If you have a question for Zipcar staff, please send it to info@zipcar.com

-- Anonymous, December 10, 2002

Answers

My first Zipcar rendezvous went off very well -- with one glaring exception. The fueing routine is a technophobe's nightmare. I began by running the card throughthe slot at the gas pump. I was then asked for the odometer reading. I had, of course turned off the engine in accordance with safe refueling practice, but the odometer reading is only visible when the engine is running. I restarted the engine, made a mental note of the odometer reading, and returned to the pump. The transaction had "timed out" -- back to the beginning! On my second attempt, I got past this hurdle, but was then asked for my Zipcar card number. By the time I fished my card out of my wallet, the transaction had once again timed out. By my third try, my recall of the odometer reading was somewhat shaky, but I got as far as as the request for a PIN number, which was to be found on the gas cap. Needless to say, by the time I retrieved the gas cap, the gas pump was back to "Please Insert Card." At this point, the possibility of my reaching Rhode Island in time for a 1 P.M. meeting was receding fast. I paid for the gas in cash ($11.17) and cursed the Fueling Routine from Hell. Should I ever summon the courage to use Zipcar again, I will know enough to have have pen and paper handy and write down all three numbers before going near a gas station. The whole experience seems, in retrospect, like a sitcom episode. For the reluctant star, it was no fun, and I hope you find I way to warn first-timers of the perils that await them at the pump.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2004