I'm sick of the CHEESY LOGO! It's like have a car with graffitti. I'm not this companies' advertising agency. Some of the cars are neat, it's too bad that the company has bad taste.

I wouldn't let Hertz or Avis get away with it and so there's no choice but to leave. I'll have to return to "Family Cars" but Hertz and Avis, here I come! At least I won't look like a delivery boy...

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2004

Answers

Why is everyone so het up about this logo? You are driving a car belonging NOT to a large corportaion, but a small car share service that needs to advertise to get customers. You are an advertising agency, and frankly, if you like the service, it shouldn't be a problem having a logo on your car. I have no problem with the logo. And it's not my car, and I don't care who knows, which seems to be the main objection when you are driving a nice car, that people know it isn't yours...get over it. You are borrowing it from the company, and so what if they advertise. Hertz and Avis don't need logos--they have rental agencies at every airport practically worldwide, and companies contract with them...they don't need logos, they're big!! If the logo is the only reason you're leaving, that's not a very good reason at all.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2004

I, too, love the logo. I wish it were on both sides of the car. I want to be seen driving a smart, environmentally friendly, socially conscious, community car. (I especially love driving the Electric...) I want there to be more and more Zipcar drivers, and more car locations, and less and less people owning their own car in tightly-packed cities such as Boston. I am proud to advertise for this great company.

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2004

With a finely run operation providing good service, I too, find the logo displayed on sides of the cars extremely tacky. I don't pretend that I drive my own private car when I am 'zipping', but it is a rental for private use, not a commercial vehicle like a U-Haul truck that requires address id on the side or the vehicle.

The zipcar.com bumper sticker is fine and gets the name out relatively unobtrusively.

If zipcar provides an excellent service that excites its users with its service and value (which it currently does), we will provide mountains of advertising word of mouth which I have already done. With the many of the not yet members people I have talked to about zipcar, the FIRST thing they mention is the tacky logo on the car. "Do you always have to drive around with that logo on the side all the time?", they ask.

I think zipcar would find that the negative among members and serious potential members hesitation to use way outweighs the positive merits of the name recognition achieved with the logo on the side of each car.

Personally, if the opportunity presented itself, I would rent from the first reasonable competitor that did NOT have that LOGO on the side.

PAINT IT OUT PLEASE ZIPCAR - leave the bumper sticker if you must.

dz

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2004

In Massachusetts, I think the logo on the side of the car is a requirement for the commercial plates. I thought I saw that requirement in IRS and DOR publications too, but I can't remember.

Which makes me wonder why some Zipcars, like the BMWs, do not have the logo on the door and why other rental car companies use ordinary vehicle plates. Commercial plates in Massachusetts get you free parking in loading zones, and in Boston, free parking in residential parking permit areas. The time limit in the residential parking permit areas might have been reduced after much abuse by commercial vehicles. I've parked Zipcars in both loading zones and residential areas in front of meter persons so this does work.

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2004

Dear Blacksheep...

You may have parked unscathed at these types of locations, but you have probably just been lucky. The decalling and plates on Zipcars do not prevent tickets in these zones, and they are not intended to. Many members have gotten tickets in these areas and had to pay them, so if you do get one...be sure to pay it.

Thanks

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2004

Hello Stephen:

I often park in the loading zones and have never gotten a ticket. Once a meter maid walked by and said it was allowed. The same for the residential parking permit areas. I just called the Boston traffic and parking division and they now say the parking has to be within reason, that is, no overnight or other long periods, which was always the intent of commercial vehicles and loading zones and residential permit parking areas. For the Zipcars that got tickets, how long were they parked there?

And believe it or not, I always pay my parking tickets.

By the way, why don't Zipcars have the logo on two sides as required by the RMV? Does the URL on the back count as the other side? If so why do Zipcar BMWs have just the URL on the back?

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2004

You know, I'm the one who started this thread and maybe it will end here....I'll say this, perhaps New York Magazine will do an article about "Zip Car" and the logo will be all the rage....for a week!

And all the tree huggers and the twig eaters, can feel really good about themeselves.

But that CHEESY LOGO is not the only reason I'm leaving....I just rented a beamer for two days to go to Philadelphia on business. Well guess what? I finished early and if I had rented from Hertz or Avis, I could have brought the car back early and been charged for only one day....No way with ZipCar since they have that 24 hour cancilation requirment. So the car came back early and sat in the garage.....This makes ZipCar EXPENSIVE! No I'm not into pollution or driving big, gaudy SUVs to the Mall, but waste is waste and that includes the waste of money....and as I've said before, I have too much degnity to be exploited in this way....Chow!

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2004

I'm so sick of Zipcar being referred to as a "car sharing service", as if it's some community based, environment saving organization. It's a CAR RENTAL COMPANY with a great gimmick. Nothing more. They are here for NO OTHER REASON than to make as much money as possible (like any other business). There is nothing benevolent about Zipcar.

-- Anonymous, December 27, 2004

It IS a car sharing service. Car rental companies provide a service for travellers coming into town or people needing a car for a week or two. Zipcar provides a service for people who need to do things like go to the store, to the doctor, to the mall to buy a large item--in other words, people who need a car for local trips (as well as longer if they'd like). It's cheaper than owning a car and insurance because you're sharing the cost with others who also only need cars for a couple hours at a time.

-- Anonymous, December 27, 2004

The logo on the zipcar is a crime. You are forcing the members to adverize the service. I think I have a lawsuit here. Anyone with me? Zipcar puts members in terrible danger by the use of the logo.

-- Anonymous, December 31, 2004

are you "the logo is a crime" people _insane_? no one forced you to join zipcar, or to agree to its membership policies. give it up!

1) I fail to see what the whole problem with the logos is anyway, BUT 2) zipcar admitted that enough people are unhappy with the logos that they're starting to phase them out, at least on certain cars.

so what on earth is the big deal?

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2005

And besides, the logos are magnetic. You can peel them off an store them in the glove compartment. Oops.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2005

Anecdotally , i too have been passed over by btd parking enforcement in the residential parking zone in front of my house. As I believe zipcars should be (the zipcar there once in a while is in place of my former car which was there all the time. If the Logo's presence did that formally or informally PLEASE keep it!

Also: Zipcar people: why not petition the city to make the zipcar formally exempt from resident parking rules for the reasons stated above!

-- Anonymous, January 10, 2005

Wow! If Brendan's comment above is actually correct: that all those ZipCar side door logos are magnetic, then I guess that pretty much solves the whole problem--doesn't it?

Thus, those who actually like the idea of advertising that they're driving a ZipCar can leave it on, while those who'd rather be seen in a snazzy car that other people might even think is theirs (at least from the side) can simply hide that fact by removing the door logo for the duration of their ride.

As for the the writing on the rear, I personally wouldn't mind seeing that made a bit smaller, but perhaps that could also be made magnetic as well, thereby completing the option for those wishing to go incognito... ;->

-- Anonymous, January 13, 2005

So why are you anti-logo people so embarassed to drive Zipcars? I love the fact I'm in a Zipcar, and would love the logo on both sides. What better way to show others you're doing your part.

What next? Demanding Delta remove the logos form their planes? sheesh If you don't like the logo take the T or a cab. Whoops - they have logos on the side too!

:-)

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2005