currency
Any special IdeaMerge discount we apply is applied to the entire, tax-inclusive rate.
(Thus we effectively discount the tax as well.) And we do not require you to pay in full earlier than normal
to receive this discount.
Our motorhome and campervan rental
rates (apart from any special IdeaMerge discount) and policies match those of our vendor and therefore the rates
are calculated in Australia Dollars (AUD).
This means we do not inflate our rates to cover ourselves against the threat of
our home currency, the US Dollar (USD), declining versus the AUD.
Moreover, we do not impose a credit card transaction
fee.
And we do not truncate the exchange rate
(which is another way companies can favor themselves).
Furthermore, we use the
minimal retail exchange rate — alias the
"credit card" exchange rate
(as published
on www.oanda.com) —
to change from the vendor's currency into our currency
(USD) for actual charging.
Finally we present all this math in the detailed confirmation
voucher that we e-mail to you soon after booking the rental. …
In these and other ways we carefully save our clients from suffering
hidden costs.
downpayment
IdeaMerge charges a 20 percent downpayment
upon confirming a client's reservation.
This downpayment is fully refundable until 21 days* prior to
the pick-up date.
(These days are determined according to the time in Sydney, Australia.)
balance
The balance is charged or due 25 days prior to the pick-up
date. (If a reservation is placed within that time window, the whole
amount will be charged or due straightaway.)
We require early prepayment because Britz requires prepayment and
because Britz imposes further cancellation fees starting at the 6-day threshold.
Necessarily and simply reflecting that schedule of fees,
IdeaMerge's cancellation policy is as follows ...
cancellation fees
changes
Any change to a booking — especially of the rental duration, and
whether requested before, during
or after the pick-up — is subject to
authorization by the rental company. Do not expect to be able to make
such changes upon the pick-up occasion.
A change to a booking may entail a change fee, the amount of which is
usually modest/nominal yet is generally commensurate with the degree to
which the change compromises the vendor's ability to rent out the vehicle.
In most cases the fee is USD 25.
Refunds are not offered for early return of the rental vehicle.
If after the rental has commenced the client wants to
change drop-off location, the client should first obtain authorization
from the destination depot and ascertain the additional charge that would
apply, which charge could be as high as AUD 550.
The Broome depot entails a remote-location fee of AUD 450 that
applies separately to pick-up and drop-off and in addition to the one-way
fee that may apply. Pick-up at the Hobart depot entails
an AUD 16.50 fee.
If after the rental has commenced the client wants to extend
the duration of the rental, the client should obtain authorization
from the destination depot. The extra cost must be paid by credit card
over the telephone. Failure to obtain such authorization will result in
a daily fee of AUD 150 in addition to the daily rental rate (which rate
will be the present rate, not necessarily the rate the vehicle was booked at).
security deposit
Upon pick-up, the vendor requires of the client a security deposit.
The default security deposit is
AUD 7500 (AUD 1800 for the Rookie) to be actually debited, i.e. charged;
damage waiver 1 (not available with the Rookie) reduces the amount
to AUD 2500; damage waiver 2 reduces the amount to
AUD 220 (or AUD 440 for 4WD) and entails a mere imprint rather than an
actual debit.
For security reasons, only a credit card — namely Visa or MasterCard
— can be used to provide the
security deposit.
The card holder must be present upon the pick-up
occasion and MUST BE THE HIRER.
Britz and Maui impose a 1.75 percent credit card surcharge on the
Visa/MasterCard transactions they themselves process
— and a 4.5 percent surcharge on the America
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.
Britz and Maui, refund such surcharge insofar as they refund the portion
attaching to the security deposit refund if a Visa or MasterCard is used.
Kea, on the other hand, like IdeaMerge, imposes no credit card surcharges on the
transactions they process.
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.
Of course the security deposit is fully refundable provided the vehicle is returned
on time, to the correct location, undamaged, with a clean interior and
with appropriately full fuel tanks (fuel being gasoline/petrol, diesel, and LPG gas). The
vendor reserves the right to retain an AUD 220 "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 220 fee.
reservation
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.
Minimum duration is 5 calendar days except when the pick-up occurs in
the span 15 December through 5 January, when the minimum duration
is 7 calendar days, and except for one-ways as noted below.
One-way rentals are available for a fee of AUD 220.
The minimum duration for one-ways is 7 calendar days.
age and license(s)
The minimum age limit for renters and other drivers of Britz's vehicles
is only 21 years. Britz requires from drivers
75 years old or older a written statement from a medical practitioner noting that
the client is fit to operate the booked vehicle (the vehicle being characterized by
its weight, dimensions, and transmission).
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, 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.
no 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
All Britz Australia camper rentals include unlimited kilometers
and 24/7 nationwide roadside assistance via a toll-free helpline.
All the prices include the 10 percent federal tax (GST).
Moreover, the total rental cost computed by
the (highly specialized) IdeaMerge online reservation software includes
the vendor's 2.5 percent "stamp duty and local tax surcharge" as well,
along with any applicable one-way fee and
other charges that might apply,
even if those other portions of the total will actually be
paid locally by the client upon the pick-up occasion
— e.g. charges for optional extras,
Broome's remote-location fee, Hobart's airport surcharge, and said 2.5 percent
local surcharge insofar as said extras and fees are indeed paid for locally instead of
pre-purchased as part of the vendor's "bonus pack" of optional extras.
The IdeaMerge online reservation software automatically
determines whether said Britz bonus pack is the best deal for the client,
this based on the particular options selected by the client.
The included liability insurance
(i.e. third party) also covers (although very partially) personal injury to the client
and to members of the client's party.
Meanwhile the included collision and
comprehensive insurance inheres a deductible (a.k.a. excess; applicable no
matter who is at fault) of AUD 7500 (AUD 1800 for the Rookie), but
clients can reduce this by purchasing
one of two optional damage waivers (a.k.a. excess reductions):
These insurance options also have positive effects in terms of the
security deposit charged by Britz upon the pick-up occasion:
the default security deposit is
AUD 7500 (AUD 1800 for the Rookie) to be actually debited, i.e. charged;
damage waiver 1 (not available with the Rookie) reduces the amount
to AUD 2500; damage waiver 2 reduces the amount to
AUD 220 (or AUD 440 for 4WD) and entails a mere imprint rather than an actual debit.
For security reasons, only a credit card — namely Visa, MasterCard,
or American Express — can be used to provide the
security deposit.
The card holder must be present upon the pick-up
occasion and is jointly and severally liable for any damage to the
rental vehicle.
If the deductible/excess is reduced to zero, one windscreen and two tires are covered for accidental damage.
Damage to the overhead or underbody of the vehicle is not covered unless
the customer buys damage waiver 2 (noted above) and enhances that waiver
by purchasing the …
Again, the IdeaMerge online reservation software will
determine whether the vendor's bonus pack is the best deal for the client, based
on the rental parameters chosen by the client.
The following items are included by default at no extra charge:
Sorry but Britz does not offer bicycles for hire,
nor do they offer bicycle racks for hire.
Britz clients will have to make their own way to the rental station, at
their own cost.
multiple rentals
If via IdeaMerge — and at the same time — a client rents consecutive Britz
and/or Britz
vehicles in Australia and/or in New Zealand and the pick-up dates are
within 92 days of each other, IdeaMerge will effectively combine
these otherwise separate rentals by not charging twice for any
overlapping day or days
(this by waiving the lessor cost or costs of the overlapping days) and
by applying to each rental a rate or rates based on the sum of the
durations (thus perhaps effecting long-term discounts).
If multiple hires are within the same country and the total, combined days
exceed 50, only the maximum charge applicable to the excess/deductible reduction option
of the premium package will apply, this maximum being the higher of all such
maximums that happen to be involved. However, in the case where a Britz hire is being
combined with a Britz hire and the packages have either the premium package
or the bonus pack these components cannot be combined to have a maximum charge
applied, but the vehicle rates can have a long-term discount applied.
If a client makes such a set of bookings but does not place all the
bookings at the same time, the booking or bookings placed later, i.e.
the new one or ones, qualify for such discounts relative to the original
booking but they do not
qualify the original booking for such discounts as well.
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.
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 60 per fine.
road restrictions
The 2WD campers may be driven on sealed/bitumen/macadam/paved roads only,
the single exception to this rule being well maintained access roads to designated
motorhome campgrounds and the roads on Kangaroo Island (South Australia).
The 4WD vehicles can also be driven on recognized tracks.
The 4WD vehicles may only travel to the following areas with the written
permission of Britz: Simpson Desert, Strzelecki Track, Gunbarrel Highway,
Cape York, the Bungle Bungles, Oodnadatta Track, Birdsville Track, Tanami
Track, The Plenty Highway, and Gibb River Road.
Britz vehicles are NOT permitted on the Canning Stock Route, the Lost City
in Litchfield Park, and the Telegraph Road section of the road to Cape York
during the months December through May.
Britz reserves the right at its sole discretion to restrict
vehicle movements in certain areas due to adverse road or
weather conditions.
Britz also reserves the right at its sole discretion to restrict the
distance driven to nominated destinations in relation to
the hire duration.
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.
Call toll-free 1800 331 454.
Any problems associated with the vehicle, including equipment failure,
should be reported to the vendor
as soon as possible and within 24 hours, this to give the vendor the
opportunity to rectify the problem as soon as possible. Failure to report
as such will compromise any client claims for compensation.
The vendor does not accept liability for claims submitted after this duration.
In the event, please contact the vendor toll-free at tel. 1800 331 454.
Repairs costing up to AUD 100 may be effected without authorization from
the vendor and will be appropriately reimbursed if the client provides the repair receipt
to the vendor. For amounts estimated over AUD 100, the
client should obtain authorization from the vendor. Receipts relating to
any repair should be sumbitted to the vendor.
See our "Insurance, etc"
page for details concerning the included insurance.
a slight disclaimer
IdeaMerge takes special care in representing
our vendors (i.e. the actual rental companies) so as maximally to
benefit you, our clients. Thus we present such information using
various careful emphases and an overall style which is decidedly
complementary to (i.e. in contrast with) the legalistic style
that of course constrains the actual terms and conditions
of our vendors. The information on the IdeaMerge Website is
therefore designed to resonate effectively and thoroughly with but
not be simply identical to those terms and conditions, which
terms and conditions nevertheless override the information presented by
IdeaMerge and are naturally subject to change without notice prior to the
rental pick-up occasion, on which occasion at the rental depot
the client will be obliged to sign and thus agree to them.
See the bottom of this page for a link to Britz Australia's terms and conditions.
britz australia's terms and conditions
Britz Australia terms and conditions for non-residents of Australia or New Zealand.
Britz Australia terms and conditions for residents of Australia or New Zealand.
warning
The vendor always reserves the right to refuse, at its discretion, to rent to a particular client.
Although motor travel in Australia is not generally considered prohibitively dangerous, there are, of course, associated risks — including death. For quantitative measures of these risks, please see the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) http://www.asirt.org.
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