Why do you refuse to provide information on cars when members ask for it again and again?

Is it too difficult to assemble a page with links to all the car manufacturers used by Zipcar? Do these companies not have product information online?

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2004

Answers

Elizabeth,

Just curious...what sort of information on the cars were you looking for?

J

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2004

At least provide some photos..how many people do they hold..trunk space.. or links to where we can get more info! Thanks.

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2004

This is all at once a reasonable, yet deceptively simple, request. By going to this page: http://www.zipcar.com/how/faqs/faq-41 I found Zipcar's list of their current models. The, with less than 10 minutes of googling, I found the manufacturers' pages for all current models. HOWEVER, 1) some Zipcars, for instance the Prius, are a mix of new and older model years, and the manufacturers' pages obviously don't reflect this; 2) car companies' sites are often graphics or java-heavy (hello, Mini Cooper page), and their links change frequently, so they might need a fair amount of editing and updating for the links to stay current from Zipcar's end; 3) many Zipcars come with varying packages and finishes-- some of the Minis are the super-sporty package with the extra-nice seats, etc., while others are the standard package--and it's simply too time consuming to find immediate links to all of these differences.

So, for all you complaining people who could've done exactly what I just did, here's my list:

Golf http://www.vw.com/golf/

Jetta http://www.vw.com/jetta/

Jetta Wagon http://www.vw.com/jettawagon/ (I can’t remember offhand if there are any of these, so I left in the link)

Beetle http://www.vw.com/newbeetle/

Passat http://www.vw.com/passat/

Passat Wagon http://www.vw.com/passatwagon/

Prius (2004 only) http://www.toyota.com/prius/

xA http://www.scion.com/drive/gallery/drive_xa_gallery.html

xB http://www.scion.com/drive/gallery/drive_xb_gallery.html

Element http://www.hondacars.com/models/model_overview.asp? ModelName=Element

Civic http://www.hondacars.com/models/model_overview.asp? ModelName=Civic+Sedan

Focus http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/focus/glance/index.asp#Focus_SE_Sedan

Focus Wagon http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/focus/glance/ index.asp#Focus_SE_Wagon

Mini http://www.miniusa.com/

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2004

To the question "what sort of information on the cars were you looking for?": The minimum I am looking for is a picture of the car. Although other members (as can be seen in past postings to the forum) are looking for additional infiormation.

To the suggestion that I should have found the answer myself: 1. The FAQ information is not easily accessible from the reservations page and seems to be designed for prospective members rather than current users. The information on cars is buried and rather hard to find on the multi-layered Details/FAQ list; is superficial overall and uneven from manufacturer to manufacturer; and assumes that the reader has a high level of knowledge about new car models. 2. Apparently what I thought would be a work-saving suggestion (to simplly link to existing websites of manufacturers -- not of every model, just the manufacturers) was not. Furthermore, having to force the user to spend 10 minutes off the Zipcar website, searching the entire Internet for information seems antithetical to the whole Zipcar concept and unacceptable to my expectations as a customer.

All I'm asking is that there is a webpage where there is a list of each car model that is on the reservation list and a representitive picture of that model. It doesn't have to be the same color. It doesn't have to have the same options. Just a picture that will give me an idea of what I will be reserving and more importantly what to look for when I go to use the car!!!! For example:

Car Model: Focus Manufacturer: Ford (http://www.fordvehicles.com)

Car Model: Sienna Manufacturer: Toyota (http://www.toyota.com)

Car Model: xB Manufacturer: Scion (http://www.scion.com)

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2004

how incompetent _are_ you? if all you were looking for was a connection to ford's main website, then you don't need to spend 10 minutes, as I did: a simple ctrl-n (or cmd-n, depending on your operating system) plus "ford.com" or "volkswagen.com" will do it. no brains required, actually. . .

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2004

Thanks for that REALLY mature response.

And did you actually read my entire message?

For the record, part of my proposed list was missing -- the "insert picture" part. So although I am_really_incompetent and, actually, have no brains I will list it again to clarify. By the way, since the website link part is so inflammatory and isn't the important part of my proposal (the picture is) I have removed it.

Car Model: Focus Manufacturer: Ford insert picture)

Car Model: Sienna Manufacturer: Toyota (insert picture)

Car Model: xB Manufacturer: Scion (insert picture)

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2004

Elizabeth,

I think Christina's "mature response" was warranted considering all the ranting you did. The questions you asked require just a simple amount of effort on your part but it appears you want it all handed to you on a silver platter.

If you are so clueless as to not have any idea how many people can sit comfortably in a Jetta then I'd suggest you give a harder look at the autos on the street as you pass them by.

-- Anonymous, April 27, 2004

Morgan:

Does "all the ranting" refer to my original question or the second (or both)? How is it mature to casually call ANYONE incompetent and brainless?

And, like Christina, it's clear that you didn't actually read my entire message. Where did I express wanting information on how many people can sit comfortably in a Jetta?

-- Anonymous, April 27, 2004

Dear All...

I apologize for all this. It is a simple and reasonable request to have more information on the cars available on the web. There are a number of surmountable issues, the biggest being adding another content-management item to our task list. We can do better.

We are working on some useablility fixes to the website and will be doing some observational reviews. I invite any of you to e-mail me privately if you are interested in helping with this. We will provide a little driving credit for your trouble.

Thanks,

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2004

Ahhhh Elizabeth,

“all the ranting” refers to both your postings particularly that (expletive) you used in your subject. It’s quite clear you are very hot on the subject!

You better bet I read and clearly understood every word you wrote. But then maybe you didn’t read what I posted because at no point did I ever refer to you as “incompetent and brainless” but I did say clueless and it was preceded by an (if).

My reference to (how many people can seat in a Jetta) is simply an example of the type of questions you were asking. Answers that can quickly be found with minimal effort.

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2004

Ahhhh Morgan

You still don't get it.

The reference to "incompetent and brainless" was in regard to Christina's posting which you defended as a 'mature response'.

How is the question "how many people can seat in a Jetta (sic)" an example of my wish for a webpage with pictures of the cars?

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2004

It is becoming annoying. I'd like to know what versions and what features each car comes with. For example, do the SUV's have a hitch? I plan on renting the Highlander, do I have to go and view it to see if it has a hitch first? Does it have tented windows in the back? Or do I have to bring sheets to cover my valuables? No pun intended.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 2004

Please note that under the rules of vehicle use ( http://www.zipcar.com/apply/rules-of-vehicle-use ) towing is a prohibited use of Zipcar (along with carrying passengers for hire, letting a non-member drive, entering a Zipcar in a drag race, etc..). Right now, we deliver only the basic form factor of the vehicles (in the form of an icon on the reservations grid and in the 'vehicle type' search menu). We will continue to work on getting more, useful information to you in a practical way. In the meanwhile, members shouldn't hesitate to drop us an e-mail with any specific questions you have about car models and capabilities.

Thanks,

Stephen Oakley

-- Anonymous, May 19, 2004

No towing with a Zipcar--so odds are, there won't be a towing hitch on any of their SUV models.

Except, perhaps, as decoration.

-- Anonymous, May 20, 2004