I loved working through IdeaMerge, and having Scott Baxter available during every step of the reservation process. I have recommended IdeaMerge to several colleagues who either lease directly through Renault or rent in Europe.

john beard, johnwbeard@gmail.com, 19 august 2008
the modus and the leasing program were great. we picked up in munich and dropped off in milan 8 weeks and 6000km later. no problems at all. it was wonderful to have a car and i will definitely use this program again for my next big trip to europe.

Ruy Tchao, 19 august 2008
We leased a Modus for 2 months this July and August. We drove all around France and had no trouble at all with the vehicle. The leasing program was straight forward and without a problem. The staff at CDG were most helpful and courteous. It was a wonderful experience and we would certainly use this form of leasing next year.

Eran Mick, 15 august 2008
I took a Grand Modus for a trip all around France for 25 days - 10 days of which, however, the car was being repaired in a garage. Now, mechanical failures do occur with any car, rented, leased or privately owned. Though I was very pleased with Ideamerge's straightforward and user-friendly registration process, I got absolutely no clear picture of what a breakdown of the car would entail. On the contrary, I thought everything would be nice and simple given I was covered by such a comprehensive roadside assistance program. When the car did break down (fuel injection problem) 2 days into my roadtrip, it was expeditiously towed to a private garage and I was told I would get a replacement. The following morning a pre-paid taxi picked me up, though not to a Renault agency to get a new car (as would normally happen with a rental), but rather to a Europcar rental agency to get a temporary 4-day replacement while my car was being repaired, with the provision that I would have to return it in the exact same agency and come back to pick up my leased car at the garage! Basically, what that meant was that I was anchored to a small radius around that spot and was unable to go on on my trip for several days as I waited for the repair. Also, the "comparative" replacement car I received was hardly that at all. From a spacious 4-door, diesel-powered vehicle I went to a small, 2-door, gasoline-powered urban car (Twingo) that was clearly not in shape for the nearly 1000 km I wound up driving with it. Not to mention the increase in gas costs, since I had to fill up basically every 1-1.5 days (instead of 3-4). In addition, the assistance hotline, which was generally helpful, had one problem. Every time I called, it would take far too long to get an answer, then identify myself and get the guy on the other line up to speed on all the case history. Later, when the weekend arrived with no repair in sight (it did not seem as if my car was given any kind of priority) and I was insisting they let me go on my trip, they extended my rental contract to 10 days and eventually - after much haggling - agreed to deliver my original car when repaired to wherever I would be in France at that time (note that if my trip had included stops outside of France, that would have proved an even more difficult problem). Finally, I received the repaired car 10 days after the whole story began. In addition to the extra cost wrought on by gasoline, I was in for a 1000$ phone bill for those two weeks alone, since I had to make tens of phone calls with Renault for every stage of this complicated procedure, which is hugely expensive when you're using your cell phone abroad. That was more than twice what I paid for my phone bill for the entire remaining six weeks of my trip overseas, which included a month in the U.S.
In the U.S., by the way, I had a rental car and everytime the slightest light would come on and I thought something might happen with the car (though nothing ever actually happened), I went in to the nearest agency and replaced the car in 20 minutes, no questions asked and at no extra cost.
To sum things up, the registration process and service from Ideamerge was 100% and the Eurodrive program is a very good one and cheaper than rental (especially for me, since I'm under 25). And despite all this car trouble, I was able to minimize the disruption to my trip and did not miss anything I planned on doing. Eventually, Renault did repair the car, give me a replacement and deliver the repaired car to me 1000 km away. My only critique is that Ideamerge should clearly and prominently feature an explanation of what the limitations of leasing are as far as a car breakdown is concerned and describe this scenario where you have to wait for your car to be repaired. It might have influenced my decision to lease, and perhaps not, but I had to know this. Also, Renault must work to improve and streamline the process for dealing with such cases, get hotline agents up-to-speed with the regulations, expedite and prioritize car repairs, and offer a pre-paid provision for car delivery from the get-go, so you don't get stuck on your trip waiting for the garage.

[A special note from IdeaMerge: It is true that concomitant of the benefits characterizing such car leases relative to car rentals is a greater degree of client responsibility vis-á-vis the car. Breakdowns of these brand-new lease cars are truly rare. Nevertheless Renault Assistance handles such according to a protocol published by Renault and long presented redundantly on the IdeaMerge website. IdeaMerge agrees with this client that in his case the replacement rental car should have been a diesel and that it should have been larger, at least a Clio; local availability of such may have been a problem. IdeaMerge is presently investigating this case and will likely advocate on the client's behalf for a refund in relation especially to the replacment car. Naturally one of the prime roles IdeaMerge plays is to facilitate such solutions. IdeaMerge has long presented the aforementioned Renault Assistance protocol in two separate places on our website and in two separate ways. On the IdeaMerge FAQ page the following link is highlighted in the section describing the insurance, warranty and assistance: "For details see Renault Eurodrive's exact insurance terms." That pdf file — published by Renault — describes in detail the protocol Renault follows when dealing with a breakdown and repair. Moreover, on the IdeaMerge Insurance, etc page we repeat that link and provide the following matrix representing said Renault breakdown and repair protocol, which matrix we will in light of this case add to the IdeaMerge FAQ page as well:

Pete Tyrpak, 08 august 2008
What an excellent experience! We rented a Modus Grand for a 3 week trip to Europe visiting Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, and Italy. The Modus comfortably fit luggage for 3 of us and got between 40 and 45 miles per gallon. It's pick up was great and it delivered the higher speeds when we needed them.

Our interaction with IdeaMerge were flawless and always helpful, especially since this was our first trip to Europe. Our trips to and from our airports were prompt and with very curteous people Given how much we drove, this type of car rental was quite cost economical.

Our only suggestion would be to let the pickup and dropoff folks know that dropping off customers after their rental with lots of luggage is MUCH easier for the customer at the departing entrances rather than the arrival doors. We had a language barrier, couldn't convey the above and wound up taking almost a half hour getting from the arrival doors to departure ticketing at the Geneva airport rather than 1 or 2 minutes if we had been dropped at the depature entrances.

On our next European trip I would only call IdeaMerge for a vehicle rental.

Thanks so much!

Christopher Jane Shipley, 05 august 2008
Back from another European sojourn this summer and another
lease with Ideamerge. More kudos to the Ideamerge staff--our
experience was perfect--fuss-free paperwork, easy pickup and
drop off at CDG in France, fabulous little car: the Grand Modus is
roomy with excellent visibility, nimble and surprisingly peppy--a
great vehicle for the small roads and large, and over 50 miles to
the gallon for our diesel vehicle. We'll be back in Europe again
next year, we hope, and we will certainly sign up for another lease
with Ideamerge. There is no other way to go if you are going to be
driving for an extended period of time in Europe. Ideamerge is
truly an outstanding (and all too rare) company that delivers
everything they promise.

Christopher Jane Shipley, christophershipley@gmail.com, 29 november 2005
We've just returned after a 9 week sojourn in Europe where we drove a Renault Modus all over the place--6000 miles throughout France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, in big cities (Paris, Rome, Naples, among others,) on the coast, in the mountains, on narrow country roads, on the auto routes and the autobahn, picking our way along tiny, narrow back roads in the Pyrennees and zipping along (150 kph) the big roads with the big boys. The Modus was an excellent choice for us--roomy, providing great visibility for the driver, quick, nimble, and reliable, to say nothing of the fantastic bargain the leasing program offers.

We did have a spot of mechanical trouble, but that was quickly and kindly taken care of by gracious and efficient Renault service people. Pick-up and drop-off were smooth and easy.

I can't imagine travelling in Europe for any extended time in any other way, and I can't praise too highly Doug and Eric at Ideamerge. They were scrupulously honest, forthright, completely unflappable, patient as saints with our endless queries, and accurate and immediate with their answers. It isn't often these days (or any days) to get exactly what you hope for, precisely what you've been promised, an especially important matter when you are thousands of miles away when you are making arrangements to lease a car, unseen and undriven, to be serviced by folks in "foreign" countries.

But that is exactly what we got. Thanks in large part to Doug and Eric and the Renault leasing program we had the time of our lives this fall. We hope to duplicate this experience (different itinerary, same choice of a leasing program with Ideamerge) as soon as we can.

Chuck & Leah Tidey, 11 may 2005

Mr. Bredesen:

Thank you so much for your help these last few months. This has, by far, been the easiest car lease we have ever done. The price was great, the paperwork easy to understand, always on time, and the final papers and manual very informative and thorough in detail. The manual answered all the questions I had, negating a need for further correspondence with you. Given the scope of this trip and all the other planning I needed to do, not having to worry about the car was a blessing.

We are off tomorrow morning for Germany and as much of Europe as we can see in five and a half months in our little Renault auto.

Sincerely,
Chuck & Leah Tidey