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

  191 2nd St San Francisco, CA 94105

• 

  Zipcar

  654 Seymour St Vancouver, BC V6B 3T4

• 

  Zip Car Rental

  3137 Warner Ave. Toledo, OH 43615

• 

  Zipcar, Inc.

  Multiple addresses Atlanta, GA 30324

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:08/22/2022

  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 Aug 21, 2022, I joined zipcar.com. In the joining process, they default payment to annual payment of $90 plus taxes and an additional $25 plus taxes as application fee. During joining, they do not allow changing to the monthly subscription which is $11 and the message given is that subscription can be changed after joining.However, after joining, they do not allow a change to monthly subscription till after the annual subscription has run out. On Aug 21, 2022, within minutes after signing up and noticing the above, I emailed zipcar customer service to change the subscription type. They refused to so. I them emailed them to cancel the subscription and refund the money. This email was also sent on Aug 21, 2022. ********* law allows for a 3 day cooling off period within which zipcar is obliged to honour a refund request.While I would have been happy with a switching to a monthly plan, I would now prefer not to deal with them and would prefer a refund of the money paid.Thank you for your help obtaining the refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/24/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/22/2022

  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 8/4/22 I booked a ****** Sienna with Zipcar for 8/20/22 from 7a-4p to transport my daughter to college (paid $159.16). On 8/8/22,I changed the reservation to 8/21/22. On the morning of 8/21/22, I extended the reservation for 2 hours, and instead of charging my debit card on file for the 2 hours (around $40), they charged my debit card $171.34, which included a fraudulent charge of $131.67 for "Cancelled/Shortened - Non-Refundable Time (9 hours). This wiped out my bank account, and the funds that I had to purchase vital items for my daughter's college dorm room! I immediately called Zipcar, spoke to *******, was told that it was an error and when I asked for a supervisor, the call dropped. I called again, spoke to *******, who stated that there was a glitch in the Zipcar App and a refund was submitted and there was nothing else that could be done. I then spoke to Zipcar Supervisor ******, asked if she could speak to my bank so that they could remove the hold, and she refused, and also refused to offer any other assistance. When I checked my Zipcar statement it says that a refund was sent to my credit card and not my debit card that was on file when I extended the car and that the monies were taken from! I want my funds sent back to my debit card where it was taken from! I now have to spend more money to go back to my daughter's college and purchase the items that she needs. Aside from Zipcar destroying this college move in date; I spent 20 minutes into my reservation looking for the car, that was located in a parking spot on a different floor from where it should have been, the car was filthy, and there was no gas card in the car. In addition, Zipcar Supervisor ******, was extremely rude, and did take any responsibility for the error, nor did she offer any assistance in resolving this escalated situation that was created by Zipcar's faulty system error. Zipcar it seems that you have outsourced your *********************** and it is at an all time low!

  Business Response

  Date: 08/24/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/21/2022

  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.

  Zipcar has caused me many issues and their customer service does not help whatsoever even though they have greatly inconvenienced me as a customer, resulting in out of pocket expenses due to their lack of reimbursement for my out of pocket expenses. Theyre also charging me late fees when a vehicle was dropped before the correct return time due to car trouble which I had called and reported to them. Many of their cars have been in disrepair, which they are immediately notified and take no action .And most of the time the car isnt not available at the location which is an inconvenience because I would have to waste rental time looking for the car. I WANT A REFUND FOR THE late fees that theyre unfairly trying to charge me for when I returned the car before my time and reimbursement for all the inconveniences caused by Zipcar.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/24/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/19/2022

  Type:Product 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 reserved a car from Zipcar for 10AM to 12:30PM on 05/31/2022. The car was in an apt. building's inside garage, accessible through a number pad with a code that raises the garage-door in order to get to the car. There seemed to be something wrong with the number pad, as it took several tries to get the door to raise so that I could get the car. I ran my errand and drove back to the garage, but this time I could not get the garage door to raise at all. I phoned Zipcar and a service rep told me to find a parking place on a nearby street and said she would stay on the line while I did so. It took 15 minutes to find a spot to park and by that time the rep was offline. I phoned and got a different rep, described the situation, and told them the address where the car was parked. The rep took the address and said they would credit me for an hour's charge for my bother. On Aug. 10, my account was charged by Zipcar for $84 for a parking ticket for 6:55AM on 06/01/2022 and a $30 processing fee for the violation. Zipcar clearly dropped the ball in moving the car, leaving it on the street overnight where it was issued a ticket. I had followed both reps' instructions, and returned the car on time and to a spot that they noted in their notes. (I have cell phone records of the two calls to Zipcar.) I called Zipcar on Aug. 11 to try to have charges for the ticket and fee refunded to me and went through first a rep and then a "specialist" explaining the situation. The specialist could see that my story was confirmed in reps' notes and said he was recommending that I be refunded, but that was to be decided by someone higher up. I was told I would receive an email in 3-5 business days with their decision. I received no such email and no refund from Zipcar. I followed the reps' instructions in parking the car and it was Zipcar's responsibility to take it from there and move it in a timely fashion. It is not my fault that they failed to do so. I would like a refund of $116.58.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/23/2022

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

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/25/2022

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. 

  Thank you for your assistance in resolving my issue.
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2022

  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.

  On July 15th, I rented a vehicle for 6:30pm till 8:30pm. When I returned to the parking space (around 8:15) to complete my trip. There were two men standing by the parking space, who looked like they were waiting for the next reservation. I exited the vehicle with my 9 year old son, and closed the doors so that I could lock the car and end the trip. The two men proceeded to enter the vehicle before I could end the trip and I said hey wait, I have to end the trip and the guy responded you can just end it while Imin there. I didnt want to get into an altercation with them with my son there, so I reluctantly said okay while ******* to end the trip, but they started the ignition and sped off. I contacted zipcar and they confirmed there was no reservation, so the car was stolen. The first rep suggested to file police report but then said not to do that and connected me with a supervisor. The supervisor asked me questions about the incident and said I would receive an email that same night, but my account would be suspended in the meanwhile. Its been more than a month and Ive been following up, but the reps are telling me the review process is indefinite and provided no timeline, and for now my account will remain suspended. I recently paid an annual membership fee of $70 in March and depended on Zipcar to pick up my son. Now Im being treated like Im the criminal. So, Im seeking a resolution to this review to reinstate my account, or for Zipcar to just end my membership and reimburse me the prorated amount of my annual membership charge from July 15th. Thank you

  Business Response

  Date: 08/26/2022

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

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/27/2022

  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. 

  The reason why I have rejected this resolution is because it was retaliatory. I only sought a status update, since Id been given different time expectations since I spoke to the first rep about a resolution to my account, until I began to receive time expectations for a resolution (by ZipCar reps) as indefinite. My only ask was for an update, and if they decided to end my Zipcar relationship, then to provide me a prorated refund of my annual membership for the time left after my account was suspended= $43.75. A theft of a zipcar occurred while I was with my 10 year old son, while ending my rental. The rep specifically told me not to file a police report (thats on a recorded call). I did everything i was instructed, and now that *** had no other resolve than to reach out to Bbb for an update, I receive an email saying me behavior is disruptive to the community so theyre closing my account. The only thing I want is a prorated refund of my annual membership fee at this point. The membership can remain closed, even if i was offered an option to keep it. If a person can be carjacked with their kid while renting a zipcar, be instructed not to file a police report, and then be treated like this, I would rather not continue business with the company. All I ask for is a prorated refund of my annual membership fee which was paid on March 1st 2022, and my account was suspended on July 15th 2022, leaving 7.5 months remaining on the membership, which amounts to $43.75 worth.
  
  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: 08/31/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2022

  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.

  I needed an emergency vehicle for use during my job the same day, because my own car is in the shop longer than expected for a repair. When I went to the ZipCar website, on the front page (right now), it advertises "Join instantly, drive in minutes." There is no asterisk or footnote accompanying that statement on their website. At no point in the sign up process was it stated that approval actually takes multiple business days. After I submitted my card information and payment, I saw my account was still in a pending status. Confused, I called customer service immediately. Customer service informed me approval is not instant, and takes multiple business days. I then tried to cancel the process over the phone. They said I could not because the application is "pending". I was told by customer service I cannot submit a cancellation for multiple days. I repeated that I would like to cancel, and be issued a refund as those terms were not what was presented during the sign up process. They said applications can't be refunded. This was all within a few minutes of me signing up on the website.I then asked the customer service rep to point out to me where in the application process, or in their terms, it states that I would not be able to "join instantly. drive in minutes" or where it states anywhere, the length of time an application approval or denial would take, if not "in minutes." They could not find this language or point it out to me. In the written terms provided on the website, nothing states the process would take longer than the statement advertised on their homepage.I moved forward with ZipCar due to their false advertising statement "join instantly, drive in minutes", and this "sorry, no application refunds" thing is very disingenuous and deceitful. I would like my membership cancelled and a refund issued in the full amount charged to my card today on 8/18/2022.The rep I spoke with said his name was *** with ID number *******.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2022

  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 denied my application and the reasons given were: I'm under the minimum age of 25, and must use a state license, and my payment method was off.I said ok maybe my payment method was off but I'm 31 and used a state license. They have that information, confirmed there was no actual issue but then continued to do nothing but say the decision is final with no explanation as to why.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/23/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2022

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  Zipcar's servers went down, and I lost access to a vehicle for 2+ hrs after dark. I was left stranded in another state, with my wallet and personal possessions locked in the car. I, along with two other passengers, were on hold with Zipcar for over 2hrs to get help and none of our calls were answered we were kept on hold, until suddenly the servers came back online and I could re-enter the car. I understand things happen, and servers go down; but access to a car is Zipcar's entire reason for being I was unable to complete the tasks I had rented this car to complete, and that required me to incur additional emergency charges with other companies I hadn't intended on doing business with. Zipcar's customer service team only wants to refund 2hrs worth of time, which I find entirely unacceptable and, frankly, insulting 1) the car inaccessible, rendering my entire trip ineffective, 2) Zipcar customer service was nowhere to be found, 3) my personal possessions were locked inside, and as I was a full state away with no immediate resources, I found this to be very unsafe, and 4) I was lucky to get this car back on time at all. Zipcar acknowledged this issue (https://twitter.com/Zipcar/status/1557890377755009024) but when I reported it the next day, customer service seemed not to care about the endangering circumstances that they'd put their customers through. I have spent too much time going back and forth with Zipcar customer service without an acceptable resolution. I am requesting a full refund. I have uploaded my trip summary.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/24/2022

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

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/25/2022

  [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:
  
  I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/17/2022

  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 am on my birthday vacation in ********* and on Sunday I got a Zipcar reservation in advance to my arrival and went to go pick up the vehicle which was supposed to be parked at **** ******* Avenue in *********. The car was not parked there and was sent to multiple locations to go searching for the car while walking with all of my luggage at over 80 weather outside with my wife and it took me about an hour to get to the vehicle which was well passed my time that I had paid for the vehicle to be in use because it was not at the location where it was supposed to be. I had paid an Uber to get there and then had to walk 30 plus minutes to the final location where the car was eventually found and was a mess and also wrecked.. the tags were outdated by 3 months and the car had multiple parking citations inside. I spoke with people all throughout the day on Sunday while dealing with the car I was extended time to drive the broken vehicle but was not able to use it so the car sat for hours parked while it was paid for and they extended my time but did not inform me that I had to pay the insurance part of the transaction, which in turn caused a delinquent charge on my account with Zipcar. I informed them that I wanted the car towed because it was unsafe to drive and had expired tags, now it's Wednesday my birthday and the car is still sitting outside of our Airbnb which we were asked multiple times to have it removed. I talked to higher up today and they told me that there was nothing that they could do except for tow the vehicle, I was not reimbursed for any charges that I was previously expecting to be reimbursed for, being as I didn't get to use the car as well as the car not being the car that was listed on the site. I have pictures and screenshots of the vehicle and all of the incidents and interactions with the tow truck company and Zipcar. I asked for at least ride credits and they refused to reimburse or give credit.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/16/2022

  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.

  I joined Zipcar about ten years ago and haven't used it for at least 7 years. There was no cost to the membership at the time (pay per use). I got a notice from them today that they have migrated me to a paid billing plan without my consent, and have charged me $70 and my "credit card is expired" (probably by at least 5+ years). And if I don't pay, they'll send this to collections. This is completely unacceptable. I would like the $70 charge remove, my membership cancelled.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/17/2022

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