City Zipcar Responds
posted by on February 28 at 18:20 PM
Zipcar spokeswoman Kristina Kennedy, whom I spoke to for my story this week, took issue with some of the statements I made in my piece. In an e-mail to Stranger editor Christopher Frizzelle, Kennedy wrote that “the extreme number of inaccuracies transcends personal opinions to make this story simply, factually incorrect” and asked us to take the story down or make 11 corrections. Having read through the list of items Kennedy called “factually inaccurate,” I see no need to take the story down, but I’m happy to address them in order.
1. [Quoting from my story] “When the state Department of Revenue determined Flexcar members would have to pay state and local rental-car taxes, it was two Seattle officials, Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles and City Council Member Jan Drago, who took on Flexcar’s cause.”
Zipcar’s Kennedy:
While we certainly appreciate the efforts of these leaders as well as the efforts of others that have drafted and supported the bills- the effort was led by Flexcar- now Zipcar. This include heavily investing financial and personnel resources, launching an online petition, hosting rallies, recruiting members to testify, and countless meetings and phone calls with other transportation and environmental advocacy groups.
As regular Slog readers know, we broke the news that the state Department of Revenue was going to charge Flexcar the tax, and spent a ton of space on Slog covering the issue. In my coverage, I regularly cited the fact that Flexcar worked to engage its members in fighting the tax. The point of that paragraph was to note that people in Seattle feel passionately about carsharing, and loved Seattle-born Flexcar, as evidenced by the fact that two Seattle reps picked up the cause.
2. [Me]: “Flexcar members who tried to access Zipcars over a recent three-day weekend discovered that Zipcar had completely shut down its service.”
Kennedy:
Zipcars were pulled out of service overnight for a period of less than 18 hours.Well, that wasn’t my experience when I tried to reserve a Zipcar on the afternoon of Saturday, February 23, and received a message telling me “there are no cars within 17 miles of your location.” Nor was it the experience Josh, also a new Zipcar member, had when trying to reserve a car that same afternoon for Sunday. Nor was it the experience of dozens of commenters on this blog and other web sites, and people who emailed to share their experiences, who reported being unable to reserve cars all weekend. If this is true, it belies the experience I had, the experience Josh had, and the experiences reported by other Zipcar users.
3. [Me]: “Zipcar spokeswoman Kristina Kennedy acknowledges the transition could be “frustrating and confusing,” but says most calls were answered within 30 seconds.”
Kennedy:
As we provided Erica in our Q&A, 90% of calls were answered with 30 seconds—we believe this should be communicated with a different word than “most.”
I think we can all agree that 90 percent=”most,” yes?
4. [Me]: “The biggest is that Zipcar is substantially more expensive. ”
Kennedy:
While rates did go up on some vehicles under Zipcar’s model and pricing- rates on 60% of Seattle cars actually went down.
OK. This is only true either if you ONLY include the base per-hour cost under the “standard” plan that most people subscribe to (ignoring other fees and overlooking rebates and special programs that have been eliminated); or if you ONLY compare the total range of possible costs under every different rate plan (in which case you could pay $250 a month and get the lowest rate, $8.08 an hour). If you look at how much each company actually charges, total, in the real world, Zipcar is indisputably more expensive.
Let’s take the standard plan. The standard rate for Flexcar was $35 a year (a fee that was easy to get waived) and $10 an hour, plus discounted rates on certain cars and at certain times of day. They also offered rebates for things like filling up the tank with gas, and special rates ($9 an hour) for members of local environmental groups and co-ops. The standard rate for Zipcar is $50 a year and $9.50 an hour, with no special rates. They also charge the rental-car tax, which Flexcar was waiving, which actually makes it MUCH more expensive. For example, a regular Honda Civic, under Flexcar’s old plan, would cost you a flat $40 for four hours. That same Honda Civic now costs $42. Maybe that will change when the state hands over funding promised by Gov. Christine Gregoire to help defray the cost of the rental tax, but the Civic will still cost a minimum of $38 for four hours. That’s more than I used to pay with my PCC member rate—and doesn’t account for the higher annual fee, or the fact that if the Civic happens to be a hybrid it’ll cost you $10.50 an hour.
5. [Me]: “The ‘premium’ category includes not just luxury vehicles like SUVs, Minis, and BMWs, but hybrids—including Flexcar’s old Honda Civic hybrids.”
Kennedy:
Hybrids are not priced the same as high end cars. They are in the mid-price range alongside cars such as the VW Jetta. BMWs, MINI’s, etc. would be in a higher price class, while cars such as Scion xA, Nissan Versa, and VW Rabbit would be in a lower price class.
OK, this was my mistake. Hybrids and SUVs now appear to be in a midrange level of $10.50 an hour. (Minis, contrary to what Kennedy says here, are actually $10.50 an hour in Seattle—and we don’t have BMWs yet, as far as I can tell.) So the sentence should read, “The ‘midrange’ category includes not just luxury vehicles like SUVs and Minis but hybrids—including Flexcar’s old Honda Civic hybrids.”
6. [Me]: “Unlike Flexcar’s system, Zipcar’s phone reservation line automatically confirms reservations as soon as you enter the car you want, with no opportunity to go over the reservation.”
Kennedy:
A car can be canceled by simply pressing a button and then a new car rebooked with no penalty. For example, once you book a car- the systems reads you your reservation and immediately offers you the option to cancel it and remake a new reservation. There is no penalty for doing this within 30 minutes of making your reservation.
OK, fair enough. Several people complained to me that Zipcar’s system is more abrupt than Flexcar’s and doesn’t allow you to confirm your reservation once you’ve entered the time and car you want. While that appears to be true, you can apparently also cancel the reservation after you make it. Or you can have it made by a live human being—for $3.50 a pop.
7. [Me]: “Another crucial difference is that instead of incentives for good behavior, Zipcar offers harsh punishment for the slightest infraction.”
Both companies, as well as most all others in the industry, offer various rewards and penalties to shape member behavior. For example, while Flexcar offered $2 for a gas credit, Zipcar offers one full hour of driving credit for cleaning a car. While Zipcar charges $50 for smoking in a car, Flexcar charged $200. In not disclosing that Flexcar had similar charges and Zipcar has similar incentives, she painted an inaccurate portrait of both companies.
Yes, both companies have rewards and penalties. (Although the only reward I can find on Zipcar’s web site is the one Kennedy mentions.) My point was more that Zipcar charges a lot for SLIGHT infractions—for example, if you’re late, they charge you $50 whether there’s someone waiting for the car or not. And they took away the $2 incentive to fill the car with gas, replacing it with a $20 penalty if you don’t—a decision that has particularly rankled Flexcar members. It’s the punitive attitude toward little things I was getting at—not a side-by-side comparison of the two companies’ penalty schedules.
8. [Me]: “I loved their willingness to bend the rules—like the 15-minute “grace period” they would give members who were running late” …. “Zipcar charges $50 an hour, whether you’re five minutes late or 50.”
Kennedy:
Flexcar had a 5 minute grace period. Zipcar offers a similar structure for members.
Actually, Flexcar had a very flexible 15-minute grace period with much lower fees. From their member manual: “If there is no other member waiting for your car, we’ll give you a 15-minute grace period. After 15 minutes: $15 fine [plus] any additional hourly charges you may incur. If there is another member waiting for your car, we’ll give you a 10-minute grace period. After 10 minutes: $20 fine [plus] any additional hourly charges you may incur.” From Zipcar’s web site, which contains no mention of any “grace period”: “Returning a vehicle late (in addition to the per hour fees for use of the vehicles): $50 ($35 CAD) per late hour or any part thereof.” To read more about people’s experiences dealing with Zipcar’s late policy, check out the Yelp! page on Zipcar San Francisco.
9. [Me]: “In an accident? Unless the other driver was at fault, that’s a $500 deductible, according to Zipcar’s member contract.”
Kennedy:
Flexcar also had a $500 deductible for at-fault accidents. The wording of this paragraph heavily implies this is unique to Zipcar.
That’s true, and I probably should have mentioned that. However, Zipcar also holds members responsible when no fault is found on either side—that is, unless another person is at fault, you’re responsible for the deductible.
10. “On its website, Zipcar encourages members with concerns about its insurance to “consult with a licensed agent”
Kennedy:
This is implied as a negative in the article. Zipcar runs national and international operations, insurance differs state to state and country to country. We want our members to feel free to contact a licensed agent if they would like to better understand the policy and how it relates to their potentially unique situation.
Yes, it was implied as a negative, because that’s how it reads to me: “If you don’t like our insurance, get your own.” My point was that insurance is expensive and cuts into the cost savings of carsharing, which it does.
11. [Me]: “City CarShare, a San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit, offers cars starting at around $5 an hour—a rate that’s more than competitive with Zipcar.”
Kennedy:
City CarShare also charges a 40 cent per mile charge at the rate quoted. Once a member is in the car, they are metered with their driving, while Zipcar offers 180 free miles per 24-hour period. The way it is said in the article make the rates sound like apples to apples when in fact, based on the mileage charge, they are not.
That’s true. However, City CarShare’s average per trip is 3 and a half hours and 18 miles. That works out to $24.70. The same trip in a Zipcar would cost a base rate of $33.25 (in a standard car—$36.75 in a midrange car like a hybrid), plus 11 percent rental-car tax, for a total of $36.91 (or $40.79 for the midrange car.) I would say that makes City CarShare more than competitive. City CarShare also offers cars for $40 a day, with 200 miles per day included at 10 cents a mile. That’s $60 a day if you use all 200 miles—again, “more than competitive” with Zipcar’s day rate of $69 with 180 free miles.
More than anything, Zipcar’s response seemed tin-eared to me—as if they’re more concerned with how they come across in the press than with making members happy. I don’t have a vendetta against Zipcar—if anything, I have a vested interest, since I’m a member—but I do want to see some of the things that are less than ideal improve, and fast. If they don’t, I’ll have to cancel my membership, and I’m sure others will do the same. And it’s not as if I’m the only one who’s dissatisfied. I’m sure Zipcar’s PR folks are more than aware of the zillions of complaints from new West Coast members who are unhappy with the transition. If they’re not, I suggest they start here, here, or here.
LOL!!! AWESOME Job Erica!! You are my new hero!!!!! If I was not so gay I would SOOOO hit on you right now!!!!
I am going to start e-mailing Zipcar when we can see those BMW's in Seattle.
"Change is bad. We hate chains. Bring us our old local service back. Wa wa."
It is pretty stupid of them to change all the rates right away...automatically makes existing flexcar members angry.
Anyone notice you cant take out a zipcar for just 30 minutes? Your reservation needs to be at least a hour...kinda lame
@2, you clearly haven't had the pleasure of dealing with zipcar. they are much worse in customer service, in car maintenance, and in overall satisfaction than flexcar ever had been.
erica, do you know why flexcar decided to get out of the business?
Can't wait to read the article. Thanks for taking it up. And @2, its a bit obvious that this particular cake has to many layers for you to cut into. I'm sure that there are other slog items where your "insert typical response calling folks whiner, etc to typical seattle response to transition" might work. Here is not one of 'em. better luck next time. no worries.
After seeing my rate plan go away with Zipcar I test drove and bought a new car this afternoon. I just canceled my Zipcar membership.
Zipcar shifted my thinking!
Yes, 90% = "most", but turn it around. "Most" implies 50-90%. Kennedy has a point on that one.
Aside from that, nice job.
Excellent diligence to rebut precisely with facts making the ocasional correction. ECB you win, Zipcar loses, keep it up.
Great article Erica, I look forward to seeing if Zipcar will make any changes, if not, then I will need to buy a car. So much for sharing.
Great article and follow-up.
I've got to send this to my boyfriend who has been complaining non-stop about the Zipcar change. Maybe he'll participate in the comments so I don't have to hear about it anymore.
This PR lady, Kristina Kennedy is acting like she's a lawyer for big tobacco rather than working for a community service. She should say: "Thank you for your comments. We really appreciate your feedback because we want to make Zipcar as good as it can be. I do have a couple things that I think Erica didn't quite get right blah blah blah."
Another sign the Zipcar isn't going to work in this community.
do you know why flexcar decided to get out of the business?
I can think of a few rea$on$.
Also, Kristina Kennedy saying an ECB article is loaded with biased inaccuracies is like saying the sun comes up in the morning.
The whole thing seems like a pain in the ass. Even though I take the bus 90% of the time and often go a week without driving myself anywhere, I'll keep my car. The extra cost is worth the convenience when I need it.
FANTASTIC REBUTTAL. They only care about PR, not customers. If they spent that much time caring for customers, they would be on to something! It is evident in the transitions that all of us Ex-Flexcar members went through that they don't give a crap. However, now I don't even have a choice to use them as they took all my cars away. Time to buy a car, yet again...
OK, so I'm with you on #1 and #10, Kennedy is being a little silly. But I would say on points 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 11 you did a really poor job of reporting, and instead were just making a list of things that piss you off; on some of these you admit to getting the facts wrong and on others you defend your misleading words. #3 you merely did a somewhat poor job in reporting, since "most" is less informative than "90%" and if you had both at your fingertips why would you give your readers the one that is less informative? #2 may be an honest factual disagreement between you and Zipcar, but I have to say that your version fails to show anything other than that the reservation system was down on Saturday afternoon, and perhaps at other times; is that or is that not part of the 18 hours that Zipcar cites? How about figuring that out for us instead of indignantly stating that various anecdotes also show that the system was down for some undefined period and from that extrapolate that it was unavailable "all weekend"?
That leaves #8, which I'll get to in a moment.
I understand that a lot of people are pissed about the changeover, and I agree that Zipcar hasn't handled it perfectly. But I for one am very happy to have them back. They treated me great while I was in Boston, where I got a very reasonably-priced plan through my school. I never had any problems with customer service, my cars were always there when I needed them, and I prided myself in fueling up the car for the next guy any time I had a couple minutes left on my reservation on the way home--which I often did, since I was always careful to give myself extra time to avoid the awkward situation of having someone waiting when you're late.
As for #8: I honestly don't understand some of the complaints about rewards and fines, and I'm kind of disappointed to discover that in order to enjoy carsharing my fellow Seattlites must be bribed to fuel up and allowed to drive around after their time is up. If I think I am running late on my reservation I think it is totally reasonable that I call and reserve the next half-hour slot if it is still available, if for no other reason than to make sure that someone else doesn't sign up only to find that the car isn't back yet, and it is supremely easy to extend your reservation in this way. Aside from that concern, do you really think you deserve an extra 10 or 15 minutes of driving without paying? Because if you drive for an extra 15 minutes, that's 15 extra minutes of fuel & maintenance that you're charging to those of us who follow the rules. And as for the case where someone IS waiting, while it would suck to get hit with a hefty fine for tardiness, it isn't the company who's going to hit you--it's the member after you who's waiting to use the car to drive their cat to the kitty ER and can't because your ass is late. In my experience, Zipcar isn't going to fine you for being even more than 5 minutes late unless the person waiting for the car complains. And you know what? They signed up for it, you're bad at sharing, you deserve to pay a fine. Learn to share.
I own a business - and used Flex cars often for daytime runs.
Have not looked to see where the zippys are at, but the main reason Flex was good was all the locations on the Hill.
An ECB post that I agreed with? I'm speechless
Go get 'em ECB!
I echo @3's complaint of not being able to make a half hour reservation. That was key for me taking friends home from my place. A quick ~10 minute one way trip can easily take 45 minutes to an hour on the bus late at night or cost way more than $5 in cab fees.
@16: I think you've nailed it with a thoughtful, detailed post. To have someone with such strong anti-Zipcar opinions attempt to write a factual story about the company is absurd. So many parts of the story were cast a way to make Zipcar look as bad as possible.
Erica, why not just write it straight and let the reader decide for him/her self? If the facts are as you say it should be obvious to us; we don't need to be beaten over the head. As it is, it feels like you're using information selectively to force the reader to your conclusion.
I agree with @16 and I hope Zipcar sues Erica's ass for libel.
$2 difference is only a big deal in "Better of Dead"
#20 is Kristina Kennedy!
Seems like if another company is going to take over a beloved Seattle company, they should at least make an effort to keep the level of service the same for a little while.
That Kennedy woman scares me. But maybe Erica left out all the smiley emoticons that Kennedy included.
I've noticed in some slog user comments that some people think that the lowest Zipcar plan is $50/month. There's actually an "occasional use" plan that doesn't have a monthly fee (er, I mean "commitment") but does, I believe, have higher hourly rates.
I've only watched one instance of a flexcar person trying to create a zipcar account, but the availability occasional use was not obvious when they went through the sign-up process. Instead, zipcar recommends the $50/month fee (which obviously makes them more money than the occasional use plan).
For Flexcar users making the move to Zipcar, Zipcar should have had a better user interface and offered up the occasional use plan, while also offering info on the other plans. More ideally, they would have had your usage history for the past year, and then initial highlighted the plan that would be the best fit for you.
My main gripe though is the fact that Zipcar had little interest in the "community" that Flexcar created in the Seattle area. Maybe Kennedy did acknowledge that but it wasn't shown to us, I don't know. But I do know that there were many passionate Flexcar users in Seattle. Did Zipcar survey any of them before the switchover to see why they loved Flexcar more than Obama? Do they even care? Can you tell that I'm still annoyed by Homegrocer.com's sell-out to webvan?
When I sent my opinion about the transition to zipcar, I was given a short terse response. Zipcar could have been more proactive and wow'ed Seattle Flexcar fans before (and during and after) the transition. Instead they just throw us that Kennedy crap which sounds like, as another slogger stated, something from a tobacco lawyer.
what would be the implications of just getting a car with a few people to be shared, much like an apt? seems to accomplish all of the above with a lot more convenience and no snooty bitches whining about how their product must be superior to that which they just bought, even though all signs say otherwise.
Have one in the office garage - 10 years old sedan, excellent condition - for the use of the staff - fully insured, help yourself - put some gas in it - no problems and have been dong it for 10 years.
12 employees, nice perk - do I get a tax break?
Real car sharing. In our case, most of the staff do not drive at all. Not uncommon among the Hill dwellers and workers.
Marty, cool idea. Great perk.
I shared a car with two friends for a while. It worked really well. None of us needed a car for a daily commute, just to visit family out-of-town, or for buying anything that was unpleasant to haul home on the bus. And yeah, two of the three of us were Flexcar members as well, in case there was some conflict.
That car died, and now I live in an area without great bus service to where I need to go, so I own my own car. It's expensive. Wish I had a good alternative.
I wish that car sharing was economically feasable but it does not seem that it really is. Zipcar may have to charge more to be make a profit but will people use it still if the higher rates makes simply purchasing a car of their own more feasable?
The elephant in the room that no one is talking about is this: IF Seattle had better transit options IN TOWN like faster and more frequent bus service in the evenings and weekends people would not have as much of a need for car sharing. Seriously, why is this problem not getting addressed while dealing with car sharing? The reason I had Flexcar and now Zipcar is not that I want access to a car but for the simple reason Metro DOES NOT GET ME THERE most of the time! IF busses ran more frequently on the weekends and later and IF there were more bus shelters that did not turn into homeless dumping grounds I would not need car sharing to run errands on the weekends.
But instead King County screwed Seattle with the 40-40-20 rule on transit funding.
$42 is "MUCH more expensive" than $40? Really? Do you really think that's a fair way to phrase it? It's nice that the author if an article gets to personally decide whether your article was fair or not. Does the Stranger have any actual editors?
Good job! It has been a bad switch, I for one plan to dump zipcar.
"They also charge the rental-car tax, which Flexcar was waiving..."
Wrong again. The state tax collector was waiving it, not Flexcar. Flexcar sent out letters stating that it was beginning to collect it.
God yes, it would be so much better to have had a bankrupt Homegrocer here than that evil bankrupt Webvan.
Zipcar shows every sign of a company with business plan that hasn't worked and won't work.
Notice the last two words from their mileage FAQ. They are frustrated.
They are not working in an industry where they are likely to make big bucks. They probably don't have a lot of cash to work with. If I wanted the service I'd help them and support them, not bash them.
Take a lead from the Sound Transit toadies - they never have seen a bad move by their agency.
You're wrong, ECB. I use ZipCar too, and the only day of that three day weekend that they were unavailable was Sunday.
Everything about zipcar sucks comared to flexcar. It is more difficult to make a reservation online. You can't take the key with you if make a stop. I could go and on and on but I think I will just buy a car instead of using this service.
#34. I could not access any zipcars downtown beginning mon. through wed. In addition, I did not even get a zipcard until saturday. Meaning- I did not have access to a zipcar for an entire week and was not able to make several appointments for work.
ECB's bias is not anti-Zipcar, but rather, softly anti-capitalist: she loathes the uncertainty that is an unavoidable of living in a market economy. It's natural to get angry when a price structure you've come to depend on changes. But it's not like ZipCar has some kind of god-granted monopoly, and nobody is forcing you to patronize them. You aren't being price-gouged. If it's really that terrible, buy a goddamned car.
I agree with @16 and feel like @12's point is really important too -- I'm assuming Flexcar would have stayed an independent company if they'd been tremendously profitable. Some of these changes may have been necessary to keep the company in business.
A (not-that-much)more-expensive car share service is better than NO car share service.
I also love that $2="MUCH more" whereas as 90% only = "most."
@33: I worked for HomeGrocer (then Webvan), and the reason they're bankrupt isn't because HG was, you know, nice to their customers. In fact, it's quite the opposite.
When they took over, they couldn't wait to impose their rules on their employees and customers. Getting rid of the peach logo (which you can still see the shadow of on a number of delivery trucks in the area... sigh...) was the first sign that they were completely tone-deaf when it came to this market. The message after the transition was, playtime is over, so get used to more inconvenience.
People fled in droves.
It's one thing to try to increase margins on your service. It's another to make your own company unfriendly to current and potential customers. HomeGrocer still had a good chance to turn a profit, had it stayed independent, because we had happy customers, who were sold on the service. Webvan, thanks to its distaste for the customer experience, never had that chance.
Pay attention, Zipcar. I see Webvan written all over you.
This is just the Judean People's Front vs. the People's Front of Judea all over again.
ECB, thanks for stating the facts. I have yet to completely finalize my new account with Zipcar, so I'm taking all this into consideration before I do so. It's great to have this kind of detailed information in-hand.
I will agree with a few other commenters that you seemed to be determined to portray Zipcar in a negative light because you're pissed off at how the change in service went. Everybody's pissed off, but being pissy doesn't fix anything.
I don't think I'm even going to activate my Zipcard. I used Flexcar maybe five or six times in two years, and it was awesome mainly because UPASS rates topped out at $8.38 an hour on the final bill (before the rental car tax). I just don't think I'm willing to pay two or three dollars more per hour.
Very sad to see Zipcar doing what all of us members not-so-secretly feared. Having a Flexcar in my neighborhood, (CD,toyota truck) was extremely convenient--it was used nearly every single day (even Christmas Day!)for the past 3 years that I have been a member. I hardly ever saw it sleeping in its solo spot except late late at night and when I grabbed it for my monthly use for the Costco, grocery store and bi-annual mulch runs. It was an excellent tool for picking up various friends and family members late at night (194 stops running at ~9:15) from SeaTac rather than having them endure the drunk-tank horrors of a p.m. 174 bus or a $60+tip unfamiliar STITA cab ride.
You are gone my 2001 4 cyl. royal blue Tacoma. How I miss thee. I suppose I'll have to do what everyone else is and buy a Fit or Yaris, which seems to be the new safe cheap car of choice in Vancouver. The gasoline and insurance will cost me dearly, while further enriching those who are essentially selfish and anti-planet.
Seriously. I can't really say what #16 said any better (way to go Exile...)
This is exactly why nothing gets done in Seattle. The endless whining and droning and picking apart of any change... Here's the deal -- I moved to SF because I was sick of the LACK of mass transit in Seattle. Flexcar was a great, convenient, and smart option when I lived there. Now that I am in SF, I *still* find Zipcar great, convenient, and smart. I applaud the Stranger for their advocacy on the monorail and other transit options, but (once again) SERIOUSLY. To print someone's gripes about the transition and call it "news"? Then to try and back it up with -- looky what everyone else has to say!! on YELP of all places. PLEASE.
I also really love all the posters who stomp their feet, throw a tantrum, and say, I'm gonna buy a car! It's all zipcar's fault! I am sure we'll be seeing posts from them about how HORRIBLE traffic is and how EXPENSIVE parking is on the Hill in about 9 months. And their cries for something more "smart, convenient, and community-minded...."
Give me a break.
$2 does not equal "much more." $2 plus 11 percent does. I spelled out the cost difference in detail in my post. Go read it.
I was a Flexcar member for over five years and was annoyed at pretty much everything that Erica pointed out. I used the flexcar in lieu of buying another old car for occasional trips. Right now I am saving to buy a ten year old Toyota or somesuch... The no half hour increments was the straw for me. Oddly enough all of my trips in flexcars were about 1.5 hours and at my UPass rate cost me about $11-$13. Now under Zipcar these will cost me upwards of $20 each (at 6-10 trips a month this really adds up). Thanks Zipcar, it's no longer financially feasible for me to be carsharing!!!
i like ECB's reply for the most part because i hate it when a company makes it sound like it was only mild when the inconvenience was actually huge. you have many people complaining about the length of time service was out, and yet the company acts like it wasn't a big deal.
but in the same way, "most" does not communicate 90% (if that is accurate) very well. ECB's writing tends to present data in the way best to make her case -- the exact thing Zipcar is trying to do with the 18 hours thing.
finally, it is strange that Zipcar is lashing out as opposed to trying to smooth things over.
@Andre: Erica was wrong about losing 1/2 hour increments. You can still get them after the first hour. Try it before you jump ship. You get a $50 credit anyway.
ECB @46
what you posted:
You're just wrong. Flexcar was going to start charging the tax. At most with zip passing through the tax and flex not, it would be $6 dollars more for 4 hours.
@49. They only offered me a $25 credit not a $50 credit. Yes, you are right now that I looked at it, they do offer half hours after the first hour. This of course does nothing to address my other concerns though. When I emailed them about the increase in my annual fee, hourly rate, etc. I got no response to any of those concerns simply: "Are you a U-PASS holder? U-Pass holders can join for $25/year instead of $50/year." They gave me no way to actually get the U-Pass discount and there is no way to get one in thier portal. Shouldn't they KNOW from my account with Flexcar that I was a UPass holder? I mean they have my account records now don't they??? Seems like this transistion is being botched from the start.
To all the people ragging on ECB for her opinionated posting:
Last I checked, Slog is a blog, not a newspaper. Webster's defines a blog as "a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page." In this case, it's a news blog, so stuff is more or less related to current events.
But THOUGHTS, people! Thoughts ≠ objective.
@52: I was thinking the same thing and wanted to cut her some slack, but this story is not on slog, it's on the home page on Stranger.com under News.
@52: I think increasingly the line between journalism and opinion is blurring. Bloggers exist in this weird space between pundit and news source, so when a blogger reports on something factual, I don't expect their reports without bias, but I do expect it to be without errors.
Also, this is a Slog, not a Blog.
Finally, what @53 said.
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