I am a new member that has rented several times. On two or three occasions I have picked up a car that has been left dirty--there were spills that weren't cleaned up or trash left behind. On another occasion the gas was well below the 1/4 tank level and I had to stop first thing to fill it up so I could drive the car.

I thought that picking up your own garbage and leaving 1/4 tank or more of gas was part of the "cooperation requirement" in being a zipcar member, and was dismayed to see this behavior. How do you enforce these rules so that the guilty party will change his/her ways and abiding members don't get stuck with the effect of this inconsiderate behavior?

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2003

Answers

Zipcar does have a penalty policy and works hard to identify and give feedback (and fines, warnings and expulsions) to members who can't comply with the rules.

We do depend on members and our staff to report the condition of the cars. We are also working on increasing the frequency with which we visit the cars and are picking up some of these things much sooner.

Let us know at your convenience if the vehicle you pick up is in less than acceptable condition.

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2003

I used to complain a lot about the untidyness of some Zipcar members because they left the cars dirty. Zipcar's response was to professionally clean the cars on a regular basis, probably the only practical solution to the messy members mystery. The cars are much cleaner now, but the rates are up because of the expense.

The quarter tank or empty tank is a similar problem: inconsiderate members whose time is more important than others so they can't be bothered to fill the tank. Many of the cars that I've reserved had less than a quarter tank or almost an empty tank (low fuel light glowing yellow, turning red as I rolled up to the fuel pump) when I picked them up. Maybe Zipcar could increase the penalties for quarter or empty tanks. Or require all members reaching the maximum daily charge to top off the tank before returning the car. After all, if a member reaches the maximum rate, the member could have covered enough miles or time to do so. The rates currently favor anyone who reaches the maximum daily rate so requiring that person to refuel would not be unfair. Almost all rental car and truck agencies require full tanks on return and they check and bill at such a high rate that you never want to return a car or truck with a less than full tank.

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2003

i've used zipcar four times recently. two of the four times, i've had to put gas in the car because it was less than 1/4 tank full when i picked it up. each time, i've had to leave my activity early to get gas before returning it, so that i would not be late upon return. is there a "gas-up" grace period, so i don't get charged because i have allocated enough time for my own activity but now need extra time for the gas-up? at a 50% gas-up rate, i'm paying for someone else not to have to do it.

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2003