zipcar members opinion?

[Tiger7]

Hello there, I am planning to take Zipcar membership, but looking at $175 ($100 will be refunded) as the initial investment, I am giving a 2nd thought.

b/w, Can the present zipcar members help me make a decision by giving their opinion on
- zipcar models in newport
- members punctuality in returning/picking car
- cleanliness of car?
- any hidden fee etc on the mentioned $8.50/hr rate?
- how is customer service?
- should go to any specific gas stations for filling gas (with the gas card inside car)?
- and where exactly is the parking spot in newport for zipcar?

Pls feel free to add anything I missed and you feel like talking.

Hope you opinions will help me and others who are still thinking abt zipcar to make a decision.

thanks in advance.

[JPhurst]

Hi Tiger,

I just joined zipcar in February. Here are my thoughts.

I have not actually used the Zipcars in Newport. I have twice gone to Hoboken and one time rented a car for the day in NYC.

Right now the ones in Newport get booked up in advance on the weekends, particularly on Saturday. You can almost always find weekday usage. Weekends can be a bit tougher. As utilization increases, they add more cars. But since they have just gotten into the Jersey City market, it can be hit or miss on the weekend.

I've never had a problem with a car not being there when I reserved it. It's a pretty big no-no to return a car late, and I think everyone recognizes that it's not a good idea to screw over fellow members, because they can be on the other side of the equation.

The cars that I have used are all clean and well maintained. Twice I've used a Mazda 3, one time a Mini Cooper (fun to drive!).

With respect to gas, I've never actually had to fill up because I never brought the tank below a quarter full. But each car has a gas card that should work at just about any gas station that takes credit cards.

With customer service, I've never really had a problem, so I haven't had to call anyone. I did have a question once after I signed up, and customer service was able to answer it.

On balance, I would recommend it. It also is a program that gets better as more people join. If there is more demand, they add more cars, etc.

Finally, if you want, PM me with your e-mail. I can send you a coupon which is good for $50.00 of free driving the first month you join.

[Matt]

I've been a Zipcar member for years, and used to use the car at City Hall in Hoboken regularly for groceries. I have no complaints. I also never had to get gas, as all my trips were very short.

These days FreshDirect has filled that need, and I just maintain the membership in case something comes up. I haven't rented in over a year now though.

It seems to work great for the 2-3 hours short-distance known-or-plannable-schedule trips.

[bill]

the newport parking spot is in the garage between chase bank and dorrian's. i also never filled up the gas myself. one good thing about zipcar is if you know you can't return the car on time, you can call their 1-800 number to extend your reservation at 30-minute intervals (of course, provided that no one has booked that time slot right after you) i never talked to their customer service people as it's all automated.

the car i used to rent in hoboken is ok clean. (sometimes i found leaves on the carpet.) the car in newport is very clean, probably because i was the first few lucky ones to drive that brand new car.

apart from that $8.5/ hour, you also need to pay a $2/ day security surcharge, 6% NJ tax and any tolls you've paid by ez-pass. no extra hidden charge...

[Tiger7]

Hi All, thanks for ur opinions. It helped me so much.
yes, I see the most and best advantage we can take from zipcar is hourly renting and that would help me a lot for my BJ's/Shoprite/Target/Doctor's visit etc. well, thats worth taking membership.

b/w, a good news for newport community. its no more $175 as the initial investment, its just $25. how?
Annual Fee = $25 (instead of $50)
Application Fee = $0 ($25 waived off)
Deposit = $0 ($100 waived off)
cool deal.

b/w, If a member refers you and then you apply, you get $50 coupon for your furst months rent.

Thought I missed $50 (I applied with out coupon), but still Its more than I need.
thanks once again.

[Tiger7]

I just now got the zipcar membership and ... and....I can not get a car on any weekend in coming 3 months. thats tooooooooooo bad.
I did not bother to check after 3 months.. :(
hope zipcar will increase the number of cars in newport area. :(

[JPhurst]

I'm checking availability right now. Over the next few weeks, the cars are booked for most of the weekend, but most weekends at least one car is available for a few hours. And on a couple there are cars available for the entire weekend.

I work in Manhattan. If I needed a car for an entire weekend, I can usually book one there up until that Friday or, if its really a busy weekend, the day before.

Also, sometimes those reservations will be cancelled a couple of days before.

Because zipcar has just come to Jersey City, it will take time for supply and demand to match up. But it's still much more convenient than renting a car.

[ejm]

I've got a wedding to go to in Lake George, NY in August. Would zipcar be a good alternative to the bus in this case? In other words, has anyone used zipcar for long distance (more than 100 mi.) trips?

[JPhurst]

If your trip is that far away, you may be better off with a traditional rental. With Zipcar, you get 125 free miles per day. After that its something like 25 or 30 cents per mile. So if you are going to be doing a real long haul, it's not as economical.

BTW: To follow up with respect to the issue of availabilty, I noticed that for next weekend, some of the reservations were cancelled and there is more free time, including one car which is free the entire weekend. Not that it will necessarily last very long....

[Tiger7]

Just now I checked the reservation. In the coming 2 months, the next day when a car is availale for full day is on May 13th, Sat (WEEKEND) and 1 car.

B/w, I am feeling that renting for a single day is not that easy with zipppppppppp.. :(
well, even the hourly renting is also not that easy.

Anybody else out there sailing in the same boat with me?

[JPhurst]

Dude, check again. One car is completely free on Saturday, April 8th. (Mazda 3 Makini)

I do agree that right now, it is difficult to get cars on weekends.

[Jean Lafitte]

it'll get even tighter as the weather improves. to their credit, last year as slots filled up in Hoboken, Zipcar routinely added more cars to the neighborhood. hopefully they'll do the same in newport.

Also, I get the feeling that some people make reservations weeks and months in advance just in case they might need a car and then cancel a few days prior to the reservation, so check often, cars suddenly open up all the time.

[Tiger7]

yes, I too think that ppl look for just in case. I did not see a car available for next sat, i.e 8th april. and now when I see it after JPhurst told me, its available.
I think, when we reserver car, ZIPCAR should also provide the member details etc of the reserved cars. If not a contact#, but a way for us to PM them. that way, we can communicate and utilize the car in a better way.

anyways, lets hope to get more cars for summer.

[tigliu]

I have seen couple of people mentioning about a "introducing-someone-else" coupon, I am thinking of becoming a member. If an existing member can help out with a coupon I would appreciate. thanks.

[JPhurst]

Send me a PM with your e-mail and I'll send you the coupon.

Newport residents have told me (see above) that they have a particularly good deal, with the up front payments being waived and the annual fee reduced to $25.00. I'm not sure if you can combine the two promotions or not. But anyway, if you want the coupon, send me your e-mail.

[Sonia]

If you live in Newport, you are only required to pay the $25 annual fee. When you complete your registration application, just type in "Newport" in the box where they ask for neighborhood or "landlord" account. It's a nice service, easy to get a car during the week, the weekend is harder!

Also, if you are renting by the day, special corporate rate for same size car at enterprise is cheaper, $40.00 vs. $65.00.

[Tiger7]

sonia, which corporate are you talking here?
b/w, does this $40 include insurance also?

[Sonia]

Tiger7

Many corporations have corporate accounts with enterprise, you will need to find out if your company is on their list. Rentals do not include insurance, but your credit card will probably cover damage/collision insurance, at no cost to you, although you must check their terms to find out what restrictions apply.

[Sonia]

Where they get you! Make sure you read the penalties section thoroughly before you reserve a car:

Penalties (http://www.zipcar.com/apply/penalties)

[JPhurst]

I'm not sure how this is "where they get you." You can't return the car late, smoke in the car, keep pets in the car outside their carrier, or leave it a mess for the next person. That's hardly a hidden cost, that's just to make sure you don't screw over other Zipcar members.

[Sonia]

JP,

Just informing residents to look at the Penalties section before reserving a car, as there are different charges applied for things like lateness, $25 an hour for each late hour as opposed to $8. As a zip car member, I think it a good idea for members to know in advance what may happen. :)

[goldfish]

If you live in Newport, you are only required to pay the $25 annual fee. When you complete your registration application, just type in "Newport" in the box where they ask for neighborhood or "landlord" account. It's a nice service, easy to get a car during the week, the weekend is harder!

Also, if you are renting by the day, special corporate rate for same size car at enterprise is cheaper, $40.00 vs. $65.00.
I just filled out the application and I didn't see anything that said "Neighborhood" or "landlord account".
I finished my application and called Zipcar & they didn't know what I was talking about.

???

Thanks

[Stinky]

Goldfish, not sure about a "neighborhood" field but if you start at www.zipcar.com/newport the fee is listed as $25pa.

[greyhk]

I'd like to give zipcar a try.

Does anyone else have a coupon that I could use?

[JPhurst]

PM me with your e-mail and I'll send the coupon to you.

I'm not sure if you can use the coupon if you take advantage of the Newport offer (which is a much better offer anyway).

Hopefully they will increase cars soon, as it is nowvery hard to get cars on weekends in Jersey City. After just a couple of months, utilization has gone very high. I work in NYC, so I can sometimes take advantage of the service there (where they have a couple of hundred cars). But in JC, people block off the cars on Saturday well in advance. A couple of days before reservations are sometimes cancelled, but it's still hard.

Philadelphia has a local car sharing service (a non-profit) called Philly Car Share. They have worked out an arrangement with the municipal government where they are replacing some of the city's vehicle fleet with shared cars. The government gets exclusive use of them during the weekdays during business hours, and then they are part of the general shared "fleet" in evenings and on the weekends. This is a win win for both sides. The government is able to shed the expense of providing and maintaining the vehicles 24/7, and the car sharing company gets to offer the cars to the public during the "peak" demand time.

I just wish our leaders in city hall would try to come up with some creative solutions to the issues of congestion, parking, etc.