Zipcar Zipcar's Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hyde business model. Chicago Illinois

I've been using Zipcar for about three or four years now and over the last 12 months, I've probably spent about $3,000.00 in hourly rentals.

For the most part on the front-end, my experiences with the front-line workers has been favorable. Over the years there have been a couple of instances where I wasn't happy about there policies. One case was fender-bender damage that I felt did not accrue to the $500 deductible amount they debited my credit card. The other situation was where they called me about 30 minutes before a reservation to tell me my reserved car would not be available and that I would have to travel a greater distance to aquire an available car. The implication for that, for me, was cab fare to and back from the car -- and -- more cost for the car in so far as the necessary rental time need to rent the car to get it deeper in to the city from where my original pick-up location was. Net, net it all cost me about $35 dollars more out-of-pocket then would have been the case with the original rental location. They said they'd give me a $15 credit on my next rental which they did but I was still out $20 which pretty much sucked cause I need to be where I needed to be an 30 min prior notice left me no alternatives.

Now just recently, I have learned of a real, ugly, under belly of Zipcar management. From my most experience, it has become evident to me the people at the main Boston office are arrogant bullies.

In May, I rented a car for 5 hrs. Thereafter, I lost my credit card and so I cancelled it. I forgot about the card being on file at Zipcard and the rental didn't even occur to me. Zipcar notified me by email of the declined charges to my card but frankly, I have grown desesitized to Zipcar emails because of all the promotional crap they email to me. I hadn't lost my card right after the rental and I find it odd they don't debit your card some deposit right before or right after your rental. Anyway, my bad for not reading the emails after the rental. When I next went to reserve a Zipcar the last week of June, I find my account was suspended and that's when I learn Zipcars billing for fifty-something bucks was declined by my (cancelled) credit card. So, I go online and read what it says and it says memership will be restored when payment is made. I put in the new credit card number and within minitues, bada-bing the fifty something open balance is paid (why couldn't that happened the day of or after returning the car??), but my account is still suspended. I call Zipcar and the customer service rep tells me something different then what was on the web page. The CSR tell's me my account must be reviewed by the local office and the office in Boston and that will take 7-10 business days. Did that happen?? Of course not. What did happen was a week later I get a letter from a collection agency dated the day that Zipcar got paid stating I owe Zipcar fifty-something bucks. So now, I got to write the collection agency a letter and while I'm doing that I'll write Zipcar a letter cancelling my account and I'll send a copy urging them to not allow Zipcar to aquire any more competitors.

A couple of final observations. First, I travel a lot and something similar happened with Hertz where the card they had on file expired and so the online reservation I made did not go thru. They didn't "Suspend" me for 7, 10, 14 or god nows how many days it is now Zipcar is dorking around. They took the new credit card and rented me a car.

Second, in a previous situation, Zipcar calls me to tell me a car is unavailable but they can't call me to tell me a payment was declined?? No, within 45 days, they'd rather turn it over to a collection after they were practically instantaneously paid once I was made aware of it and gave them the new credit card number.

Evidently, this company is run by morons and that's why its stock value is dropping.

Sooo, I go back to I-go.