Absolutely horrendous customer service, and the business model seems to be based on scamming people out of the membership fee before they inevitably cancel. It's pretty telling that "calling to cancel" is one of the first options when you call the help line. I joined end of July and booked a car for a weekend trip several weeks out. The day of the reservation, the reserved car was dead - with battery, brakes, and oil warning lights flashing. Probably good it never started since it likely would have died on the highway. When I called customer service, they said the only car available was about 10 miles away - basically pointless so we had to cancel our trip. The customer service rep was very blase about it - sounds like that happens all the time (cancelling reservations due to DOA vehicles); took nearly a week to get the pre-paid trip $ back. Then it took nearly two months of calling and emailing several times a week to get reimbursed for the non-refundable motel stay - including sending 3 different versions of the receipt sent multiple times, because there was ZERO chance I was going to send them my "bank statement" as they asked at first. Meanwhile, from the moment I joined, I was also contacting Zipcar for explanation of why the advertised rates were never available; after about a month of emailing and calling, they finally admitted that the university plan rates they had on their website were based on a SINGLE car for the ENTIRE campus, which people weren't actually able to reserve. So the advertised rates were a scam too. Finally, if you call to ask about the status of a ticket, they'll flat out lie about when you'll hear from someone, and tell you literally nothing - the customer is "not allowed" to speak to the department who handles complaints, but you're "welcome to email" - i.e. send your complaint right into a digital trash can. Only through extreme perseverance and non-stop follow up by the customer can you get ANYTHING resolved - the other tactic seems to be hoping you'll give up out of sheer frustration so they don't have to reimburse you / you forget to cancel the membership so they can scam you out of more $ for cars you'll never drive. So I was a member for a little under 2 months, and never managed to even drive a car. A completely useless, borderline fraudulent business. read more

This is a complaint about Zipcar's horrible application process. I applied for a Zipcar membership around June 30th 2021. I provided them with all the information and documentation they requested. After not having heard from them for several days, I contacted them.. 3 different times they asked for the exact same information (that I had already provided). They even asked me to provide a picture of me holding my driver's license.. which I did several times. Their telephone support is deeply useless.. a bunch of reps who have absolutely no power to do anything other than make excuses and repeatedly say "I'm sorry." In frustration, I cancelled my membership application. Today I got an email from them saying my application had been rejected because "failure to meet eligibility requirements." This is a complete falsehood. I am an excellent driver.. never got a traffic violation.. never had an accident.. no criminal record. I have the means to pay for their services. In conclusion.. for me.. this rates as one of the the top three worst customer service experiences ever. I hope that Zipcar has competitors. read more

Beware of what you Yelp... After my yelp review I received an email from Zipcar asking to discuss it with me. I didn't respond as I've been on vacation. So in another city and thinking about going deeper into the city, I thought "hey, let me check if they have Zipcar" only to log on and find my account SUSPENDED. So I call Zipcar because as I said in my earlier review I definitely followed the "Six Simple Rules". You know what I was told? MY ACCOUNT WAS SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF MY REVIEW ON YELP!! They told me that I was "under investigation due to statements I've made online" Seriously Zipcar? Well since Nazi car sharing is not how I like to patronize, I immediately cancelled my account and applied for one with IGo. Good luck having your first amendment rights molested by Zipcar, but I highly suggest going elsewhere read more

Sooooo. Currently, I own a 1996 Toyota Corolla, which I hold very near and dear. Seriously, I've tried to run this thing into the ground a million times...and almost every piece that is detachable has been ripped off, stolen, cracked, bruised or scraped. It's still truckin'...but perhaps she needs a little beauty rest, she's not looking so hot. Plus, the carrying capacity of a compact car leaves a bit to be desired. Enter: Zipcar. I participated in the Low-Car Diet Challenge, wherein I did not drive my trusty dusty little speed demon (ha!) for 30 days, but instead opted for public transit, zipcars, walking or biking. To get started on your way to becoming a "zipster:" 1. Sign up at zipcar.com 2. You are approved, you get your keycard. 3. Reserve a block of time (whatever you think it'll be, add a half hour) 4. Unlock the car with the keycard. 5. Zip around town, all shiny-like. 6. Fill up gas (if necessary, below 1/4 tank). There's a gas card. 7. Return car on time! 8. Don't have to fight for parking! 9. Don't have to pay insurance! 10. Don't have to wash them! Ok, so I'm a fan :) Convenient, affordable, reliable...plus, they have cute little names like "Malia." Plus, great way to test out random cars. BMW? Sure. Mini-cooper? Not my style. Mazda 3? I may have meant a permanent match...hmm? I'm cheating on the Corolla, but she understands. read more

Zipcar will leave you stranded and make you bleed. $12/hour is NOT a good deal, just FYI to anyone. There are so many additional charges. Go to Storage today and rent a van for $19.99, go to budget car rental in south loop, or hell, take a cab. 1) The cars were not that close to us. You would think living very close tot the loop would get you something within walking distance...but nope, a good 2 miles we had to cab to. Did I mention the cars were also tiny and won't fit anything inside? 2) We were in traffic going to Lombard and got the car back late. You would think you would call teh number and extend it touch tone or talking to customer service. GOOD LUCK NAVIGATING THEIR PHONE SYSTEM. There is no 'extend reservation feature' on their phone system. It kept sending us to a new car in a different lot. Great idea, if we weren't still driving. 3) On our way back, they stopped our engine. Yup, STOPPED. In the middle of nowhere. Thank god we were parked. When we finally got through to someone, they started our engine and gave us 20 minutes to get the car back. Guess how much our cost was, for 3 hours of renting this stupid car...5 hours of charges, $100 late fee, not to mention the $20 we spent cabbing to the fucking car int eh first place...$170. Yeah, zip car can suck it. UPDATE: calling customer service to tell them you're goign to be late costs $3.50/call. So much for that! read more

Since selling my car about 5 months ago I've been using Zipcar and have been very happy with it. To start off, the application process was quick and easy, I even got a discount because of my employer. Booking a Zipcar when you need one is super easy too. I'm lucky to have a couple in the garage in my building, but there's also a bunch within a few blocks walk of my place. I can always find one available for the time I need within at least a couple blocks, even on busy days like Christmas. The price includes gas and insurance and enough mileage to get me to the west burbs and back (which is where I'm usually going). There are different priced options depending on the car you book. I recently rented a car via a rental car agency, I thought it might be cheaper for the trip I was planning, and it was not only within $1 of the Zipcar but far less convenient. The cars are always clean and well maintained. I have yet to have any issue with Zipcar or their cars (and I don't expect to). If you don't have a car or are thinking of getting rid of yours definitely check out Zipcar. It's worth your money and time. read more

What's this? Another update so soon? Why yes! So while I was perusing my latest ZipCar bill I noticed that I was billed $11 for an hour of usage for a car that costs $7 an hour. You know how ZipCar lets you take the car free of charge 15 minutes early if it's there? Well, I took it 16 minutes early because apparently my cell phone clock is fast. So I got charged for another half an hour. OVER ONE MINUTE. Yes, it's only $4, but it's the principle. I was under the impression that the cars didn't even unlock if it was too early - no they do, but then they slap you with fees and don't tell you. Sneaky! Suck it, ZipCar. read more

Despite some sort of Zipcar failure affecting at least 25% of members, which disabled my account, I was expected to reapply my longstanding account. At least the support agent did look up the member benefits I had. However, he nevertheless was (supposedly) unable to override the standard Facial Recognition request - a Questionable, Intrusive, Unsafe process which I refuse. This is especially true since Zipcar downloads the Facial Recognition photo + a photo of the Driver's License to their vendor to maintain. Instead of requesting workarounds, the support person simply noted member "declined verifying account" In Sum: 1) no notice was provided to me that ny account was inoperable -rather I had to call support (twice) to get the above unsatisfactory info 2) It is inconceivable that Zip can't override its facial recognition standard request - esp for someone like myself who has been a member for years, and so whose identity is certain. In fact, it's very likely that this whole 25% of accounts were being forcibly transitioned to Facial Recognition. If this is how Zip disrespects their customers and puts customer info in jeopardy, I will no longer use them and I will discourage Friends and Family from using read more

I just signed up for Zipcar (work sponsored it so it was free to me) and here are the reasons I like IGo better. 1) Zipcar's rates for an "Occasional Driving plan" are .75/hr higher than IGo's comparable plan. 2) Zipcar asks you to do a walkaround and record any damage every time you drive or be held responsible for the damage. I asked the rep "Does that include scratches and stuff?" and she answered "Everything." Boos__t imho. 3) Zipcar doesn't let you reserve for less than an hour. I wanted to reserve the car to drive my wife (who is on crutches) to someone's place half a mile away, which would take me about 20 minutes--nope. 4) If you run over your reservation Zipcar charges you $50 right off the bat. I-Go merely charges you for another half hour if the car isn't reserved. You may say "Well that's just a disincentive to go over" yet I've very very rarely had a problem with a car not being there with I-Go. Yeah yeah the Zipcars look nicer, but I personally don't need to floss when I'm picking up my 50 lbs. of cat litter from PetSmart and a 30 pack of Old Style next door at Strack & van Til. I'll stick with hippy dippy I-Go, tyvm! read more

Why Zipcar doesn't seem to value dedicated, loyal customers has me at a complete loss. The Zipcar concept works exceptionally for me, being a downtown Chicago resident and executive who works from home. There are not many instances when I need a car for day-to-day use, but for the occasional errand, off-site business meeting or social outing, it is perfect, and my membership amounted to literally hundreds of dollars in revenue and at least a half-dozen referrals of new customers to the service. I swore by it. In May, however, I was alerted via e-mail (several days after the action was taken) that my Zipcar account had been suspended owing to a supposed "pattern of lateness" (i.e.: late vehicle returns), when there is no such pattern. Yes, I was late getting the car back about four times in the past year, the last instance because once short on time, I attempted to extend the reservation via their website and it wouldn't work on an iMac computer for some reason. To protect myself and my account, I promptly phoned customer service and asked them to charge me for an extra half-hour because I knew that in rush-hour traffic, I would never get back to the south loop in the remaining eight minutes. It took me 12 minutes. The representative said that this would "not be a problem," that there was no renter after me and that it would "not affect my record of vehicle returns." She confidently assured me that it would not even appear. Less than a week later, the account was abruptly cancelled and I was still charged for the extra half-hour plus a penalty. I contacted Zipcar again for an explanation and was told that they were sorry about what the customer service person had told me, but there was nothing they could do because "the decision was made by the Chicago office." The few other times that I was late over the past year, it was never by more than about three minutes, and viewed in the context of several dozen rentals it is not a "pattern" by anyone's standard of measure. For their part, however, Zipcar couldn't care less. Their customer service and their company posture is one of cavalier indifference, no matter what you feel or contribute to their bottom line. I am alerting the city of Chicago Dept. of Consumer Services about my treatment and to see about my membership being reinstated, but in the interim, Uber now gets all of my hard-earned ground transit dollars. read more

Why didn't I think of car sharing? I'd be a jet-setting early retiree, with multiple beach homes in exotic locales and flats in Europe. ::::kicking myself:::: But, I do still get to ride off into the proverbial sunset in a shiny, new Zipcar. Which model? Depends on my mood, the day, and what I'll be carting around! On Monday it's a Subaru Outback Tuesday, Wednesday Mazda Hatch Oh, Thursday it's a Toyota Matrix It's Friday I'm in love (with a Volvo S40) Saturday... Ford Escape And Sunday I pick the BMW 328 But Friday, never hesitate... any ZipCar, I'm in love. No maintenance, no insurance and no gas fees! Ever. And hybrids go for $7/hour. So that Target trip you've been putting off? Get there and back in 1.5 hours and pay a measly $11. WIN! read more

Zipcar seems like a great idea in theory, but the major issue with the Chicago branch is the service. 0 stars worth. Approximately two weeks ago, I rented a Focus Hatchback for some errands. I am an incredibly safe driver with a clean record. However, I received an email from Robert F., a claims and insurance rep at Zipcar, who said he was sorry to hear I had been in an accident, and would be handling my case. He also asked me to fill an accident report, which I did immediately following his email and claimed that I had not been in an accident. Needless to say I was incredibly shocked, as I did not recall being in an accident. I promptly responded, asking if he could tell me exactly what I was being accused of. No response for nearly three days. Then I get an anonymous response from Zipcar member services. I guess Robert is no more! They say they will let me know as soon as the case is processed. Sent an email two days later asking if there was any progress. Again, no response for a few days. I finally receive an email from Robert with a bill for damage (STILL UNDEFINED - what did I do!?) for $200. I also was notified I had only a week until I was going to be billed, and that they were going to close my account because I didn't fill an accident report (which I did following Robert's first contact). I called Robert, for whom I left a message (and who never responded), then I called the member services number and spoke with Precious, who, though unfriendly in tone, directed me to email violations@zipcar.com and info@zipcar.com to formally contest my claim (without knowing what I was being accused of still). I complied every contact I had with Zipcar regarding this reservation and claim, and sent them my records to try and prove my case. No response. FINALLY received an email from member services two days later saying that an employee witnessed a scrape. Upon getting into the car and upon leaving, there was no damage in the spot I was being accused of scraping. Tomorrow is the due date for my bill and I still have not heard anything regarding the progress of my contestation. Zipcar, I am appalled by your poor customer service, especially with time sensitive matters such as these. I am a student, and I am having to now take out a loan in order to cover these costs because YOU did not help me resolve this matter in a timely fashion. You are not prompt in response, you are difficult to work with, and ultimately, not giving a good driver and loyal customer the benefit of the doubt because "an employee witnessed" an accident (with no proof of their witnessing provided to me, mind you) is a terrible business model that just screams greed. Congratulations Zipcar, you've really gone downhill, and now I am out $200 and $1,000 extra in debt. I will continue to contact you all until this is resolved. read more

Zipcar is the absolute WORST. Every time I make a reservation they end up changing the reservation to another car that is not only not even comparable to the car I had reserved (BMW reserved, switched to a Volkswagen) but is no longer a short walk to get the car. It's always blocks and blocks away so that I have to take a cab or an Uber to get the car. And at least they take semi decent care of the BMWs but these lesser cars they force on me are complete wrecks. Very visible damage, filthy interiors and make me fearful that the car won't make it throughout the reservation. I've been on hold now for ONE HOUR and TWELVE minutes to talk to them and I'm still holding. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER. There has to be a better car sharing option out there. This is completely unacceptable. read more

I have been using Zipcar for two years, but recently decided not to use it anymore. Zipcar provides the worst customer service I have ever had. I had very unpleasant experience with the last two reservations. In the case of the first, Zipcar failed to provide me the car on time. After calling Zipcar and agreeing to pick up another car from a different location, I was not given a little extra time for the very inconvenient change, and I was charged for $50 dollars for returning the car 10 mins late. But I didn't get the car on time in the first place. In the case of the second reservation, Zipcar changed my reservation again and asked me to pick up the car from a far-away ghetto area. When I declined the reservation, Zipcar ended up suspending my membership without notifying me or going through any formal procedure. I only found this out a week later. Yet Zipcar charged me the full amount of $75 for the reservation. I wouldn't have given Zipcar such a bad review if simply because of these changes. I understand that sometimes unexpected things may happen, and I fully understand that. But the customer service at Zipcar really made me think that they only deserve one star. I contacted Zipcar a few times, and nothing was resolved. The representatives made it seem as if it was my fault that my reservations were changed (both times by Zipcar) and until now they still haven't given me a good explanation why they suspended my membership--I didn't break any rules at all. Given the fact that I paid a full-year membership in advance, Zipcar has no right to terminate it early without my approval. And this termination was not done through formal procedure. I noticed that other reviewers said similar things, so I believe that this is a usual way how Zipcar deals with things. read more

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

Whatever good this company used to have, it is all gone. The customer service reps are among the most uncaring, rude, disconcerted bunch I've encountered in a long time. They are quick to offer driving credits after you contact them via email with a complaint but surprise, surprise, they don't seem to show up on your account. I'm on hold right now as I write this (10:37 and counting...) to complain that the return instructions for the car were so generic that I couldn't tell which of the four parking garages on the block was the one I should use. I tried calling, and after explaining to the rep that I read the return car instructions she proceeded to...wait for it...read the return car instructions to me over the phone. Yes, I explained, I understand that but don't they have a block number. That would be terribly helpful since the garage entrances have numbers over them. And oh, how about this $16 parking ticket I had to pay after pulling into the incorrect garage on this block? Apparently, that decision can't be made by someone who only works on the weekend so I'm out of luck. And then there's the problem with fueling up the cars. You have to enter your zipcar number at the pump (no big deal) but apparently some stations only require the first six digits and some require the full seven. No way to tell which one is which and if you guess wrong, you get to waste 10 min talking to the station attendant who wastes another 5 min clearing the pump because of the special way zipcar approvals work. And oh, all of this counts against your reservation time. Clearly, this company is growing too fast, too quickly and they need to scale things back until they get a system that actually works instead of penalizing the users (BTW, still on hold, 16:20 - imagine if I had an emergency). I'm done with this company. I hate the fact that iGo turned into complete and utter sellouts buy selling their nonprofit to Enterprise Rent-a-Car but I guess that's the only other alternative. In short AVOID ZIPCAR. You'll eventually get stuck, they will add insult to injury with rude customer service, and fail to deliver on the promises of making good on their mistakes. P.S. and just in case anyone from Zipcar actually reads this, the customer service rep I eventually dealt with (after 20:05 of holding) was Sherry, operator #40906. Perhaps someone would like to pull that call and listen to the sarcasm in her tone and nearly gleeful delight she exhibited in attempting to provide the barest of minimum customer service. ------------------------------ Update 1/28/2014: Although I do appreciate Charles' message below, the situation is far from be resolved to a satisfactory level. In the process of attempting to rectify the problems, it has only uncovered that the zipcar invoicing system is designed to be intentionally confusing. In order to find the actual charges for any rental, one must click through to open a toggle for a specific rental, then lick a link labeled "reservation total cost" - http://screencast.com/t/LNFTmnwnTb The problematic rental in question here has three of these toggles, each with an added layer of details and to see how/if credits are applied, you have to close all of this info out and go to a separate screen that lists credits. In turn, these aren't labeled with any details related to why the credit was added. read more

I wish I could give NEGATIVE 100 stars. You thought customer service was bad at the DMV and the post office? Well compared to the people of Zipcar, those infamous public offices would rank up there with Nordstrom. EVERY TIME I have called Zipcar, the people on the other line are rude, unhelpful, and inconsiderate. Never have I dealt with a company with such a widespread, poor level of service. I have called about there not being the required 1/4 tank of gas, and was told I should have called at the start of my reservation. So, I should be late for my appointment and use time that I paid for MY RESERVATION to report there not being enough gas? Next time, I will not call, because I don't need that headache. Also, have called with other minor issue, their resolution is crap. I have found it is cheaper to rent a car for 24 hours than use Zipcar. Wish there was more competition, so Zipcar would either improve or go away. read more

Over two weeks ago, I was notified that someone had been using my zipcar account in a different state. Even though I suspended my account before their reservation, they were somehow still able to get into the car and take it out, returning it 2 hours late. I was charged $174.55, which has still not been refunded to my account. Apparently someone from this company sent them a replacement card with a different zipcard number linked to my bank account, which seems ridiculous since they didn't have any of my personal information (I know this because I spoke with a representative on the phone who said they had been speaking with "me" and they couldn't answer any of the personal questions. This whole situation has been obnoxious - I have talked to about 10 different people and have left a handful of messages, even for corporate, and nobody could answer any of my questions, give me any updates on the status of the issue, nor could they even return my calls. Be wary when using this company - they aren't secure and just might give a random person access to your bank account too. read more

STAY AWAY! TOTAL SCAM! I've been a Zipster since 2011, yet my account was closed in March of 2016 without explanation from Zipcar. I've spent hundreds of dollars on the service over the years. The overall quality of cars are terrible; dirty interiors, random items in the back seat or the trunk, empty windshield washing liquid, almost empty fuel tanks, reservations canceled with no reason given. Broken tail lights too & low tire pressure. Broken stereo systems. The local Chicago Zipcar office is notorious for being the most terrible & unresponsive office I've dealt with. A vehicle hit the Zipcar I was driving in November of 2015 and State police wrote in their report that I was not at fault. I had a damage waiver on my account so I did not pay anything. Until today Zipcar's insurance agent has not dealt with the claim, 5 months later! The prices are outrageously high; 5 hours in a Zipcar sedan will cost you a minimum of $250 excluding other costs for membership. I highly recommend staying away. Its not worth the headache or cost. Buy a used car instead or use a reputable rental agency. read more

I've been using Zipcar for almost 3 years. It started off as a wonderful program that I fully endorsed but lately I've had a few bad experiences. I don't want to focus on the negative because there are still some perks so I'll try to cover both. Convenience is definitely the best thing for me. Everything can be done on their easy to navigate website or through a quick phone call. Zipcar locations are plentiful in my neighborhood (Lakeview) so I never have trouble finding a car when I need it. Even more than that, Zipcar is also available in many major cities as well so they are easily accessible on vacation or while traveling. Cost is my biggest issue right now and I have mixed feelings on it. The membership fees are minimal depending on what option you choose and there are even some low cost options for additional insurance. You don't have to pay for gas, washing, or any maintenance and we all know that not paying for gas is huge. But in order to offset the increased cost of gas Zipcar raised their hourly rates a little unreasonably. Driving a Jetta used to be $9 an hour and it's now $12. Wow. I would say that variety makes Zipcar great too since there are so many different kinds of cars. But again cost comes back to bite you in the butt. The nicer cars have a higher hourly rate and because the rates have been raised I always feel like I need to find the cheapest car now and I don't enjoy bargain shopping with Zipcar. Cleanliness has totally gone down hill lately too. I'm hoping it's just because it's the end of winter and harder to keep the cars clean in bad weather because the last two times I've zipped the cars have been absolutely filthy both on the inside and outside. Outside, no big deal because I don't sit on the hood. Inside, disgusting. The last car I used was a BMW too, one of the most expensive cars per hour and it was the absolute worst. Even the seats and cup holders were sticky and gross. I was thoroughly disappointed. Lastly I don't think you can blame Zipcar for this but I'm really getting tired of people returning cars late and with no gas. I realize that Zipcar depends on the drivers to act responsibly but the world isn't a perfect place. I don't know what the penalty is, if any, for returning late or with no gas but I sure hope there is one. However I've heard from other Zipcar drivers that when you complain or call to report these kinds of issues you're lucky if you get a response and when you do they aren't consistent or helpful. Zipcar needs to kick it up a notch if they want to keep people from moving over to I-Go which is looking better and better. read more

WTF is wrong with you? I called to take an extra driver off my account, and the customer service reap instead of removing the additional driver accidentally cancelled my account. I was promised that the account would be restored to what it was before. It wasn't!!! I had a total damage fee waiver, and that wasn't restored and now I'm told I have to wait a month for it to take effect because of Zipcar's mistake. Not mine!!! So now I have to wait for YOUR MISTAKE?? Then I go and reserve a car and it tells me I have no upcoming reservations, but then bills me for it. Your supervisors and customer service reps are }%^*% incompetent. I'm posting this all over social media and expect a better response and compensation for your mistake I've been spending two months trying to correct!!! read more

Frankly a disappointing experience. Zipcar prides itself on "getting approved in minutes" but my application has been under review for almost a month and no contact. Any requests for customer support ends with them "escalating my issue to a higher level". Where does it escalate to? There is radio silence from the other end. No help. read more

I've been a Zipcar member for 4 years, since getting a sales job in March 2009 that required me to drive to the suburbs twice/week every week. So I feel I can write a fair and thorough review. In summary, Zipcar has been a huge frustration and wallet-drainer. YOU WILL PAY MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK. 1) When you sign up, Zipcar doesn't tell you there's a whopping $50 late fee -- even if you're just a few min late. You can try to extend your reservation a half hour, etc to avoid the charge. But if someone has the car reserved after you, you're smacked with the $50 charge. 2) If you need to alter (not even cancel!) a reservation in the common circumstance that your schedule changes, an appointment get pushed back, etc -- you're smacked with a charge as well. I've told Zipcar many times that a nice incentive they could offer long-time customers like myself is the ability to change reservations with no cost. (See point #5) 3) The hourly rental rates have increased and too many cars are expensive, luxury vehicles. Of the numerous Zipcars in my neighborhood, only three are $8/hour and they rent quickly. (And rates are even higher on the wknds.) NOTE TO ZIPCAR: If I'm using your service -- which means I can't afford my own little car -- do you think I care to rent an Audi A3 at $14/hour?? Provide more affordable cars for us!! 4) The customer service has become terrible the past year. Every recent person I've had to talk to about issues, like a car not being in its spot or being late due to traffic, has been unfriendly and unhelpful. I truly thought one guy I spoke with was a stroke victim, he was that unresponsive. 5) There are zero incentives, special priviledges or driving credits for long-time members. Zipcar has seemed completely apathetic to its loyal members like myself, who has spent thousands of dollars with them. Again, I've shared this several times with Zipcar; they've done nothing. read more

Just highly unsatisfied. I asked them for a replacement card twice (when I renewed my membership), and they stated it was sent but I never received one over the two months I waited for one. So I call to cancel my membership, and the guy was so quick to be like, "Okay Bye!" I'm like wow, there's nothing that you guys can do to even try and fix this? And he just nonchalantly apologized. I asked to speak with his supervisor upon this issue and I waited for about 15min and eventually hung up, because I am done with this business... read more

Once upon a time, the check engine light on my '02 Ford Focus came on. (RIP Big Red!) Even though I was pro-CTA and pro-Uber a couple weeks after that happened, I knew I couldn't survive without a car. My parents live in West Rogers Park and there is NO good way to get up there in less than an hour, trust me. And the commute from East Lakeview anywhere west of California was just not happenining on the CTA. Eff that. (Shout-out to all my friends that schleped me around during this time! Love ya!) Enter Zipcar. I thought the concept was pretty cool AND there are a TON of Zipcar spots in this 'hood. (Like 10 cars were within a 5 min walking distance!) I became enamoured for awhile for multiple reasons....i.e., I didn't have to shell out for gas, insurance, oil changes. (These are all included with the Zipcar membership.) The best part was that I got to drive different cars all the time! I basically used this part of my life as my way of test driving potential cars. (If you care, I fell in love with the Hyuandai Veloster, but ultimately stuck with another Focus.) But...it gets expensive. You think you'll only be out for an hour, but you end up extending another half hour...then another half hour. Before you know it, you're up to $89 for a grocery and Target run. FML. Some of the rules are lame, too. Like, if you return the car "late", then you get charged a late fee of some insane amount. I feel they told me that they give you a 5 minute grace period, but I don't think that's true. Also, some of the other Zipcar members like to call in and complain about every little thing. For instance, if you return the car with less than 1/4 tank of gas, you can also get fined. I'm pretty sure I've always filled up the car when needed, but somehow other people would call in and complain. To retaliate, I decided to call in EVERY single scratch and nick on the car before driving it, so that there was no way that they could pin that on me. Zipcar is good for a quick one hour/emergency trip to Target. But, that's about it. In the end, I realized it was much more cost effective to just suck it up and get a new car. read more

Due to my new job that includes a trip here and there to the burbs-I needed a car! Pronto! After much research, I choose ZipCar because they had been rumored to have better locations and awesome customer service. Well--the customer service is fantastic. The first reservation I placed last week had to be canceled due to construction near the location I was supposed to pick up the car-bummer! But, they decided to upgrade me to a MINI! And the best part of it was that I wasn't charged! How cool is that??? My second reservation had to do with my meeting getting pushed back, and the call service center had an "No problem, we'll fix it attitude". I love this service. I'm in love again. And this time it's a car! They include gas & insurance, and tons of locations. Their website is super easy to navigate, I'm really happy with my choice. read more

When I signed up for Zipcar a year ago, it seemed like a decent deal. I could run errands and do anything I needed within a couple of hours for about 20 bucks. But lately it seems as though the rental cost gets jacked up every couple days. I realize that the cost of gas has gone up, but c'mon, $13 an hour for a Jetta? That's a little much, especially when it once was $9. The other thing that attracted me and kept me a loyal customer for a year was the spot-on customer service. Believe it or not, it used to be possible to speak to a real live person on the phone whenever I was having issues. These days, not so much... "Please push '4' if you have just been in an accident" ...beeeep... "if you are bleeding from the head please press '1', for compound fractures, please press '2', for all other injuries, please press '3'..." read more

I honestly can't justify keeping my previous 5-star review up for Zipcar as my membership was cancelled with no warning last year for a violation of a rule. I can understand why my account was terminated, just was upset about the way it was handled. Here is the long ugly story, hope you have an hour to read, lol. I had received no warning that I broke any rules and only found out that my account was suspended on Friday, August 30th approximately 5:00 pm Central Time when I tried to make a reservation. I called the phone number on the card and the person I spoke told me that the account had JUST been suspended and that there was no notation of what I had done wrong. I was told that an email would be forthcoming in the next few hours to explain why but none arrived so I called again at 9 pm Central Time and spoke to a lady who said she couldn't tell me why I was suspended until the email went through and said that it would take a few days. I asked if I could talk to someone who COULD give me information and was given to a supervisor who was actually extremely nice and said that I should call the Chicago office the next day and she would put my request thru. On Saturday morning, I still had not received ANY email about why I was suspended, but I did get a phone call from the Chicago office saying that my account had been suspended because I had fallen asleep in the car past my reservation (I had worked a long shift and was tired, I understand that it was no excuse, but it happened) and a technician reported it to the office. Apparently this happened multiple times? If I had done anything wrong, I wish that I had received a warning and I definitely would have made sure that I would not do it again as I had a pristine record, don't leave the car without gas and never been late with returns. I was then told I was no longer welcome to be a member and even though I had promised never ever to do it again, was told "there are other carsharing options in Chicago". I understand if I broke a rule, fine I should be punished. But what makes me furious angry and disappointed was that I had no notice that I had done anything wrong, was left high and dry with no other transportation options on a holiday weekend and had to call the office several times just to even get an answer!  I loved Zipcar, it was easy and convienent and we had spent a LOT of money (300 sometimes 400+ dollars a month) and were good customers. I just wish that I didn't have to feel like I was pulling teeth to find out why I had a surprise suspension/termination to my account. And he was right, there are other carsharing options in Chicago. I am now a happy and satisfied customer of iGo aka Enterprise Car Sharing. read more

I was a zipster between 2010 and 2015. In the beginning, I probably used it about 10-times per year for grocery runs, day trips, hauling things, and even a couple weekend getaways. Toward the end I was using just a few times per year, and in 2015 I only used it once or twice before I cancelled (I decided to buy a car). In the beginning, I would have given it four-stars. Cars were convienenty located from my place, they were mostly affordable ($7/hr and sometimes less), cars were usually in good condition, and Zipcar would occassionally give you bonus dollars. Toward the end of my tenure, prices nearly doubled. They first raised prices about 30%-50% in 2012, and they said it was due to sky high gas prices. When gas prices dropped back down to a somewhat long-term normal level, or even dropped to very low levels.... prices were never re-adjusted downward, and were actually recently pushed up again. It also became increasingly difficult to find cars, especially within a reasonable distance or at a late notice. My first time using a zipcar, I went to the lot and it wasn't there when I needed it to be. I called, and the nice people at the office weren't sure where it was, so they reserved me a better one (a BMW) a few blocks away, and added an hour to my reservation free of charge. Initially it was a bummer, but their good service saved the trip and kept me as a customer. Toward the end, the attitude started to change a little bit, and if the car I reserved wasn't there for my time, BMWs weren't offered to me and I was asked to wait (partly because there were less cars available I'm sure), but they would still give me an hour-credit if I pressed for one. Cars not being there when you reserve them can be an issue. People will show up late, or park them in the wrong spot. It can totally ruin your plans, and having to plan on extra time at the beginning of your reservation just adds to the total price of the rental. Everyone complaining about late-fees here is way out of line, you have a responsibility to return your car by the time you say you will, there is no grace period because the next people are depending on it. Cars are frequently returned just above a quarter of a tank of gas (meaning you will likely have to fill it up), and they're sometimes in need of work (mechanical issues, electrical issues, weird noises, out of windshield washer fluid, low tire pressure), though they tend to be somewhat newer cars. At least twice I've gotten to a car to find it's had damage so bad that it's undrivable (TIP: always do a walkaround, and report any damage ASAP). Once it was for a weekend rental, and there weren't any nearby cars available as a replacement and it ruined my weekend. Mostly, my zipcar driving experience was relatively trouble free, and I found the people working their to be helpful. Zipcars are great for quick trips around town: to get groceries, check out a restaurant that's not accessible by CTA, stock up on furniture (Zipvans are PERFECT for this), or just tackle all your errands in one day. They are usually not financially worthwhile for long trips of a day or more, for those I would go to a car rental company. That's the major problem with zipcar today that they need to address: I can rent a car from Hertz for about $45/weekend day, if you factor in gas for a long trip, it's $65 with taxes and everything. For Zipcar, at $14/hour, that's only a four hour rental. With these prices, they're operating on the margins of convenience for it's users, not necessarily affordability, which runs against the whole premise of car sharing. One last thing: I wish they'd go easy with the logos... I know they're trying to advertise, but I don't like driving an advertising billboard (they offer logo-free cars, but only on some luxury rentals). read more

I reserved the car for August 23 12:00am, i get to the car in downtown Chicago and its damaged and does not unlock. I call it in and the lady redirected me way out of the way to O'Hare Airport for a replacement vehicle so we moved the reservation time to 2:00am i get to the vehicle finally, and the vehicle has no signal. I call it in and they said there is nothing that they can do, so now im stranded over 45 miles from home with no more and no way home because i put it all in the car so now im stranded at 3:31am on august 23 at O'Hare airport with no way home, no money and no help. I will take this further if needed. read more

Fuck you, Zipcar. Fuck your stupid push button hybrid pseudo manual trans bullshit cars. What happened to a KEY? Couldn't get this shitty car started and missed an important appointment that I took off work for. Screw you. read more

It was an interesting idea to use for my business when we needed a van. I met the Zipcar people at an expo and they assured me this would work better than renting from Penske or Budget. Well after 4 tries I have had 4 bad experiences. The last today was when I reserved I was informed the day before that the location had been moved. When I contacted Zipcar they said that the original van would be available. When I went to pick it up this morning the battery was dead. No other van was available in the area. Now I am scrambling to find a van for a delivery today. Previous experience was a notice the day before then rental that the van was being exchanged for a Toyota Corolla. I am sorry but I couldn't fit the boxes in a Toyota. It may work for people that don't care if they have a car on time or get the vehicle they requested but for business it just does not work. Too bad. A truck share business for companies like mine would be a great idea. read more

Nauseating customer service, 4 hours on teh phone to resolve a minor membership issue, That turned to be unfixable. Useless beyond conception read more

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it turns into a world of hurt every time I use it. I signed up for Zipcar with high asperations, as any bright-eyed college student would. It was also nice that my university paid for the initial sign up fees (always a plus). The first time I use, I'm reasonably impressed by their selection of cars and the ease with which one uses the service. Mind you, I signed up for iGo at the same time (also paid for by my university) and was comparing the two services for about a year. They seemed to be really comparable until I was late one time with Zipcar. Hint: BIG MISTAKE. Zipcar hit my account with a $50 fee for literally being 3 minutes late, no joke. While I knew the fee were a possibility, I was not expecting it because a) the car's own clock said I was on time; b) my cell phone said I was on time; and c) I used my iPhone to extend the reservation and got a confirmation email saying it had been extended. Clearly, something had gone awry. When I called Zipcar, they attempted to blame me for the issue even though I sent them a copy of the email SENT BY THEIR SERVERS. What's more, they tried to charge me $50 even though no one was inconvenienced by my lateness as was evident since their repeated text reminders that I signed up for said the car was free for an hour and a half after (iGo at least has the courtesy not to charge you if you haven't inconvenienced a paying customer after you). I will say, the one redeeming quality of Zipcar is that they have service in a bunch of different cities, which is helpful. Though not so much when service is only limited to a random handful of neighborhoods. read more

Ive been a zipcar member for years and tonight it almost killed me. While driving in downtown Chicago, the engine kept cutting out while the car was moving. At each stoplight I would have to restart. Lights died. No turn signals, card whipping past but nowhere to turn off to get to a safe spot to put the car. We made it to close to my boyfriends house and parked. I called zipcar and was told the car was "fine" and I should just use the card again and all would be well. Now, pardon my fears based on almost being killed. I said no and asked them to pick up the car. They advised I would be charged for the tow. Are you kidding me? Zipcar can cancel my membership. And I hope everyone else cancels theirs. DANGER! read more

My hub and I use zipcar when possible but our experience in Chicago was not up to our past experiences in San Francisco. The car was filthy and lacked windshield fluid- both times we rented. Not having windshield fluid during the February 2011 blizzard was a safety problem and we did not have the time to take care of it. Hey Chicago Zipcar--- clean up your act. read more

So on a lovely Saturday I was having a particularly long week. I went to blow off some steam at a farm just west of new buffalo. I though gee whizz I'll take my sister for a day out (she stepped in dog poop, but I digress). I used zip car. And shiver me timbers! We got stuck. On a farm. Alone. Cold. They told me to make alternate arrangements to get home. Customer service offered zero other methods of getting home and essentially told me to figure it out, despite the only train that day being 5 hours away. BUT I always look on the bright side. The farm gave us free peach cobbler. My frozen hands had trouble using the fork due to the in-climate weather, but their peaches were perfection. The farm owner, Susan, gave us some blankets while we waited. Life is like a poker game. You don't get to choose the cards you are dealt, but I sure as heck am glad I met Susan. You helped me out with the poor hand I was dealt this morning. For this, I thank you Susan. read more

I like ZipCar. Can't say that I love it, but I do like it . Car sharing in general boils down to 3 things: 1) how many cars are in your immediate area 2) how often they are available. 3) Price So your perception of value with ZipCar will depend mainly on #1 and #2 above. If cars aren't nearby , or they have so few of them that it's always booked (which can happen to a lot of people and areas in Chicago )the service becomes useless. I"m fortunate that I have ample availability of ZipCars in my River North area, so no gripes there. But I do have to ding them on a couple things: 1) Cleanliness - these cars are ALWAYS so darn dirty. Stained carpets and floor mats, 2 weeks worth of dust , crumbs and debris inside, etc.. I can't understand how they can't clean them more often. 2) Late Fees and other B.S. - if you are 1 minute late you get a $50 late fee. My clock said I was 1 minute early, their clock said I was 1 minute late and they charged me $50 plus another 30 minutes rental time. Not cool. Another time they said I caused damaged to the vehicle and it was under investigation. I knew for a fact I didn't do it, and they refused to tell me what the damage in question was. They just made me sweat it out for 3 weeks while they "investigated" it, and then said it wasn't my fault. Again...not cool, get your facts straight BEFORE you accuse people of stuff. On the positive side: It's pretty much idiot proof and easy (enroll, get your card, reserve online, return car on time). If you can't figure this out you shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car in the first place! They have a wide variety of cars - BMW's, Hybrids, Mini Cooper, Mazda sedans, Wagons - something to appease everyone from the soccer mom to tree hugging hipster. They are cool - like Apple & Google, they are funny, chic, hip, have a quirky sense of fun about their company & products. Gas, parking spot & insurance are all covered in the hourly rate. Not a bad deal :) iPod adapters and iPass for the toll booths are built in too (they bill your account for the cost of the tolls). I've used them a lot over the past year. However, lately I've been going back to renting a car from Hertz or National for the full day more often. I do get tired of ZipCar keeping me on a tight leash and racing back to return the car on time , etc.. Traffic can suck in Chicago and many times i've had to extend my rental just to sit in traffic on I94. You can get a car for a full day from Hertz for what it costs for 2.5 -3 hours with a zipcar and I don't have Big Brother watching over me. read more

I'm a pretty loyal ZipCar user and have been for the last 5 years since selling our car. It's very convenient and much less of a hassle than renting a car-- especially living in the city where car rental services have limited weekend hours. The cars are generally in good condition and I can typically find one somewhat nearby even at the last minute. The only thing I don't love about ZipCar is their customer service. Like others, I don't feel that the rules are super clear about allowable distances, late returns, etc. I have also found that the customer service reps are not helpful and are often rude. I have interacted with them a handful of times and while a few were lovely, on balance I find them to be ambivalent and not super friendly. I once called because the car I had reserved was not in its space 10 minutes after my reservation was to begin-- they were impatient with me and not helpful. I was basically told that i just needed to wait or I could go a mile away for the next available car. That's fine, but at least compensate me for the lost time in my reservation or give me a closer more expensive car for the same rate that I reserved-- Customer Service 101. I have also emailed twice recently to report issues: Once to simply let them know that a previous driver had left belongings in the car we were using. They emailed back and told me what I needed to do claim my lost belongings... did you even read my message? Most recently, I emailed them to tell them that the car we were using wasn't driving properly-- it was jerking around and we're fairly certain the battery was dying because a previous driver had left the lights on. Instead of thanking me, they emailed me back 3 days later essentially chastising me for driving the car and not calling them as "you can avoid being potentially charged with damages or cleaning charges, and this also greatly aids us in following up with the at-fault party, as we never want to send warning emails to our great Zipcar members who do follow the rules." Hello? I DID notify you-- maybe not by phone, but I did. And you didn't reply for 3 days. I was doing you a favor, Zipcar-- wait until the battery dies while the next guy is out driving it. He'll be super happy. I'll keep using the service because it is convenient, though I do think they need to properly train their customer service representatives... or maybe I will stop doing them the favor of reporting issues with their products. read more

Over the past two months, I have seen Zipcar's hourly rates increase and customer service quality decrease. It looks as if the prices are increasing every two weeks. In late August, I was paying $10/hour during the week and a little over $11/hour on the weekend. One week after that, weekend rates were $12.10/hour and weekend rates almost $14/hour. As of today, my weekday rate has jumped to $12.60/hour and weekend to over $13/hour. I checked prices for next Monday, anticipating a trip, and the weekday rate is $14.85/hour and the weekend rate is $16.50/hour! Absolutely no notice has been given! In roughly two months, the rates have increased almost $4 to $5 per hour. They've also taken away the ability to enter the car 14 minutes before your scheduled time. Uber and Lyft are looking better every day - and more convenient. read more