Zipcar UK Avis 3 294

Customer service is woeful. Will never use again.

I tried to make an account and there was a lag so I didn't receive an email saying it had been submitted. I then submitted another as I wasn't sure it had gone through. Later on, I'd been charged £30 (2x £15 fees).

2 issues:
(1) Both accounts were rejected with no reason provided, so I didn't even get to use the service
(2) They refused to return either of the fees! The second submission I only made because of their laggy systems but apparently that's still my fault. The first submission is non refundable despite the fact they rejected my account. Also, how is that my fault!

anyone who is looking to use this with a non UK mobile number be aware they let you sign up and pay the joining fee, then request you get a local UK number to use their service - a total scam!

As for the response - read their home page - nowhere is a UK or US phone number mentioned.

quite possibly the worst customer service in the world...

I have used Zipcar once, and now my account is banned permanently, why is this? Because the car wouldn't lock when we went to end our journey, even after being on with customer support with Zipcar to try and resolve this, they have blamed me for the poor quality of their own car rather than admit any fault.

On top of this, the car was dirty and the right wing mirror was broken making it frankly dangerous to drive. Its of course much easier to just ban someone from your service than attempt to resolve issues like this.

Oh and as a final insult, they also charged me for the time we were on with support trying to end the ride and lock the car and I ended up paying 50% more for the journey than I was originally quoted.

Frankly I'm glad I'm not tempted to try and use this joke of a company again. I genuinely don't think they could offer a worse service if they tried.

I’m extremely disappointed with how Zipcar handles parking violations. They take over a month to notify users of fines and then immediately recharge them without warning. By the time you’re informed, the official appeal window is already closed. This is unacceptable and unfair to users who have valid grounds to contest the fines. Completely irresponsible process for a company of this scale. Fix it.

Multiple issues over the last year using their 'customer service' department. Never spoke to so many people that are unwilling to help, are rude, dismissive and their first response back is 'I cannot help with that'whenever there is an issue. Always something you want to hear from 'customer service' never an apology, never 'let me try and help you with that' just some one speaking to you like you are the issue.
Latest issue is my account being suspended without any prior knowledge and only found out at the point I wanted to use the service. As a small business that uses zipcar frequently to get from A to B hassle free, I had to cancel work that ultimately lost me money. Didn't get any empathy for this even when explaining my situation, just a flat reply 'I can't help you with your account suspension' best reply ever. Was told i would get a response 24-48 hours regarding this suspension. However this was wrong because the team that deal with this don't work weekends.
Can't speak to a manager or supervisor so only option are rude customer service agents who can't help or don't want to who are too quick to talk over you rather than to listen and help.
I have listed many issues in my complaint #15902966 regarding dealing with my account suspension and other issues dealing with your agents over the past year.
Having read reviews here, not expecting much from my account suspension other than generic reply stating some security risk (despite using the service for 10 years) and not being able to give further details, then closing the account. Again great examples of customer service seen here in some of the reviews.
Zipcar is great until you have to speak to someone from this point the service is terrible. So for those of you who join, good luck and pray you don't ever have to call the 'customer service'department.

I met *every* eligibility requirement for a Zipcar account—UK driving licence, verified ID, accepted payment—and I’ve never been involved in any accidents, not even minor ones. There is absolutely nothing in my driving history that would make me ineligible. So imagine my surprise when, *after* signing up and handing over all my personal information, I was suddenly told I don’t meet their criteria.

To make matters worse, every attempt to get clarity has been met with the same generic response over and over again. I’ve reached out multiple times, carefully explaining the situation, but their customer support just recycles the same message, completely ignoring the actual content of my queries. It honestly feels like they haven’t read a single thing I’ve sent.

It’s exhausting, disheartening, and incredibly unprofessional. At no point has anyone taken real ownership of the issue or tried to provide a meaningful explanation. I’ve been left in the dark, chasing answers that never come.

If this is how Zipcar treats people who follow their process to the letter, I dread to think how they handle more complex problems. I wouldn’t recommend this service to anyone looking for reliability or a shred of transparency.

Awful experience. Hidden fees that are not disclosed to public on first purchase. I have been charged £47.50 under hidden schemes and customer service refused to refund me.
Do not use this service!

I’m extremely disappointed with Zipcar’s customer service and overall handling of my case.

After being charged over £600 for a damage claim (which I had already disputed but ultimately accepted for the sake of moving forward), I’ve spent months trying to obtain basic documentation that my insurance company requires to process a reimbursement.

I’m simply asking for a copy of the damage report, vehicle condition report, and an itemised invoice or repair breakdown—basic, standard information any rental company should be able to provide.

Since they charged me, I’ve sent five consecutive emails—not a single reply. They were quick to take the money, but when it comes to helping me get reimbursed, they’ve gone completely silent.

This level of unresponsiveness is unacceptable, and frankly, unprofessional. I expected far better from a company like Zipcar.

Name: Dimitrios Selalmazidis
Location: London, UK

I’ve been using Zipcar recently, and every single car I’ve rented has been filthy — both inside and out. Despite leaving multiple comments after each trip, nothing has changed. Not even a basic apology or acknowledgment.

On top of that, I received an unfair parking fine after I had to park at a hospital at 2am due to an emergency. It was completely dark, and I couldn’t see any signage. I explained the situation clearly to Zipcar, but there was absolutely no empathy or support. They never sent me the fine details, so I couldn’t even appeal it on time — and they still charged me an extra £30 “admin fee” on top of the fine.

I called customer service, and the representative I spoke with (named Stefano) told me to “shut off” and hung up on me when I asked for his manager’s details. I have the exact time and date of that call, and since calls are recorded, I hope someone at Zipcar actually reviews it.

To make things worse, I’ve now sent three separate emails to customer support — and I’ve never received a single response, not even an acknowledgment. It’s beyond frustrating.

The level of customer care is shocking. There’s no accountability, no follow-up, and no concern for the user experience — not to mention the poor state of the vehicles. I’ve never been so disappointed with a service I actually paid for.

They will scam money out of you, they wait till their cars and vans are in a state of disrepair and then fabricate an accident that you apparently have had to try to get money out of you to repair the vehicle. Avoid like the plague.

I’ve been a Zipcar customer since 2018 and used to be a fan of the service. But after this experience, I can honestly say Zipcar is no longer a trustworthy company.

I returned a van on time and to the exact same location I picked it up from. Days later, they charged me £345 for a towing fee, claiming I left it in a different area. Even though i had called them to confirm it was dropped off exactly where it should be. I immediately asked for the GPS data from their own tracking system — they refused to provide it. Their story changed each time I spoke to them, and eventually they stopped replying altogether. Zero transparency, zero accountability.

So I filed a formal claim through Money Claim Online (MCOL) — part of the UK Government’s small claims process. It’s quick, cheap, and can be done in just a few clicks. You don’t need a solicitor, and you don’t need to put up with being ignored or unfairly charged. The case has already been assigned and progressed through the directions stage, with both parties filing formal responses.

Zipcar’s behaviour has been evasive and unprofessional throughout. A company that once relied on convenience and trust is now hiding behind silence and bureaucracy, hoping customers give up. If they do this to you — don’t. File a claim. It’s easier than you think, and it forces them to respond properly.

I had a very disappointing experience with Zipcar UK. After signing up, they charged me a £15 application fee, but then rejected my driver’s license without giving a clear explanation. Despite my requests, they refused to refund the application fee, even though I never got access to their services.

What makes this even more frustrating is that I’ve successfully rented cars in several other countries without any issues using the same license. Zipcar UK seems to have an unnecessarily strict or unclear approval process and zero flexibility or fairness when it comes to refunds.

I would not recommend this company – their customer service is unhelpful, and their policies feel like a scam. Be warned before signing up!

I am a frequent user of Zipcar went to use the services the other day and my account was suspended without any knowledge I contacted them and received a response saying my account has been suspended due to security concerns I have never wrongly used Zipcar at most I’ve logged in on a different device but other than that they closed my account I called customer service for help but they are not able to escalate this issue for me

Bunch of brainless people run this company. Stay away from this scam company as they are not who they were before

This was my first time using Zipcar, and I’m extremely disappointed. I booked a car to get to the airport during a very stressful time, I was travelling for a family member’s burial. When I dropped the car off, I made sure to park it in a Zipcar bay at the airport. I even called customer service to confirm, and the representative assured me it was fine and that she had locked the car from her end. I trusted her guidance.
Weeks later, I received a shocking fine of £319. They claimed I had booked a "round trip" and should have returned the car to the original location something I was never clearly informed about during the booking process. Nothing stood out to indicate I was agreeing to a round trip or that returning to the original location was mandatory.

I tried to explain the situation, including the stressful circumstances I was under and the fact that I followed the instructions given to me by their own support staff. But Zipcar showed absolutely no empathy. They refused to reconsider or even acknowledge that there was a serious miscommunication on their part.
This experience has left me frustrated and upset. I genuinely expected better from a company that markets itself as convenient and flexible. Sadly, I won't be using Zipcar again and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, especially not first-time users.

Dear Zipcar UK,

Thank you for your response. I want to express my sincere disappointment at receiving a £319 fine as a first-time user, especially when I made every effort to leave the car in a safe, designated Zipcar location at the airport and even communicated with your team before my flight.

I now understand that the vehicle was a Roundtrip car and needed to be returned to its original location. However, as someone using the service for the first time, I genuinely didn’t realise this. The information may have been there, but it was not clearly communicated or emphasised in a way that would stand out to a new customer.

What’s frustrating is that, had I known, I could have easily taken an Uber for £100–150 to the airport. The fact that I tried to do the right thing, and am now being fined £319, makes me seriously reconsider ever using Zipcar again or recommending it. There are plenty of alternatives that are more transparent and customer-friendly.

Mistakes happen, and I believe that how a company handles them,especially with new users,says everything about its values. I urge you to reconsider this penalty, as it feels extremely harsh and discouraging for someone who genuinely tried to do the right thing.

I hope Zipcar can show some understanding and goodwill here.

I recently experienced a few issues with a vehicle I booked, and I must say Zipcar handled it brilliantly. From the moment I reached out, the team was responsive, understanding, and genuinely concerned about making sure I was looked after properly. Ornela in particular was a star. She was professional, polite, and quick to resolve everything.

They not only acknowledged the inconvenience but also took steps to make it right with a driving credit. I truly appreciated the respectful tone and the reassurance about their community standards. It is clear that Zipcar values its members and maintains high standards for its service.

Issues happen. It is how a company responds that really counts, and Zipcar did an excellent job. I will absolutely continue using them and recommend the service to others.

Poor contact .Customer service completely useless they can't solve simple problems.

Zipcar has become a scam company! They charged me £90 per my first drive and after closed my account giving me 5 possible reasons that’s mean.. no reason! I used to be a Zipcar defender, telling everyone how good they were, I used Zipcar for years, my parter used to have an account too and out of blue they closed both accounts without ANY CLARIFICATION! Disappointing!

They replied saying: Security concerns, And doesn’t not provide ANY explaining!
What happened? I don know!
Good answer Zipcar!

A Disappointing Experience with Zero Transparency

My recent experience with Zipcar left me incredibly frustrated. While I fully accept responsibility for my actions as a driver, the complete lack of transparency regarding additional charges was unacceptable.

Without warning, without a receipt, without ANY prior notice, money was suddenly withdrawn from my account, leaving me in a difficult situation. When I requested a call to discuss the issue, I was bluntly told they "only email to record conversations"—yet most professional companies record calls anyway.

Athina, the representative handling my case, provided nothing but generic responses and an empty apology, claiming payments are "automated" and that there was nothing they could do. I find it absolutely baffling that a multimillion-pound company refuses to resolve even the smallest issues properly. She has also just now ghosted me.

Consumers deserve clear, upfront communication, not vague policies and automated responses. Zipcar has shown a complete disregard for transparency, and I would strongly caution others before trusting them with their money.

Zipcar changed my booking without letting me know. It was not even for the same day and time!! They also charged me for cancelling the booking when it was Zipcar that changed the booking
I had to re-book and sort out refund for my original booking. But today I found that they have taken extra money out of my account, again without telling me.
I called them and spoke to one of their staff who didn't have a clue what I was taking about and who was unable to help me. There is no-one to talk to when things go wrong, you have to make a complaint in order to get someone from Zipcar to look at the problem.
Stay clear of this company!