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. 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.
Cancellation 27 days or less prior to pick-up date: 100 percent.
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 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.
Refunds are not offered for early return of the rental vehicle.
duration, etc
Minimum rental duration is 7 nights.
You can have a vehicle for less time, but then you must
pay as if you have it for the minimum duration.
Long-term discounts:
pick-up constraint
Clients arriving on flights from overseas (i.e. from outside Europe)
are not allowed to pick-up on the day their flight arrives,
this constraint being imposed by the vendor's insurance company
in recognition of the naturally fatigued state of such clients
upon flight arrival.
liability, collision, and comprehensive insurance
The drivers are covered by "third-party" liability coverage (i.e.,
"international green card" insurance), collision-damage insurance
with zero deductible (i.e. zero excess) and comprehensive-damage (i.e., fire,
natural disaster, vandalism, theft, etc.) insurance with
zero deductible per
occurrence.
However, a GBP 750 deductible applies per occurence to
overhead damage of the vehicle as well as to any damage due to client negligence.
Damage to vehicle occupants is not covered; i.e., personal accident
insurance is not included and it is not made available.
The cost of all the above-mentioned insurance
is included in the total rental cost computed by our online reservation software.
This included insurance is effective throughout Europe.
Again, though, any damage intentionally or negligently caused by the vehicle occupant or occupants
— especially as a consequence of said occupants' consumption of drugs
or alcohol — is not covered under the terms of the insurance policy.
Moreover, the renter is fully liable for any damage caused by the driver's failure to observe
the vehicle dimensions (especially its height and width), by improperly heavy or large
loads exceeding the documented capacity of the vehicle, by
improper loading and unloading actions, or by driving backwards without being directed.
In the case of a renter who has unlawfully left the scene of an accident or
neglected his or her duties (as described below under "in the
event of an accident"), he or she is also fully liable unless such
violation played no part in causing the damage. The renter is also liable
to an unlimited amount for any damage caused by an
unauthorized driver operating the vehicle,
for allowing the vehicle to participate in forbidden purposes,
and for decidely cruel or unsual driving practices.
The rental company will provide damage-repair invoices to the customer upon
request.
breakdown cover
The fleet of vehicles is modern and continually upgraded,
the average age of a vehicle normally being less than one year. Thus
breakdowns are kept to a minimum.
Moreover, all the vehicles do include a tool kit, spare bulbs,
and UK Assistance card entitling the vehicle
operator to 24/7 service from the United Kingdom's
Royal Automobile Club.
Such cover can be extended to Ireland for GBP 7 per day
(of the entire rental duration) or to the whole of Europe
(including Ireland)
for GBP 10 per day. Such extension is obligatory
for travel to these extra-Great Britain regions.
In addition, all the vehicles are covered by an
international guarantee such that any mechanical failure they may happen
to suffer will be repaired — free of cost to the renter — by
a member of the (very wide-ranging) service networks.
As for possible malfunction of living facilities, such could be
addressed — pending vendor approval, but naturally free of
cost to the renter — by the
appropriate distribution and service personel, located throughout
Europe.
Regarding all repairs, clients should first notify the vendor in the event of
repairs surpassing the value of GBP 100.
The motorhome rental agreement is a contract between the customer
and the vendor and of course involves the customer in certain
responsibilities relative to the vehicle. These responsibilities
are analogous but far from identical to those typically associated
with a car rental. Motorhome rental customers typically bear more
such responsibilities than do car rental customers. The nature of
the motorhome rental industry is such that replacement motorhomes
are usually not guaranteed (although in many cases a replacement
motorhome may be
effected), as is the case with this vendor and
virtually every motorhome rental company. Instead timely service of
the rental motorhome is guaranteed and in many cases limited
hotel stays and replacement car rentals are covered.
The customer remains responsible for returning the motorhome to the
rental depot, as contracted, unless relieved of this responsibility
by the rental company (i.e. the vendor).
authorized drivers
The vehicle may be driven only by the renter or by the additional,
qualified drivers specified in the rental contract.
Two drivers may be specified at no additional cost.
Further drivers entail an additional driver fee
of GBP 2.50 per day
per driver for UK travel, GBP 3.50 per day per driver for Ireland or
European travel.
The minimum age limit for renters and other drivers
is 25 years, and the maximum is 70 years.
Drivers must of course possess a valid drivers license
relative to the weight of the vehicle.
Most domestic licenses suffice for operation of the vehicles presented on
the IdeaMerge Website, for most of the vehicles are rated at 3500 kg or less.
Relative to vehicles exceeding this threshold, our online
software will usually elaborate —
but you the driver or drivers are obliged to check your licenses and the vehicle's
specs page in this important respect (the latter by clicking on the vehicle
image on the "Rates & Reservations" page or during the online reservation
process). Also see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver's_license and, say,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Driving_Licence_codes.
Regarding the vehicles rated at over 3500 kg
(i.e. 3.50 metric tons):
Almost all typical (i.e. class C) USA drivers licenses, for example,
suffice in this respect.
(In fact such licenses usually cover vehicles up to 13,000 kg.)
The same is true of, say, typical "old" British licenses
(i.e. class B issued prior to 1 January 1997).
But the typical new "European Union drivers license"
(i.e. class B) limits its holder to vehicles of 3500 kg or less; and as such,
a holder of an EU license must possess a class C license to operate in Europe
one of the European motorhomes which are rated at over 3500 kg.
On the pick-up occasion the vendor will not release a rental vehicle
to a party unless a driver among them is licensed to operate such vehicle.
IdeaMerge is not responsible if such licensed driver is not present
to operate the vehicle upon the pick-up occasion and throughout the duration
of the rental. No refunds will be extended to the client if such absence precludes
the actual use of the rental.
Regardless of who is driving the vehicle,
the renter is liable for the operation of the vehicle.
forbidden use
The rental company does not allow the vehicle to participate in
motor sport events and vehicle tests; in the transport of inflammable,
poisonous, or otherwise hazardous materials; in the committion of revenue
offences and other illegalities, even if these are only punishable under
the laws of pertaining to the place of the offence; in subletting; and
in other kinds of utilization beyond the contractually agreed use,
especially in regard to physical locations not suited to driving.
Pets are not allowed in the vehicles. If you must
travel with a seeing-eye dog, please contact IdeaMerge so we
can attempt to obtain the proper permission from the vendor.
The vehicle is to be handled in a careful and proper manner and must
always be properly locked. The relevant instructions for use, the technical
specifications, as well as the maintenance periods must be observed.
The renter is obliged to check regularly whether the vehicle is in a
roadworthy condition.
in the event of an accident
After an accident, fire, damage caused by theft, or damage caused by colliding
with wildlife, the renter must inform the local police and
the rental company headquarters without unnecessary considerable delay.
The vendor's headquarters in England can be reached at the following numbers:
tel. (+44) 08707 522 225 or 08707 522 005.
(Drop the country code and the
leading zero if calling from within the United Kingdom.)
In all cases of damage, the renter must immediately inform the rental company
headquarters in England by phone and submit a detailed written report,
including a sketch of the accident situation(s).
The accident report must include
the license numbers of the vehicles involved, the names and addresses of
the persons involved (including any witnesses), and it must be signed by
both parties.
If the renter expects that the cost to repair the damage will exceed GBP 100, or if the vehicle is not fully roadworthy as a result
of the accident, the renter should immediately inform the rental company of
this (or these) fact(s).
pick-up and return
Again, clients arriving on flights from overseas (i.e. from outside Europe)
are not allowed to pick-up on the day their flight arrives,
this constraint being imposed by the vendor's insurance company
in recognition of the naturally fatigued state of such clients
upon flight arrival.
A security deposit will be charged to the customer's credit card
when the customer picks up the vehicle. The amount is GBP 500 for UK travel
or GBP 750 if vehicle will travel outside UK or GBP 1000 for
major sports/entertainment events.
This amount — minus the cost of
any damages not covered by the insurance, as well as
any traffic or parking tickets — will be
credited to the customer's card within 7 days of the customer
returning the vehicle.
Clients can choose to park one personal vehicle (per rental) at the depot for the duration of
a rental. The cost for this service is GBP 10.
However, the vendor does not guarantee that there will be space for such parking,
and the vendor accepts no responsibility for any damage to, theft from, or theft of
that vehicle while it is in their custody.
A thorough explanation and demonstration of the rental vehicle will be provided
upon pick-up. This orientation, together with completion of the relevant
paperwork, requires approximately one hour.
Standard vehicle pick-up occurs 2 pm to 5 pm (i.e. 14:00 to 17:00 hours).
Standard vehicle return, on the other hand,
should occur 9 am to 11 am (9:00 to 11:00 hours).
A morning pick-up time entails an extra night's worth of cost.
The same is true of a non-standard return time.
(The vendor accounts for cost according to standard pick-up and return times
so that most vehicles can be prepared during regular business hours and
delivered to a client on the same day that the vehicle is returned by the
previous client. Thus the vendor doesn't lose out on renting that vehicle
for that night.)
Late returns during business hours entail a penalty equal to
the relevant 1-day rental rate;
late returns outside business hours
entail a further GBP 25 per hour charge.
Again, any extension of the rental duration requires prior
authorization by the rental company; and no refunds are offered for early return of the rental vehicle.
what's included, what's extra
The vehicle will be delivered with a certain level of fuel;
you should return it with this same amount.
The fresh water tank will be full; you should return it full as well.
The gas (LPG) cannister will be full, but please just return it as it happens to be.
The toilet cassette will be empty, of course; you should likewise
return it empty lest you incur a charge.
Your motorhome will include the following items by default, i.e.
at no extra charge: sleeping bags with liners, pillows,
all kitchen utensils and cooking accessories, mops, cloths,
kitchen/toilet starter pack (cleaning fluid, toilet paper, toilet
chemicals), two 6 kg gas bottles (one full, the other partially full),
UK/European maps and campsite guides, first aid kit, fire extinguisher,
and smoke/gas detector.
All the RVs feature driver's cabin (i.e. dash, engine-powered)
air conditioning, radio CD player, TV/DVD player, microwave oven,
large electric panoramic rooflight,
and reversing sensors and/or cameras.
All are right-hand drive (RHD) and have a manual transmission.
The rental includes unlimited kilometers,
zero-excess (i.e. zero-deductible) insurance covering
two drivers, plus RAC and manufacturer's UK emergency
breakdown cover.
And all rates include the value-added tax (VAT).
However, if you want your England-based motorhome or camper van rental to include
any of the following, you must order such extras upon placing a reservation.
Our online order software will prompt you in this regard. Note: GBP stands
for Great Britain Pounds (£s).
Transfer to and/or from the rental depot available for a charge. An associate
will meet the clients at a specified meeting point (in an airport, train
station, bus station, etc) and transfer the clients (up to 6 adults and their
luggage) to the rental depot. For instance, the one-way charges for typical such
transfers to the London-area depot are: GBP 45 from Heathrow (20 minutes west),
GBP 60 from Gatwick (35 minutes) or Luton, GBP 90 from Stanstead.
To the Manchester depot from Manchester airport (25 minutes)
costs GBP 45.
One-way rentals are possible between
London and Manchester for GBP 200,
and to the continent for a negotiable price
on the order of GBP 1 per mile (GBP 0.60 per kilometer).
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 Vivanti's terms and conditions.
vivanti's terms and conditions
Click here for Vivanti's terms and conditions.
warning
Although motor travel in Europe 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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