pricing and payment options with IdeaMerge
Please click here for an explanation of our excellent pricing and payment options.
reservation and booking
In accord with the automobile rental industry standard,
reservations may be made for a vendor's particular vehicle category
(what we might call a vendor's "group") only, not for a specific vehicle.
Which is to say,
although the various images, model numbers and vehicle specifications presented
throughout the IdeaMerge motorhome rental pages — especially on the
vehicle-specification pages — are carefully selected to accurately
and precisely indicate the vehicle that you will get, the vehicle model
(and layout) you get might not be identical to what is indicated by said
information.
In the very unlikely event that
a vehicle in the reserved category is not available upon the pick-up date, the
rental company reserves the right to substitute a comparable or larger vehicle
with the same equipment and the capacity to accommodate the number persons you have delineated (in terms of, say, adults and children) as being in your party. In this case there will be no additional charge for a larger
vehicle. However, the higher ancillary costs associated with a larger
vehicle — such as ferry charges,
tolls, and fueling costs — are to be borne by the customer.
Of course IdeaMerge will not charge your credit card unless the vendor you select does have availability in the
particular vehicle category you select.
After you place a complete online reservation request with IdeaMerge (i.e. including your credit card details), IdeaMerge will straightaway query the vendor.
If a vehicle in the selected vehicle category of that selected vendor is indeed have available, we will immediately book the rental with that vendor and charge your card —
binding you per the cancellation policy noted below. Either way, we will then inform you as soon as possible,
often within an hour but most certainly within 24 hours
(or perhaps 48 hours if you enter the reservation request on a Friday or Saturday,
since the booking facilities of some vendors are closed on weekends).
cancellation fees
We require the aforementioned downpayment and prepaid balance because the vendor
imposes a schedule of considerable cancellations fees. Necessarily reflecting that schedule of fees,
our cancellation policy is as follows:
changes
A. Authorization required. Once a rental is booked, any request to change any part of the booking,
such as adding or eliminating accessories or changing the dates, must be authorized by the rental company in advance.
Do not expect to make changes when you pick up the vehicle.
B. Cost. The vendor may charge a modest change fee.
C. Rates. If a client requests an official change to a booking, the flex rates that will apply to the changed booking are the higher of the original
versus the current rates. The following
alterations are considered official booking changes: (i) change of booked date for
vehicle pick-up; (ii) change of booked date for vehicle return, unless that change is an extension of just one or two days;
(iii) change of booked vehicle category, (iv) change of name in which the booking is made. (The addition of extra drivers is not
considered such a booking change.)
If such a change to the booked dates or vehicle is made within 14 days of the pick-up date, no refund will be
made if the length of the rental duration is shortened (i.e. the rental will remain charged at the number of
days originally booked) or if the client chooses a lesser vehicle.
There are no exceptions to this set of change-order rules.
D. Cancellation Fee for Shortening. If you request to shorten your rental duration, you must pay a cancellation fee
on the days that you eliminate. For example, if you reduce the number of rental days by moving the pick-up date closer
to the return date, or the return date closer to the pick-up date, or both closer to each other, you must pay a
cancellation fee on the days you eliminate. The general cancellation fee schedule for this vendor applies.
E. Cancellation Fee for Shift of Rental. If a change involves a shift of both the pick-up date and return
date away from of their original dates, or of pick-up or return location away from the original location, it may be
considered by the vendor a full or partial cancellation rather than a mere change. The general cancellation fee
schedule for this vendor applies.
F. Early Return. There is no refund for early return of the vehicle.
G. Return Location. If after the rental has commenced the client wants to
change return location, the client should first obtain authorization
from the vendor and ascertain the additional charge that would
apply. Apollo typically levies a charge of AUD 700 for such change.
H. Extension. If after the rental has commenced the client wants to extend
the duration of the rental, the client should obtain authorization
from the vendor. Failure to obtain such authorization will result in the client
being charged doubly for each unauthorized day.
The extra cost of an extended rental must be paid by credit card over the phone or
directly at an Apollo depot, this immediately upon confirmation of the extension.
security deposit
When you pick-up the vehicle, and regardless of which IdeaMerge pre-payment option you choose,
the vendor requires directly from the client a security deposit.
The amount and form of that deposit depend
on the client's choice of insurance option, which options the vendor calls
"standard," "reduction option 1," and "reduction option 2,"
respectively. In the first
instance, an amount equal to the applicable insurance deductible will upon the pick-up occasion
actually be charged to the client's Visa or MasterCard credit card.
In the other two instances,
merely an imprint and authorization of the client's Visa or MasterCard credit card
will be obtained by the vendor upon pick-up.
That authorization only blocks that amount of credit; it is not an actual charge. …
The person whose name is on that credit card must be present upon said pick-up occasion and be one of the persons
signing the vendor's rental contract on that occasion.
(However, the credit card can be different than the card that was used to pay us for the rental.)
Debit cards, cash or travelers checks are not accepted for the
security deposit; only Visa and MasterCard credit cards are accepted,
and the amount cannot be split between credit cards.
Naturally the security deposit is refundable depending on whether the
vehicle is returned on time, to the correct location, undamaged (and having caused no damage to third-party property),
with a clean interior, the toilet cassette and waste water tank emptied, no items
lost or damaged, and with appropriately full fuel tanks (fuel being gasoline/petrol, diesel,
and LPG gas). The vendor reserves the right to retain an AUD 125 "soiling" fee if the vehicle
is not returned with the interior in a clean condition. The toilet and
waste water tank (if present) should be emptied prior to the return of the
vehicle, or the vendor will retain a separate AUD 125 fee.
Apollo imposes a 2 percent credit card surcharge on the
Visa/MasterCard transactions they themselves process
— and a 4.5 percent surcharge on the American
Express transactions they themselves process —
i.e. insofar as they charge
the optional items and/or the security deposit or possible traffic fines
or penalities and such locally (that is, upon the
pick-up and/or return occasions).
Apollo does not refund their credit card surcharges.
The vendor is of course not responsible for any associated
surcharges levied by the credit card company nor for any fluctuations in
the applicable exchange rate (if any) between the time of the charge and
the time that the vendor credits the charge (in
full or in part) back to the card.
Important: In addition to the deductible, Apollo will charge
an administration fee of AUD 75 per insurance claim and per
speeding ticket, parking fine, traffic ticket, or toll-road fine.
age and license(s)
The minimum age limit for renters and other drivers of the Apollo's vehicles
is only 21 years; the maximum age is 75 years.
Upon pick-up the vendor requires of the client
a valid, non-provisional resident-country drivers license, held for at least one year.
Moreover, if said license is not primarily or secondarily (i.e. in parallel)
written in English, or if the client does not present an accredited English translation of said license, the vendor also
requires of the client an international drivers permit (IDP). Such IDPs are available
for a small charge (about USD20) from the automobile club offices in the
client's country of residence (but not outside their country), and
a person need not be a member of such club to obtain the IDP from the club.
See the IdeaMerge "Resources" page for more about IDPs.
Drivers must of course possess their valid domestic drivers license.
The Australia and New Zealand motorhome and camper van rental
vehicles presented on the IdeaMerge Website are designed such that relative
especially to the laws of Australia and New Zealand
virtually all non-provisional domestic drivers licenses suffice for operation of these
vehicles, even in nearly all cases where the inherent limits of such
license (i.e. relative to your domestic laws) would preclude the holder from
driving the vehicle in his/her own country. (Which is to say, standard foreign
drivers licenses are translated by the laws of Australia and New Zealand such
that these licenses basically function in Australia and New Zealand as
standard Australia or New Zealand drivers licenses.)
Nevertheless, you might be interested in researching the inherent limits of
your drivers license. To do so you can
check the back of your license and visit the Website of the
governmental agency that issued your license.
You can also see the following Wikipedia articles:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver's_license and, say,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Driving_Licence_codes.
Again, there is no charge for additional drivers.
animals
No animals other than humans and guide dogs are permitted to use the vehicles.
no smoking
Smoking is not allowed in the vehicles.
what's included
The following items are included by default at no extra charge:
With the exception of the Cheapa brand vehicles, the Apollo vehicles include linen, sleeping bags, bath and tea towels, pillows, pillow cases.
All Apollo's Australia rentals include unlimited kilometers
and 24/7 nationwide roadside assistance via a toll-free helpline.
The rates include the 10 percent federal tax, as well
as the Diesel Tax Recovery fee. And the
total rental cost computed by
the (highly specialized) IdeaMerge online reservation software does
specifically include
the 3 percent local tax levy that is, if the inclusive package has not been
booked, actually charged by this vendor upon the
pick-up occasion. (Hence we don't hide that cost.) The IdeaMerge-generated total price also includes
the vendor's LP Gas Refill fee and
other charges that might apply
(i.e. charges for optional extras, any applicable one-way fee, Broome's remote-location fee,
etc).
Also included are liability
(i.e. third party) insurance and collision and
comprehensive insurance, the latter inhering a deductible
(a.k.a. excess; applicable per claim not per rental, and
applicable no matter who is at fault) of AUD 7500
(AUD 2700 for the Cheapa Campa brand Hitop and Cheapa Campa 2 Berth ST, AUD 5000 for other Cheapa Campa brand vehicles)
but clients can reduce this figure to either AUD 2500 (or AUD 1200 for the Cheapa Campa brand Hitop and Cheapa Campa 2 Berth ST) or all the way to zero
and the latter reduction including one windscreen and two tires (except for Cheapa Campa brand vehicles), this by purchasing
one of two optional damage waivers (a.k.a. excess reductions),
for AUD 20/day (maximum total cost of AUD 1000) or AUD 35/day
(alias VIP cover; maximum total cost of AUD 1750), respectively, although
for the Cheapa Campa brand Hitop and Cheapa Campa 2 Berth ST these figures are only
AUD 16/day (maximum total cost of AUD 560) or AUD 20/day
(maximum total cost of AUD 1000).
These insurance options also have positive effects in terms of the security
deposit charged by Apollo upon the pick-up occasion:
the default security deposit is
AUD 7500 (AUD 2700 for the Cheapa Campa brand Hitop and Cheapa Campa 2 Berth ST, AUD 5000 for other Cheapa Campa brand vehicles)
actually debited to the client's Visa or MasterCard;
insurance option 1 reduces this amount
to AUD 2500 (or AUD 1200 for the Cheapa Campa brand Hitop and Cheapa Campa 2 Berth ST) and moreover entails a mere imprint of the credit card
(or else payment by cash or traveler's checks, in which case refund
would be by check from Apollo mailed to client) rather
than an actual charge to a credit card; likewise insurance option 2 reduces
the amount to
AUD 250 and entails a mere imprint.
The term comprehensive above signifies
damage due to vandalism, fire, theft, break-in, and weather,
as well as damage to windows, tires, and underbody,
and towing and recovery costs. Importantly this term
also signifies the cost of the daily rental for the duration the vehicle
is off fleet for accident repairs (demurrage); which is to say, this cost
is considered a damage. The deductible/excess is applicable
no matter who is at fault; but if the client is shown to be not at fault
and Apollo is successful in recovering damages from the other party, the
client will be refunded appropriately (although such process can take several
months).
Except with the Cheapa brand vehicles, there is no charge for additional drivers.
multiple rentals
If via IdeaMerge a client rents separate Apollo
vehicles in Australia and/or in New Zealand and/or in the USA and the pick-up dates are
within 92 days of each other, IdeaMerge will
apply to each rental a rate or rates based on the sum of the
durations (thus perhaps effecting long-term discounts).
Moreover, only one security deposit need apply to combined rentals if the
pick-up occurs in the same country and no damage or claim occurs to the rental(s) preceding the final combined rental.
Note: Given this policy and
the cost of transporting a vehicle between Australia and New Zealand,
such transport is prohibitively costly. Our online reservation software,
although highly specialized, does not
allow customers to place more than one reservation at once. Therefore
IdeaMerge will manually and at the client's request account
for multiple rentals as described above.
infringements
The vendor reserves the right to charge the client for any speeding or parking
fines, associated administration costs and/or accidents including third-party
property damage not reported by or upon the termination of the rental duration.
The administration fee will be AUD 75 per fine.
travel restrictions
Travel to Tasmania is allowed only with the express written
permission of Apollo, which permission can be given on the
pick-up occasion only (i.e. subject to current road conditions).
Two-wheel-drive vehicles can only be driven on sealed/bitumen roads or
well maintained access roads less than 5 kilometers long leading to
recognized campgrounds.
Four-wheel-drive vehicles can also be driven on recognized unsealed tracks
but may only travel to the following remote areas with the express written
permission of Apollo, which permission can be given on the
pick-up occasion only (i.e. subject to current road conditions):
any islands,
Tasmania, Simpson Desert, Gunbarrel Highway, Cape York
(North of Daintree River),
Oodnadatta Track, Birdsville Track, Tanami Track, Gibb River Road, Kalumburu
Road, Warburton Road, Strzelecki Track, Cape Leveque, Bungle Bungles, the Plenty Highway and
any other remote area.
No vehicle is permitted to travel on the Canning Stock-route, The Lost City
in Litchfield Park, to Cape York in the months December through May, the Old Telegraph Road section of the road to Cape York,
or the last 2 kilometers
of the Lennard River Gorge Road.
Apollo characterizes as being "remote"
the locales noted in the paragraph above. This stipulation means
that if the vehicle suffers an accident or breakdown in one of these
areas and hence becomes inoperable, any cost of retrieving the vehicle
to the nearest Apollo rental depot or other service station
must be paid for by the client.
Apollo reserves the right at its sole discretion to restrict the
movements in certain areas due to adverse road or weather conditions.
breakdown cover and repairs
For starters, the fleet of vehicles is modern and frequently upgraded,
the average age of a vehicle normally being less than 1 year.
All the vehicles do include 24/7 roadside service nationwide
and membership in the Australia Automobile Association.
Call toll-free 1800 777 779.
Any problems associated with the vehicle, including equipment failure,
should be reported to Apollo
as soon as possible and within 24 hours, this to give Apollo the
opportunity to rectify the problem as soon as possible. Failure to report
as such will compromise any client claims for compensation.
Apollo does not accept liability for claims submitted after this duration.
In the event, please contact Apollo toll-free at tel. 1800 777 779.
Repairs costing up to AUD 50 may be effected without authorization from
Apollo and will be appropriately reimbursed if the client provides the repair receipt
to Apollo. For amounts estimated over AUD 50, the
client should obtain authorization from Apollo. Receipts relating to
any repair should be sumbitted to Apollo.
See our "Insurance, etc"
page for details concerning the included insurance.
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