IdeaMerge facilitates the whole rental process, presenting a single total cost you can count on and acting for you as an accessible resource and, if necessary, as an advocate.

With a foot naturally in the vendor's camp, we carefully manage expectations so that the entire rental experience is maximally enjoyable for all involved.

currency

Moreover, unlike our main competition we do not impose a credit card transaction fee. What's more, being a USA company, IdeaMerge charges the USA total price in USD. Therefore if you are from the USA you suffer no retail foreign exchange transaction; and if you are from outside the USA (i.e. if your funds are not in USD), you avoid involving in the overall transaction a third (i.e. middle) currency (that of a non-USA-based competitor of IdeaMerge) and the concomitant retail foreign exchange thereto from USD, which avoidance saves you about 2% on the total cost. Of course neither IdeaMerge nor the vendor is responsible for exchange rate fluctuations and the consequent variances that are possible in a particular foreign currency's value relative to these USD charges.

international rates / domestic rates

The IdeaMerge online reservation software uses geo-sensitivity technology to present to you the Road Bear rates which most likely apply to you. Moreover, during the optional extras selection step our software requires you to enter a selection which informs us regarding your residency. If that residency statement, as it were, entered by you does not correspond to the geo-sensitivity, our software overrides the geo-sensitivity by recalculating the cost so that it is based on the Road Bear rates which correspond to your statement.

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 campground fees, 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).

The USA rental motorhomes presented on this Website are designed to safely transport the number of occupants which equals the maximum number of sleeping places stated as characterizing the vehicle. To transport in such motorhome more than said maximum number of people is to risk violating traffic safety laws in this respect and, due in part to the cumulative weight of the passengers, causing mechanical failure or accidental damage to the vehicle and injury to the occupants and other persons. The rental client (i.e. the customer) will be held fully responsible for such damages and injuries. Of course all driver's seats and front passenger seats of these vehicles have safety belts, and these devices should be worn whenever the vehicle is in motion. Although many motorhomes accommodate passengers in places where safety belts are perhaps not required by law (e.g. at the dining table), any safety belts present in the rear area are at least significant of a recommended rear seating position. Rear occupants of a moving motorhome should oblige themselves — and any rear occupants dependent on them — to sit in such places only and to use appropriately the seatbelt gracing such seat. Riding in a place which is not equipped with a safety belt increases the danger of injury to one's self and others.

downpayment

balance

cancellation fees

changes

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. In most cases one booking change order may be placed free of charge, and a US$ 50 change fee applies to all subsequent booking modifications made prior to the pick-up day (i.e. made via IdeaMerge to reservation requests that have already been confirmed). Any early bird discount will be adjusted to the level valid at the time of name, date, vehicle or location changes.

For pick-ups at San Francisco in conjunction with the Burning Man festival, e.g. pick-ups there from 30 August 2010 to 7 September 2010:

If after the rental has commenced the client wants to change drop-off location, the client should first obtain authorization from the vendor and ascertain the additional charge that would apply.

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 a US$ 30 per hour or US$ 300 per night penalty.

taxes

The tax is determined according state and city in which the pick-up occurs: 4.85% at Denver (plus US$ 2 per night road safety fee, maximum US$ 90), 8.10% at Las Vegas, 9.75% at Los Angeles, 7.00% at New Jersey (plus US$ 5 per night security fee, maximum US$ 140), 9.75% at San Francisco. The tax does not apply to the optional insurance nor to any city transfer fee. Of course the IdeaMerge online reservation software includes the tax in the total cost it computes.

pick-up & return constraints

The minimum official rental duration is 7 nights.

However for persons who reside outside North America and thus take advantage of the international rates, the minimum duration for rentals out of San Francisco and in conjunction with the Burning Man festival is 10 nights. The IdeaMerge online reservation
software figures this minimum into the total price.

Clients arriving on flights from overseas (i.e. outside North America) 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.

The depots are open for pick-up Monday–Friday, noon to 4 pm, i.e. weekdays in the afternoon; and on Saturdays from noon to 1 pm and perhaps (by special appointment) later on Saturdays. Morning pick-up is not bookable.

The depots are open for standard return Monday–Saturday, 8 am to 10:30 am, i.e. mornings. A non-standard return time (i.e. an afternoon return) entails an extra night's worth of cost, and a Saturday afternoon return entails charge for Sunday night as well. The vendor imposes these standards such 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. A Saturday afternoon return means the vendor doesn't have time to prepare and rent the vehicle to someone else for Saturday night; and because the vendor is closed Sundays, the vendor cannot rent the vehicle Sunday night too. The IdeaMerge software accounts for non-standard pick-up and non-standard return times.

Sorry but Sunday pick-up or return is not possible with Road Bear RV.

A fee of US$ 30 per hour or US$ 300 per night applies to late return of the vehicle. The depots are closed during certain holidays, which are accounted for by our online reservation software.

security deposit

Exceptions:

Without exception a valid credit is required for each rental; debits cards or Euro checks are not accepted.

Naturally the security deposit is refundable depending on whether the vehicle is returned on time, to the correct location, undamaged, with a clean interior and with appropriately full engine fuel tank. The vendor reserves the right to retain a fee (on the order of minimum US$ 50) if the vehicle is not returned with the interior in a clean condition, as posted at the return location. The toilet and waste water tank should be emptied prior to the return of the vehicle, or the vendor will retain a further such fee, as posted at the return location.

what's included

The vehicle will be delivered with an ample amount of engine fuel in the tank; you should try to return it with this same amount. The water tank, propane tank, and any toilet chemical repository will be full; but you will not be charged if they are returned less than full.

The client is responsible for checking all vehicle fluid levels at each refueling during the rental. Refills of all these fluids — except of course the engine fuel and the propane (LPG) — will be reimbursed if the client presents receipts for such.

All the Road Bear RV rentals include the minimum legal amounts of liability (i.e. third party) insurance. These minimums vary between state, province and territory. (If you own and operate an automobile, please check with your auto insurance provider to determine the coverage which that insurance extends to you while you are operating a rented recreational vehicle in the United States, Canada, and so forth.)

All the Road Bear motorhome rentals also include collision and comprehensive insurance inhering a deductible (a.k.a. excess; applicable per claim/occurrence not per rental) of US$ 1000. The term comprehensive here signifies accidental damage due to vandalism, fire, theft, break-in, and weather, as well as animal impact, accidental damage to windows, and towing and recovery costs. Of course said deductibles/excesses are void if the client/customer fails to file a relevant and timely accident/damage report with the police and/or Road Bear RV or fails to inform the Road Bear RV pick-up depot within 24 hours with a full written report.

Also included by default is 24/7 assistance.

All the vehicles have a gasoline engine, automatic transmission, dash and roof (110 V) air conditioning, stove burners, microwave oven, sink, refrigerator, freezer, furnace, toilet, and 110 V hook-up.

Included in the preparation fee are the first tank of propane, the first supply of toilet chemicals, the operator's manual, a water hose, sewer hose (and sewer connector), fire extinguisher, and the final cleaning of the outside of the vehicle.

Also included are a Woodall's North American Campground Guide (about 800 pages), KOA Campground Guide, and KOA discount card (giving customers a 10% discount).

There is no charge for additional drivers.

The vendor provides free storage of luggage at their depot (at the client's own risk).

age and license(s)

The minimum age limit for Road Bear RV's motorhome and campervan rentals is only 21 years for non-USA residents, 25 years for USA residents, and typically there is no maximum age limit. Upon pick-up the vendor (Road Bear) requires of the client merely a resident-country drivers license. But if said license is not primarily or secondarily (i.e. in parallel) written in English, the vendor suggests that the client carry an international drivers permit (IDP). (Regarding such permits, see the country listings posted on the New Zealand Automobile Association's Website.) Basically an IDP is a means by which police in a foreign country can know — in terms of translations in nearly a dozen different languages — that your domestic driver's license is indeed recognized as being valid by the proper authorities in your country. (See the excellent article at Drivers.com.) The local office of your auto club (AA, AA, RAC, ADAC, etc.) sells IDPs for about US$ 20. If you need an IDP, take your license, two passport-sized photos and the requisite cash to the club office. (Though for about US$ 6 the club may snap Polaroid photos for you.) If you plan to operate a motorcycle, be sure to have the auto club certify your qualification to do so. Web searches will bring up a host of Websites selling documents that conform to the model delineated in annex 10 of the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic (1949); but according to Article 24 of that convention, a truly valid IDP is one which is "issued .. by the competent authority of another Contracting State or subdivision thereof, or by an association duly empowered by such authority ...."

Good news: In the USA the standard domestic drivers licenses of foreign states are, in connection with foreign tourists, considered equal to a standard USA drivers license. Therefore the foreign drivers license allows the holder to drive the same range of vehicle types as does a USA license. This means, for instance, that the 3500 kg permissible-weight constraint that applies to European Union licenses in Europe is effectively raised in the USA to match the USA standards, which are invariably so high that all the vehicles represented on IdeaMerge's USA "Rates & Reservations" page may be driven by a standard-European-drivers-licensed client. (See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver's_license and, say, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Driving_Licence_codes.)

breakdown

If a mechanical breakdown of the vehicle renders it inoperable for the 12 consecutive working hours after the client initially informs the vendor about the breakdown, the client will be reimbursed for (the greater of) (a) the daily rental rate or (b) expenses for hotel rooms up to US$ 25 per person per night and car rental up to US$ 50 per night per rental (to a maximum of US$ 1500). Receipts, of course, are required in these respects. The term breakdown as used above does not refer to a vehicle's air conditioning, GPS navigation system, refrigerator, slide-out functionality, awning, radio, TV/VCR/DVD, generator, and cruise control, among other functionalities not essential to travel.

For maintenance and repairs exceeding US$ 50, the customer must call the vendor to get authorization. Non-authorized repairs over US$ 50 will not be reimbursed. Again, receipts must be presented for reimbursement to occur.

See our "Insurance, etc" page for details concerning the included insurance.

restrictions

accident

parking tickets, etc.