Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Housekeeping Zipcar: I Have A(nother) Bone To Pick With You
Posted by Erica C. Barnett on Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 4:25 PM
Not only has Zipcar eliminated every single car in Southeast Seattle except one (a creaky hybrid called "Clallum"—adorable!), they charged my credit card 50 bucks—50 freakin' bucks!—for returning my car 15 minutes late. At 11:00 at night. On a week night. That's $106 for a four and a half hour reservation. I could've gotten a Lexus from Hertz for that! According to the customer service lady at Zipcar, Zipcar has no grace period. "You can be one minute late. You can be 40 minutes late. It will still be a $50 fee."
Gee, I can't imagine why people don't want to join your awesome service, Zipcar!
(That's nothing compared to the commenter who got charged the minimum $500 deductible when someone sideswiped her Zipcar and drove away, I know, but good company policies have some flexibility.)
1
And there's the reason every person with a heads worth of sense cancelled their membership the second ShitCar took over. For $25 dollars a day you can rent a car from one of the zillion rental places down town. Sure you pay for gas, but ZipCar charges more per hour + subscription fees than it costs to just go out and get a daily rental and pay for gas.
2
Seattle sucks anyway so fuck you.
3
If that's their policy - why not just keep the car for, like, a week or two? I mean, what's the difference? One minute, 40 minutes, 20,160 minutes - it's all the same, right?
4
I got screwed by this too. I now own a shitty 90's Civic that costs me less per month than 10 hours of zipcar.
5
I've been standing there waiting for a Zipcar that was late. It sucks - so I appreciate the $50 deterrent.
I'm sorry for your costs, though. They should be more flexible.
I'm sorry for your costs, though. They should be more flexible.
6
You deserve it.
7
Did they remove the late fee? It seems many places will remove your first late fee if you ask.
8
If you bothered reading their fucking rules you would know that it clearly says that they charge $50 if it's late. How about you call in and extend your reservation like you're supposed to? Oh no, that would be too easy, you just want another stupid reason to bitch.
9
Was there something that prevented you from calling to add a half hour to the reservation? $10 is less than $50. Of course if it was reserved, you couldn't do that. But then you would've been making someone wait 15 minutes wondering if/when their car was going to show up.
10
I agree with the fine; hey, the system only works if you turn in the car on time. Expecting the car to be there when you want it and then turning it in late is like being angry when the bus runs late but expecting the bus to wait for you if you're late to get to your stop.
But: instead of going into the company's coffers, the fine should be deducted from the fee of the next person renting the ZipCar. Your $50 pays to mitigate their extra hassle. Sound fair?
But: instead of going into the company's coffers, the fine should be deducted from the fee of the next person renting the ZipCar. Your $50 pays to mitigate their extra hassle. Sound fair?
11
Just buy a goddamned used car already. I say this out of love. As in, "For the love of Christ, just buy a goddamned used car already".
12
Sorry, ECB, I agree with most of what you have to say about Zipcar, but the fee makes sense - it's better to have people paranoid than have you return a car 15 min late and make someone late. For the 1-5 minute late-ness, I do think there should be some sort of grace period, based solely on the fact that their clocks are not always correct.
13
Yeah....Erica, I can see why this would be really frustrating, but 8 and 9 have it. Extend your reservation and shut up. It's highly likely that 11 pm is exactly when people don't want their Zipcar to be late. Transportation late at night when the buses don't come as frequently is probably a pretty common reason for using Zipcar.
BTW, what if someone had been waiting for the car when you dropped it off? Should they have to pay for 15 minutes they didn't get to use the vehicle? Would you still have bitched about the late fee?
BTW, what if someone had been waiting for the car when you dropped it off? Should they have to pay for 15 minutes they didn't get to use the vehicle? Would you still have bitched about the late fee?
14
They're just determined to nickel and dime their customers to death. FlexCar charged an extra fee if you returned the car late *and someone was waiting for it*, but it certainly wasn't $50. And, FlexCar charged a $500 deductible as well.
15
Get a scooter. It's like a used car, but better for the environment and a lot more fun.
16
ECB I was able to fight my $50 fee successfully. They tried to give me $50 in driving credit but I strong-armed them into giving me my actually money back. It can be done if you've got about 20 minutes to kill trying to talk to the manager.
17
Do yourself a favor Erica, get yourself a 1979 Cadillac Eldorado.
18
I do think that Zipcar is not really approaching its business model correctly. If Hertz and National and Enterprise and whatever else would set up three or four small rental offices around town (I know there's one in the U District) with sedans and minivans and a truck or two, and offered hourly rates, they would put Zipcar out of business pretty fast. Not sure why they haven't done so already. But Zipcar really isn't that great a deal; it's a great idea being driven into the ground.
19
As the Vern Fonk ad once said: "Every day, thousands of people use public transit to get to work. You too can ensure a safe commute... OR YOU CAN TAKE YOUR CAR!!"
Shipoopi... take that to the bank.
Shipoopi... take that to the bank.
20
Don't worry, once the tunnel is built you won't be able to get to Southeast Seattle anyway without paying a $50 toll ...
21
I will not join the ranks of those who think you whine too much about zipcar.
22
I agree that ZipCar is nowhere near what FlexCar was, and they suck. That said, I'm pretty sure I learned about the automatic $50-fee-even-if-you're-1-minute-late policy from Slog. Probably from ECB. If you know a policy -especailly one this $$$$ - and break it, you should be pissed at yourself, not the car company. I mean, it's been months now.
23
(although you do)
24
well of course she does.
she should just go to that car rental place at the base of the hill ...
she should just go to that car rental place at the base of the hill ...
25
i'm pretty sure "that commenter" was me. zipcar sucks! I also signed on about 8 of my friends and a small architecture firm to flexcar and they still took no regard for the kind of business I brought them. I'm still a zipcar member and use their service next to never but when I do, I cringe.
26
Too bad it didn't snow...
27
You kinda knew their late return policy. Your fault, you pay. Stop complaining and please, oh for the love of all that is good, how about enjoying things for once?
28
Give me a fucking break, folks. Traffic being what it is, I think it's unreasonable to expect someone to get the car back without a single minute's grace period.
29
i seem to remember being bombarded by a zillion messages that i would be charged $50 for returning a car even 1 minute late. i was given the option to sign up for text and email reminders to get the car back on time. so i did. i have never been late returning the zipcar, so i have never had to pay for the late fee. and, the one time i was going to be about 3 minutes late (literally), i called the number in the text message and extended it for 30 minutes for a tidy sum of $3.15.
so, you're whining about the $50 that you had to spend for returning the car late when you RETURNED THE CAR LATE....it's not rocket science, and you can not blame a company that you willingly joined for upholding their rules that were in place before you joined them
so, you're whining about the $50 that you had to spend for returning the car late when you RETURNED THE CAR LATE....it's not rocket science, and you can not blame a company that you willingly joined for upholding their rules that were in place before you joined them
30
Were you at least able to strap your cross to the roof to cart it across town?
31
You know you can avoid that fee by simply calling ahead to them once you know you'll be late? That way they can try to make arrangements for anyone who might have been signed up to take over the car you're in. You wouldn't want to be stuck waiting around (like @5) because someone else was "just" 15 minutes late, do you?
32
BEWARE - the Enterprise place on C. Hill is where they train sharks.
They tell you little, then, when there in person, try to jump the price - add insurance, etc.
I have rented cars for years and have never seen such a shabby shark rental place.
Make reservations on the phone, you do not need to buy the insurance, they have a master plan, make sure they note the gas TOO.
I rented a car with 1/2 tank, returned it with the same, but they charged me for full even after my big time objections. In the end, I paid, as do most. BUT no more business at that rat trap.
I think the manager gets a per cent of gross, thus, the full press to get every dime.... and the guys are cute, damn.
They tell you little, then, when there in person, try to jump the price - add insurance, etc.
I have rented cars for years and have never seen such a shabby shark rental place.
Make reservations on the phone, you do not need to buy the insurance, they have a master plan, make sure they note the gas TOO.
I rented a car with 1/2 tank, returned it with the same, but they charged me for full even after my big time objections. In the end, I paid, as do most. BUT no more business at that rat trap.
I think the manager gets a per cent of gross, thus, the full press to get every dime.... and the guys are cute, damn.
33
Flexcar was sooooooooooooooo great and out of business
34
I hear you, and yet, I know from experience how bad it sucks to be stranded, waiting for the late person to return the Zipcar, watching the minutes tick by, and realizing minute by minute how much later you will be to whatever you have to drive to. I feel for you, but it is inconsiderate to the other drivers for you to return the car late.
35
The next time a local comes out with a great affordable idea like flexcar, homegrocer.com, and Kozmo.com, we need to fight hammer and tong to stop them sell out to a national chain. We aways get srewed
36
@11 No shit.
Erica: if you purchased a $5,000 used car(with no down payment), 1998 Honda Civic or a 2000 Toyota Corolla or a 2003 Ford Focus, you could have monthly payments, including tax and insurance, of about $200.
Erica: if you purchased a $5,000 used car(with no down payment), 1998 Honda Civic or a 2000 Toyota Corolla or a 2003 Ford Focus, you could have monthly payments, including tax and insurance, of about $200.
37
And I certainly have a bone to pick with you:
Naming a car Clallum (a pseudo ripoff of the Indians across the water from Seattle) is almost as cool as Jeep naming their 4X4 a Cherokee.
Why is it that such a fervent feminist thinks mascot-style racism is "adorable" ?
Please diversify your politics, EBC. All movements are interrelated. Racist feminists aren't feminists.
Naming a car Clallum (a pseudo ripoff of the Indians across the water from Seattle) is almost as cool as Jeep naming their 4X4 a Cherokee.
Why is it that such a fervent feminist thinks mascot-style racism is "adorable" ?
Please diversify your politics, EBC. All movements are interrelated. Racist feminists aren't feminists.
38
Clallam (The County on the Olympic Peninsula)
S'Klallam (The Native American Tribe near Sequim)
Clallum (Not a word)
S'Klallam (The Native American Tribe near Sequim)
Clallum (Not a word)
39
I like the cute car names and I don't mind the late fees - I just reserve a half hour more than I need so I don't have to rush, and I've never had to wait for a late Zipcar like I did a few times with FlexCar. I also love Zipcar's reservation system compared to Flexcar's. I'd be very sad if they went out of business. Car rental companies are such a hassle in comparison.
Buying a cheap car even is such a ridiculous expense in comparison. Add up your car, gas, insurance, parking, maintenance, and repairs and you're throwing away thousands of dollars a year.
Buying a cheap car even is such a ridiculous expense in comparison. Add up your car, gas, insurance, parking, maintenance, and repairs and you're throwing away thousands of dollars a year.
40
Shittttttttttttt, at one point Flexcar let you be 10 minutes late (changed to 5) without even charging for the extra half hour. And since you could pickup the car 10/5 minutes early too, there was plenty of time for a quick round trip to drive a woman home.
41
Seattle's Top Transit & City Services Ideas:
1. Park a snow removal truck outside Connelly's house. Operate vehicle in continuous loop between home and Seattle Times headquarters.
2. Park a van with driver outside ECB's place. Slap a magnetic Metro sign on the side and call it a bus.
1. Park a snow removal truck outside Connelly's house. Operate vehicle in continuous loop between home and Seattle Times headquarters.
2. Park a van with driver outside ECB's place. Slap a magnetic Metro sign on the side and call it a bus.
42
@41,
3. For times when ECB wants to ride her bicycle, park a police motorcade outside ECB's place. Have them leave three minutes before her ride to clear the street and block all traffic on sidestreets.
3. For times when ECB wants to ride her bicycle, park a police motorcade outside ECB's place. Have them leave three minutes before her ride to clear the street and block all traffic on sidestreets.
43
Zipcar sucks.
That being said, if your own car was sideswiped in a hit-and-run, and you wanted to fix it...guess what? You'd still have to pay the insurance deductible.
That being said, if your own car was sideswiped in a hit-and-run, and you wanted to fix it...guess what? You'd still have to pay the insurance deductible.
44
Flexcar only charged me for returning the car late when there was someone else waiting for it. And once they didn't even charge me for that when I overslept after a party and didn't get the car back for several hours. They just charged me for the extra time.
45
15 minutes is a huge amount of time to be late. Let's say the next person needed the car for an interview? A crucial meeting? Something important? If they had a grace period, every single person would turn the car in late. (I know I would, every damn time.)
So it sucks that you found yourself in a position where you had to turn in the car late and was assessed a fee, but I think the policy is smart.
So it sucks that you found yourself in a position where you had to turn in the car late and was assessed a fee, but I think the policy is smart.
46
If they are going to charge a late fee, the fee should go to the next person with a reservation for that specific car that was returned late. That way, they could say they are being altruistic in charging the fee, they aren't making any money on the deal, just trying to make sure their customers are taken care of.
47
Try Enterprise Rent-a-Car on a Holiday.
I reserved a compact car and when I went to go pick it up, they don't have any late fines, they didn't have any cars but instead offered me a cargo van.
Umm...yeah...drive an empty cargo van on icy roads in cross-wind conditions...I think I'll pass.
I agree zipcar isn't as flexible or nice as flexcar was, but it beats some of the alternatives.
I reserved a compact car and when I went to go pick it up, they don't have any late fines, they didn't have any cars but instead offered me a cargo van.
Umm...yeah...drive an empty cargo van on icy roads in cross-wind conditions...I think I'll pass.
I agree zipcar isn't as flexible or nice as flexcar was, but it beats some of the alternatives.
48
I enjoyed Flexcar, even though I only used it about 2 or 3 times. One time I locked my cellphone in the car after returning it. Another time I frantically fought through Seattle downtown traffic after my appointment had gone over and had to apologize profusely to customer service since another person had reserved it just after my time.
ZipCar, forget it.
The whole model is flawed though (well, maybe not so much for the company). How many people really know that they will need to make a car trip a couple days from now and that it will only take X hours? That rules out most meetings, shopping trips, or doctor visits. For trips longer than 6 hours it's not cost effective compared to a regular rental.
Yeah yeah, the *idea* is that you need a car NOW and there's one right near you and you go and reserve it, but that's really optimistic, because the cars are either already reserved, or reserved during some portion you'll need it for. So you need to have advance notice of time and length of your needs.
It was fun getting to drive a hybrid though (which are premium rate under ZipCar). A Mini, not as much.
ZipCar, forget it.
The whole model is flawed though (well, maybe not so much for the company). How many people really know that they will need to make a car trip a couple days from now and that it will only take X hours? That rules out most meetings, shopping trips, or doctor visits. For trips longer than 6 hours it's not cost effective compared to a regular rental.
Yeah yeah, the *idea* is that you need a car NOW and there's one right near you and you go and reserve it, but that's really optimistic, because the cars are either already reserved, or reserved during some portion you'll need it for. So you need to have advance notice of time and length of your needs.
It was fun getting to drive a hybrid though (which are premium rate under ZipCar). A Mini, not as much.
49
@45: The problem is that you get stuck in traffic, or your destination task goes long. Another problem is that you get in the car and oh look, it's at 1/4 tank, meaning you'll need to refuel it before returning it, which means you need time to find a station, gas up, figure out where the gas card is and how to use it, call customer service to get your Driver ID, and bring it back.
50
Never used flex-car. Signed up for Zipcar and find it most pleasurable. If you are going to be late extend your reservation!!! It's easy and painless. Oh, and 46: Some one has to put gas in the cars. And if you can't look at your zipcard for your number and haven't figured out how to use the gas card after your first time then you have some more serious problems.
51
My statement at 50 was meant for 49 not 46
52
I have never understood Zipcar...Why exactly have American cities handed all of this premium parking to a private company (just because it pretends to be green)? Why cannot Hertz and Avis park cars for free all of the place? Because they have truly different businesses, or it is simply green-washed symantics? Some of there parking is rented through private building and lots, but most Zipcar parking in cities that I have seen was simply taken away from the limited available street parking and handed to these guys...How many times while spending too much time looking for a spot have I been teased with a free spot only to find that damn "reserved for Zipcar" sign? I truly hate them.
53
For me, Zip Car is FANTASTIC! While I could afford to own a car, I choose not to and can do so, thanks to Zip Car. Does it require planning on my part? Sure, and I accept that accountability. Sorry for those of you who feel like you haven't gotten value for your memberships, but there is at least one person out here (ME) who is a HUGE Zip Car fan, and no, I don't work for them or know anyone who does.
54
Late is late. Just like the bank will charge you an overdraft fee if you are a penny overdrawn, Zipcar charges a late fee. I'm sorry you have such a problem with so simple a concept, ECB. Do you have any more stories that showcase your lack of personal responsibility? I'm fascinated.
55
Montex- the sanitary napkin for monsters.
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