Name: Zipcar
Rating: 2.0

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Mike K

Was a member between 2013-2017 and would say during that time it was a 5 star company. Was happy with it and a satisfied costumer. Got a car in 2017 and cancelled my membership. Fast forward to October 2019 and my car has been sold so I thought I'd once again go back to Zipping. HUGE Difference. Prices here in Toronto have more than doubled in just 2 years. Literally MORE than doubled and the helpfulness of the call center is about 1\5th of what it was. Very very disappointed. Will be cancelling my membership for good after this month. Too bad. Was a great thing once upon a time.

6 years ago

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Christopher Brooklyn, NY

When Zipcar works it is fine. But when it does not, it's extremely frustrating. And once or twice a year, it won't work. For example... For my last zip rental, the latch system to get into the garage where my zip car was located did not work. I was on hold with Zipcar for 20 minutes, trying to get help, until my phone died. Eventually someone that lived in the building attached to the garage let me in through the basement, but the zip car was not in its place! At this point, I’m late for a family gathering, and I do not have a car to get there! And Zipcar's customer service is horrible, once they lied to me about a refund; they have not replied to my emails; and if you call them for help, you will be on hold for 20 or more minutes. (I am calling them now about my experience and am still on hold at over 35 minutes.) I was an early Zipcar member. And I used to love it. But once they got bought by Avis, the service went down hill. Dirty car interiors and finding your car with less than a 1/4 tank of gas are the norm. And, as I wrote, once or twice a year, your reservation will not be there. I can no longer recommend Zipcar. Plus, depending on your trip, an Uber/Lyft is about the same price, so why bother with unreliability and horrible customer service.

6 years ago

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Dave

For the 4th time this year, my reservation has been canceled. Since I only use the service about 2 times a month this means the odds of failure are very high! What is going on with quality control? It took 45 minutes to get someone on the phone. The person was clueless and had a very thick accent. They wanted to give me a car on the east side in NYC (I live on the west side). Now had booked this car a month ago for Thanksgiving day and had it around the corner from me. The only car available is some 22 blocks away, which I would have to walk. This is the same story over and over, since Avis took over. What am I paying for? They need to get their act together.

7 years ago

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Joan Sheets St Louis, MO

Only giving a 1 because I can't give a 0. Still trying to create an account. After entering basic information, which includes my birthday, I get a message saying I cannot create an account not affiliated with a university if I am under 21 - but the website never asked me if I was affiliated with a university. So I click the link and selected my university and it takes me back to the same basic information and tells me I have to be affiliated with a university, which it already connected me with on the previous page. Just a big loop. When I called the rep was rude from "hello" and told me I would have to delete two weeks worth of browser history to get the username out of the system. There was nothing they could do there. I had already been on hold for one hour before someone answered and this process (they didn't know what they were doing) took another 45 min. I then asked to be elevated and the supervisor told me they could not help me create the account and hung up. How much longer will a company like this be in business?

7 years ago

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K O'Brian Seattle, WA

Horrible company. I sold my car when I moved to Seattle. I had hoped I could easily sign up for ZipCar for times I need a car to shop, go to Dr appts, or get home safely late at night. Trying to sign up for ZipCar has been a nightmare and frustrating. Can't get a hold of a human to talk about my application process. Hold times on their so -called 24/7 customer service line are horrible. 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.

7 years ago

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Deirdre Harris

Poor customer services, speaking to a call centre (who knows where). Can't answer basic questions without following a script of questions. The website is unclear about whether a zip car member can use the zip flex scheme under the same membership. I was charged for a new tyre despite the damage occurring before my reservation. The car is frequently no in the bay designated and I've ended up searching out the car in a new location. Difficulty parking the car back in its designated bay (particularly if this was a temporary position).

7 years ago

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Iris Dev New York, NY

Very disappointing. I booked a luxury car only later in the day to be emailed that it was not available and a totally different car( undesirable) was available 1hr& 30 mins away from my destination! - that would add three hours both ways on to my rental.. if I did not have to drop off my belongings at my home and drop off a kid at destination it might have worked?? What happened to the original business model - it worked this is rubbish!

7 years ago

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Adinaq Brooklyn, NY

Horrible cars, not cleaned, not maintained. I've rented cars where I spent over $100 for the day only to discover VOMIT all over the passenger side of the car. The other day I rented a car to go upstate and the interior lights would NOT shut off (I was driving at night on the Taconic so this of course was a huge problem) and the car doors and trunk would not lock!! How do you rent a malfunctioning car to a member ??? I called Zipcar's 1800 line and waited on hold for 30 minutes to report the fact that the doors would not lock and I felt unsafe parking and leaving the car. When you call them to tell them about the cars having puke all over them or the fact the cars are malfunctioning they offer a two hour credit which will expire in 1 week. I am about to hire a lawyer, this company is a complete scam.

7 years ago

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CpXtina Portland, OR

Zipcar made it impossible for me to cancel my account. They wouldn’t verify my correct information and practically hung up on me. I called back, this time waited over thirty minutes on hold, and the same info I was trying to verify previously, they were still refusing. I repeated the info over and over and it’s like the guy was refusing to hear me just to make it difficult or deter me from canceling. I had to boldly insist the same information several times before he was like oh, ok. Yeah that’s correct. As if it was the first time he was hearing it! Then, he wasn’t going to cancel my account until three months into the future! But he said it quickly and mumbled it like he was hoping I wouldn’t hear, and cunningly trying to get away with it. I told him again, I wanted to cancel my account, TODAY. Now. Finally he did but it was like pulling teeth and took over an hour to do it. And I’m on a business account, not even personally mine. What a dodgy company. I wouldn’t trust them with any personal information ever. I’m surprised someone hasn’t sued them yet and that they’re still even in business.

7 years ago

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Liz Brooklyn, NY

They're incompetent and can't even provide a car. I reserved a car for a full day but it wasn't there when I picked it up. I called Zipcar for another car and they hung up on me. When I called back I was sent to a second location and no car was there. I called Zipcar again and was placed on hold for 20 minutes and then was disconnected. I called back and was sent to a third location and again no car was there! And for some reason the third car was only reserved for 1 hour instead of a full day. This was Easter Sunday and it completely ruined my kid's holiday. I was never able to get a car and my 6 year old son missed his Easter egg hunt.

7 years ago

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Metalligal New York, NY

I’ve used Zipcar for 6 years in NYC. Don’t bother unless you like to drive in cars that are not mechanically maintained, inconvenient and enjoy a frustrating & unsatisfactory customer service experience. I started using Zipcar because it was a convenient & effortless car sharing service. It used to be a great company until AVIS acquired them in 2013. The servicing of the vehicles has declined rapidly since that acquisition. I’ve called into Zipcar to report services problem when I've picked up a car and then when reserving that car a week or two later had the same issue. Not small issues, major, like the passenger seat is unmovable and up close to the dash board which made it impossible to use since we were 5 travelers. There has been animal hair allover the seats that covered our clothing on the way to a wedding ( animals are required to be in carriers). We’ve experienced seat belts that were not working, service lights on dashboard that were still there a month later. There are lots of Zipcars and lots of Zipcar drivers in NYC so to get another Zipcar at the last minute is impossible if there’s something wrong with it. I understand that there will be issues occasionally …but this has become a REGULARLY occurrence. I now call in to ask if the car I’ll be using has any service reports before I use it. I thought this would help but it turns out that the majority of Zipsters can’t be bothered to call in service issues or is it that Customer Service has a policy to not let drivers know that there was an issue reported? Regardless or which it is, this has not work since I have very often this past year gotten to a car that cannot be started, has a broken something or other, service lights on or is filthy, really filthy…food scraps, stained seats and on occasion cigarette ashes ( smoking is prohibited). I have this past month ( Feb 2019) called them 5 times to get answer to a question and was told that they would respond within 48 hours…the first response came as a form email after 10 days and 2 additional calls to them. The second response has not come but it is now 12 days & 2 calls since I called. Is it time to buy a car? I think so. The idea of car sharing is convenience, Zipcar is an inconvenient & frustrating service.

7 years ago

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Paulo Soares State College, PA

I reserved a car through the Zipcar app this morning, and the process was just OK. But when I arrived at the pick up location THE CAR WAS NOT THERE! Then I called Zipcar and they informed me the car had been towed and they were still trying to recover it. BUT IF YOU KNOW THE CAR IS NOT AT THE PICK UP LOCATION WHY DO YOU SHOW THE CAR AS AVAILABLE? All that I could get was a refund. NO courtesy hours for the hassle of wasting my time to go somewhere for nothing. And this is the second time something like this happens. In the first time, the car was there but the battery was dead. They knew about it but they didn't make the car unavailable. Very bad. They don't care about their customers. Unreliable. Just don't use it if you plan to do something important.

7 years ago

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Nicole Jones Sandy, UT

Zipcar is very convenient. Their customer service reps are very knowledgable, helpful, and friendly. What I like most is that you can rent a vehicle for the time you need; whether it be an hour, a day, or a week, they've got you covered.

6 years ago

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Sarah Mercival Tallahassee, FL

Around my college campus these are so vital especially for those that don’t have cars. They don’t ask for a lot, Zip cars really helped me when I didn’t have a car and had to get groceries.

6 years ago

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Constance Falatea Kirkland, WA

This is a car service that offers no hassle, easy pick up options and several convenient locations to pick up quality cars. When I need a car bigger than my 2 seater, the Zip car is my first option for renting a car for a couple of hours.

6 years ago

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Jorge Vargas New York, NY

Zipcar is total garbage. They never notified me that there was an upcoming annual renewal or that they had raised rates. Have already filed a report with the BBB. Their customer service is a total joke -- no human interaction. Just cancelled my subscription with them and couldn't be more thrilled. DO NOT USE THEM. Use a traditional rental car company. They're not a scam. Zipcar is.

4 years ago

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35pkemp Philadelphia, PA

Zipcar is good for the convenience and lack of hassle that the major car rental companies put you through. However, the cars are often dirty on the inside (i.e. food crumbs, dirt, leaves, etc.) Because they don't clean them often or after every use).

4 years ago

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Cosmo Atlanta, GA

What a pathetic company. The customer service is horrible, they'll suspend your account without warning and they don't seem to care about quick resolutions. The cars are normally dirty and smell like weed. The cars are usually retuned without gas so you'll have to spend time filling the tank. Other drivers are always late returning cars so you'll be waiting forever for your reservation.

4 years ago

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O. Boyd Portland, OR

Do not use this rental company They advertise immediate account approval. So, I signed up to rent a car for a trip. I was charged an application fee, an annual membership fee and an annual insurance fee. However, my account was not approved immediately. It took many days for approval, thus leaving me unable to rent a car from them for my trip. They went ahead and charged me $155 anyways for a service they failed to provide. Rent from someone else

4 years ago

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Sourabh Khot San Mateo, CA

Poor customer service! After submitting my driving license and selfie, the system momentarily shows "Verification submitted", but then the page becomes blank permanently. When I refresh, it shows again that I need to submit my application and takes me to license upload page, meaning my license and photo were never captured. And I have already tried these more than 10 times from PC and mobile browser, and raised complaint with them 4 times but they don't respond. Avoid Zipcar! Request #7139273

4 years ago

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Angie Mclemore

Zipcar is the worst rental car company I have ever worked with or ride sharing company whichever they are tricky they have hidden fees and they will cancel your trip in the middle of it and you will be unable to get in your car and we will be left in a dark parking lot their customer service is horrible you cannot speak with anyone that will actually be able to give you a decision on the money that they took from you without your permission

4 years ago

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Caleb Stanford

Car did not turn on and could not be moved after being parked, after repeated calls to customer service they could not find a way to get the car to turn on, and they finally refunded the trip. But they did not send someone to move the car or stop assigning the car to others... so the car got a parking violation. Two months later, they proceeded to charge us for the parking violation which is not our fault since we literally could not move the car.

4 years ago

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Muthu Vinayak Thyagarajan Golden, CO

Do not get into them. They are not what they used to be. Their customer service is terrible and ineffective. They just apologize and don't act. I had to give up after 2months of haggling to get my refund for their cancellations and lack of service. they just cancel your trips at will. Sham business with cheater as employees. Avoid them and be safe.

5 years ago

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Aiakoko Kallo Achukma Eil Shawano Chahta Nation Wichita Falls, TX

Zipcar has lost its quality, I had used zip car for 4 years. I recently requested a new card, activated it and then book a car a week in advance. When it came time to pick the car up the card would not work. The customer service agent did her best to assist me but to know avail the card or the app did not work and here I was stranded standing outside without a vehicle. I realize that the was a wonderful idea but when it was sold to Enterprise a big corporation that is when the quality decline. I am done with Zipcar.

5 years ago

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Kp San Jose, CA

Charged me for the service and then suspended my account, so I was not able to use the service and when I called them they kept giving me replies like it will be unsuspended in couple hours, second reply was it will take 24-48 hours and last one was 3-5 business days. This is scam service they just kept doing this until the renewal date comes near so you renew this scam service again

5 years ago

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TD Portland, OR

The concept of car sharing is right on. ZipCar no longer provides adequate customer service to meet anything that requires real time customer interaction. Their mobile app has a software bug that prevents new device authorization. I'm on my fourth phone call within the past several days of dogged effort on my part; I got cut off at one hour plus when haplessly attempting to use Zipcar's single customer service phone line. No online chat to deal with customers? Wow. This company doesn't value it's customers.

5 years ago

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Jeanine Springfield, VA

I’ve had multiple issues with Zipcar. Most recently, rented Zipcar to vote on Saturday (10/24). Paid extra for the BMW to avoid any issues. Picked-up the car, which was parked in a lot, the car has a card to get out of the lot. The card didn’t work. We couldn’t get out of the lot so we couldn’t vote this weekend. Zipcar immediately put that same car back online for someone else to have the same experience. Very disappointing!

5 years ago

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xenonman Madison, WI

With about an hour still left on my reservation, I was accused of having overstayed the reservation. Accordingly, the car was time locked, and I could not open or enter it. I am now awaiting a promised tow to get the car returned.

6 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Charles Stone Brooklyn, NY

I've been using Zipcar since 2012 and the experience used to be awesome. Now, unfortunately, when I really needed the service at 1:30 AM, they've fallen short. I was not able to access the car I rented for an emergency trip to the hospital (non-COVID). I've been on hold with them overnight multiple times with long wait times and no one has answered. But, they billed my card immediately. What a shame that they have gone downhill so badly. I'll be cancelling this service. Shame, what was once an awesome service is now total crap.

6 years ago

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Paige Kresge Elkridge, MD

Zipcar is absolutely horrible. I’m currently stuck on the side of the road because I got caught in a horrible storm while driving to return the car- they shut the car off. I called “customer service” waited 30 minutes- got connected and the person hung up. Calling AGAIN and waiting while the car won’t start and I have no help. This is all after I originally picked up the car- was a mess, smelled horrible, not cleaned, empty gas tank and NO gas card.

6 years ago

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Annie Chow Tallahassee, FL

I was never able to use it because of how complicated the process is to sign up. Instead of paying for trips individually you pay a monthly subscription and the amount you pay is what you're able to use for that month.

6 years ago

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Kate sabo San Diego, CA

Zipcar was great for when I was carless in my first year of college. The process of reserving a car was quick and easy, although it was always a bummer when there were no cars around to use.

6 years ago

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Dwhoush Slidell, LA

Zipcar was always available to use when I was in College. It was always very well priced but in my opinion it was there for the people who didn't have a car to use and needed one.

6 years ago

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Emily Lindon, UT

Zipcar is an awesome service. When I was in Seattle, we needed a car to get out to a hike we were wanting to do. It was very easy to find and use the car and it was within walking distance of where we were staying.

7 years ago

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Dilan Trivedi Schaumburg, IL

Was stranded 200 miles away from home after my rental did not start. Had to have parents pick me up from 3 hrs away! No replacement, no refund, no help whatsoever. Customer service is nonexistent. You will regret it if you ever use the so called company

4 years ago

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Jennifer Kipp West Lafayette, IN

0. Can't change my payment method (new debit card), have been charged with the monthly fees for months (never rented). Can't get my money back, can't speak to an actual person, can't change my payment method nor membership. This is the most retarded business I've ever dealt with.

4 years ago

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As Dina Bethesda, MD

Car wouldn't start and I missed a very important appointment. Customer Service were not responsive to the emergency I had. All they could offer was refund. I was hoping for an alternate car. Too late for that. If I can avoid mishaps, I will, hence I'm canceling my subscription. Never again

5 years ago

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Katarina S Baltimore, MD

My first trip was a nightmare the car had little gas first of all had to go fill up.Then a loud front end noise something underneath the car was dragging on the ground the TPMS system was on dash. Tire problems. no washer fluid in vehicle. Dirty and smells. Nevermore!

5 years ago

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Cherie Valenzuela Portland, OR

trash. i was 4 minutes late returning the car because i was sick from the covid vaccine and even then the app wouldn’t let me return the car so i was charged $50. customer service said none of these are valid reasons for not returning the car.

5 years ago

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Brian Keith Philadelphia, PA

Zipcar is awful. After walking 30 minutes to get to my reserved car the car would not unlock via app or zipcard. I called support and they said I can try another car 30 minutes away. They couldn’t help. I’ve canceled my membership and think twice before purchasing a membership from this useless company.

5 years ago

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maydan rothblum New York, NY

As usual of late, the car we reserved was not working when we went to pick it up. Second week in a row. Totally ruined plans for the day. Then took 50 minutes to reach customer service. Zipcar used to be a great service. Now UNUSABLE.

6 years ago

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Alexander Johnson Burbank, CA

I love zip car. Started using them in college and it was always an easy way to get around last minute

6 years ago

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Kathryn Boston, MA

Terrible customer service - endlessly on hold, they don't call back; dirty cars; gas card often defective; NO CAR when one gets to parking space!! Card to exit a parking lot didn't work. In short, Zipcar Boston is very very poor! Used Zipar in the UK and it was much better there.

6 years ago

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Amanda Montebello, CA

I’ve used zip car in Los Angeles and it was a good experience. The only downside is that the pick up locations are further west.

6 years ago

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Anna Long Island City, NY

Zipcar Customer Service has gone down the drain so rapidly, their service has reached appalling levels. Today I was on hold waiting for a Customer Service team member to answer my call for 45 minutes in total, this is totally unacceptable. Do not waste your time and money on them, give your business to someone else.

7 years ago

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Core States San Francisco, CA

I went to pick up my car in Philadelphia and it was not in spot. I called and they basically can’t do anything to fix it. Now I will have to find other means of transport. I will never use Zipcar Philadelphia for critical transport needs. Works better in San Francisco

7 years ago

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Rai Durant Tallahassee, FL

This company was a life saver for when I didn’t have my car on campus! It helped my friends and I go grocery shopping!

6 years ago

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Oksana masi Tallahassee, FL

Very convenient for college students! Zip car has helped me out a lot at times! But some of the cars don’t work they need to check them more

6 years ago

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Parklet Rater San Francisco, CA

Practically non-existent customer service. App and website are always glitchy, can't login to my account sometimes (even after resetting my password), currently cant even update my payment method.

4 years ago

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Andreas Xenofontos

Biggest scam I've ever used. They did not reimbursed for perfoming an oil change on the car while they promised they would. I fixed the car for free and they never got backed to me.

4 years ago