Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Zipcar, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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Zipcar, Inc. has 16 locations, listed below.

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• 

  Zipcar, Inc.

  35 Thomson Pl Boston, MA 02210-1202

• 

  Zipcar

  205 - 147 Spadina Avenue Toronto, ON M5V 2L7

• 

  Zipcar, Inc.

  Multiple addresses Atlanta, GA 30324

• 

  ZipCar

  1120 N Charles St Baltimore, MD 21201

• 

  Zipcar

  191 2nd St San Francisco, CA 94105

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/22/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Please see the attached letter (email) I sent to Zipcar. I would like my ZipCar account reinstated. I will also want a copy of my entire ZipCar records.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/28/2022

  We have reached out to the member and since the account was handled in accordance with the member contract we believe the matter to be resolved.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/22/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I attempted to rent a car through ZipCar. The system blocked my debit card and I called customer service, who tried to rent the car for me. Upon that attempt I was told that they would override the system and allow me the rental for two hours to pick up my child. Upon getting to the location the app did not work and I was told that I needed to update my payment method to rent the car, because I had a balance owed, which was created by the ZipCar representative. I created two different complaints about this issue which was supposedly escalated. This morning I woke up to a $5 balance due on my account and I called for them to clear it and then attempted to reserve a car again. I was told if I used a different card I should be able to do so. I went walking over a mile to move money from bank to bank to use a different card, only to be told that I can't update the card on file due to the block. I have done nothing but try to make the lives of the ZipCar representatives easier and they have gone out of their way to make the experience as excruciating as possible. I was also told that I "needed to keep my conversation professional" with the last representative I spoke to because I got understandably frustrated and started to curse. This company has mishandled me from the beginning, when they charged me $60 for fraudulent tolls (which took twenty days to clear up, not the 3-5 days they stick by), to me renting a car that reeked of marijuana, to me renting a car that I had to fuel up on my own and having to wait 3-5 days for reimbursement. They offer zero reciprocity, not even a free month of subscription which would only cost them $9 to do, other than "you have to wait". They didn't wait to give me false information, nor do they wait to charge me. This company needs a complete overhaul in the customer service department and their IT department should work quicker to correct issues that they create.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/26/2022

  We have reached out to the member and believe the matter to be resolved as we have not heard back.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/26/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  Zipcar has amended the balance to reflect zero and gave me a $20 credit for the inconvenience of having to fight with them all weekend. I consider the matter resolved.  
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/21/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Friday 10/14/2022 I rented a Zipcar to get to a hair salon located 15 miles from my home. I was scheduled to pick up the vehicle at 9:30am and return it at 3:30pm as I had some other errands to run as well. I arrive at the parking structure at 9:30am only to realize the car isnt parked in the correct spot. I spent about 15 minutes walking around the garage trying to find the vehicle which reeked off weed. But thats fine, that isnt necessarily Zipcars fault. I arrive to my appointment at 10:20am after only using the car for 30 minutes. I came out of my appointment at 1pm only to realize the car battery was dead. I immediately called customer support and was on the phone with them for almost 20 minutes. I spoke to a man who then transferred me to a woman named ****. She told me they were sending roadside assistance but that it would take 45 minutes for them to arrive. As I had rented the car to go other places that day, I told her I could not wait for that. I informed her that I was essentially stranded, and would have to take an extremely expensive Uber. She said she could either cover an Uber of up to $25, or I could have the entire trip refunded. I agreed to have the trip refunded in full since it was almost $150 total, and I only drove the car for 30 minutes. The call ended, I sent pictures of the car to customer support as requested and took a $50 Uber to my destination. On 10/19/2022, I got another email from *******, another support representative. In the email she says they can only refund me $48.40 to my payment method, meaning I still paid $100 to use a broken car for 30 minutes which is absolutely ridiculous.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/21/2022

  We have reached out to the member and believe the matter to be resolved.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/20/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I rented a Zipcar for use on October 7, 2022 October 9, 2022. The car was only used from about 6:24AM to 9:13AM, as indicated on the Zipcar app. We parked the vehicle in an underground parking garage and the car went offline, meaning it was undriveable and would not even start since there was no cell service. Nowhere in Zipcar's policies does it say parking garages should be avoided or prohibited. We spent several hours on the phone with Zipcar support, who told us the only solution would be to have a tow-truck remove the car from the garage to get it back online. We communicated with Zipcar for the entirety of October 8th as they attempted to dispatch a service provider to tow the car. We were told they could not guarantee a service provider would even be found within the day. We waited all of Saturday to no avail, and had to book another method of transportation for the day. On Saturday evening, we reached out to Zipcar yet again to cancel the entire reservation and start arranging a refund for the reservation. We were given instructions on how the leave the car for Zipcar's retrieval and we were told we would receive a guaranteed refund for Sat-Sun (days the car went unused) and there would be a possibility we would receive a Friday refund as well. We were told this refund would hit within 3-5 business days, yet that time has long passed and there is still a charge of $604 (the original charge of the reservation). After waiting for the refund with no success, we reached out on Oct 18 and were told the issue was escalated and refund would be posted within two days. We called two days later and were told by the agent that the issue was never escalated. Our experience with Zipcar awful and put the burden entirely on us to find a new method of transportation at the last minute which was expensive and stress-inducing. It is only fair to receive a full refund for the reservation since the car was completely out of commission through no fault of our own.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/26/2022

  We have reached out to the member and believe the matter to be resolved as we have not heard back.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/20/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Zipcar was promised to have a car ready for us tk drive at 10/20/2022 4:00PM EST.By the time the car was not at the promised location. And the car actually arrived approximately 20 minutes late.Upon the arrival of vehicle, We were on the call with the customer support representative who promised us ~20 minutes of extension. (Reference#).Due to Zipcar's failure to maintain their service, we missed our flight back to *******, missed appointments set on Friday and had to miss work in office.When we called back to Zipcar's customer support, they denied that the extension of reservation was given and insisted on charging us $50 fees for having to arrange their upcoming reservation.Zipcar then granted us refund for the times we missed due to previous driver arriving late. They still insisted on charging us $50 late fee.They have failed to maintain service, we were not the one who returned the vehicle late. But they were still putting those charges on us.******, I believe we should be given refund and reimbursements on the damages we have gotten by Zipcar.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/26/2022

  We have reached out to the member and believe the matter to be resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/20/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Zipcar is attempting to charge me over $400 to have a vehicle towed even though it is unsafe to drive. Ive spoke with over 6 different representatives to which they all gave me different information. Theyve tried to force me to drive the vehicle all the way across town in its damaged state just for them to say that it needs to be serviced.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/21/2022

  We have reached out to the member at the email of record and due to account deception and the account charges being in accordance with the member contract, we believe the matter to be resolved.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/21/2022

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  I have several videos of the conversation between five different agents with different responses regarding this issue. Two of which they told me the vehicle was unsafe to drive. If this is how you guys are handling issues I will be taking my complaint further with the state of dc. If there are no monthly maintenance checks on the vehicles you have customers driving daily your license to operate in this state should be revoked. 
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ******

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 10/25/2022

  Member account was processed in accordance with the member contract after member refused to return viable car.  As a result, we believe the matter to be resolved.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/18/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  After getting a temporary driver's license, I attempted to sign up for **********************. The application was not approved and that was understandable since they require a physical driver's license to proceed. However, there is no recourse if this or some other reason for application denial occurs, since there is no option to reapply. Customer service also reiterated that applications are only considered once. Even if you have all necessary documents, ZipCar does not give customers any options to correct potential issues or mistakes during the application process. This definitely shows that ZipCar is not on the side of its customers and I'd be hesitant to recommend the service, especially during situations where customer support is needed.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/24/2022

  We are unbale to locate an account with the information provided.  We have reached out for additional information but have not heard back.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/17/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I first signed up for Zipcar because the website advertised a rate of $11 per hour for the lowest-tier cars in my location (*******). After completing the application process, I came to find that the actual cost for the same vehicle was $16/hour. While there was a note that the $11/hour was a starting cost estimate, and while I understand that there is an additional young driver fee that applies to me (<$1/hour), the disparity between the advertised cost and the true cost is still staggeringly large, about 45% greater. Even when looking at the list of relevant potential additional fees shown on the website, including young driver ($0.88/hour), state sales tax (6.5%), and local sales tax (3.6%), this only amounts to $13.08/hour. This still represents a significant difference of ****% from the advertised price.I called customer service to request a refund of the one-month membership fee, as well as the application fee. While the one-month membership fee was refunded, the application fee was not refunded. I do recognize that the application makes it very clear that the fee would be non-refundable, and that I accepted an agreement to this fact and am not entitled to a refund. However, I also only initiated the application based on the advertised prices, which I find to be highly misleading. Had the advertised prices been more representative of the true pricing, I would not have filled out the application to begin with. I would request that the application fee is refunded, and that the website's advertised pricing is adjusted to better reflect true pricing of the product.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/19/2022

  We have reached out to the member and believe the matter to be resolved.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/17/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On October 1st, I had a reservation made on Zipcar that was scheduled for 10/1 at 2:00pm until 10/3 at 3:00pm. Upon arrival to pick up the vehicle there was no key inside so the vehicle could not be started. I contacted Zipcar to make them aware of this in which I was told there were no other cars available and the reservation had to be cancelled and refunded. The reservation was for a total amount of $161.42. On 10/1 I received a confirmation email from ******* stating that the refund had been processed and I could expect to have it returned to me in 3--5 business days. I waited 5 business days and contacted my bank who told me that there was no refund pending so I reached back out to Zipcar on 10/9. On 10/9 I spoke with **** who stated that she had just refunded the $161.42 and also sent me a confirmation email stating I need to wait 3-5 business days for the funds to be returned. I waited another 5 business days and still no refund. I contacted Zipcar today 10/17 and asked to speak with a supervisor in which I was transferred to ***********************. I provided him with the case number and details of why I was calling, I still hadn't received my refund. He responded that he is not sure as to why I have not received my refund and due to special circumstances (claims the system shows the refund as processed) this matter has to be escalated to a different department and I would need to wait an additional 3-5 days just to receive any correspondence from this department. I also asked ***** if this could be escalated to someone above him or with urgency being that I've had to call in several times regarding this issue to no avail, in which he responded there is no one above him and I would have to wait 3-5 business days to hear for the other department. I have only been a Zipcar customer since 9/16 within a month I have spent $1,693.12 on this platform and to be treated with such lackluster care leads me to believe my money is better off spent elsewhere.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/26/2022

  We are actively working with the member to resolve the issue.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/31/2022

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  Tiara

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 11/07/2022

  We have reached back out to the member as the issue was resolved and the desired refund processed, but have not received a response.  As a result, we do believe the issue to be resolved.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/17/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This complaint pertains to unexpected fees charged to clients which are not outlined in the usage agreement. Zipcar recently began parking their cars in an expensive garage. They were supposed to provide a parking pass to retrieve the car from the garage, but recently informed me that they will no longer do so. This fee is of an uncertain amount, and is determined by when the prior patron placed the car into the garage. It could be as low as $3, or as high as hundreds of dollars. The patron has no way of knowing what this fee will be prior to reserving and paying for the car. You do not find out until after you have started your booking and attempted to exit the garage. Zipcar also does not inform patrons that there may be a substantial fee once they enter the car of an amount they don't specify.I emailed zipcar about this issue and they stated that they will no longer be covering these fees under any circumstances. It is unacceptable to hold clients responsible for potentially hundreds of dollars that are 1) not stated in the agreement 2) not outlined in the booking details and 3) not consented to by the client at the time of contracting with zipcar or placing the reservation. If they are making substantial changes to the services which are included, particularly to the tune of hundreds of dollars, they need to inform clients of this BEFORE clients place a booking so we can make an informed decision re: whether to book or not. The exact amount or range of the fee needs to also be included (in this case, the upper bound is infinite as it is dependent on the amount of time the car was parked between clients). It is unacceptable to inform me after I have completed my reservation that I am now responsible for exorbitant fees not outlined anywhere in our contract or the booking agreement. If my booking is going to suddenly go from $40 which I consented to, to $300 without warning, that is a serious issue. Clients must consent to all possible fees and fee changes.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/20/2022

  We have reached out to the member and believe the matter to be resolved.