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Friday, February 1, 2008

Zipcar Worries

posted by on February 1 at 14:07 PM

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First, let me say that with a few exceptions, Flexcar (which merged with the larger Zipcar last year) has just about the best customer service of any company I’ve ever dealt with. They’re helpful, quick to respond, and extremely accommodating; when I’ve been stranded because the previous driver didn’t return a car on time, they’ve either located one nearby right away or, in one instance, offered to send a taxi. When I lost my wallet and didn’t have a swipe card to get into the car, they let me use a friend’s, no questions asked.

Given how awesome Flexcar has been, I have concerns about their merger with Zipcar—specifically, about whether they’ll continue to provide great service at a reasonable price without cutting back to save money, as so often happens with mergers. Early indications aren’t exactly promising. Today, the P-I reported that the company will be slashing service in LA and San Diego by two-thirds, with the 35 remaining cars in each market focused on college campuses—an alarming sign if it has any implications for Seattle. A company spokesman told the P-I that not many customers had been inconvenienced, because the company had already blocked members from using the cars weeks in advance of their removal. I hope the merged compny’s customer service reps (continue to) have a much better attitude toward their customers than their spokesman.

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1

When I came back from Japan, I seriously considered a FlexCar membership and living without a vehicle.  That was just before the merger, and I'm glad now that I bought a scooter instead.

Posted by lostboy | February 1, 2008 2:29 PM
2

I was a Zipcar user for two years in Boston, and thought their customer service and website were so much better than what I've experienced with Flexcar in Seattle. Hopefully that translates to improvement on your good experiences, but I've had some rotten luck with Flexcar - especially their dead-end info-dry website . . . I mean, why can't I see the *model* of car I'm reserving, the number of seats it has, its cargo capacity. For some reason Flexcar sees it fit to squirrel that into some hidden corner of the site that's not accessible from the reservations page.

Zipcar should be a vast improvement, prospects of fleet reduction aside.

Posted by Ziggity | February 1, 2008 2:30 PM
3

Growing in Seattle.

Shrinking in LA.

Maybe because LA is famous for much talk, little action?

If you work at the UW you can use the hybrids there with no money down at a cheaper rate - you just have to return them to campus when done.

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 1, 2008 2:44 PM
4

No, the city famous for all talk, no action -- no transit building action, no viaduct decision action, no 520 action --that would be us.

Posted by Lars Nativson | February 1, 2008 2:50 PM
5

Ziggity:

Really? Well, that's good news. I've never had trouble with Flexcar's web site, but their phone-in reservation system (where you have to know the car #) totally sucks.

Posted by ECB | February 1, 2008 2:54 PM
6

Erica, I'm not sure of your logic here.

If ZipCar were cash-flow positive on the 2/3rds of cars they removed from those two markets, they would have had no reason to remove them. Thus, people weren't using the probably 2 to 3 hours a day needed per car per location to break even on the costs (although scale is an issue).

In Seattle, I expect based on my experience in reserving FlexCar in various neighborhoods, we have a much higher rate of usage per vehicle. Partly because FlexCar inched into neighborhoods with one car where there are now five or six (Fremont, for example).

Seattle and King County also provided incentives and subscriptions and marketing that made FlexCar work. Without a local HQ, I wonder if that will keep happening.

Posted by Glenn Fleishman | February 1, 2008 2:56 PM
7

Maybe I should send this question into Savage Love, but this guy I know says he would pay good money for recordings of ECB complaining to Customer Service. My friend (well, I barely know him; he's kind of a freak) says he would pay more the more unreasonable ECB's complaint is. Like demanding the bus driver let her off in the middle of the street. I'd love to have video of that. To give to my freak friend, I mean.

I sometimes think he's like so much of a perv that he'd want to pay her to harass and berate him directly with her contradictory and illogical complaints and demands. Should my friend try to find someone who looks or sounds like her? And just how much of a freak is this casual acquaintance of mine who I basically hardly ever hang out with?

Posted by elenchos | February 1, 2008 2:57 PM
8

At least here in Vancouver, ZipCar's everywhere--and not just over at UBC and SFU. I can get at least a half-dozen cars within a kilometer's walk.

Posted by Cow | February 1, 2008 2:58 PM
9

@5,

I guess having used both websites, Flexcar seems frustrating by comparison. I've had trouble with the phone center, too - both the reservation line for the reason you've mentioned, and the customer service, which hangs up on me 2 times out of 10.

Zipcar names all their cars - I once drove an Element named Monty - so they're easier to remember in case you need to call for assistance. They also, in my experience, were able to identify it by location, vehicle model - information you are more likely to remember through simply making the reservation.

Posted by Ziggity | February 1, 2008 3:01 PM
10

I'd say just buy a goddamn car already, but then I realized that if you thought Zipcar's customer service was potentially shitty, just wait until you deal with the insurance companies' customer service departments.

Posted by Vern Fonk | February 1, 2008 3:01 PM
11

Flexicar/Zipcar is still to pricey for this kid. Don't quite get the logic of moving its function to college campuses. Most of the students I know can't afford this service either. And the ones who can have their own car.

Also, I always get a creepy, little feeling whenever someone BIGGER buys up someone smaller. Either of two things always seems to happen: 1) a very discernable loss in quality of product (most notably local brands purchased by the likes of Pillsbury or Pepsico) or 2) the buyee goes belly up (remember Home Grocer ---> Webvan?).

I hope for the best, ECB, but I think its wise to expect the worst.

Posted by Bauhaus | February 1, 2008 3:12 PM
12

@6: My logic is that supply, in this case, creates demand--I'm much more likely to use a Flexcar in a neighborhood like Capitol Hill, where there are dozens, than Columbia City, where there are two, because if I'm in Columbia City the service is less reliable (I can never count on one being there when I need it.) If Flexcar put a dozen cars in CC tomorrow, I guarantee they'd get used. That said, I don't know if that's the case in LA (and it certainly wouldn't be true in, say, Medina.)

Posted by ECB | February 1, 2008 3:16 PM
13

@4 - we doubled bus service - what do you mean no new transit?

Heck, my property taxes are up this year due to that and the other action we took ...

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 1, 2008 3:33 PM
14

@7,

Some guy you know. Right.

Posted by keshmeshi | February 1, 2008 3:37 PM
15

@11 - if you are on campus, you don't have to use Flexcar/Zipcar - you can use the UW fleet of cars and just return them to campus - and even pay for it with your HuskyCard.

No, I'm not joking. Check over at the HUB for more details.

Plus, all the cars on campus are bio-diesel and/or hybrids.

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 1, 2008 3:40 PM
16

Rumor has it that Flexcar was going to revamp their entire web site and phone system until the merger. Ah well.

Posted by Joe | February 1, 2008 4:07 PM
17

Customer services aside (I'm on hold with DirecTV as we speak, so I know how frustrating that can be.) flexible car services or what ever you call it, is the type of alternate transportation this country should be subsidizing rather than the robber baron oil companies, who posted truly obscene 2007 annual profits this week.) While this complaint is directed to the Bush administration and the previously Republican Congress, Washington State's allowance of a punitive bill to affect Flex Car's operations is unforgivable. The fact that the state house in Olympia operates under a Democrat's super majority if beyond obscene, it's Santorum!

Blame here can be spread around a very large area indeed.

Posted by atlsea | February 1, 2008 6:53 PM
18

Like Ziggity, I was a very happy Zipcar customer in Boston (for 3 years). I was very sad at the prospect of having to join Flexcar, but the merger was announced not long after I moved here. (Now if they would just hurry up and get my Zipcard to work here before my membership expires...) Zipcar's customer service was always fantastic. Their growth strategy has been very aggressive out East, to the point where there was an entire parking lot of about 20 cars not far from my house. Plus they have an amazing ability to lobby city governments for good car placement and special legal treatment, so I would expect the merger to have positive effects on the legal landscape re: car sharing. Fear not, loyal FlexCar fans: Zipcar comes in peace.

Posted by Exile in West Seattle | February 1, 2008 8:10 PM
19

I am at a University (UCI) in Southern California. Flexcar (and now Zipcar) count the university as being in the LA area. Just looking at the online pricing, Zipcar is probably going to be too expensive for me. I don't own a car, and can do almost everything I need to do either by foot or by awkward & infrequent Orange County Transit, but I can't take my cats to the vet on foot or on the bus. And cabs around here are positively exorbitantly priced. Flexcar seemed the perfect solution, what with essentially no membership fee and a few cars I could find for $6 an hour, but Zipcar, with a $50 a year membership fee and all cars at $9 an hour, seems to be much less affordable.

I do wish they hadn't merged, but the good words above make me more hopeful.

Posted by Enuja | February 1, 2008 8:30 PM
20

I am at a University (UCI) in Southern California. Flexcar (and now Zipcar) count the university as being in the LA area. Just looking at the online pricing, Zipcar is probably going to be too expensive for me. I don't own a car, and can do almost everything I need to do either by foot or by awkward & infrequent Orange County Transit, but I can't take my cats to the vet on foot or on the bus. And cabs around here are positively exorbitantly priced. Flexcar seemed the perfect solution, what with essentially no membership fee and a few cars I could find for $6 an hour, but Zipcar, with a $50 a year membership fee and all cars at $9 an hour, seems to be much less affordable.

I do wish they hadn't merged, but the good words above make me more hopeful.

Posted by Enuja | February 1, 2008 8:30 PM
21

The real issue isn't the merger - and it seems that flexcar will be subsumed by zipcar and take on zipcar's infrastructure - but the car rental tax that's being imposed. ECB, could you find the link to the bill that is stuck in committee that hopefully will see the lite of day if enough of us let the legislators know (they don't hear from folks near enough! so they are kind of whatever) that car share is not a rental company. I think for some folks the flex and zip seem more expensive, 'cause the costs are all up front, vs amortizing car payment, insurance, gas - the longer we have to pay for something, typically the cheaper we think it is. But it does really come down to cash flow at the time. Remember those halcyon days when you paid your flexcar bill net 30? Still love it though.

Posted by stone | February 1, 2008 8:54 PM
22

Man, poor people have to worry about the craziest shit!

Posted by Jubilation T. Cornball | February 2, 2008 9:52 AM
23

My life has been dramatically changed by this "merger". Zipcar in fact has removed EVERY car from downtown San Diego which leaves no options for people who made a green decision to go carless. Now when I have an appointment (1x/week). I drive my husband 20 miles to work, then 20 miles back to my office downtown, pay $15 to park, go to my appointment, return back downtown, pay another $15 to park, then another 40 mile round trip to pick up my husband. Cost in gas: $20 Cost in parking: $30 Time wasted: 2.5 hours Damage to the environment: Priceless!

Posted by Flexer | February 4, 2008 11:48 AM
24

I just came across this looking for somewhere to vent about zipcar. Does anyone else find this merger insane? They raised the price, got rid of the free nights (which was a big perk for me being a night owl). Stopped paying me for filling up the tank, and charge 3.50 to talk to a live customer service rep! What happened?!? I canceled my flexcar account as soon as the merger hit, and am not going to sign up for zipcar. Isn't this great, now there is no competition, so prices will go up, service will get worse. I guess eventually they will just go belly up. I guess I will just go buy a car, and use up the rest of the oil that we have left.

Posted by Zac | February 9, 2008 1:41 AM

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