveling from the UK or Ireland to Europe, the vendor typically supplies the client with continental "Camping Gaz" exchangeable cylinders and/or an adapter that interfaces the Camping Gaz exchangeable cylinders to UK heating and cooking systems. Calor gas cylinders are not available outside the UK. Regardless of where you are picking up, it is indeed a good practice to ask the depot for appropriate LPG connectors/adapters for each country you plan to visit. The exchangeable cylinders tend to vary by country even within continental Europe. Therefore you might not be able to exchange the cylinders provided by the motorhome rental company. Instead you might need to buy an exchangeable cylinder locally (in which case you'd also have to place a deposit on the exchangeable cylinder, because it remains the property of the gas company.) In such situation an adapter is usually needed to fit the exchangeable cylinder to the vehicle's heating and cooking system. Moreover, you might need a different regulator as well, although this is now typically the case only with pre-year-2004 vehicle models (which are rarely rented). With respect to LPG cylinders that are meant to be refilled by customers or retail operations, various connectors might be needed to re-fill the cylinders because the LPG dispenser nozzles at fuel stations tend to vary from country to country. Three different dispenser connectors used in Europe: the Dutch Bayonet, the Claw or Italian Dish, and the ACME thread. See the following articles: Getting LPG in Europe, LPG, Propane, Camping Gaz, and Calor gas.

E. Returning

1) Time/Place. You are obliged to return the vehicle to the scheduled depot. There is an hourly charge for late return. You must return to the scheduled depot during their return hours. Contact the depot if you cannot return on time.

2) Inspection. The depot will thoroughly inspect the vehicle for any vehicle damage. If the damage is not already marked on the damage checklist you will be held responsible.

3) Condition. Return with the vehicle's interior thoroughly clean (vacuumed and swept) and the waste tanks and toilet emptied and cleaned or you will be charged a substantial fee. Cleaning at the depot is not allowed. You will also be responsible for any claim made by a subsequent client because of their pick-up delay.

4) Traffic Violations. You must report and turn in any parking, toll-road or other tickets received during your rental.

F. Travel and Camping

1) You should tell IdeaMerge in advance and the depot on pick-up day, the following:

a) All the countries you plan to visit.

b) If you plan to use the vehicle for a special purpose such as to carry supplies, on a movie set, etc.

c) If you plan to take the vehicle on a ferry. If so, you should contact the ferry company in advance to be sure you have all required vehicle documents to board.

2) Campsites. Camp at designated campsites. Camping on private property without permission is illegal and can be dangerous. Likewise, camping in public areas, on the roadside, etc., can be illegal or dangerous or both. Research campsites in advance and arrive early so you have time to set up before your neighbors go to bed.

4) Storage. Use collapsible luggage that can be stored in the motorhome easily and without taking up much space.

5) Winter Travel. Inasmuch as the ambient temperatures of the low-altitude regions near the depot are expected to be below the freezing point during your rental, the motorhome's heating system might not be capable of keeping the motorhome's water system from freezing during your rental, even if the water system features its own anti-freeze system. In such case the vendor reserves the right to deliver the vehicle to you with its water/waste system drained, meaning the sink, the shower and the toilet could not be used. If you re-hydrate the water system during the rental and return the vehicle as such, the vendor might charge a fee. In contrast, if such low temperatures will or may be encountered only at higher altitudes or otherwise sporadically during your rental duration the vehicle will be delivered to you with its water/waste system hydrated. Of course upon the pick-up occasion the vendor can provide instruction regarding the draining and rehydration of that system. Regardless, in all cases the client is responsible for any damage to the water/waste system due to freezing.

6) Snow tires. Where and when road or weather conditions, and perhaps laws or ordinances or such, dictate the wise or requisite use of specific tires or specifically embellished tires (e.g. tires fitted with snow chains or socks), it is the driver's responsibility to abstain from driving until such tires are installed on his or her vehicle. It is nevertheless the client's responsibility to return the vehicle with the initial (i.e. original) set of tires installed or co-present; otherwise the client will be billed for those initial tires. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway and Sweden, for example, have laws which dictate the use of winter tires. It is the client's responsibility to research and understand such laws in relation to his or her rental and itinerary. You can study the UK Automobile Assocation website to learn more about winter tire requirements and other compulsory equipment per European country. Regarding snow chains, it is vital that you check and if necessary maintain the tension of the chains frequently, and certainly after every short journey. Also, with the chains fitted do not drive faster than about 35 miles per hour (60 km/h).

7) Tires on French short-term, tax-free car leases. Unless we or the vendor explicitly state otherwise, the tires included with a French short-term, tax-free car lease are multi-season tires. By "multi-season" we mean tires that are not specifically designed for muddy and snowy conditions (which tires bear the code "M+S") or for snowy conditions in particular (which tires bear the international symbol of a snowflake); i.e they are not — we repeat, not — the sort of tires which are colloquially referred to as "winter tires" or "snow tires". Rather, multi-season tires are the sort of tires standardly delivered on new cars. Renault Eurodrive has instituted a new service with the Eurodrive Road Assistance in order to facilitate, upon client request, the change from multi-season tires to winter tires, this via the Renault network in Switzerland and in Germany. This service consists in identifying the closest Renault garage to the place where the client is or will be and then arranging an appointment for the client with the garage. The purchase and labor costs for the change of tires will be billed directly by the Renault car dealer to the client, and the client will still be responsible for returning the vehicle with its initial tires.

G. Breakdown, Accident or Emergency

1) In case of breakdown, accident or emergency, carefully follow the relevant instructions which the vendor has provided with the vehicle.

3) For help translating Spanish or French, you can call Mark in Barcelona, Spain, at +34 93 531 0992 or +34 664 665 365 (mobile).

Privacy Notice

This website is operated by IdeaMerge, LLC. The information you (the client) send us, both in your e-mails and in your online reservation request, is very important to us. We are dedicated to protecting it and keeping it confidential while serving your request and answering your questions. This Privacy Policy describes how we receive your information and how we use it.

The policy applies to all electronic communications you send to any of the IdeaMerge e-mail addresses and in the online reservation form. The policy may be amended or updated with or without notice. The policy was last revised in October of 2011. By using this website, you accept this Privacy Policy.

Your IP Address

Each time you visit the IdeaMerge website (site) our web server collects your IP address. Your IP address may be used to gather broad demographic information and to help diagnose problems with our servers, to administer the site, and to better serve you and other users. We do not send your IP address to any unauthorized or unrelated third party.

Information We Collect

Our site collects the information you provide via e-mails and in the online reservation form. That information includes personal information such as your name, street address, phone number, e-mail address, credit card number, etc.

How We Use That Information

We use that information to reserve your rental vehicle and to contact you for reservation-related matters such as the confirmation, booking changes and similar matters. We share that information with the vendor inasmuch as it is necessary to facilitate the rental or lease. By booking with IdeaMerge you authorize that sharing of your information. Likewise we use your personal information to process financial transactions. We process credit card transactions via an online payment gateway, a credit card processing company, and our merchant bank. Those payment processing companies are authorized to use your information to facilitate the processing of the financial transaction according to the contract we have with each. The vendor and the other companies mentioned above have their own privacy policies. IdeaMerge exercises no control over the privacy policies of other companies.

What we do Not do with Your Information

We do not sell, rent or otherwise disclose your personal information to any unauthorized third party without your consent. The only exception is if the disclosure of the information is required by law.

Our Security Precautions

Our website employs security measures to guard against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information you send us.

We use a 256-bit digital SSL connection (Secure Socket Layer) to secure all online orders. This encryption technology ensures that your information cannot be viewed or intercepted by third parties during the order transfer process, thus rendering an online order even safer than an order made verbally over the telephone. Of course if you do wish to transfer personal information or credit card details to us via telephone, you are welcome to.

GoDaddy, a recognized independent internet security certifier, regularly tests whether our online connection is in fact secure. They also test whether this site links you directly to our company, as we promise.

You can click on the GoDaddy logo below to view our SecureTrust certification.

Other Websites

The site contains links to other websites. Most of the links are to companies that operate in a related business or industry. These links are provided solely to direct a user to information on topics that may be helpful in using our services. IdeaMerge is not responsible for the practices employed by the companies operating these linked websites. Browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites that have a link to the IdeaMerge website, are subject to that website's rules and policies.

Anti-Spam Policy

Spam is unsolicited e-mail sent indiscriminately to various mailing lists, individuals or groups. IdeaMerge does not send or participate in the sending of spam e-mail, and we strictly prohibit the use of our website as a means to distribute, circulate or deliver spam. We do not allow any third party to gather or acquire any information about our clients, including client e-mail addresses or any other personal information, for the purpose of spamming. Unauthorized use of IdeaMerge's website in connection to sending unsolicited e-mails or spam is a violation of this policy and may result in civil, criminal, or administrative penalties against the sender and those assisting.

Questions

To report any abuse or practice contrary to the policies herein, or if you have any questions related to the IdeaMerge website or this privacy policy, please contact us at support@ideamerge.com.

You can also send postal mail to: IdeaMerge LLC, 2868 North Willamette Blvd., Portland, OR 97217 USA.