camper van hire france
  avis car-away payment and policies

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).

There is no charge for an additional driver (maximum two drivers per motorhome).

The minimum age limit is 20 years, and there is no maximum age limit. A driver must have held a valid drivers license for at least the year-long duration immediately previous to the pick-up date. 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. Regardless, 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 during the online reservation process). Many Singapore drivers licenses, for instance, limit the license holder to vehicles rated only 3000 kg or less. Generally 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.

All the vehicles available for pick-up in France have a manual transmission.

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:
  • Cancellation 45 days or more prior to pick-up date: EUR100.
  • Cancellation 44–30 days prior to pick-up date: 30 percent of rental amount.
  • Cancellation 29–0 days prior to pick-up date: 100 percent of rental amount.

    • If upon cancellation the balance has not been paid, the vendor reserves the right to charge the customer's credit card according to the above schedule.

    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. Moreover if the booking change reduces the cost of the rental and requires that the difference be returned to you, a 5 percent change fee will apply to that difference.
  • C. Cancellation Fee for Shortening. If you request to shorten your rental duration, the vendor may impose 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 would pay a cancellation fee on the days you eliminate. The general cancellation fee schedule for this vendor applies.
  • D. 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.
  • E. Early Return. There is no refund for early return of the vehicle.
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    pick-up and return

    When you pick-up the vehicle, and regardless of which IdeaMerge pre-payment option you choose, the vendor will authorize an EUR3000 security deposit on the Visa, MasterCard or American Express card you present. That authorization only blocks that amount of credit; it is not an actual charge. (If the client has ordered the portable GPS unit, the amount will be EUR200 higher.) The person whose name is on that 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 and the American Express charge card are accepted, and the amount cannot be split between credit cards. Said blocked amount — minus the cost of any damages (up to the relevant insurance deductible or deductibles) and traffic or parking tickets (and the associated administration fee mentioned below) — will be returned to the customer's credit within a month after the customer returns the vehicle. The vendor will impose an EUR40 administration fee in connection with processing any trafic or parking tickets or similar penalties or fines.

    Regarding return of the vehicle, the customer must ensure that the vehicle is in a reasonably clean and tidy condition (especially the refrigerator, stove and shower), with chemical toilet and waste water tank empty. Otherwise a minimum EUR100 will be charged.

    Only with special permission from the vendor are dogs or other pets allowed in the vehicles. If such permission is indeed granted, the client should return the vehicle thoroughly cleaned of pet hair and odors lest the vendor levy a special cleaning fee.

    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.

    For non-one-way rentals, the vendor will store luggage and other valuables free of charge.

    The vehicle will be delivered with an ample amount of motor fuel in the tank; you should try to return it with this same amount. The water tank, propane tanks, and toilet chemical repository will be full; but you will not be charged if they are returned less than full. The interior and exterior will be clean, and the waste water and toilet tank will be empty of waste. Likewise the vehicle should be returned clean (especially the refrigerator, stove and shower) and empty of waste. Vehicles returned in an unclean condition will be subject to a minimum EUR100 cleaning fee.

    Cooking utensils, dishes, and silverware are included by default at no extra charge.

    Also included will be a French/English operators manual, a list of campgrounds in France, a list of service areas in France, and suggested itineraries in the various regions of France.