I registered for car2go just for fun when they had a free registration promo. I'd always wanted to drive around in one, even if only for a few minutes. However, it really grew on me, and I've found myself using the car for a quick ride from campus to West Campus or from West Campus to downtown. My best story about convenience is after I ate a huge bowl of Chipotle. I was dreading the walk home, but voila! someone had parked a car2go right in front of the restaurant! It really has been a lifesaver on my laziest occasions. I have never tried the GPS system because I never use it to go to unfamiliar places. But if you're looking for a quick ride somewhere, this service is perfect! I also love that you can park at meters for free. I used to think that you could park perpendicular to the curb, but their website now states that it is illegal. The whole cleanliness and damage report system is also a great incentive to keep the car in great condition for everyone. read more

I love that this service is available. Overall it's pretty great. The first time I used a car2go was when I needed to drop my car at the shop. Cheaper than a cab and I didn't have to bug friends for a ride. (My mechanic--Revolution Motors, love them--actually offered a ride but I wanted an excuse to try this out.) I had reserved a car nearby but when I went to find it, it turned out to be stashed in a private parking garage.....3 floors up.....that was one floor above the mobile car wash guys and their high powered water spraying all over the place, instant bad hair day. Anyway, at a certain point I wasn't giving up but by the time I found it I had gone past my reservation time. This results in a $6.50 charge but when I called them to tell them where the car was they immediately took it off and apologized for a less than perfect experience even though it wasn't their fault. (I initially called the 800# and they passed the info along to the Austin office who called me back.) Once I got to the car everything was just fine. It was soooo fun to drive. And when you're inside it's got so much head and leg room that you don't feel like you are in the teeny tiny car that in reality it is. I even took it out on the interstate and felt good (use the manual shift mode, it's a better ride). The car sits up higher than say a Toyota or Honda sedan so I think that helps you feel like you can ride with the big boys on I35. The best part about this is you can park it on any public street so I got to drive myself right to the front of my house. It was kind of sad when an hour later someone drove it away but that afternoon when my car was done I found one two blocks away online, reserved it and left it parked on the street in front of my mechanic's shop. I can see how it wouldn't be good for shopping etc since you really don't want to pay 35 cents a minute while you shop but for a lot of circumstances it's just what you need. read more

I would give this company zero stars if I could, it has been nothing but frustration. I no longer have a car and this would be a great service if it actually ever worked out. First off, the only way to tell where cars are is this really confusing online map with a million overlapping icons. I will be the first to admit I am map challenged. I pretty much have no left brain, can't do anything mechanical and can't read maps at all. My roommate showed me how to read their map, it made sense. The next day I try to do it on my own and I can't figure out how said roomie got it to work. I seriously doubt I am the only map challenged person in this city so I would imagine they are frustrating many with this system. So I called them. They have two cars in my area but I don't know any of the cross streets they mention and the agents are not local, they have no idea. I finally ended up taking a cab as I was going to a very important job interview and had missed the bus by this time. The next time, I find out where a car is and go to it. There is a flashing light saying it has technical problems and can't be used. Sheesh. I am already stressed out as I am trying to get to my second interview for the job. I call them and an agent tells me there is a car available about ten minutes from where I am . I rush over there and... my card doesn't work in the car reader, so the car won't unlock! I call them again, the agent goes over the process with me and the car will not unlock. I give her the plate number and she says the car should be working. But it isn't. She tells me to try again the next time I need a car and if the card doesn't work to contact them. That' s it. No further help, no offer to go ahead and send me a membership card that might actually work, nada....Once again, I had to spend a bunch of money on a cab. I gave Car2go one last chance the other day when I had an appointment across town that was going to be a long bus ride. I call them up to see where a car in my area is and the only one available is off of Riverside. That's like a 20 to 30 minute walk from my house! I've given up and am just going to take the bus. It's pretty sad when you want to use a service and can't because it is such a mess. I have been writing and begging Zipcar to come here. I used them in Portland and they were great, no hassle. I sincerely hope Car2go goes out of business. They royally suck. read more

Car2go isn't your cheapest option, but when you've got to choose between spending 2 hours waiting for and then riding a bus to a place that's 20 minutes away by car, or coughing up $10 for a quick drive, it can definitely be a lifesaver. I really dig car2go because of its flexibility. It allows you to pick up the nearest car (which you can locate online or via their app), drive it wherever you need to go, and then drop it off in any legal parking spot within the Austin home area. No need to return it to the same spot you found it like most other car rental services. Just grab it and go! It is definitely pricey at 38¢ per minute, which is why you will often see the white car2go Smart cars blazing along at 900 mph. Someone needs to get someplace in a hurry! The cars themselves are fun to drive. I love the Smart car's ability to switch from manual to automatic, allowing for better gas mileage if you've got the skills to drive a stick, but accommodating all drivers. Also, the kickin' AC can't be beat in the Austin heat! My one complaint is that since there is no core area where cars must be returned on a daily basis, this occasionally means it's difficult to find cars in your neighborhood. Living in South Austin off Riverside, there were usually a couple of cars in the area, but sometimes it was a bit of a "dead zone," and required a second vehicle just to locate the nearest car and make a trip, which does pretty much defeat the purpose of renting a car. Overall, I think car2go is a reasonable alternative to Austin's atrocious public transportation system, and when you're really on a deadline to get somewhere ASAP, or just need a dedicated vehicle NOW, it's a great option. read more

I know, I know. My review went from five stars to two. But I really did like the service when it first came to Austin. At the time, it was worthy of the raving review. Not anymore. I love the idea of Car2go...but I really thought after a year of being in business, they'd have their stuff figured out. In the last month or two, I've had endless issues with the cars. I find a car in my neighborhood, only to get a connection error. I walk a little bit further...same thing happens. This morning, I walked at least a half-mile to find one that actually worked and by that time I was so sweaty, I may as well have taken my bike in the 105 degree heat. If they have one thing going for them, it's their customer service. Everyone I talk to is very apologetic - unfortunately, that doesn't fix the problem. A scooter is definitely in my future. read more

I've been a Car2Go user for about 1 month now in Minneapolis and other than having one snafu with parking, have overall enjoyed the convenience. When it works, it's great - the price is affordable and the convenience of leaving it somewhere is really what gives it a lot of value. I can take it out to meet friends and get a ride home with someone else and not have to go back and get my car. Also, the service is new to Minneapolis, so there is often a car nearby. When I park one it always stays there until I come back to it. I'm guessing this will change as it catches on. Note that if you park somewhere you are not supposed to, their fines are incredibly steep. I recently parked in downtown Minneapolis in a spot that *12 hours later* became a 'taxi-only' area. Apparently no one else used that car in the next 12 hours, and it was ticketed and towed which cost $180. But to make it worse, Car2Go charged me $150 (plus 30 dollars tax) on top of that as a processing fee for a total of *$362.00*! I called and asked to have their processing fee reduced since it was my first offense. The representative claimed 'there was no way to do that'. Ouch. So, great service, but be very careful where you park. ** Update ** The local Car2Go office did end up contacting me about the service fee for towing and credited my account for 10 hours of drive time. This basically is the equivalent of the fee, so I'm happy with that. We had a few emails back and forth and they were very responsive. I did suggest to them to change their fee structure so it isn't quite so painful. read more

"We want to remind you that a one time Registration Fee of $35.00 (plus tax) will be applied unless you have a valid promo code. Only valid promo codes will be accepted." That is equivocally false. it should read: "If you have a valid promo code, we will deduct the promotional value from the registration fee." Tried emailing them and they didn't even read the email and refused to acknowledge that their wording was less than straight-forward. NOWHERE ON THEIR SITE DOES IT EXPLAIN REGISTRATION FEES EXCEPT WHAT I QUOTED or in the FAQ it's almost identical. They even called me afterward to tell me they were doing nothing to resolve the matter--albeit quite pleasantly. But why waste my time to tell me why I should use your service when we haven't addressed the issue. Also, My friend applied for a car2go membership a while ago, was charged and never received a notice or membership card. Thanks car2go for having me waste my time. You should be thanking me for bringing this to your attention rather than pushing me aside. Now I'll bring it to the publics attention. read more

Well...3 days after my last review, I finally received my card! And since that time I've used Car2go about 5 times and I can now say I am a fan. It takes a few times to get the hang of it, but it's nothing too difficult to follow. I highly recommend car2go to all my friends! read more

Since I got an automated reply I will say I tried to resolve it with the office, they were useless. They informed me that there was nothing they could do. Don't bother anymore, you have already lost me as a customer I won't be back, and I will tell everyone I know to stay as far away from your "services" as possible. Thanks anyways! read more

Terrible in the summer. So terrible. Something about the summer heat in Austin... I've had on three separate occasions reserved a car, gotten to it only to find the card reader dead... as well as the entire car. The battery was drained. This wasn't just one time. It was three times in a row. Today, I found 2 cars near one another, both dead. Very unreliable. Called Car2Go the first time it happened, didn't get credited or anything for the time I wasted even though I was nice enough to call them to let them know as I hunted another car down. It is great that they are introducing more cars to areas like South Congress, but if those cars don't actually work, it's a lost effort. If you want to be a nice Car2Go user, park the car in the shade when you end your trip to save other people the misfortune of having this happen. read more

Reserving a car and getting in it is still extremely unreliable. I just spent 20 minutes staring at a car that I had reserved that failed to unlock. Car2Go is a great idea and execution has to be difficult, but if your customer don't know if they will make it to your appointments on time, the service will continue to be of marginal value. read more

I feel sad to give car2go such a low rating, because over the past several years, they have been more good than they've been bad, more convenient that hassle-causing, more exceptional than frickin' horrible. Unfortunately, for the past several weeks, my car2go user experience has been wrought with technical difficulties, poor customer service and spotty terms and service enforcement, which has led met to the conclusion that car2go is no longer the car sharing solution for me. Some of these problems have been mere annoyances. For example, car2go's official iPhone app has, with increasing frequency, began to display only vehicles that are not actually available as being "available." Along with this, it has been preventing me from making reservations via the app, leaving me to wander aimlessly through the city in hopes of finding a vehicle. Or alternatively, as has been the case for at least half of my recent car2go trips, to call customer service so that they can help me locate and reserve a vehicle. This has added several minutes to trips that were supposed to last only a few minutes in and of themselves - hardly convenient, but not relationship-ending. Rather, the nail in the coffin was driven in today, when I receive an email from car2go, explaining that I was being charged a "vehicle removal fee." According to the email, I left the car2go I rented yesterday in a private parking lot, and the owner of the parking lot called to have it removed. This would've been fine, were it not for the fact that I hadn't wanted to "leave" the car there at all. I had driven to the business - the HEB grocery store on East 7th St. - with the intention of parking the car2go, going inside the store for a few minutes, then returning to the car, re-renting it and driving it home. At no point did I intend on leaving the car permanently in the parking lot. The worst-case scenario is that someone else would've taken the car while I was in the store, leaving me without a ride home. Regardless, the car would not under any circumstances have stayed in the parking lot longer than a few minutes. Except for the circumstances that caused me to have to leave it there in the first place: A technical difficulty with the vehicle, which required me to call customer service yet again, and have them manually end the rental. Because of this, my worst-case scenario - i.e. me having to wwalk home from the grocery store - came true. I remind you again: Had it not been for this technical difficulty, someone - either me or another car2go user - would certainly have driven the vehicle away. The worst part is that when I called the car2go customer service to receive clarification on this matter, I was told that the matter would need to be "investigated," that the office was very busy and couldn't get to my inquiry right away. The representative who answered when I called back, Tabitha, informed me that unless the person I'd spoken with the day before had explicitly asked me where the car was parked, using a verbatim phrase as per the car2go policy, the fee would be removed. Unfortunately, Tabitha went back on her promise when I called back in, so I asked to speak to her supervisor (whose name I unfortunately don't remember). This woman was unable to budge, stating that although the vehicle had experienced a technical issue which rendered it immobile, irrespective of my actions, I would be responsible for paying the removal fee. She did not express one iota of care for the fact that I've been a car2go customer since nearly the beginning, that I have spent thousands of dollars on rentals over the past three years, and recommended the service to dozens of my friends. I am disappointed to have to say goodbye to car2go over this matter. It isn't even about the money involved in the fee. It's the principle: If a business I patronize decides to abandon me over a technicality - and, in this case, a technical glitch - I take my business elsewhere. read more

Approximately six hours after I posted my last review, the account was up and running again. Coincidence? Dunno. But it doesn't matter, because the multiple transactions tripped the security trigger on the new method of payment too. My husband got the email yesterday saying that the account had been suspended again and that they were going to charge us a $25 fee. I'm beginning to wonder if they run their payments through this way (multiple payments at a time instead of once-weekly or something) on purpose. Also, I did the math, and they charge 15% in taxes, making their fees a hell of a lot higher than stated. On the rates page, it doesn't even say the tax percentage that's added, which makes me think they're trying to mislead people on purpose. All in all, I gotta say, not really worth the PITA. read more

In Austin for SXSW and thought I'd use Car2Go to visit friends in Spicewood. The concept is amazing. The execution is awful! Registering on the website has all sorts of bizarre quirks like requiring you to add a "+" sign before your phone number. After registering I was informed my account was "locked" and I should "contact the service team." However, there was no phone number provided. When I figure out how to call the service team I got a voicemaii-like prompt from an unfriendly and unprofessional sounding French Canadian dude. It was weird. read more

So far so good. Since they've expanded their service area, I've had a chance to use it more. Although, I must say there are three glaring problems with this service: 1- Tools: Their app is awful. The paid one, and the free one both crash constantly. So if you are a pedestrian on foot looking for a car via your smart phone as opposed to a computer ( you know, like the type of behavior this service is supposed to enable) good luck. 2- Coordination of customer service from Holland to Texas: I parked a car outside my friend's house last Thursday. There was a connection failure and the customer service folks in Holland told me not to drive it and that the Austin office would pick it up soon. My friend told me that the car is still there today. Unlocked. Screen still on. I called the Austin office this morning and they had no idea. 3-Accuracy of information: Yesterday I walked around Hyde Park for an hour looking for a car that according to the map and according to their customer service was in the area. It wasn't. I took the bus and walked the additional three miles to my house. I still like the service a lot. I'm glad it's here and hope to see more cars added to their fleet. read more

I went into the local office to sign-up for car2go and met with a representative named Alex. He was very friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. It only took a few minutes to get me set-up and ready to go! I do not have a car and have been meaning to sign-up for car2go for a while and am so glad I did. It was raining this morning so I decided to give it a try for the first time and found the whole experience convenient and affordable. THANKS CAR2GO!!! read more

What a great concept, what a horrible company!! Car2go is a complete scam, if you try and park your car anywhere where one of their computers fails to pick up a satellite signal you are screwed. You will have to drive around aimlessly looking for a parking spot even if it is miles from your destination. If you park the car and leave it somewhere that the signal can not be read, they will charge you in the neighborhood of a hundred bucks. You will also be charged as you drive around racking up minutes trying to get the car2go to pick up a signal so you can finish your drive and "properly park". You also get to pay for the Car2Go service as you wait on hold for customer service to pick up your freaking phone call about the issue you are having with the car. I do not live on the outskirts of town or somewhere crazy, I live in Hyde Park (Central Austin) and drove it downtown, what a joke! 2 separate instances, these guys screwed me. The first time I was willing to turn the other check, the second time when they charged my 86 bucks for a 1 mile drive causing me to overdraft my bank account I drew the line. I will never use C2G again and I will never recommend it to anyone. I have never written a review for anything in my entire life but these guys take the cake for horrible customer service. I was told I would receive free minutes or some type of a refund when I called about my issues (as I was paying minute by minute for their service, as I sat in a parking spot off of 6th street open to the public waiting for someone to answer the phone at C2G hq) and nothing, not an email follow up saying my issue is being looked at or when someone will contact me to resolve the problem I had. If you choose to use C2G beware, be sure you are not strapped for time or cash and that you don't mind possibly walking a long distance to your actual destination. read more

Wish I could give Car2Go zero stars. Do NOT even open an account with them. I've had nothing but problems with Car2Go: (1) Gas card declined repeatedly while I was charged for extra time. When I called customer service about the problem, I was promised a credit I didn't receive. (2) Car had trouble and when I called from the car to report it, the customer service man wanted to know my car number (no clue where that is) and my exact address. Hello? Isn't there GPS on those things? It was over 100 degrees that day so I thought I was pass out before he collected the information on the car. However, later when I pointed this call out (see problem 3 below), they had no record of this miserable, sweltering call from the car. (3) Rented a car for a few minutes but was charged 4 hours. They have a "policy" that they won't refund anything after 14 days, so they wanted me to pay half of the amount after making me hold for several minutes. They don't send invoices, so I just randomly got collection emails/calls. Rude. Account closed. read more

car2go has gone straight into the ditch in the past couple of months. More often than not, the car won't let me in, and if I had reserved it online then I have to call customer service to get the "cancellation" fee waived. I see from other reviews that I'm far from the only one. Once I got where I was going but the car wouldn't let me complete the rental and sign out -- I have no idea how long it sat there on the street with the radio blasting after I abandoned it. I learned the hard way not to even consider using car2go to get to doctors' appointments. For anything that important I take the bus. It's less convenient but much more reliable. As of this writing, car2go is broken. read more

Poorly engineered cars! The session ending routine for the cars can't handle a little extra amount of people being in the area of use (I woikd guess it is affected by higher than avg cell use in the area). But aren't you using car2go most times during busy events or near downtown areas? Seems unacceptable. Seems to me you need to fix the communication system the cars use to end car sessions; I see all the other complaints on this review page...when will you recognize the system is flawed and needs an upgrade? I has to waste 30 mins trying to end my car session and call and have the tech end the session remotely. Not a good experience, unsure I will use it again. read more

Imagine being able to use a car anytime you need one without any of the downdsides. You never have to clean, wash, change oil, fill gas, pay for gas, pay outrageous service bills, pay outrageous insurance bills, put air in the tires, etc, etc. If you use the service to augment bus transportation you really don't need a car. I live no where near downtown (45th ish) and there are always several cars within a couple blocks. The cars are easy and fun to drive. I am definately considering selling my car. A couple complaints: 1. There is no mobile version of the car finder. There is an iPhone app but I have a blackberry provided by my employer plus I hate Apple. Also, the text comfirmations won't go to my Google Voice number, weird as everyone else on the planet can text that number. 5 stars if there was some way for me to find a car (without calling) when I am mobile. read more

I've used car2go on successive trips to the Austin area.. The first time it worked well, but each trip, the car service has gotten worse.. As is mentioned on the website is that your rental fee taps out at $63. per day, if you stay with one car. What is not mentioned is if you switch cars, using two or more your fees can go in excess of $100.. The rental I could get for that price is far nicer than a smart car. If they want this to work as a communal venue, they should change their fee base to a per client daily fee, not a per car. It really goes against the idea of communal, drop and go which C2G purport to be. On my present and last outing with car2go I was plagued with poor connections and had trouble signing out of the car/ contract.. This is a huge problem as you are still charged for their failure to connect. The service staff is nice, and will go out of their way to help you out, and the longest I had to wait on hold was about 15minutes, though to be honest, it usually was less than a minute. read more

Car2Go is okay. I love the idea of this service, but there are a few areas for improvement that keep it from being 4 or 5 stars. Namely, their GPS system (not for the drivers, but for locating the cars) is just jacked. I have reserved cars and gone to the location, and there were no cars. I was charged for not picking up the car for the reservations, too. I have canceled reservations within the alloted time period, and it was not registered. I was charged for that. I have parked a car in front of my house (so I know the EXACT location), and it shows up as being blocks away on the locater map. I parked a car today on Dean Keaton, just outside of UT campus, and because the GPS is probably off by several blocks, was told I was in an unauthorized location and could not end my rental. Fortunately, the customer service has been great. Bogus charges have been refunded, they generally apologize for the technology mishaps, and, today, they were able to end my rental via satellite, since I was, indeed, parked legally. Even with the customer service being overseas, there is always someone to help immediately. The Austin office is also helpful, but they have traditional hours, so you're likely to get the overseas office first, if you call or use the car to contact them. My family has one car, so we are constantly juggling that vehicle with public transportation and other methods of getting around town (carpools, bikes, scooters, etc.). It would be nice to be able to use this more often, but the issues that have arisen so far make it difficult. It's a great system to use on a whim, if you don't have to count on it. read more

PLEASE CARRY YOUR OWN DRIVER INSURANCE POLICY TO PROTECT YOURSELF FINANCIALLY IF YOU USE car2go!!!!!!! I have been considering car2go and carefully reading their user agreements, terms, etc. and ...WARNING!!!... Please read all of these carefully and understand the nature of your financial obligations under the car2go program!!! While you are not required to hold your own insurance policy to use car2go, their terms make it clear that their policy is designed to protect car2go, not you as the driver, from financial liability. In fact the contract clearly assigns financial responsibility for virtually any and all damages to the car2go user including up to $1000 (deductible) for any damages to the car2go vehicle, any loss incurred by 3rd parties (i.e. anyone you may be involved in an accident with), and more. Also should you violate any terms of the agreement (pretty easy to do) then you car2go may seek additional damages to be paid by you. Anyone have experience with damage incurred to a car2go vehicle during your rental period and the ensuing financial outfall? Please share. read more

My boyfriend and I each have our own accounts with Car2Go. We have used it a total of about six or seven times, including during SXSW. We rely on the buses to get us around town regularly (cheapest transportation in town!) Car2Go is expensive. Period. 40cents/minute is costly. I have spent as little as $6 and as much as $65 (had the car on a stopover for roughly 2 hours). My biggest issue is that the service range is not south of Ben White. I would use Car2Go much more regularly if I could park closer to my house (Garrison Park/Westgate area). However there are a few places where I can regularly find cars. A few times I have used a car that had TERRIBLE shifting when driving downtown. It seems to be very hit or miss with the different cars. However they handle find on the highway. Never had a problem with customer service, they even called me when there was an issue with my license that needed to be remedied. They have always been helpful and considerate. I have reserved cars once or twice and that was fine (even though the car was not where they said it was--it was actually in a parking lot across the street. Customer service helped me out). The key thing to remember when using Car2Go is to PLAN your trip. It can be extremely costly if you are just driving around town. So I try to take it places where I can't get to easily on the bus (like the Dunkin Donuts on Research Blvd) and use it maybe one or twice a month. read more

So, this review is something of a breakup letter. My wife and I have used car2go for years in Austin, and have found the cars a godsend in getting home cheaply and quickly from Downtown, Mueller, and even their service island on W. Anderson. But see, I think that the chip-card service model that they were using worked just fine, and I'm never going to pay the ungodly expense of buying a smartphone and paying for a plan (I manage to dick around on the internet just fine without one, thanks). So the fact that they are already in the process of phasing out the chip cards and going to smartphone-only service (we were stranded last night as a result of this; the car had a card reader that had been disabled) means that we were essentially fired as customers for a service that we used regularly--never mind how many other people who have older and cheaper phones out of need rather than preference. So, your loss, I guess, car2go. I never really wanted to use Lyft, but you've made me into a convert. read more

I've been a customer since they began. It has been convenient but it gets WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. There needs to be a way to get good dynamic feedback on the minutes we use(during the trip) so we can plan the best check-in time to best leverage the one hour and day max rates, etc. I usually do it in my head but if you are (were?) a frequent users you tend to forget--especially with regards to the hour/day rate--I was off by 41 minutes the last time I did a day rental and it cost me $20 bucks or so more then I budgeted. That could have paid for a trip to work and back! I also do not get a lot of flexibility when I call about these issues. They should try to be a bit flexible with customers since return business could make or break this (or I guess any) type of business. read more

I successfully used Car2Go in Vancouver with my Austin membership and it made traveling so much easier. I was easily able to use the app to book a car near Pacific Central station (I came in on Amtrak from Seattle) and then went on a quick trip to Lynn Canyon suspension bridge. The rates in Canada were the same as in Austin, but even cheaper because of the low Canadian exchange rate. Frankly, couldn't have worked better. read more

We have been using Car2Go for a few years now--at first infrequently and lately more often as we have been without a vehicle. In the early days there were issues, mostly with reservations and sometimes with sessions not terminating. But support was always very helpful and we always got a refund and/or free minutes. It is economical and convenient and a great alternative to owning a car when used in conjunction with public transit and bicycle. We feel fortunate to have them readily available in our neighborhood. Many of the reviews here seem unreasonable. No service is perfect. Many of the parking issues could be remedied by simply taking a few minutes to understand the rules and restrictions. They are fairly straightforward. read more

Love car2go! Great way to get around town and the service is great! read more

Great customer service. The issue I had with a car over the weekend was rectified the very next day even though they told me it could take 2-3 business days. My money was refunded and I was given extra minutes for the hassle. I do wish they had a map of available parking spaces for faster, easier parking. And I hope they build up a large enough customer base to offer more cars and a wider range that could include more of the city. read more

I just had a bad experience with Car2go. At 4:18 I found an available car in the Specs parking lot near the Highland Mall and made a reservation. I was going to use it to go to a doctor's appointment at 4:45. At 4:24 I had secured the reservation and was on the way to the car. My husband gave me a lift because it was hot and a long walk from our place. At 4:26 I used my card to unlock the car and got inside. I entered my pin. About halfway through the initial questions (but before you can start the car) the car's screen went white and 'flickery' and also slowly the dashboard screen started fading to black with all doors unlocked and no way to manually lock them--the car had a dead battery. Boo, but this was not yet a problem. This type of thing had never happened to me before with Car2go, but I was pretty sure if I could talk with somebody they could log me out, lock the doors of the car and I could possibly get to another car and still make my appointment. At 4:30 I called the Car2go help line. I pressed 1 for people having trouble with their current rental. This put me straight to muzak and I was on hold for 7 minutes. I thought this was strange. I have used the Car2go help line in the past on rentals and it has never taken longer than 10-120 seconds for someone to answer. So I hung up and dialed again. Again I was put straight through to muzak. In the meantime I texted my husband and he came back to pick me up--very lucky for me he was still in the area. In the meantime I'm slowly losing the window of time where I could have been on my way to another car and still have made my appointment. Car2go doesn't want you to leave their vehicles unlocked and since there was not a way to manually lock them in this situation I was kinda stuck. While on hold I started day dreaming about what it was like in the main call center. Were they so tech savy that they might already have my info pulled up since I was calling from a number tied to our account? They usually answer so quickly...were they having a pizza party? Finally I got through to somebody. It was a young woman and she asked me for my phone number so she could look up my account and then she asked how she could help me today. I guess even though I was dialing the line for people 'having trouble with a current rental' their system doesn't give the person on the other end of the line any idea what is going on or what rental this person might be calling about. I guess I was just hoping after being on hold for so long that they would get on the phone and be ready to help me get on my way and have some idea where I was and which rental was having an issue since I had already logged in my pin and was probably getting billed minutes somewhere else in their system. So I described where I was and the issue I was having and that I had been on hold for over ten minutes waiting to speak with someone. She confirmed that the car had a low battery and asked me to hold so she could find out what to do in this situation. She asked me to stay with the car. I guess at that point I could have just walked away but I still thought maybe she would be interested in helping me out and I wanted the minutes credited back to my account because technically I had logged in my PIN number. She came back on the line and tried locking the doors remotely but it wouldn't work. She had me do a process called pre-locking but that didn't work either. The car battery appeared to be very dead. One thing that has been true every time that I've had technical issues with the Car2go system: Their first priority is never to help you get on your way even though they may have totally left you in a bind. This time was no exception to that. Because the car would not lock she asked me if I would be willing to take the key with me and bring it by their downtown office--I started laughing at that point. Then she offered that they could send somebody to pick the key up. Since I work downtown near their office I will drop it off rather than try to coordinate somebody to pick it up, but the lack of of hospitality and customer empathy was truly astounding. Finally we were wrapping up and she thanked me for my help in returning the key. She didn't offer to credit my account or to help me find another car nearby. I had been on the phone for 30 minutes overall. At that point I asked about crediting my account and she said that she would put in the request to credit my account but could not say for sure whether it would be approved or not. She emphasized that she would write all this information down about the incident and that there was nothing I did wrong, but she didn't know how they would rule on it. So I asked her to also write that the customer was 'freaking mad' and ready to give up my card and that I missed my doctor's appointment which would be costing me a $45.00 missed appointment fee. We'll see what happens. I have spent a lot of money with them in the past so I hope they do the right thing. read more

car2go has worked great for me. I have a car, so I don't depend on it, I just use it as a convenience. When parking may be difficult downtown, park next to a car2go somewhere, take it, and park it in a car2go spot downtown. Or, when you want to head east: grab a car2go and take it over there. Find one when you're done and swap it out with your car and go home. Or, when your friend want to stay out longer than you and you want to head home. For these purposes, it's handy and not too expensive. I suggest using the paddle shifters since the "automatic" shifting creates a little too much uncertainty. read more

Car2Go used to be great but they gave really gone downhill in the past couple of months. Their customer service is TERRIBLE. We were charged $70+ for "Citations" that are incorrect. Will never use Car2Go again. Uber and Lyft are much better and more affordable anyway. read more

Car2Go has so many upsides, with a few downsides (that I hope they fix soon). Its slogan is "personal public transportation," and that model could revolutionize car usage, particularly in cities like Austin that will never be bus/subway/train friendly. The other reviewers have already described Car2Go, and if you're an Austin resident, you've no doubt heard about it. You sign up, get a card and pin, and are set to rent. The Smart Cars cost 35 cents per minute (with hourly and daily rates, too.), and that includes parking, insurance, and gas. Don't think of it as a car rental (that's too expensive) or even as a car share. Think of it as public transportation without a bus schedule. It's most affordable for short rides (that you'd maybe use a bus or taxi for) and once you go some place, there's no guarantee that a C2G will be there when you want to go back. Advantages: * There are lots of cars, and now there are lots of C2G dedicated parking spaces. * It's cheap * You don't have to reserve the car in advance * Street parking is free. Leave the C2G in any legal street space or in a dedicated C2G space and walk away. * The C2G area is quite large; if you don't live right on a bus line, you can still take advantage of public-transport of some kind. The disadvantages. * The C2G Smart ForTwos are ok, but do feel cheap. They're not electric or hybrid, and they allegedly get about 40 mph, which is not really much less than a good ol' Ford Focus or Toyota Yaris. They drive OK, but they have a HUGE amount of shift lag in either automatic transmission or in the "paddle shifter" (clutchless) manual mode. I'd say almost a full second. It's kinda scary when you need power. * The per minute model can add up, FAST, especially when you're in rush hour traffic or looking for parking (Saturday night downtown, say???). There's no timer in the car, so I still don't know if I'm billed from card read (unlocking doors) to card read (locking doors), engine on to engine off, or some other metric. And I only have a small idea of how much my ride cost. And if you can't find a parking spot, just watch your $3.50 ride turn into a $13.50 ride in no time. As far as I'm aware, you get no refunds and you're just out of luck. I'd love a C2G button that says "looking for parking," and it'd stop the meter, so long as you didn't go farther than, say 1/2 a mile radius from when you push the button.. * Customer service can be spotty. You have to go to the C2G office to get many services accomplished. The website has frozen me out of my account and, despite multiple e-mail requests, nothing has been done. * The C2G terms limit what you can really do with the car. For example, you can't go to the mall, or park in a big-box parking lot, because technically those aren't "public" spaces and owners could tow a C2G if it's left overnight. So if you want to go shopping with the C2G, you've got to either (a) find "street" parking (not too likely next to most Targets, Wal-Mars or malls), (b) go to Whole Foods (the only store with a C2G dedicated spot nearby), (c) pay to "hold" the car while you shop (not efficient), or (d) break the rules and hope you don't get caught. I wish C2G partnered with at least a few big box stores and other retailers to allow C2G spots. It'd make it much more convenient. * You can't go to the airport. Oh, would I love a C2G stop there. (I love the 100 - Airport Flyer, but it doesn't run regularly at night when my flights often arrive, and cab fares have simply gotten way too expensive. But I'm sure the cab companies and CapMetro would never allow the competition....) C2G gets me to work fast and cheap on those rainy, hot, or other days when I can't walk. And it's good one-way transportation downtown (or home, when I've taken the bus somewhere). I really hope they make a few more chances to make it more convenient and really usable. read more

I've been using car2go for a few months and they are a total scam. One night I tried to end a rental and the car literally broke down, screen flashing on and off. I tried for 20+ minutes. Called the local office and they were closed so I left a voice-mail. Called the call center and was on hold forever. So the next time I check my invoices I'm charged with a 13hr rental charge! $83 dollars because I didn't end my rental properly. It was their vehicle breaking down and I'm the one holding the bill. The cars malfunction repeatedly and their customer service is a joke. I warn everyone I can to not use car2go read more

I signed up for Car2go under a no-fee sign up special a while back, but I didn't start using the service until 3 weeks ago. I was very excited to drive those cute little cars, and they are great for running quick errands and running around town. Last week on my third Car2go rental, I attempted to retrieve a car I had a reservation for, but the car wouldn't open. It was flashing green. I had made the reservation moments before on my internet phone. In the FAQ's I remember reading something to the effect of "don't worry - the car *will* open" - but this was one of those rare exceptions. After getting disconnected from the first person on their 800# and then going over everything again with another service technician, I felt very frustrated. Possibly the car's reader was broken and not able to read my card, so I was stranded way on the east side with no other cars nearby. Both the gentlemen who helped me were in England and were not able to help much with orientation to finding the nearest car. I asked them to call Car2Go in Austin and have them bring another car. They couldn't, though they were going to call service to have them come look at the car. Also, this was the one car way out on the east side close to 183, and there were no other cars nearby to walk to. I called a cab after 30 minutes of phone conversation, and I told the Car2Go rep that I think they should pay for my cab. I also told him to make sure I didn't get a cancelation charge because my reservation time had come and gone. He assured he would take care of it, and told me to write to Car2Go and ask for a reimbursement of my cab fare. I got home and had an email saying my card had indeed been charged $6.50 cancelation fee, so I wrote a long email to Car2Go. Within 2 hours, Lauren from Car2Go in Austin (finally a local person!) called me and said she had not only refunded the cancelation charge, but she went ahead and paid my cab fare, as well, as a credit to my credit card. She explained that this was not a normal procedure, but since my experience was not normal for Car2Go, they wanted to go ahead and take care of me this time. I was thrilled!!! In fact, that very afternoon, my partner and I took another Car2Go from our neighborhood, and this time it worked flawlessly, as it's supposed to. I appreciate this service being here in Austin, and I really appreciate the great customer service I received! read more

Their cars are awful, and the customer service is even worse. You can't expect much from a smart car but acceleration is non existent, transmission is jumpy, and comfort is completely lacking. If you need to reach customer service for any issue with your rental, expect to be on hold for at least 15-20 minutes. If you're using the vehicle to get somewhere, how convenient is it to wait on hold for that long on your own dime (time is ticking at 38c/min+tax) ? Also, good luck finding parking if you're out for a night out on the town (meanwhile the clock is still ticking). I had an issue where the car would not end the rental because it could not retrieve a satellite signal, and I was well within the service area. This was right before I was rushing to jury duty and couldn't reach anyone in customer support because of the hold times. I was forced to continue the rental until my jury duty was over. When I was finally able to reach CS after the fact, they were not willing to credit my account for the time that I was stuck with the car. A $3-4 bill for a 5-minute 1-mile drive turned into $85. read more

I would never recommend car2go after the absolutely horrendous experience with customer service that I had and their inability to do the right thing. I went about canceling my membership because of it. Here's some background to those opening statements. I had noticed in my inbox toward the middle of May that car2go was offering a promotion of 60 free minutes of drive time (Drive2016). I'm thinking to myself, "This is great, I know exactly when I can use these minutes!". So, the day before I plan on using the minutes, I click the activation link in order to ensure that there has been acknowledgement on both ends that, yes, I'm interested in using this promotion. I'm able to secure a vehicle near my immediate location the next day and drive down to my destination. Well, as luck would have it, I'm out of the 'home area', so I can't actually park and exit the vehicle, attend the seminar/class I was looking into, and come back to it to drive home. No big deal, the city of Austin offers this seminar/class on an almost monthly basis, and I have free drive time minutes, so I'll just go about going home and something constructive with the free time I have (since I requested off work the two days this class happens) and figure out how to get down there next month by some other means. Now, this is where I get agitated and irate at the service I received. I go online to check my statement about 2 days later and see that car2go has charged me for 43 minutes of drive time, for a total of $18.32. I'm thinking, "That's not right, I'm going to call customer service." I call CS (the CS team is apparently in Portland, at least when dialing the 1-844 number) and am told that yes, they see that I had activated the free promotion and yes, my drive time was after I had clicked the activation link, so, we'll talk with the Austin office and get back to you in a couple days, but there should be no reason that you shouldn't receive a refund of that charge to your account. Well, lo and behold, I had received an email yesterday from a car2go team member saying that, sorry, we can't actually retroactively apply minutes to your rental (even though I was clearly given verbal confirmation that they did see that the activation of free minutes was done before my rental) and at the end of the day, the charge stands. We will, however, give you 43 free minutes of drive time, equivalent to $17.63 that will be valid for 45 days. Thanks for being a car2go member. Car2go, let me explain something to you. 43 minutes of your free drive time is useless in the real world. 43 minutes of free drive time won't allow me to buy groceries for the week to feed myself. 43 minutes of free drive time won't allow me to pay my utility bills. Effectively, you ripped me off. You offered a promotion (which I will fully acknowledge that I did not have to use or did you have to offer) and I took advantage of it because I knew that it would be useful to me. Had you not offered it, I would not have used your service (my last billing was September of 2015, that's how much I use it) and would have used public transit. When I caught an error in your system, that is clearly a fault of yours (to reiterate, I activated my minutes the day before using your service) your team member in Portland told me that there should be no issue in getting a refund. Apparently, that was not the case. I'll be filing a complaint with the BBB after this, since there is 0 reason at all why I could not and should not receive a full refund for what I was charged. read more

Knocking them down to one star. It's gotten to the point where I hate the idea of using Car2Go, since they really don't deserve my cash. My reasons for the jump from two stars (glory!) to one (abyss): - Every time my husband or I have used our iPhone app to locate an "available" car recently, it is inexplicably listed as "reserved" or otherwise unavailable on the card reader once we get to it. And, yet, the car will remain on the app map as we update it. Wtf? - Speaking of the app, it sucks. I get that this isn't technically Car2Go's fault, but it just adds to the company's problems and makes using it that much harder. I'm looking at the app now and it just told me I was on the Mopac (yes, after reloading). While I live not too far from the Mopac, I'm certainly not on it now, and I'm not even all that close. Even when the app gets my location right, it often gives me "as the crow flies" estimate to the nearest car, thus drastically underestimating the time involved. Last week, it told me I was 6 minutes from a car in my neighborhood. I walked there at a quick pace and it took 14 minutes. (Of course, the car was unrentable when I got there, listed as "reserved" but showing up on the map. I walked by 1.5 hours later, it still said "reserved," and I figured I'd try my card anyway. What do you know - it opened!). Also, the app periodically directs me to cars that are on the other side of giant woody expanses and hills (e.g., around Zilker) saying they're a mere 3 minutes away. I run and walk the area in question regularly, and the actual distance on roads/trails is closer to 1.5 miles. Are ya'll seriously suggesting that a time estimate based on off-roading is legitimate? - As usual, there are very few cars in city center. I was at the Domain a few weeks ago and saw four - yes, four - Car2Gos there. I'm sorry, but what the heck is that about? Cars piling up at the swooshiest mall on suburbia's edge but not in walkable, liveable, non-car needing core? If Car2Go is listening, I have some suggestions. Shut down for a few weeks. Get yourselves back together, make sure your cars work, put some effort into developing a decent app that actually works, and reduce your area to its former size. The reviews are clear: nobody likes you anymore. It's time to clean up your operation, start fresh, and win back some local love. read more