I have used this service twice now and each time i have been happy with the service. The car I have chosen to drive was clean and easy to use. I have yet to experience an emergency with zipcar so i cannot rate them on that. I can attest that using zipcar requires a lot of preparation and organization skills. It is not a service you would want to use under spontaneous decisions if you are looking to avoid a late fee of $50. I look forward to using them again; however, compared to other competition in the city, their cost may be a bit high for insurance, memberships and hourly rates. read more

Be warned. You will have to pay $25 to apply for membership and they will keep it whether you are accepted or denied. They will not tell you the exact reason for denial so that you can clear it up if it was a mistake. They have no procedure in place for that and don't show any interest in keeping you as a client. It would seem that they are more interested in collecting application fees than getting more customers to use their service. Posted by a 57 year old US citizen with a valid driver's license, no tickets, no accidents, and excellent credit. read more

Scam organization. I have a driver's license issued by the State of Hawaii. Zipcar assessed and kept my $25.00 application fee, but doesn't not administratively have the capacity to process a Hawaiian driver's license application. So they assessed and kept a fee for a service they don't have the administrative capability to perform. ‍ read more

I was signing up, they charged me twice for application fee, application was rejected. When I called, she said that she can't refund me the 60 dollars, only 30. Didn't mention why application rejected, I have all the requirments, valid driver license, age requirment, last ticket I had was 8 years ago. So pay attention, you might be applying and rejected for no reason, and then get charged for it. read more

I signed up for Zipcar, paid the membership fee, and my account was never even approved. Despite that, I was still charged. I can't access the app because the verification messages never arrive (neither by phone nor email), and I can't cancel my account through the website because it shows an error. I tried contacting customer support multiple times, but no one resolved my issue or even responded properly. It's unacceptable to charge customers for a service they can't use, and can't even cancel. I'll be disputing the charge with my bank and reporting this situation to the appropriate authorities. Avoid this company at all costs, it's unreliable and offers zero support. read more

was a memeber for over 7 years - then I got a speed camera violation. I was never made aware of this until 3 months later which defaulted me to a guilty verdict. I only found out because of the $80 charge?! The "manager" didn't care, try or even want to understand that I can't prove a not guilty verdict because they never sent me notice! I said i just wanted the fee waved as its to late! he said policy states no waving fee! well I cancelled my membership! ZIPCAR HAS CHANGED they dont keep cars updated, clean and they now don't care about you. it's a money grab now - do not join read more

I've never been able to use the service. The Uber drivers and regular users have reserved the cars far in advance. All the scheduling time is blocked out for a long time. You can see a car sitting on the street, go to rent it, and someone has it reserved. It's basically a scam at this point. When I asked for a refund because I've never been able to use it, the reply was, "sorry for your medical condition." Doesn't even make sense. I asked for a supervisor, crickets. Don't waste money. read more

Do not join! It is highly misleading. It seems that you get to use a car with a monthly membership but you have to pay an additional fee every time you want to use a car. I was a member for less than a day and they refused to refund my application fee. read more

Horrible car service. They locked out all of my cards, can't make a payment or add a new card. Customer service are blatantly sending me off with promises to wait 24hrs and problems would be fix just to have the same thing happen the next day. Cars are always dirty and smelly but doesn't matter now since I'm completely locked out. read more

Absolutely the worst car service company I have ever used. Their "price" is not their price, they have hidden additional fees. Also the absolute worst customer service. The car I had stunk of marijuana and nicotine. The parking situation took close to an hour. I do not remember this company what so ever. read more

believe all the one star reviews. This company is operating as a scam. The non refundable $25 charge despite getting your application denied for bogus reasons read more

I have used Zipcar for a number of years, on average 5 to 10 times a year. I like the availability and flexibility. Prices have about doubled over the last 2-3 years, making it not so attractive if you are renting for more than a couple hours. The real hitch is car condition and maintenance, which is really marginal. Cars often reel of smoke or marijuana, have no washer fluid, or are dirty inside or out. One car I rent regularly has a loose fender, which protrudes noticeably. I have reported it numerous times over many months to no avail. The app is quite unreliable and half the time can't be used. Overall rating: fair, overpriced, and needs a lot of improvement. read more

Very mixed feelings about Zipcar. I've been renting from them since the company inception. Back when we had actual keys and customer service wasn't outsourced but at local offices. Now customer service is outsourced and they don't seem to understand how things work here. On top of that, the keys are completely gone from the clients control. The car can only lock/unlock and operate through your phone. So if you're in a bad area with bad reception and stop for a rest, guess what, your car won't start because the stupid Bluetooth won't connect, it'll show you offline, and when you call customer service will tell you there's nothing they can do. Instead customer service will tell you to just find alternative transportation. Like are they not familiar with the back roads of Illinois? (Yes this happened to me) Luckily the tow truck driver had mercy and i was told my trip would be refunded, but the refund would take up to a week to post back. My trip was extremely time sensitive and Zipcar was like welp good luck! Luckily a friend came through to let me borrow their car who lived an hour to where the driver dropped me (random car rental place in a bad area on the Southside of Chicago). But what if I didn't know anybody? What if I didn't have money for anything else? Zipcar needs to allow the clients to have the damn keys. Try going into a federal building where phones are not allowed and having to explain to the guards that "well this rental company has no keys". (Yes that happened to me too). I'm kind of over Zipcar at this point. No keys, no money from me. I can't get stranded again. Turo here I come. Or better yet, just rent straight from the airport. read more

Using Zipcar is like being in a toxic relationship where you are being physically, verbally and mentally abused. Less than a week later, I went to rent a car again to Uber for the weekend, this time, the car is not linked for me to drive. after 4 hours (2:00 am) I still have no resolution and being told I can return the car for a partial refund. who is leaving out at 2:00 am to return a car in downtown Chicago? This company calls you a valued member but they DO NOT CARE!!! DO NOT RENT FROM THEM, YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED. read more

ZipCar sucks. The app doesn't work. Support only offer when you're having an issue is to offer another car - WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING TO AN APPOINTMENT. CAR dashboard said needs oil change and service required. App would not allow me to report this. Car also smelled of smoke. 30 min on the phone w two transfers to continue to repeat myself. No compensation except to get a new car. No thank you I'm trying to get to an appt. Honestly don't rent from ZipCar. read more

Zipcar - Dashboard alert - Car Rental Near Me

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I applied to join but my membership was instantly rejected, without explanation. I'm over 25, have driven for years, and have a perfect driving record, but I mistakenly gave them an expired credit number. I called customer service and they confirmed that I was rejected because of the incorrect credit card info. I thought, great! I'll just give them the correct number and we'll straighten this out. But I was informed that the decision to reject my application was "permanent" and that there was no way I could appeal it! WTF?!! That is insane. I've never had such a frustrating consumer experience in my life. They're just throwing away business for no reason and I'm screwed because they're the only (non-peer to peer, which I hate) carshare service in my area. But maybe I'm lucky. If they're this impossible to deal with just to join, they're probably equally awful if you use the service. read more

I received the difficult news that a family member was in critical condition, and I needed to find a car at the last minute so I could rush out to the hospital (located about an hour and a half outside the city) and say goodbye. I'd recently heard about Zipcar and figured I'd give them a shot. After submitting my application, I realized I'd entered the wrong card information. No biggie, I figured I could resubmit with the correct card details once my application had been rejected. Well, evidently not. According to the individual from Zipcar's application team I spoke with, "if your application is rejected for any reason, you cannot submit a new one and you will never be able to use Zipcar." Harsh. And given the devastating news I'd received that day, this compounded the stress I was under. I ended up using Turo and had a wonderful experience. Turo actually ended up being significantly cheaper because it didn't make me pay an application fee or sign up for a membership. $54 for an 8-hour rental with Turo versus the $153 it would've been with Zipcar. If Zipcar doesn't want my money, that's fine by me. There are much better services out there. read more

This company blocked my app because I was in an accident where I was hit. As a matter of fact ,I just received my insurance payment. Also, they told me (excuse) that I didn't make age requirement. I'm 55:years old!!!!! Garbage company, it's true what they say about this crappy company!; read more

I wish I would of read the reviews before using them lbs . I used them before and my experience wasn't so bad. This time I regret. I think they are good for when in a pinch and need for a few hours. I wouldn't recommend for anything beyond that. I was charged a 50 dollar late return fee for returning the car 20 mins late although I tried to extend the trip in the app but it wouldn't allow me. I tried to explain to rep but they really didnt care. I ended up just reserving another car at the same exact location. Even though that fee seems pretty excessive to me for just being 20 minutes late I would of just ate the cost if there was a trip scheduled right behind me that was interrupted for being late. However, there was no trip scheduled so I did not inconvenience anyone else. Believe the rating and do not use them, there are cheaper alternatives. Use your money with people that will actually respect you as a customer. read more

​I couldn't update my phone number from their website and their customer service was no help at all. I closed my account and I don't think they even care. read more

AWFUL. Really gone downhill over the years. ALL of the cars are filthy, smell of pot, and beat to hell. Not only do the other people destroy these cars, they are never cleaned or maintained. Meanwhile the prices keep going up for crappier and older cars. The cherry on top was my most recent reservation. I had it reserved for a whole day, had plans to go to the suburbs. I get to the disgusting car, unlock it, put my foot on the brake and press the start button....Nothing. After several attempts, I call support and they can't do anything. The card reader on the windshield was not working, so the car was stuck in deactivated mode. I had to cancel my reservation and there were no other cars available. Completely ruined my weekend. This is such a shame, they used to be so great, but it has just plummeted. I just cancelled my membership and will have to figure something else out to rent cars. Bottom line, just don't. Unless you're ok with all of the above. read more

Zipcar - Normal condition of cars. Just destroyed. - Car Rental Near Me

They used to be good. But they've gone from bad to worse in the last couple of years. A month ago I requested a replacement card, and they say they are sending it today by standard USPS, which might entail another 7 days. They've got to be kiddin' I cancelled my membership and, by the tone of the message, their representative who called himself "Diego", obviously a corporate bot, seemed to be happy to close my account read more

My account was put on hold for 4-5 weeks after I reported damage to the car ***that was there when I picked it up and before I even started driving the car***. No one has been able to give me a logical explanation for this but I'm told it is "company policy" and I just need to wait until the investigation is complete (which will be "longer" because I "didn't get into an accident" and therefore "there isn't any urgency to settle the matter with another insurance company"), despite paying an extra $10.99 per month for extra insurance that means $0 cost ***even if I had been the one to damage the car*** (which I was not). If I didn't need car sharing to exist in this city without a car, I would cancel this service as soon as I was able to (which, by the way, I cannot do while my account is on hold, so I'm still getting charged $10.99 a month plus my membership fee while the "investigation" is ongoing). I've been using Zipcar since they launched in Chicago, but as soon as I can figure out a different solution, I'm done. read more

I rented a vehicle from Zipcar for 6 days . After my first car which I thought was a bit under the norm of a good car for $120/day, right? Well, I had no fuel card so I had to use MY CASH. I asked for a diff car after turning that one in. I then was told to go to a location that was in a place that took 30 mins to find. And it was a vehicle that smelled horrific and should not have been on the road. I even sent pics b4 I drove it. They said afterwards that they could only give me a 10% disc. No good, it was horrible service rendered and customer service BEWARE!!! Very disappointed client! read more

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This is the worst organization. Despite having an absolute spotless driving record, they disabled the account simply because the selfie was not accepted. So we contacted customer service and simply asked if we could redo the selfie. They would not let us do that. They just sent us a link to eligibility requirements, and not one of those requirements mentioned a selfie picture. Again, we offered to redo the stupid selfie, but they wouldn't even let us do it. We requested to speak with a supervisor, and they refused to let us. If this is their idea of service, I can't imagine the cars themselves. Do not use! Not worth it!!! read more

Do NOT sign up with this company. My fiancée and I are currently trying to cancel our membership and being refused. ZipCar will not cite a reason as to why they won't cancel our membership, but they continue to pull money from our account every month. This company is a scam and worse than a gym when it comes to cancelling. Save yourself the headache and lawyers and just use another service. read more

Do not use Zipcar. I was a loyal customer for years but had to cancel my membership bc I moved out of state. I received an email confirmation of my cancellation. I didn't think to check but I was still being charge the monthly premium protection fee every month. Over 5 months, this came to 58.95. I called to get a refund of that money and they said they could only refund one month. They REFUSED to refund my hard earned money for something that was their fault. They do not value their customers and only care about profit. read more

I have been a longtime Zipcar member, and it's nearly impossible to recommend this service anymore. The quality of the cars has been steadily declining for years. I used to reserve a Zipcar for a local trip for business, but I no longer do because I can't guarantee it won't be filthy. So, I've limited to personal use but even then, it's hard to recommend because of availability issues. In the event your car is unavailable, which is not Zipcar's fault if someone is late, Zipcar does nothing to mitigate. No credit. No apology. Nothing. I was told I can go 20 minutes away (not on foot), wait, or cancel. That is the quickest way to lose a customer. Use as a last resort and only if (1) you don't have to show the car to anyone you care about and (2) can afford to scramble to find another car at the last minute when yours is missing (and Zipcar isn't going to help with that either). Otherwise, let's hope someone else enters the market, and we can all wave goodbye to ZipCar. read more

Don't use it. Expect to wait over an hour to speak to someone. Their AI is not strong enough to answer simple questions and will deny your application for no reason and apparently after they deny it will they inform you that the application fee is non-refundable... would have been nice to know prior. My valid license with a clean driving record denied, this is a scam. read more

I used to have a car, but then decided that for the amount I was using it (once every week or so) it wasn't worth the price of the car, parking, and insurance. I got rid of the car and have been very happy taking cabs and using the CTA. Recently I've found that I have the occasional need for a car for work. I do have occasional access to my brother's car, but his sharing hasn't improved since we were kids playing with legos so I was very excited to discover zipcar. I signed up for a membership online and a few days later my zipcard arrived in the mail giving me access to the thousands of vehicles in Chicago. To my surprise there are about 5-6 zipcars just a few blocks away from my apartment! I tested out the zipcar service today and was very pleased- especially for only $9 hour! My errands were taking a little longer than I anticipated, but it wasn't a problem because I called zipcar and extended my time with no penalties. I'm so excited to know that I now have access to not only 1 car, but 5-6 cars just right down the street from me. I'm just upset about one thing- why didn't I think of this genius idea? read more

Zipcar - Car Rental Near Me

This has been the worst experience ever! I have used zip several times. It hasn't been great. One of the times I rented for two days. When I picked up the vehicle it smelled of weed so bad, it made me sick to my stomach. Luckily wasn't in vehicle for too long durations. It reeked the whole two days I had it!! Now this last time, I am at a loss for words. I rented for a three days. My second day, unfortunately was in an accident. I was not at fault nor was I cited. I was rear ended. Luckily I wasn't seriously hurt and the car was still drivable. I was very shaken up though and in a lot of pain. I called them like I was supposed to and let them know. Per policy they suspend your account upon investigation. I understand this but they abandoned me and left me stranded during this trip duration. I needed to extend a couple days because there was no way for me to get the car back to them. I am in severe pain and am shaken up from getting hit. They would not extend because they suspended the account. The car is disabled and I'm 4.5 hours away in another city stranded. They are charging me late fees and then a tow fee. I have no idea what I'm going to do. I understand suspending account but to show no compassion and abandon me on this trip and charge me all these fees . I should not be punished for someone rear ending me. I was not even cited or anything !! This is the worse company ever . Oh and I pay for premium membership with their extra insurance coverage and for what to be stranded left abandoned and punished for something that wasn't my fault. read more

Applied to sign up for an account, the application fee was blocked by my bank as a fraud alert, I manually allowed zipcar as a biller, but they said they cannot help me and that I am permanently blocked from opening an account. Horrific experience. read more

I became a Zipcar member in 2008 back when their car/truck rental was relatively inexpensive, vehicles were plentiful and the support/service staff was great and dependable. Not anymore. I'd say Zipcar's fall started about the 3rd year following the sale of the non-profit Zipcar to Avis/Budget in 2013. Now it's a toss up if your reserved car is either going to be switched at the last minute or won't even be waiting for you when you go to pick it up. It got to the point where I'd add 30 minutes to the beginning of the rental just to handle any problems. What a hassle! Then there's the cars themselves; prices are up, way up; the cars have gotten considerably older; have to do a walk-around/photo shoot to chronicle the dents and dings; cars often smelling of tobacco. And finally there's the service and support: what used to be local agents are now English speaking foreigners thousands of miles away with terrible satellite connections and sometimes even baby crying in the background. You'll be saying "Can you repeat that?" endlessly when contacting them. This would all be okay if these agents knew what they were doing. They don't. Their solution will invariably be for you to trek to another car, no matter what the distance. Guess I could Uber/Lyft my way to the replacement car. Or better still, cut out the middle man and just Uber/Lyft instead of using Zipcar at all. I choose the latter. I quit Zipcar yesterday. read more

I too have been with Zip car since 2010 and have sadly watched the service, choice in cars, and value of my membership bottom out. Now, starting Nov 1st, Chicago Zipcar members will no longer have the overnight promo rate (flat rate from 6pm - 8:30am). I just got off the phone (after waiting 32min) and confirmed Chicago rates increased and dropped the overnight promo. Cars in the loop start at $14.25 per/hr ($11 if you are really lucky to find a roller-skate equivalent vehicle available) and as high as $18.75 per/hr. Then add in + MPEA Tax, + Chicago Lease Transaction Tax, + Cook County Vehicle Tax, + Vehicle Rental Tax brings your car reservation, for a poorly upkept, rarely clean and usually previously smoked in... cost $17.27 per/hour (roughly) My Strongest advice.. Hertz or Enterprise full-day rental will give you more bang for your buck, plus car will be clean and ALWAYS there when you go to pick-up. So long, farewell Zipcar read more

I joined Zip car many years ago and thought this was a great service. I discontinued using the service then because I was fortunate to own my own car. My partner and I recently re-joined Zipcar a few months ago and the service has completely changed. Some of the issues now may be due to the pandemic (i.e. not as many vehicles available) but my complaint is about the customer service and communication process. My partner reserved a vehicle close to our home and wasn't told that his reservation had been changed to a car far away from our neighborhood until he was at the original pick-up location. I reserved a vehicle this past Friday, and my reservation was canceled a few hours before my reservation time started. Although I asked to be communicated via text message, I was sent an email notification. The purpose for a text message is to get instant notification because like most, I don't check my email several times a day. I reserved the car because I wanted to visit relatives who were in town and was staying in the suburbs. I also had a very important doctors appointment early the next morning and other business to take care of, and now was stuck with making other arrangements at the last minute. As I explained to the customer service rep, it wasn't his fault, or the fault of the car (who had mechanical issues), I blame Zipcar's process. Because it was Friday evening, the only vehicle available was across town, about 50 miles from my original pickup location, which I walked to and got caught in the rain walking back home once I discovered that my reservation was canceled. The result of the situation is that I was offered 30 minutes driving credit, which doesn't compensate the fact that I didn't get to see my relatives before they left town, had to make last-minute arrangements to make it to my doctor's appointment early the next day, and didn't get to take care of my other business. I will be looking into other ride sharing programs. read more

Twice I booked with Zipcar, and both times the car wouldn't start. The car wasn't broken down, there was just some sort of communications issue with Zipcar. Evidently the evil 'bot running the show didn't want me to have a car. Both times it took forever to get customer support. One time, the car sat in my friend's driveway all night so she couldn't get out and I had to take the train. read more

Just awful. We've used the cars for simple trips as well as signing up for their commuter plan. The cars are usually not well maintained, gas cards work some of the time, and parking passes work about half the time. Customer service is HORRIBLE. Just too much to bother with writing anymore. read more

Really disappointed with customer service. I rented a Zipcar for a 2-hour duration to drive my friend to the airport. The Zipcar was missing the parking pass so we were unable to exit the garage. It took a period of time to contact the parking garage attendant & finally exit the garage. This inconvenience cut into my trip by 30 minutes and we were late to the airport. I called customer service and they did not seem phased. They offered a refund for 15-mins instead of the full 30-mins that I could not use the car. I personally expected a full trip refund with this experience. Customer service speaks to the company's value in customers. read more

My dad and I often enjoy reading one-star reviews for laughs. Generally, if you want the valid critiques of a company, you should go to the two-star reviews. The one-stars are usually jaded people who complain that the Grand Canyon's just a big hole, or they're entitled freaks who are offended that Hotel Acme's continental breakfast only has almond and oat milk--no hemp. Before Zipcar, I don't think I've ever felt driven to write a one-star review. But this company I think actually deserves it: I do not want to have any further dealings with them. Zipcar works on an automatic rebilling subscription model. The model works because most customers are spending more than they normally would have on car rentals. There *are* really people for whom Zipcar's model makes sense: If you need to use a car frequently, but only ever use it for very short errands, Zipcar's payment model may be worthwhile for you. However, if you only need to use a car very occasionally, or if your usual usage is for more than a couple hours, then Zipcar is a huge waste of money: One-off rentals with a standard rental company are going to be far cheaper. I had an account about five years ago. I used vehicles twice, but paid every month for a full year, plus an annual membership. In both instances, I used the car for multiple hours, and paid sums roughly equal to what I would have paid to rent a car from a usual rental company. I was definitely wasting money, and did not renew my membership for a second year. Recently, I decided to restart my membership as I had a need for a vehicle for a number of specific errands over a two-month period; my intention was to discontinue my membership after that period. I waited for about a week to receive my key card in the mail but it didn't show. When I returned to Zipcar's Website to follow up, I was blocked from logging into my account, and was directed to contact my "account manager". I did not know who my account manager was, or where I would find that information, so I called customer service. The customer service representative was unable to help me, and told me that a higher level representative would e-mail me. The next day, I received an e-mail informing me that I had been permanently banned from Zipcar membership, and that the decision was irreversible. I understand what "irreversible" means, but it was unclear to me why I would have been banned from membership. I wrote back, stating that I wasn't attempting to appeal the decision, but that I would like clarification: On both of the two occasions on which I'd used a Zipcar vehicle previously I had returned it on time and without damage. I'd paid for my vehicle usage. I've never had a moving violation in my life. I have never been convicted of a crime. My credit isn't stellar, but it's not awful. I just don't know why I'm banned. Zipcar customer service replied to this request for explanation by stating that it was their policy not to discuss the details of accounts with anyone... apparently including the account-holder. This was all very strange, but it didn't seem there was going to be any explanation, so I thought the affair was over. However, Zipcar then continued to charge my bank account! The company did not notify me that I would be charged, nor did they tell me what the charges were for. I contacted customer service again to ask what was going on. They were unable to give me details, but told me to check the billing section of the Website. I of course cannot, as I am blocked from logging in. The only recourse I can think of at this point is to dispute the charges thru my bank. I have never had an experience with a company like this before. I wish that I had not given them my debit card information or an image of my driver's license, as I apparently cannot predict what they'e going to do with my data, and they refuse to explain after the fact. I recommend looking at the other low-star reviews: I'm not the only person to have had some of these difficulties with the company. read more

Crappy company with crappy customer service. Charge you a non-refundable application fee and, even if you meet all their requirements, they can reject your application with no explanation. And when you try to find out why you were rejected, they just send you to their website to check the eligibility requirements, where it says they can reject you at their own discretion. Basically, if they don't like your face, your name, your gender, they can just reject you with no explanation. read more