Yes, only when you actually rent the car though - I was referring to the realistic sounds it makes while only "checking out" the remote, as well.
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Zipcar Drives into App Store
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ok im still lost here.
say you are in NYC..where do you park the car when you are done? and how do you know where you will be when you are done? so say i rent the car and need to go uptown...ok...now what...where do I park it? in a garage I have to pay an hourly rate for? do i just leave it there?
then say i want a car 4pm today, how do i know where the cars will be at that time? what if the car is currently next door but at 2pm it is leaving for somewhere and doesnt come back?
say you are in NYC..where do you park the car when you are done? and how do you know where you will be when you are done? so say i rent the car and need to go uptown...ok...now what...where do I park it? in a garage I have to pay an hourly rate for? do i just leave it there?
then say i want a car 4pm today, how do i know where the cars will be at that time? what if the car is currently next door but at 2pm it is leaving for somewhere and doesnt come back?
Yes, the garage is home base in NYC, and does not charge you to keep it there when upon return. Another convenience is that you do not need to refuel the car, (provided that you use only one tank of gas) as this is included with the rental.
You park the car at the garage you picked it up at when you are done. Each car "lives" in one garage, so you can't return it to another garage where the car doesn't "live".
I'm not sure about you, but I don't rent cars to go around town. I rent them to go places, pick stuff up, etc.
As for your 4pm question, you check to see what cars are available to you at whatever time you want.
Is anyone else thinking of the practical joke of hiring a car, then waiting till people go past and hooting the horn?
I have 3 parked at my building, I can't wait to try this tonight.
I used to use zipcar in manhattan when they first came into business a few years back and though it was somewhat convenient I just couldn't stay with them for one very simple basic reason, they splash a huge Zipcar logo on the side of the car. Looks absolutely silly and retarded. I complained to them and they said it was so that people could easily identify the zipcar when picking them up, however at that time in manhattan all the zipcars were basically in serviced garages, so there was no reason for me to "easily" recognize the car, the garage attendent simply retrieved it for me. Basically, they have that ridiculous logo on the side of the car as a cheap marketing tool (and maybe an anti theft deterrent cause let's face it, who wants to steal a car with a logo splashed on its side), which is their perogative, however if you are rolling around town or into a nice restaurant or onto a golf course with a car with that cheesy logo, it just didn't feel right. Great concept, but they need to lose the logo on the side.
I will admit, I was excited when it was first announced. But after seeing it, I am severely disappointed. The main attraction to it is the ability to unlock/lock your car with the phone and therefore get rid of the zipcard. Yet you still need to use the card at the beginning of each session. Until they get rid of this, the app fails. I STILL need my card.
True, although needing to swipe the car before unlocking seems to defeat the purpose, you can still honk the horn to find the car (if located in a lot) and use the lock-unlock iPhone remote throughout your rental period.
They really ought to lose the logo. At their rates, you could snag a comparable rental from Enterprise, Thrifty, National, or Budget for less, and avoid advertising the fact that your driving a rental.
Had a chance to use the app today with my ZipCar reservation. Just wanted to share a few thoughts:
All in all, it's a great app and very very useful, but it definitely doesn't eliminate the card.
- Yes, as everyone (including the FAQ) has said, you must first unlock the car with your keycard. I assume this is to prove that you are physically present at the car. Perhaps they could change this by getting your phones location and comparing that with the "home" location of the car. I don't know.
- The app loads very quickly when you need to lock/unlock the car and is actually pretty nice, though when entering the car quickly in the parking lot with shopping bags, I found it easier just to press my wallet (with card inside) against the windshield as I always have.
- When parked in a parking garage, I couldn't get the car to unlock or lock with the iPhone. I know that this is because the command is sent via satellite, nonetheless, it's still necessary to always keep your card with you "just in case".
- The car I had reserved (a Honda Civic) did not support the horn function, so I wasn't able to try that out, but I'm sure it would've been fun.
- It was nice to quickly pull up the app and extend my reservation by 30 minutes when I realized I would have a hard time making it back by the original end time.
All in all, it's a great app and very very useful, but it definitely doesn't eliminate the card.
A few of their cars are completely blank, but most of them are logo'd. I've never had a problem with it (I actually like the logo), I can kindof see your point, but I don't think its a deal breaker for most uses - however, I'm not a member of the golf country club, so maybe we move in different social circles
Most rental cars have some sticker on them (usually the bumper) and I'd rather it said Zipcar than Budget or Hurtz.