Zipcar

Most Recent Comments

• November 2019 by Erica M C.
  Bottom line: Zipcar saves me from having to own a car in a city where owning a car is expensive and inconvenient. It's funny. One of the reviewers, Bobby N. did an extremely nice--and accurate--job of listing what he considers the pros and cons. Yet the price that he considers super expensive, I consider super reasonable. Compared to all the costs and hassle associated with owning a car, from any payments, to gas, to registering, to parking (!!), to washing, to maintaining, Zipcar is a steal. I'm guessing Bobby N.'s needs (frequency, duration) are different than mine. I only need a car for a few hours a couple times a month. I also love the convenience of going to a spot very near my house, which happens to be very near a university campus. That said, I've taken Zipcar on trips out of town lasting several days and been very happy with the price I've paid compared to regular rentals. For me, the threshold is one week. At one week, a regular rental is the better deal. You have to keep in mind all the hidden fees with the regular rental, whereas Zipcar shines in TRANSPARENCY. You know exactly what your Zipcar rental costs, and you can cancel until just a few hours ahead. I love that FLEXIBILITY also. If you don't like being held accountable for rigid policies and rules, Zipcar is not* for you. Some people would rather lose a limb than commit to returning a car exactly on time or early. My solution--I'll just be honest--is to always book the car 30 minutes longer than I think I'll need it. That way I never have to sweat the $50 late fee. Has the experience been perfect? No. Cars are not always perfectly clean. I've had some trouble using the gas card at times. Of course, if the person before me is late or parks the car some weird place, as has happened once or twice, then, well, the car won't be where it's supposed to when it's supposed to. Customer service is fine, but they aren't magicians who can fix cars at a distance or move cars from one location to another out of thin air. Maybe don't use Zipcar for an important job interview. Obviously, Zipcar also isn't well suited when you don't know when you'll be finished doing whatever you are doing. You might be able to extend your reservation, but not if someone else reserves for right after you, and you have no way of controlling that. For casual tasks that aren't super time-sensitive, Zipcar is perfect. So much stress avoided! To me, Zipcar is a godsend. I use it for things like grocery shopping, medical appointments, going back and forth to storage. Great service! **Special little technical section regarding insurance. Even though I don't own a car, because I rent Zipcar, I maintain Medical Payments coverage on my auto insurance. That additional coverage provides me a certain dollar amount per person per accident for me and/or my passengers to get medical care if we need it due to an accident. It covers me no matter what car I'm driving or driven in by friends or family, whereas I would NOT be covered in rideshare. Unless you have really stunning medical insurance, I recommend this option with your auto insurance, and I recommend staying away from rideshare. Medical Payments coverage is not expensive, and it is also NOT available as an option through Zipcar itself. Then personally, I spring to pay the extra $75 or whatever per year with Zipcar for the damage waiver so I don't have to worry about covering costs associated with damaging the car in an accident. And of course I drive carefully.
• August 2019 by C Z.
  tl;dr zipcar lost lawsuit for double charging customer. Neglects customer, defies court. Thinks it's above the law. Story: Feb 2019 I had a truck kicking up gravel that cracked the windshield of my zipcar on freeway. Upon reporting, Zipcar's insurance company, Sedgwick Claims sent me a bill for $445, which is under the deductible. I paid. Shortly after, zipcar also deducted the same amount from my credit card. Therefore I paid twice for the same accident. I have called Zipcar 9 times over the course of 5 months to report this double-charge. Every time was promised their customer support would reach out to me to resolve. Never happened. I have since filed a lawsuit against zipcar, Boston municipal court rules in my favor given all evidence, and orders zipcar to pay full amount plus my legal fees. Yet after 2 more months and 2 court visits- Not only zipcar as defendant never showed up, but they also failed to pay me back in full. The suit continues and we expect to send the sheriff over to their office at some point. This should give everyone considering doing business a fair warning about them. Not only they don't give two hoots about their customers. They do not give a damn about court ruling, or the law.
• June 2018 by Joseph L.
  BEWARE!!! Zipcar is run by LIARS, CHEATERS,+ THIEVES! A close friend bought a 6 month Zipcar account as a gift for me. Zipcar promised to send my zipcard activation key within 2 weeks. 6 months later, neither my friend nor I have received such a key,+ that's after too many attempts contacting Zipcar + many similar promises--"oh, we'll send your key right way." I am disabled + need a car to run a few errands, my friend tried to help me with Zipcar, obviously, Zipcar is a fraud. All they want to do is steal your money + offer empty promises I would rate them minus 1000 if that rating was available. Shame on Zipcar; now I have to pay expensive taxicabs to get my food + medicine + to see my doctors. Zipcar owes my friend a full refund (which it refuses to provide) + me a free 6 months usage with credit card key--one can't use Zipcar without that key,+ Zipcar laughs all the way to the bank while keeping the card key. I am reporting them to the national, state, county,+ city justice departments as FRAUDULENT THIEVES to see if their license to operate so crookedly can be withdrawn. So, if you want to get ripped off, sign up for Zipcar. Zipcar is full of LIARS, CHEATERS,+ THIEVES!
• May 2018 by Eduardo M.
  Really surprised to see all these bad reviews. So far (6 months in) I've been very pleased. The rates are excellent and the cars I've used were all new and I never had any issue at all. Maybe it's bound to the location you're at? At the end of the day you're handing off the car to a fellow zipcar user and whoever had the car before you might contribute to your experience? Anyways, out here in Davis, it's a perfect solution if you need a car on some occasion.
• April 2018 by Nhi D.
  If I could give 0 stars I would - very frustrating company to work with, but I guess I'm not the only one. Long story short - I signed up for ZipCar over a year ago and NEVER got my zip card activation key in the mail. After ME following-up with THEM over the year (which is a waste of time) I had to call them again this year to AGAIN, request for another card. Not only that, but I was charged the membership fee last year up front even before receiving my card or me being able to use it. When I called back this week to say I still haven't received the card, haven't used it the entire year, they're still "unable" to refund my membership fee because of some bs policy. Terrible company who's just gauging on customer's late fees and membership fees and holding onto whatever money they can get. Don't waste your time or money here, there are plenty of other companies who offer the same service.
• November 2017 by Chris S.
  A few days ago I would have given Zipcar a five star review, overlooking the little peccadillos a fledgling company commits, as they work out the kinks; however, just the other day my account was suspended, and then terminated, after asking for a review of a $50 late fee for returning a van 20 minutes late to its parking space where no one was awaiting its arrival. No one was inconvenienced, unlike myself, who had actually reserved a van earlier in the day for a couple hours for a load-in at a venue where I was setting up a trunk show. Zipcar called to let me know that the van was to be 30 minutes late, and that I would be given a one hour driving credit to compensate. I was grateful for the gesture, expressed how more than 30 minutes would be devastating, and then rearranged my schedule unsuccessfully, switching cars, and then picking up aforementioned van, having to extend reservation to compensate for the 30 minutes that snowballed into a challenging day, production-wise. That's show biz.... I decided to finish this review after hesitating for a couple years. Yeah, they're that bad..... What I didn't include previously: Shortly before my account was terminated, when I picked up my car, I noticed that a previous member had left an artist's portfolio in the back seat. Being an artist myself, I took it upon myself to return this item ASAP. Zipcar's policy is that you leave item in car, and then post to the lost and found forum, where the owner of the lost item has to remember that this byzantine online message board exists, wait for someone to [hopefully] post to it, and then begin the process of retrieving said item. Are you getting this? Yeah, days later, hopefully you'll be able to rent that specific car again..... I removed the portfolio, posted on the lost and found forum, that I had it, and that I was willing to drive the item to the owner, or they could pick it up at my house, which is literally across the block from where the Zipcar is posted up. I called Zipcar to let them know, and asked if I could have the contact info for the last driver, explaining that the owner of the item is probably freaking out. Upon further inspection of the portfolio, to find any clue of its owner, I extrapolated that it might be the work of more than one person. There was so much there, and looked like it had been done by perhaps.....a class? A teacher's portfolio of their students' work? Zipcar was absolutely not budging on helping me to return the portfolio, and I politely told them my opinion: I believed they didn't give a rat's a** about the situation. My account was terminated shortly thereafter, and before Zipcar attacks my foggy recounting of the chronology and /or other details, yes my retelling has unintentionally left out details or fudged the exact timeline. Sorry! In addition, I will tell you this, Zipcar's customer service appears very friendly and eager to help out--initially. I think three times and then the hammer drops. No leeway given, no listening to reason, just any opportunity to charge for some offense, be it tardiness, [lack of] cleanliness, etc., they will hit you as much as they can. The first few times I extended my reservation, I did so incrementally as I needed, 30-60 minutes at a time, maybe 3-4 times. When I went to use my ATM card later, my account came up as insufficient funds. I couldn't figure out what had happened as I had plenty of funds to cover my expenses of the last few days. Upon further discovery, my credit union informed me that each time I had extended my reservation, Zipcar requested authorization of the entire reservation plus the extension, without cancelling the previous authorizations. They had drained my entire account in a matter of hours, and refund didn't happen until days later..... When my account was terminated, no concrete reason was given. The message stated that I wasn't their kind of driver/member. Upon asking for details, my requ
• May 2017 by Justin T.
  Don't bother. There is no way for a new customer to use this service. In the past month, they've deactivated the ability to use your phone (via Zipcar app) to access most of the cars. That means you need to have a physical "zipcarD" to reserve them. Unfortunately, it takes them months to get one. I don't know if they're backlogged, or inept, or what... but myself & my roomate have been asking for months, multiple times, no dice. I can't even use the service because all the cars in the easy bay require the card. Go with Getaround.
• April 2016 by Chris M.
  Sad to say, but Zipcar has totally lost a very loyal and long-time customer with a seriously degraded service. I've always received good customer support when calling Zipcar, though that too has become much more mechanical with service agents increasingly stuck to a policy script. When cars arrived on my campus in Hayward about 6 years ago, they were a god-send. "Wheels when you want them" is their motto. Unfortunately, as they become more popular at the location, their attention to service and detail has faltered. Over the last six months I've come to expect that I will need to call to complain about something every time I book a car. Complaints I've made range over damaged cars, cars smelling of cigarette smoke, smelling of pot smoke, filled with garbage, left on an empty gas tank, gas cards that don't work, gas cards that aren't even there, cars parked in the wrong location, or cars not even returned at all! Every time, I get a half hour driving credit (woo-hoo, $4) and I'm told the local office will be notified. Local office has never responded. So, Zipcar, I'm out.
• February 2016 by Penny F.
  Really horrible policies and absurdly bad customer service. If you return late the car automatically locks when it's due back, even if you call ahead to say it's going to be late. They have a system whereby the car automatically locks. So you have to call again and go through their automated system and then talk to someone , explain the whole situation and then very slowly they manage to unlock the car so that you can return it. In the mean time you're charged 50$ for each half hour or part of half an hour that you're late for. So even though we called to say the car would be returned late they still lock the car and involve you in a long situation wherein you're charged while they undo the situation they've created. We were charged an extra $100 for getting the car back at 8:36 instead of 8:00. the 50 for the first half hour would be at least justified but the 2nd 50 was incurred through zipcar's horrible protocol. But to top it all off - their customer service person, "DEVIN H" wrote back after we took the time to explain how faulty their system is, that we no longer could use zipcar and are no longer members of their absurd company. In other words if you do what they consider "complaining" apparently they retaliate. Good riddance to this absurd company.
• September 2015 by A. M.
  D O N T U S E T H E M T H E Y A R E H O R R I B L E !!!!!!!!!! This is the worse company to work with, they have NO customer service. I rented a car last Saturday to move my kid to Davis the van broke down called ZIpcar The gave me 3 options when I called: 1- Take to a gas station and change the oil ...That was not acceptable this a rental car I am not going to fix anyone's car 2- Drive the car as is until it breaks down on the freeway 3-wait for the tow truck came which took over 5 hours from my first call, At this point I had no Car and those were the options from Davis (CA) to get back to the city: 1-ride w the tow truck --- really ???? 2- figure out your own way to get back to the city WHAT KIND SERVICE IS THIS THAT WE PAY $20.00 AN HOUR FOR A CAR THAT DOESN'T WORK AND YOU MIGHT GET STUCK WITH NOT OTHER OPTION TO GET BACK TO YOUR HOME . I was not going to ride w a tow truck so I had to make arrangements to stay overnight and had to buy 2 tickets on Amtrak to get home ... Basically you are screwed. I rent a car that was not reliable , I called 5 times now to check on my claim, My credit card was charged for a service that was not done, wasted my whole afternoon waiting for the tow truck. and occur expenses that were not necessary. I hope this will help who have a membership to think twice before you rent their car. I am going to file a dispute w my cc , file a claim w BBB and small claims to collect my expense for the overnight. That is how angry I am w them...
• July 2015 by Mel P.
  I had an excellent experience in my first time using zipcar. When I first registered it was 3 years ago, I hadn't never used it. Until recently, I was able to pickup my card in San Francisco staff was really nice and super helpful. I love how automated the process is. It's so simple & easy unlike car rental places. If you need to speak with staff over the phone they're great to talk to.. I would definitely refer friends and family to sign up with Zipcar. Great compamy!!!! You'll see more of me. I will gladly use Zipcar again. Thank you!!!!
• November 2014 by Davey C.
  Horrible experience. Dirty cars, bad customer service, way too expensive. STAY FAR AWAY! Try City CarShare, a nonprofit with class and smart employees.
• April 2014 by Bobby N.
  It was hard for me to decide whether to continue renting cars from car agencies or to cave in to Zipcar. Although I am w/ ZipCar, I wish I knew the following facts. Here they are to help you decide and save $$. PROS: - Closer loc. - Ins. & gas covered with 180mi/day - Variety: trucks, sedans, hatchbacks w/ tiptronic (partial manual & automatic ). - Usually clean. Car washes will be reimbursed if needed. - Service: good communication w/ reps. Option to extend your reservation via txt or phone. CONS: - SUPER $$$: 1 yr membership $80 incl taxes, not incl $9/mo ($108/yr) for damage waiver + $8.50 - $10.25 for EACH HR!?! - Car rental co. will cost $30-$40 for entire day rental incl ins & gas vs. $40 for 4 hrs. - Variety: go to another lot to get the car you like. Car may be dirty inside/outside, or hv dents. - $50 late fee Overall, zip car is good if you plan to make a time sensitive and short errand. Otherwise, biking, busing/barting, and another car rental are the more cost effective options.