Complaint Review: ZipCar NYC - New York New York

Zipcar is one of the most misleading and expensive rental car options I've ever chosen. They got my attention with their online promotions. It took me a while before I actually signed up because I was a bit hesitant. I reviewed their plans for a long time before I chose the $50 Extra Value Plan. Based on the information given the plan would give you 6 hours of drive time ($8.33 per hour or $80.13, which is basically 10% discount of the regular rates), 180 miles and fuel. So after a lengthy discussion with my husband we decided to sign up for the $50 Extra Value Plan. We paid two $25 application fee and $50 for the month (the fee was pre-paid).

After we were approved we chose to pick up the ZipCard at the company's Manhattan location, which took 3 hours. Then we reserved a vehicle at one of their location that was close to our home. During the reservation process I was concerned with the hourly rate of the vehicle we chose (a Honda CR-V), so I called customer service to make sure that what I read when signing up correlated with what I saw. The hourly rate was $15.30 and the daily rate was $159. The two figures were so much higher than what I saw when signing up. I spoke to one representative that informed me that I should be charged $8.33 an hour whether I choose a compact car or an SUV. He also informed that the rate will adjust AFTER I make the reservation. That being said I went ahead and booked the reservation and headed out to go get the vehicle.

It took us almost an hour to find the so called "Zipcar Central Parking." It turned out to be on the 5th floor of the Century21 Department Stores parking lot. After pick up I decided to review our account one more time because I was taken aback by hourly fee and the total price. I called customer service again because I realized the price never adjusted and that the $50 monthly fee was applied to total amount of the rental. The new representative explained that the rate for today was $15.30 and she didn't see the information I kept telling (the same information from Zipcar's website about their plans). After much back and forth she transferred me to the billing department. I explained the situation; I told her that the website is misleading and that I didn't expect to pay so much money for a 6 hour rental. I asked her to direct me to the person who can inform me on the procedures to return the car and canceling my account. She explained to me that I had to return the vehicle before they could refund all that money they had pending on my credit card. 

I thought it was only fair that I returned the vehicle seeing that I had their property, so I did. We only spent 30-40 minutes before returning the vehicle to its hiding spot (the 5th floor of the Century21 parking lot). Right after locking the vehicle I called to inform them that the car has been returned and that I would like to have the amount spent refunded. That led us on another rollercoaster. The representative said she would cancel the reservation and refund the amount. I asked about the two $25 application fee and the $50 pre-paid monthly fee, that's $100 of our money that was non-refundable. That frustrated me because we only had the membership for a few hours, 7 hours to be exact. She then transferred me to a supervisor that informed that she can't refund the application fee because the $25 was used to get a driving record check so that we could be approved with their insurance company. She then proceeded to say that she would refund the $50 pre-paid monthly fee but she just couldn't do anything about the application fees.

My overall point is this company have exuberant fees and it’s not worth it. You're better off renting a car from Enterprise or Avis for three days. The price you'll pay for 6 hours will probably be the same or just a few dollars more for a three day rental. Zipcar has a good business model, the idea is brilliant but their prices are way out of many individuals budget. Stay clear of this company.