Zipcar

Zipcar Reviews

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Overall Rating2.6 out of 5
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Zipcar Reviews

ConsumerAffairs has collected 274 reviews and 1,197 ratings.

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Reviewed Aug. 12, 2023

Dear Zipcar,

After 15 years, I'm leaving you. You started out as my favorite date, showering me with a variety of cars (Jeeps, Minis, even a splashed-out Mercedes once), but now you're becoming boring and predictable with your Kias, Corollas and Hondas. You don't look after yourself, which is obvious from the grime, litter, animal fur (oh my god, so much animal fur), vape-smelling interiors, and constantly lit service light. You frequently cancel out on me at the last minute because of service issues, which I don't quite get - when it comes to regular service checks, why can't you block out that time in advance so that I know you are unavailable? Why do you let me schedule dates and then cancel at the last minute because your oil needs changing? I've told you before of the times we were out and your service light STAYED LIT THE WHOLE DATE.

But even worse, you've shut me out. Literally. When my last 10 dates in a row required calls to customer service to unlock the car at the start of my reservation, I began realizing we had problems. Customer Service is an overseas call room who tell me to delete the app and re-download. Kind of like those annoying IT people who, regardless the issue with your computer, asked if you "restarted" it. Do you know how many times I've stood lonely and cold (or hot, depending on the season) in a parking lot redownloading your app? Worried that I might get mugged after dark because I can't get into the car and I'm on hold for customer support?

For the last few months, I've started scheduling our dates with an extra 30 minutes because I know that I'm going to have to call customer support to deal with your problems. Today broke me. Not only would you not let me in (again, literally), but you repeatedly asked me to reset my password. Which I did 10 times to no avail. Resetting my password, clicking the link in the "password reset" email, deleting and downloading the app - I just experienced a 45-minute exercise of frustration and futility. So now I'm unable to get into my account, at least for the next 3-5 business days, which is what the second customer service rep told me (my call was "escalated" to rep #2 who did nothing but put me on hold again before telling me that I would get an email in a few days. Awesome).

And this outstanding customer service included the rep's suggestion that as it was the weekend, the app failed because too many people were hogging your platform. Mmmkay. There are only billions of people all over the world using apps every second of the day, but because it's Saturday, Zipcar's platform can't handle the usage. Makes total sense, said no one ever.

So, Zipcar, I'm quitting you. No more 45-minute calls to customer service that can't do anything more than offer me an extra 30 minutes of your time gratis, and who inexplicably cannot unlock you remotely. After 15 years of declining quality of cars, car cleanliness and customer service, I finally have the strength to leave you.

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Customer Service

Reviewed Aug. 9, 2023

Zipcar is the worst. Their cars have terrible maintenance (I almost died on the road once when the tire came right off), dirty cars, horrible customer service. If you get stranded in the middle of the road because they don't keep up with the maintenance of their car you are basically on your on. They don't carry spare tires. They will send a tow truck and won't provide you with another rental car. They font offer you proper compensation for the inconvenience or lost time. Gas card is missing 90% of the time. Cars are all banged up, scratched up. They always have a "go see your dealer for maintenance" sign because the cars are so messed up. If you value the lives of you and family don't ride with Zipcar. Stay safe out there.

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    PricePunctuality & SpeedReliability

    Reviewed July 30, 2023

    I rented a car from Zipcar to go hiking in the mountain but its locking system was broken that we cannot unlock the car using Zipcar phone apps nor the Zipcar card which was supposed to lock and unlock cars when bluetooth or wifi is not available. My friends and I could not go anywhere but stay near the car in the mountain from afternoon to late at night to wait for promised roadside assistant provided by Zipcar which never came.

    We finally had to leave the car because it was quite dangerous at night in the mountain. However, it took weeks for them to get the car back (we have urged them frequently because it is highly possible for some random guys to broke into the car in the mountain) and all our belongings which include some quite expensive items in the car were never given back to us.

    We did not have to pay the trip but we were only compensated the $100 driving credit (not real cash) when all our belongings were way more expensive, and that credit also got expired just within one or two months without any notification at all when they gave the credit. I am really upset by the whole service, and I would not recommend people to get a membership from this company. The whole experience was very dangerous, and the system they were proud of is not reliable at all as I have heard my friends have similar issues as well. It is convenient to rent a Zipcar but there are better and more reliable options out there.

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    Reviewed July 18, 2023

    I paid for the membership for a year on accident, despite never using it since I signed up. I understand that was my mistake, but the service is unusable in Houston. They only refunded one month of the service when I finally got around to cancelling. I hate Zipcar now, and I will do anything in my power to hurt the company. They should have refunded more than that. It's just free money for them, and I am pissed that they got over on me.

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    Punctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed July 1, 2023

    I have rented a car from Zipcar perhaps four to five times. I am a responsible person and have always returned the vehicle on time and in perfect condition. I was 5 minutes late and they refuse to disregard a $50 late fee. They will not take it off. That is absolutely ridiculous. That is absolutely no way to treat your customers. They said I did not return my vehicle in a timely manner and in the tone I did not appreciate as if I was some irresponsible child. They even verified it was only 5 minutes late. That is absolute **.... Standard American capitalism. Screw the consumer as long as owners make big bucks. They do not care about you.... Do not rent from this company.

    Further, all of the vehicles in which I rented in the past were not impressive in any way. I would think they'd be able to buy really nice Vehicles given how much they take in from ridiculous late fees. I hate this company. Never again. I don't even have an option to give them zero Stars. I have to pick at least one. I hope this company is forced to shut down. They don't deserve to deal with customers.

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed June 29, 2023

    Never had a problem until they cancelled my membership because they stated the car wasn’t returned at its location & then charge me $50 fee. I called to get my membership back. This is the email I get: "Thank you for reaching back out regarding your account closure. We perform account reviews periodically and we have made the difficult decision to close your account. We understand this news may not be pleasant to receive, but please be aware that this decision is final and cannot be reversed. Again, we hope you continue to seek out other sustainable means of transportation in the future." You ask to talk to a manager over the phone you have to email them. You're only speaking with customer service agent which they're not helpful.

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    PriceStaff

    Reviewed June 6, 2023

    I received the difficult news that a family member was in critical condition, and I needed to find a car at the last minute so I could rush out to the hospital (located about an hour and a half outside the city) and say goodbye. I’d recently heard about Zipcar and figured I’d give them a shot. After submitting my application, I realized I’d entered the wrong card information. No biggie, I figured I could resubmit with the correct card details once my application had been rejected.

    Well, evidently not. According to the individual from Zipcar’s application team I spoke with, “If your application is rejected for any reason, you cannot submit a new one and you will never be able to use Zipcar.” Harsh. And given the devastating news I’d received that day, this compounded the stress I was under. I ended up using Turo and had a wonderful experience. Turo actually ended up being significantly cheaper because it didn’t make me pay an application fee or sign up for a membership. $54 for an 8-hour rental with Turo versus the $153 it would’ve been with Zipcar. If Zipcar doesn’t want my money, that’s fine by me. There are much better services out there.

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    CoveragePrice

    Reviewed May 22, 2023

    Zipcar rejected my application even if I have a valid license. They are indeed modern thieves that steals $25 from their customers without providing any service. Seems like that is what they always do to their potential customers. I have seen many complaints like this on social media, and I will help spread the word using my knowledge as a marketing expert. I understand how much it will cost to cover this negative WOM. I hope such practice can help them understand the cost of earning a free $25 is more than 100X of $25. Listen, Zipcar managers, my friend, I do not care about losing $25, but you should care about making your potential valued customer losing $25.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed May 20, 2023

    Why is no one doing anything about this company taking people's money? I signed up last night and this morning realized there are never any cars available in my area. I called them this morning, no answer, put on hold for almost an hour, cancelled my Zipcar subscription and closed my account, sent them an email and no reply. So they took 28 dollars plus another 10 dollars and intend on keeping it for my 12 hr signup regret… I’ve read through a lot of reviews and they do this on a regular, why has nothing been done who can hold these trash companies accountable!!!!

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    Punctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed May 5, 2023

    First time rental went well, second time around they withdrew and charged me A late fee of $50 plus tax. This all occurred 4/24/2023. I’ve been trying to dispute this till this day and they’re refusing to help. Now I have no choice but to report them to Better Business Bureau and more than likely, take them to court. Oh they got the wrong person to mess with my hard earned money. At first when I spoke to a representative, she said, I returned the car to the wrong location…wait, What?! I lived in the Bronx all my life. If it’s true you have a GPS in the car, how can’t you tell the location??? Then the second representative said, I returned the car to the right location, but it was late. It affected the next member from renting. REALLY??? How I took a cab back to the garage and the car was there. I took pictures. Oh yeah… I have a case that WILL be solved! Save your money and time! DO NOT rent from this company.

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    Zipcar author review by Lauren Fix

    This ride share program is a smarter way to get around the city. Drive cars by the hour or day in neighborhoods, cities and airports across the globe. There are over 11,000 in their fleet.

    • Benefits: Gas & insurance included. Save hundreds over car ownership.

    • Car Choices: Choose from sedans, hybrids, vans and more.

    • Cost: Membership starts as low as $7 per month.

    • How it works: Download the app, join and get your Zipcard. Then reserve your car on the app, online or by phone for a couple hours or for the day. Go to your car and hold your Zipcard to the windshield. The door unlocks and then drive away.

    • Locations: Major cities, airports and 300 university and college programs that are bases for expansion into individual and fleet membership in the surrounding city.

    by Lauren Fix Auto & Finance Advisor

    Lauren Fix, The Car Coach®, is a nationally recognized automotive expert, sector analyst, journalist, author, keynote speaker and television host. A trusted car expert, Lauren provides an insider’s perspective on a wide range of automotive topics and aspects, energy, industry, consumer news and safety issues. Her analysis is honest and straightforward. Lauren is the CEO of Automotive Aspects and the Editor-in-Chief of Car Coach Reports, a global automotive news outlet. She is an automotive contributor to national and local television news shows including Fox News, Fox Business, CNN International, The Weather Channel, Inside Edition, Local Now News, NewsMax, The Daily Flash show and more.

    Zipcar Company Information

    Company Name:
    Zipcar
    Website:
    www.zipcar.com