Slog - Comments on Say Goodbye to These Zipcars

Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball

Jubilation T. Cornball — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:04:07 -0800

Would anyone else like to join me in holding a bake sale to buy ECB a car? I make the best damned cookies and lemon bars...

Comment by It's Mark Mitchell

It's Mark Mitchell — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:11:54 -0800

Zipcar can kiss my ass today. The person ahead of me was an hour late bringing the car back.

It totally fucked my afternoon.

Comment by Dan

Dan — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:20:16 -0800

First their ads on Metro, and now this. Clearly, Zipcar is really a conspiracy by the misogynist oil companies to force women to buy cars. That's the only explanation.

It's not like a for-profit company ever changed its service locations to try to appeal to more customers. Zipcar is evil, I tell ya. Evil!

(Seriously, ECB, why picking on Zipcar? Are you a plant by Big Oil? Shouldn't you be in favor of car sharing as an alternative to car ownership? Or is Zipcar evil because they're trying to turn a profit to boot?)

Comment by Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:05:22 -0800

I LOVE it!! HA HA HA!!! The location at 35th and 81st was the location I used all the time until I canceled my service three months ago. The next closest car is two additional miles away. Zipcar is going to keep pulling locations all over Seattle....GET READY!!!!

Comment by David Wright

David Wright — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:48:58 -0800

Once again, ECB is shocked, simply shocked, to see that a business is not run as an environmentalist do-gooder charity.

Comment by Jon

Jon — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:40:17 -0800

My favorite car at 4th & Blanchard is also MIA as of 7/15. Boooooo Zipcar!

Comment by stinkbug

stinkbug — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:21:53 -0800

@4 "The next closest car is two additional miles away."

Huh? There's a zipcar in front of the view ridge PCC, which is only about a mile south of the 35th/81st area.

Comment by PC

PC — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:27:32 -0800

1. a business invests money and makes decisions to make a profit.

2. hipster rag criticizes, because outsiders with no skin in the game obviously know better.

3. because we all know, anyone in business is (a) evil, or (b) really dum

4. also they're part of that global capitalism thing that was built on slavery 'n' stuff and even today is blocking UN actio on Zimbabwe thugs due to evil vetos by USA and European nations.

5. Gulp gulp gulp.

Comment by Let Zip put you... in the driver's seat.

Let Zip put you... in the driver's seat. — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:39:12 -0800

ECB posts continually that Zipcar is unnecessary; that the bus can take you anywhere you want to go. So why would she care about Zipcar's business operations?

Comment by stinkbug

stinkbug — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:09:56 -0800

@9: that isn't what ECB posts about at all. do you even fully read her posts?

Comment by Anon

Anon — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:11:06 -0800

Hey It's Mark Mitchell, Flexcar would let you take a cab (which they would call and pay for with a voucher) and the bill goes to whomever brought the car back late. Is that not the case with Zipcar?

Because that might be something worth discussing rather than the disappearnce of unprofitable cars, ECB.

Comment by J.R.

J.R. — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:47:37 -0800

A Flexcar manager once told me that they break even when they can rent a car for an average of three and a half hours per day. Sounds like the three sites you mention are money-losers. It's just business, ECB.

Comment by theniceasshole

theniceasshole — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:19:37 -0800

Just jogged past the 35th Ave NE/81st St.in Wedgwood location, and wouldn't ya know....the zipcar had been broken into! Glass was everywhere, but nothing was stolen out of the car.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:48:40 -0800

I counted the ones near me this week - there's something like six Zipcar locations if you live in downtown Fremont.

Guess we're just lucky that way.

Comment by elswinger

elswinger — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:31:29 -0800

This is HomeGrocer.com all over again. Local company has a great idea that works in Seattle. Gets bought out by some company with eyes on cornering the market in that type of service. Runs business into the ground.

Comment by Let Zip put you... in the driver's seat.

Let Zip put you... in the driver's seat. — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:31:28 -0800

@10: Through some strange compulsion, I do indeed read ECB's posts. The message is clear. ZipCar Sucks; Transit Rocks:

Seen on the side of the 9: �Your weekend possibilities just expanded beyond a three-block radius. Zipcar.�

Because people without cars are clueless shut-ins who could never figure out how to get more than three blocks from their house without driving a car. And because transit�as mentioned previously�does not exist.
Zipcar Wants You Off That Bus
posted by Erica C. Barnett on June 30 at 10:48 AM
The message here is fundamentally anti-transit: You�re on the bus. Doesn�t that suck? If you rented one of our trucks (or Minis, or BMWs, or SUVs), you�d have the freedom to do whatever you want. Unlike on the bus. Which sucks.