Rip Car

The trouble with car sharing is that everybody's standards are different.

One of the considerations for my decision to go car-free was the presence of a national car sharing company here in Pittsburgh. My girlfriend doesn't drive or own a car, and the idea of a back up plan for emergencies or joy riding was appealing. For $50, I joined as a member of the service right before the registration on my car expired, and received the keys to my liberation soon after.

It turned out that we wanted to get to a family get-together in Washington County, about 35 miles away, the next weekend. Because we had a promotional coupon, we decided to throw caution to the wind and reserve the car for the whole day. In less than five minutes, our online reservation for a car parked near our home was complete, and we were excited about the adventure ahead.


1st Car Share Driving Experience

A day before the reservation time, I received an e-mail that the original car would not be available, and that the service had switched us to another car parked nearby. The next day we gladly climbed into a Toyota Prius. Once we figured out how to operate it, we had a great ride and a fantastic, worry free, if not car-free, day.

The Prius was quiet- so quiet when stopped at traffic lights, it felt like it had stalled. For a driver used to driving a car that required more participation- like keeping an ear out for noises and maintaining a strong will for getting up that next steep grade- the Prius was a dream. And though my mind and my upbringing tell me “Buy American”, my backside says otherwise. Forget about the environmental friendliness of the hybrid- whoever designed that driver's seat deserves a prize.

However, the car sharing service does not. When I checked my account online later to see if the promotional discount had been applied correctly, I discovered that I had been charged many times more than the original estimated cost. A call to the service revealed that the second car they assigned us did not have a day rate, as the originally booked car had, and so we were charged an hourly rate over 24 hours.

When I explained how they put us into a reservation that was not the same as the original without letting us know, I received the company answer from the company man- but they agreed to immediately refund the difference in driving credit or to put the difference back on my credit card in seven to ten days. With more pressing, I found that the driving credit would expire in two months. I opted for the card, but found days later that the full amount was not refunded. With another call, the problem was fixed.


Strike Two

Everything squared, I felt okay about trying out the service again a few weeks later when I need to take care of a tax matter in an old neighborhood of mine which is less accessible by bus. After all, it wasn't the driving experience that was daunting, it was the sticky aftermath. But when I went to pick up the car, which I had reserved for an hour, it wasn't there. A quick call to the service bought me a free half hour to walk to another of their cars and get me on my way. I was told that the new car was parked on a street with which I was familiar, but I couldn't find it, either. I am not great with maps or directions, but they were worse. Two more phone calls to the service, and it was finally found in a nearby lot.

Unfortunately, another call was in order. I had to report that there were scrapes and dents on both bumpers, and once inside the car, a large gash in the passenger side dashboard and a huge hole in the driver's side carpet. The car was parked in a lot in front of a club, and I imagined the previous driver and his or her sidekick dressed in glamorous heeled boots which this mere vehicle could not contain- one with feet kicked up on the dash and the other with pedal to the metal. The tank was empty, and the car share company's gas card, which customers use to refuel, was no where to be found.


Safety First

These minor nuisances all turned out to be the prelude to the real problem of the day. After driving the car for a few miles, it didn't feel quite right to me- more than just driving a car with which you are not familiar. I pulled over at a gas station, stepped out of the car, and realized that the underside of the front bumper was being held up from the pavement with three pieces of silver duct tape, the same color as the car. A crucial fourth piece had lost adhesion from the heat of the day and the dust on the road, and was causing this part of the car to drag. Another call. The customer service person apologized, and suggested that maybe I could reattach it somehow? He also suggested that I refuel on my own dime. A discount on all of my travels and travails for the day was also mentioned. I was too worn out to argue.

I have car shared since, and I am sure that I will again. Maybe I have low standards- lower than those of the car share company's customer service. That will take more than duct tape to repair. According to the company, car sharing is supposed to be easy, fast and fun- carefree. It was some of those things some of the time. Fast to reserve, and fun to drive a car I can't afford to own, but too easy to become tangled up in carelessness and silver tape.