Our family car is an increasingly busted Jetta, with a leaky roof, a perpetually glowing "check engine" light, and assorted camping detritus scattered across the seats. It was kind of a vacation to rent a new, clean Mini Cooper for an evening, even though it drove like an oversized golf cart. $40 covered all the driving I wanted between 6 pm and 8:30 am the next day, as well as gas and insurance. Compared to your friend's car, the bus, your bike or your feet, ZipCar is expensive. But compared to the costs of maintaining your own, infrequently-driven car, ZipCar is pretty appealing! read more

I previously posted a 2/5 rating but I think zipcar deserves a 4! I've been attending UW for the past 4 years as an out-of-state student. But during the times I really needed a car like say, grocery shopping, outlet malls, or venues not on a bus route, I pretty much paid for the car to sit in the parking lot while I shopped. I think with all the money I spent on zipcar this year, I could've just bought a used car. Or maybe my own taxi driver. I've been a bit wiser with the way I use zipcar--after all, its "wheels when you need them". 9/24/11 Customer service is excellent. Today I got in a zipcar to find that the keys were stolen. They relocated me to another lot, but no zipcar in sight. The next car was a mile away and they were willing to pay for a taxi to take me there. I turned down the offer. They gave me two hours of driving credit (one for the reassignment from keyless car and another for the missing car.) I really hope they find that zipcar! read more

Horrible service. Booked a car a month in advance only to have Zipcar cancel it one day before we scheduled. Lousy customer service. Avoid.

I was a 10 year customer of flexcar/zipcar. In the last couple years the customer service has gone way down hill. I spent on average 200-400 per month. Last year I received a traffic camera ticket charge through zipcar. When I asked multiple times to see the ticket, they finally forwarded me a copy after they had cancelled my account. I wanted to verify that it was indeed me in the car that got the ticket. I paid the fine and they refused to reinstate my membership. I had been a good customer of theirs for 10 years. I also noticed that in the last couples years the number of cars got reduced and it was harder to reserve a car unless you did it days in advance. The romance is over zipcar. read more

I was a member of Flexcar for a couple of years before being forced to join Zipcar. I still prefer Flexcar - they were less expensive and had driving plans that worked for an occasional driver like me; additionally, you could take the key with you instead of using the card. Now on to the positive with Zipcar! Cars, cars everywhere! Easy to use, intuitive reservation system. Clean cars. Well maintained cars. So far, customer service has been sufficient, but there have been some long wait times. Make sure to check and see if your employer has some sort of partnership with Zipcar. If they do, many of your initial fees, and maybe even some driving time, will probably be covered. read more

I used to own a Ford Explorer while living on Capitol Hill. This meant insane parking and paying monthly insurance bills for a vehicle I hardly ever used. Thankfully, it was declared a road hazard and I sold it off. I then got my Zip Car membership and it has served me well. I love trying out different vehicles and the idea that I will have a reserved spot when I return. Here are my pros and cons: Pros: -Gas is covered. -You have a reserved parking spot. -You can try various vehicles for relatively cheap prices. Cons: -You will generally always feel the pressure of having to return the car on time. -If you don't plan your trips well you can end up spending too much on the vehicles. Zip Car customer service are among the better customer service agents I have spoken with. I did have one rep tell me that the pickup truck was all wheel drive during last winter's snow storms and I think she was wrong but over all I have had good experiences. I specially like to rent one for a night and take a trip to Portland. It's almost possible to do the trip and stay within your mileage allotment. read more

I love flexcar. The idea is great, and flexcar executes it perfectly. They have a ton of cars, in a variety of styles. And - bonus- a lot of them are hyrbids. Insurance and gas are included, and the rates are really reasonable. They have specials so check the website, and you can use flexcars in other cities when you travel. The best part was that when I moved to Chicago this year, I was able to transfer my membership to I-Go for free! read more

I had good experience with Zipcar when it first started. I guess as long as you don't want to speak to an actual human being, it might be okay. But god, don't get into any troubles or try to cancel your membership. I had to contact my credit card company to have them blocked as fraudulent in order to stop the monthly fees. Awful customer service, just awful! read more

Sketchy business practices. I signed up several years ago, but found that I didn't use Zipcar as much as other services like Uber. I assumed that my account would simply lapse and I haven't used Zipcar since 2015. What I didn't realize were the following: 1 - Zipcar memberships automatically renew. 2 - Zipcar does NOT send a reminder when the membership will be soon renewing 3 - Zipcar does NOT allow you to disable autorenewal online Now part of this is on me for assuming my account would close and not realizing that I was being dinged $35 once a year for a service I did not think I actually still had. But it's still a sketchy business practice. Luckily, when I cancelled my account the phone rep assured me that I would get a $35 refund for the most recent renewal a couple of months ago. Here's hoping that the refund actually comes through. read more

This is an unbelievable service. Pays for your car rental, gas, and insurance and I have never had to go further than 2 miles (a quick bus ride) to pick up a car (I live in green lake). While it ends up costing 9.50 to 12 bucks an hour no matter what you do, it is still a heck of a lot cheaper than owning a car. They are always clean, always have at least a half a tank (so far!) and is a great way just to test drive cars. If you are thinking about getting a car but know you will only use it once or twice a week I would do this instead as it is a lot cheaper and can help you decide if you really need a car yet. read more

Didn't even use the car yet but I have a bad experience with them already. Was charged my monthly fees and received card 15 days after that, because of delay from their side, and on asking if they could push the date ahead for next month as I received the card late, I was denied !! Paying for nothing is really a great feeling on customers side. Edit : After talking to them again I was helped on the Issue, I got my first month money back so that makes up for the 2 week delays plus I got additional 2 weeks from their side. That's great customer service. read more

Took three months to cancel membership. Three phone calls. Cars are dirty and unkept. Other new services do not charge monthly fees. Cannot figure out why anyone needs this service with the competitor service in Seattle. RIP Zip car. read more

I LOVE THE ZIPCAR. Not only do I think they provide a really cool car at a reasonable price for the times I need them, without me having the hassle of owning a car in the city, but their customer service is first rate. I find them very easy to deal with, extremely helpful, and I find that their rates are really great, since they include gas and insurance. If you live in the city and want an occasional car for errands, you can not do better than Zipcar. Especially when you consider how crazy expensive it can be to maintain a car in the city. read more

Ok, if you're the kind of person looking for instant gratification be warned, there's a small process to sign up. Granted, they're letting you drive their cars around, so a check on your driving record and a few other steps shouldn't be asking too much. If you can't be bothered to follow instructions and send in some simple information, I wouldn't trust you with MY vehicle either. Now on to the awesome. I have been an urban dweller for years, and have not owned a car for the last 5 of them. I own a motorcycle which I use for daily commuting. I only ever used my car a few times when I needed to do something I couldn't on my bike, and it was just an expensive hunk of metal sitting in my garage that cost me close to $400 a month in payments, insurance, etc. Enter ZipCar. I am on a monthly membership, and for the amount of driving I do, I end up spending less than $100 a month on driving. Some months I don't even pay more than the monthly membership fee which is so nominal I don't even notice it. I use it whenever I need to pick something up, need to be somewhere quickly, need to save my hair from my motorcycle helmet because it looks too darn good today, or just feel like being fun and taking a Mini Cooper for a spin. I also love being able to pick up guests at the airport rather than spending Uber or cab money. It's MUCH cheaper by comparison to both of those. It is NOT however cheaper than a rental car. If I know I will need a car for several days, ZipCar is not my solution. That works out just fine for me. The website and user interface are incredibly easy to use. The customer service is impeccable. The convenience is hands down worth every penny. I wish more urban dwellers would get into car sharing programs - our world (and roads) would be a much better place! Long story short, try them, love them, and then sell your car. read more

Cars are consistently dirty. One rental wouldn't unlock, even with the card. Despite spending 30 on the phone trying to get it fixed, still had to call twice the next day to get full refund. Customer service is unhelpful. App will return no results if searching for something close to any address, nearby or actual zip car address is the only choice to search for. App wants far more authorizations then normal. Enter date of birth to start app, enter date of birth again to rent car, now verify email to rent car... All from the same device I've always used. In summary, I HATE Zipcar but don't cancel because occasionally I have a real need and want a reservation. After this rental I'll be evaluating if the much higher prices from Enterprise are worth being able to ditch ZipCar forever. read more

Have been a zipcar member for about 5 years. Didn't really use it much (10-15 times overall) but was always an easy, convenient experience. One time, I goofed and left car lights on and had to call zipcar who hired someone to come jump it. Recently moved to a location with no nearby cars so cancelled my membership - customer service was great and really professional/friendly/easy to work with. Thanks Zipcar - put some more cars in West Seattle and maybe I'll be back. read more

Love Love Love the Technology! From reserving on-line, to swiping my card to access the car to bill payment. Zipcar makes everything easy. I appreciate the convenience of beging able to get a car because their availablity of automoibles is tremendous. I only need a car every once in a while and this is the most cost effective, ecological and convienent way for me to access a car when needed. Their cars are clean and the Customer Service department very professional. THe Right Concept for big and small cities alike! Thanks ZipCar!! read more

SHAME ON ZIP CAR WARNING - DON'T COUNT ON ZIP CAR TO HELP YOU IF A ZIP CAR HITS YOUR VEHICLE! THEY COULD CARE LESS. A Zip Car Van hit my car while parked and we were way - breaking off our mirror on our van. Two witnesses saw this and kindly wrote a note explaining what had happened - the Zip Car Van hit the van breaking the mirror and housing, paused briefly and sped off - HIT & RUN. In calling the Seattle office of Zip Car, I was told there was nothing they could do because we did not have license number for the zip car. I asked for a phone number of a higher up office and was told "we do not have any other numbers here of anyone else you can call". A complete lie. Then I found online a customer service number 1-866-494-7227, and called them hoping they would help. Oh, No - they too said they could not help me without a license number and didn't even want to acknowledge that their car was involved. Said that my witnesses' account was not enough for them to step in and help me with my loss. Suggested I call the police. Then finally after pressing gave me the number of their Insurance Segwich 866-345-2474. In calling them I am in an endless loop that throws me back the customer service number. I am really disappointed in the customer service I received and I want resolution. read more

I'm an old timer now, having started ZipCar six years ago. Overall I'm still very happy with them, although some things have changed. When I have had a problem, the staff in the Seattle office have been very helpful and still feel like the original "ZipCar" when I first started. Mostly on the general phone line they have been helpful, though there have been a couple of poor customer support people. To be honest, though, that's only been a few times in six years (and by comparison most of the Staff have resolved my issue faster than with Car2Go or other rental car companies). What I really like about ZipCar is that they are anchored to spots in my neighborhood. Car2Go tends to migrate all over the city too much, so they are not a reliable way to run errands--in fact, most of them end up at Amazon and south Lake Union during the day and then disappear into random parts of the city in the afternoon. In fact, this is one of the main reasons I use ZipCar more than Car2Go. One legimate concern I've had happen to me a few times over the last year has been the availability of the car...either being moved to a car further away or not being available. However, I still think most people in my neighborhood have been good about keeping the car clean and filling up the gas. I've used ZipCar in Canada and it was also a positive experience, but San Francisco was noticeably a poorer experience. So I guess you're mileage will vary. All in all I still recommend ZipCar to my friends. read more

DO. NOT. USE. Incredibly disgusting company. While using a Zipvan, I was in a building for a moment with a client, when I came back to the car, it wouldn't unlock. I called zipcar and they told me the vehicle was malfunctioned and offline so it wouldn't unlock and had to be towed. My backpack with my ID, cards, cash, medication, everything I need were inside. I waited 6 hours for them to tow it and open the car. They never came. I was left with a dead phone, no ID, no money, no anything 20 miles from where I picked up the car and no help from zipcar with a solution to get me home. I finally borrowed a phone and called the only number I could think of to pick me up. They left me STRANDED with nothing. They towed the car the next day. It is now 3 days later, 56 phone calls and 18 emails later and they will not tell me where my items are or what tow company they used, so maybe I could at least ask them where my personal items are. They emailed back once saying that they had the items. But they will not say where. THREE DAYS. I have no way of getting new medication because I have no money or an ID. They left me to figure out my way home with nothing overnight. They put my life at risk and don't care at all. They yelled at me over the phone to "not worry about it, it could take weeks to get a location of my items." A DISGUSTING COMPANY. There was a police report filed against them, due to the fact that this is theft at this point of life-threatening levels. ABSOLUTELY AVOID THIS COMPANY. read more

Useless customer service. Another vehicle parked illegally in zipcar spot at 8pm. Not sure what to do I call zipcar and was on hold 30 minutes to even speak to someone. In the meantime I found a street parking spot good til 7am the next morning and walked home. Finally get someone to answer and they barely speaked English. Tell me "7am not good enough need more time--find 12 hour spot" or I pay fees and towing charges and gave me phone number for local police to deal with the car blocking the zipcar reserved spot and told me it was my responsibility to have it dealt with. I asked for a refund for the unused hours of my trip and was told would get credit instead. Get manager on phone after another 20 minute hold who was next to useless, and told me the previous person wasn't allowed to give a credit and offered zero help regarding the parking situation. I asked how to escalate further and he said that he was as high as I would be able to talk to, told me to figure it out, and then hung up on me. Will never again do business with Zipcar nor Avis (who owns Zipcar). read more

I use you a couple times a month and even with the big "Zipcar" logo on the side of the Mini Cooper I feel hip and trendy. Zipcar, thanx for getting me to Tacoma and back safe :) read more

I wanted to get my zipcar account reinstated, so i went online and tried to do so, the website kept crashing not allowing me to do so, I called to try to get someone to help, but all that was offered to me was a recorded message. So i started a new application, but had a typo in my license. I got an email about fixing it, so i followed the link, typed in the correct info, and the website crashed. So i emailed records@zipcar.com to give the updated info, no word back. Then i got an email saying my application was denied because my license info. So i called and left a voicemail that I had tried to get it updated online and via email, then i sent another email about it. Nothing. Finally i Facebook messaged zipcar and someone told me that a member services agent would contact me shortly...fine. Once that happened, member services told me i already had an account so my application was cancelled and that i needed to log on to my old account and reactivate. I explained that the website would not allow me to and that i no longer have access to the email previously used. Thankfully Shonnette was available to help me out, she helped get my account reactivated and told me to go online and update my information. I went online, updated my address and contact info, and then saw that my payment on file was from 5-6 years ago when i had first gotten a zipcar account, and i no longer have that card. No problem, lets just update it. So i treid to update it, and the website was not allowing me to do so, it kept saying "something went wrong, please contact member services;' So i contacted member services AGAIN and told them what the error message was saying, that it was not allowing me to put in a new card, and the person told me someone would reach out to me in 1-2 business days. Then this morning, I get an email saying my account was denied because they couldn't process a payment ON THE CARD I WAS TRYING TO DELETE SO I COULD PUT A VALID PAYMENT METHOD IN! this has been one of the worst customer service experiences i have ever had, outside of Shonette who was so helpful. I am traveling at the end of this week, and desperately needed this account squared away. I started this process a month ago, and now it is down to the wire and all i am screwed. I am beyond upset. I don't know what needs to be doe, but honestly, if i cant get this situated before i fly out on Friday, then we should just scrap this all together and ill make sure i detail my experience well on review and social media sites, even though that is something i never do. Honestly, if someone from customer service had just been available from the get go instead of automated machine messages and having to wait for an email every 1-2 business days, there wouldn't have been as big of a problem. read more

I have been a zipcar user for a little while. I live on Bainbridge Island and work in Seattle so I bike/zipcar for transportation (several locations allow you to lock your bike up on site) I recently backed an adorable VW Golfe into a pole. It was late, I was exhausted. I called customer service the next day and proceeded to receive the BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER. My initial call was met with multiple "are you okay" questions. Your car service gets suspended when you damage the car, but they totally waived that after the third day for me. I recommend purchasing damage waiver insurance... I now owe zipcar NO money and can STILL rent from them. and the haters are wrong, the customer service is extraordinary read more

I was really excited to start using Zipcar to get SUVs for mountain/ski trips and was super thrilled at how easy the pickup and booking was to snag my SUV for the mountains. The app stopped working so I could no longer use it to lock/unlock the car, but we figured we would not lock the car. The next morning we get up to start loading the car to go skiing and it automatically locked us out during the night. App doesn't work so we're completely locked out with our skis locked in the SUV. I spent 7 hours on the phone with Zipcar getting passed to different departments. They can't unlock it remotely and can't get my app working and keep saying they're sending lockout/repair services but they never come. Eventually a customer service person told me if I find my own lockout service and pay for it it'll be reimbursed. I do my own roadside assistance and finally get into the car, and then Zipcar denied the reimbursement they had told me they would cover. They still charged me the full $300 to rent the car for the weekend even though the Zipcar completely torched our plans. read more

Horrible company. Can't get a hold of a human to talk about my application process. When I do, they literally have hung up on me a couple times. Then no one could give me information that was helpful. In the end they rejected my application because I wouldn't send them a color copy of my passport (why do they need my passport?). Their website is not good and their app is even worse. Do yourself a favor and use another service. read more

This might be my first 1-star review. With most businesses where I have a poor experience, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. But my experience with Zipcar over the past 7-8 weeks has been *horrendous.* Genuinely the worst customer service experience I've ever had. There's no point writing the long version (nobody wants to read an essay-length rant about a car share service), but I advise everyone to stay as far away from their commuter plan as possible. In theory, it's an attractive option for commuters, especially compared to ride shares everyday, but dealing with their customer service is a nightmare. I've now contacted them over a dozen times with related, but various, issues, and I have not received suitable assistance a single time - other than being told that the "membership team" (who can't be reached directly) will be reaching out in 1-2 business days. Spoiler alert: They never do. read more

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!! Been a member since 2008 when they purchased Flexcar. Customer service use to be excellent, great to deal with. No longer. Have outsourced customer service, cannot contact ANYONE in the US. It is too bad. read more

Update. Within 6 hours of writing my review I was called because a "marketing manager" had seen my review and matched it to my application. They wanted to iron things out so they asked me to call them back. Called them this morning and sat astonished as the phone just rang and rang. NEVER WENT TO VOICEMAIL! Time to get an IT guy Zipcar. If anyone wants to start a business to compete with Zipcar that doesn't have tiny little getarounds as the only option just link me to your Kickstarter. This is almost funny despite the money and time I have wasted so far. read more

Zipcar seemed like a great idea at first. It was kind of pricey, but not too bad compared to owning a car. I was disappointed that the $7/hour cars were almost impossible to find, and even when you could find them, they weren't really $7/hour once all the extra taxes and fees were added on. Still, it seemed better than owning a car. Then the strange, unexplained, unauthorized charges started appearing on my credit card. There was no explanation of what the charges were for, nor was there any attempt to contact me to notify me that I would be charged or to get my authorization to make the charges. I contacted Zipcar several times over the course of a week and never received a response. They refuse to answer my questions about why they are charging my credit card without my authorization. (To be perfectly clear: this is not for reservations or damages, etc. Just unexplained fees that I'm being charged without notifying me or getting my authorization.) Their customer service is hideous. (Well, it would probably be more accurate to say nonexistent.) I will be cancelling my membership and disputing the unauthorized charges with my credit card company. read more

I DON'T LEAVE SCATHING REVIEWS PUBLICLY. I WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE SOURCES AND ALWAYS GIVE THEM ANOTHER CHANCE(s) -- EVERYONE HAS AN OFF DAY HERE AND THERE. HOWEVER, THIS NEEDS TO BE SHARED. STEER CLEAR!!!! CHECK YOUR BILLS AND REFUSE TO PAY THEIR UNWARRANTED FEES WITHOUT FULL DOCUMENTATION - IT'S FRAUD! Exit survey: "Is there anything we could have done to change your mind about closing your Zipcar account?" When an issue occurred, Zipcar could have addressed it promptly, but it didn't. When my insurance provider requested info repeatedly for many months, Zipcar could have provided it, but it didn't. When I called repeatedly for months to request info and each time I was told it would be emailed within the next 24-48, Zipcar could have emailed it. I spent numerous phone calls and hours over many days from from May 2016 to March 2017 proactively trying to resolve an issue and no one in customer service was able to connect with the HQ in Boston to obtain any information while I was told only the HQ had that information. "Proactively" is key here, and Zipcar refused to help. When it was retroactive by 10 months and Zipcar refused to cooperate, the company lost me as a customer. Since Zipcar was only out to make a buck rather than being a part of the solution (and this seems to fit its model of significantly increasing prices above its competitors), I refuse to support this company when I have a choice in where and how I spend my hard-earned dollars. Shame on this company for its horrible customer service. Shame on this company for trying to illegally pass charges onto me without proof or documentation such charges occurred. I consulted my insurance provider and several outside professional/industry-expert resources about Zipcar's business and billing practice, and each sided with me about the illegal billing and poor service. Zipcar started as an advanced model when I joined over 10 years ago and it quickly fell behind (to the bottom) in service and pricing. If the service were so stellar, it might influence me to pay a little more, but the company is terrible with a rotten business ethic. I have told and will continue to tell all friends and family about the better options out there while steering far and clear from Zipcar. I gave the company many chances and a lot of time to keep me as a customer, but it has made its choice to be a bad sport at the business table. My decision to cancel my membership should come as ZERO surprise to this organization. Since you're conducting a survey, please pass my regards to the "secret" Headquarters. They could learn a thing or two about ethical business practice and being a solution in customer service. For the sake of Zipcar's sustainability, I hope it gives consideration to what it could have done here and where it failed. Sincerely, XXXXX P.S. Your instructions (after cancelling) to keep my card so I could reactivate my membership within the next 30 days are a joke. Trust me, I made no mistake when I called to cancel the membership, making it very clear why I was cancelling. I guess that message also got lost. read more

Absolutely worst car sharing company I have ever used. Over $25 application fee for a completely automated system, monthly fees, insurance not covered (approx. $25 additional per day), have to reserve the exact time and duration you want it and have to return to the same location. NO OTHER company (Communauto, Car2Go, Gig Car share) have so many additional costs. I reserved a van for a day, and upon getting there noticed that the car is too huge for us to feel safe driving in. Call them and ask if a change is possible, if there's fees associated to it, and was clearly told several times it would be completely free of charge. Next day see an extra $23 charge on my credit card. Spend 45 minutes on the phone just to be told that their policies are against issuing a refund even if its their own colleague's mistake for giving me wrong information. I have cancelled my subscription and will never recommend Zipcar to anyone. All in all it cost me over $275 in their ridiculous fees and charges to have a car for 24 hrs. If I could put less one star I would. Also the cars, at least in the Seattle area are very poorly maintained, full of others food remains and mess. Horrible, Horrible car sharing and customer service. read more

if you are an adult: DON'T USE ZIPCAR!! I applied and they read my driving record incorrectly and refused my membership and when I pointed out their error they said it would be corrected in a week and then they said no -- not because of my record but because they didn't like that I complained. As a non-millennial who owns a car and a home, I have to say that this "service" is ridiculous. Zipcar is run by people who CAN'T READ for accuracy. If someone has hit you, Zipcar will read that as YOUR violation. RENT FROM ANYONE ELSE -- NOT AVIS BECAUSE THEY OWN ZIPCAR. That's for you Carla Archambault (206) 682-0107 X 230 read more

I've been using Zipcar for more than 2 years now and although it worked for me, I had lots of frustrations with the customer service. So, I am giving only 2 stars mainly because of poor customer service. Pros: - Online reservation system is very convenient, half-hour intervals are great, and you can even hop into the car 14 minutes before your reservation at no extra charge. - Cars were mostly clean, and after driving probably 20 different cars, it seemed to me that the customers were following the six rules. I never had a major issue with gas, gas cards, Zipcar not being there on time etc. - The service is very convenient compared to rental car service, as you can decide to grab a car now, and you can be in it driving within 5 minutes, even if it is 3 AM in the morning. With rental car counters closing at 4PM on weekends, this is a major upside. - Although Zipcar is expensive, if you're driving 1K miles or less in a year (which was the case for me before Zipcar), keeping your car costs much more than the cost of Zipcar. In my case, the added benefit was that my employer subsidized Zipcar expense up to a limit. So, I had access to many cars, with almost no out of pocket costs. - Insurance being included is great, because most Zipcar drivers don't own cars, hence they don't have insurance. However if you have a car on the side and have insurance coverage, then you'll obviously be overpaying for the insurance coverage. Cons: - I noticed that the customer service reps always come with an attitude. They are pretty cocky in their communications, and I've never liked this. If it was one person, I would've thought of this as a personal thing, but it looks to me that this is in their corporate culture. I definitely don't appreciate doing business with a company with such a culture. - Customer service reps have a hard time understanding the problem, and they almost always respond with a generic answer. Expect to be reaching out to at least two reps to get your problems solved. Their answers are also clashing at times, I've had cases where one rep told completely opposite things than the other rep. I don't think they're well trained, or they have a set of good policies. - They wiped off credits from my account for no reason, just like that. At the beginning of the month they auto-charged my credit card for the monthly fee, and added credits to my account. A couple days later, I rented a Zipcar and all of a sudden, I saw an additional charge on my credit card. What I noticed was, they zeroed out my credit balance (they took my money away in a nutshell), and "conveniently" charged me for the rental, instead of deducting it from the credit. When I pointed out on the phone, they put the credit back, but with no apology whatsoever (see my cocky attitude comment). They made it look like they're doing me a favor for adding credits to my account. - They have weird charges and they love to nickel and dime you. One example is when you have a problem with the online reservation, and you call to correct your reservation, you're "conveniently" charged $3.50 without even a warning. If I was solely using phone reservation, maybe understandable, but I'm calling just because your online system was clueless at the time. - Although online reservations are good, online search was buggy at times, with some available cars not showing up right away (and most of the times, I found these cars to be the cheapest ones). - There's about 20% taxes for Seattle Zipcar charges, which adds up pretty quickly. Although it's not their fault, it is something to consider when calculating costs/benefits for yourself. - 180 mile limit is applied to any rental period, whether it is 1 hour or 24 hours. I think this is unfair, because obviously noone can drive 180 miles in an hour, while in 24 hours 180 miles puts a ton of limits. Let's say over the weekend, you want to get a Zipcar for a weekend road trip (say it includes 700 miles round trip). Then, instead of renting it for 2 days (which gives you 360 miles only), you have to rent it for 4 days! This definitely is not economical compared to a rental car. So, don't even consider Zipcar, if you're not going to use it for quick "around the city" trips. - Zipcar logo on the cars is awkward. After charging you 60-100 dollars for a daily rental, they also use your car (that you've paid for) as a form of free advertisement. On premium cars, Zipcar logos are minimal, but on Civics, boy is the whole car painted with logos all over the place. This is a hidden cost that noone thinks about, but they are benefiting off of this, while not giving the driver a return for this benefit. A fair option would be for the customer to get a discount for choosing to get a car that is branded. read more

Bad costumer service is the main problem, that started with the buy out. They charged me thee times for one rental and where very unhelpful.

Overpriced cars. Deceptively priced cars. Bad Customer Service. Passive Aggressive Emails from customer service. Never available near you. I thought I would save so much money selling my car, and just zipping around in car for my errands once or twice a month. Wrong. I am so mad at myself for joining, and make myself feel sick looking at the money I spent with Zipcar this year. read more

I began to apply for Zipcar in July. As I talked with them, they removed the car location near my house. I signed up, knowing there was another location acceptably close. After paying $75, I never received my zipcard. Initially, no response, then responses from two different sources (after I said I (either) wanted a full refund, or my zipcard, with the billing beginning AFTER I received the card. They have no interest in getting or keeping customers. One reply said they would charge my credit card for driving violations I might have had driving their cars, which I NEVER had an opportunity to do, since I never received the Zipcard which is what you need to sign up for a car, check availability, and reserve a car. Such a needed service, too bad they are such a mess. read more

1. DECEITFUL BUSINESS PRACTICES 2. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE I signed up for Zipcar after my car was stolen. Instead of buying another car, I wanted to lessen my carbon footprint and support what I thought was a decent service. I was wrong. Zipcar's representatives tell you Zipcars cost $7 an hour, including gas and insurance. THIS IS BLATANTLY FALSE. What I found out the first time I tried Zipcar was that out of 34 Zipcars on Capitol Hill, only ONE car rented for $7 an hour, and that car was two miles from my house. The rest of the cars cost AT LEAST $9.50 an hour. Add to this rental car taxes at close to 15%, and the actual cost for a Zipcar BEGINS at $11.33 an hour. I spoke with a representative of the company who told me "at least 10%" of their fleet should rent for the $7 price tag. I have consistently looked at the site over the past two months, and the breakdown is the same: about 1 in 34 cars rents for the advertised $7 an hour price. The first time I actually tried to use Zipcar was a fiasco. Arriving at the car, my card did not work. I had to call into Zipcar headquarters, where an airhead customer service person proceeded to repeatedly activate the horn of the car, which was excruciatingly loud, as I was standing next to it in a concrete carport. She did finally unlock the car, and I had to dismantle the back of the car in order to locate an extra card next to the spare tire. It was not there. I ended up missing my appointment and took a cab to my second destination. Later I talked to a customer service representative to cancel my membership. She talked me into staying with Zipcar and offered me two hours of free driving time. In another deceitful marketing practice, Zipcar advertises the sign-up price as $60, for which they offer $50 of driving credit. What they don't tell you is that the $50 is only good for the FIRST MONTH after you are approved for their service. I was NEVER informed - either when I signed up for the service or in my numerous phone calls with customer service people - that there was a time limit on using the $50 credit. I found that out when, after finally successfully using their service, I was then charged on my credit card instead of credited. Their deceitful "marketing" practices, coupled with the number of phone calls needed to rectify recurring problems, finally prompted me to cancel my membership. Instead, I'm saving the money I would have given Zipcar to buy a car of my own. Strangely, it will be much less hassle. read more

Worst customer service. It is a giant loop where there is no direct contact with anyone who can actually refund money or make a decision. I have been trying to get a gas receipt from Canada reimbursed for two months. I send it to the support email with all necessary info as instructed and don't hear anything. I forward the email with a plea to respond and get an email back from the info address asking to attach the receipt and send it to support. I have done this 5 times. I have spoken to a representative on the phone asking to be put in contact directly with someone instead of sending it to info or support. This doesn't exist. He once again forwards my message, for the 5th time to a generic member services email account and I once again have not heard anything back. Canceling my account. They couldn't even give me a direct phone number to the local Seattle office. read more

THIEVES -- couldn't open car, called Zip car they were of no help so I could not use the zip car -- zip car charged me $89 anyway - knowing i was unable to use the reservation. They made me call in - spend 30 minutes on the phone and passed me off to their Boston office to wait 3-5 days for a refund. THIEVES PLAIN AND SIMPLE read more