Comments on: PhillyCarShare's Downward Spiral

By: Darrin

Darrin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:36:05 +0000

I used to be a member of Philly Car Share until one fateful night when I had too much to drink and decided not to drive. Unfortunately, I also fell asleep without extending my rental. Although my car was rented from a parking lot with more than 10 PCS cars and an identical car that could have been used had I effected another user's reservation, Philly Car Share charged me over $300 in fees and refused to give me any kind of break for my error. When I mentioned this to a coworker, she boasted that she had once had a similar situation and was able to argue with customer service to get the fees waived. Moral of the story? You are better off driving drunk or being a complete dick to customer service in order to avoid getting charged an enormous fee. My credit report has an unpaid debt from Philly Car Share over $500 now. They will never be worth what they have cost me, and I will never stop advocating against their ridiculous "friendly" image.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:08:47 +0000

Customer service at PCS is HORRIBLE! They auto-renewed me for another year, without contacting me. The last car I tried to rent wouldn't let me in. They were on the phone with me for 15minutes trying to get me into it. I was late for my appointment, so they sent me on a train/bus and walk for another car! Absolutely insane!!

And eventhough I told them I have not used their services since last November and am NOT happy with the availability in my neighborhood and that I DO NOT want to continue membership, it appears they have NO OPTIONS for reimbursement. So they've taken $125.00 out of my account and I am STUCK with another year of their shitty cars!

I am spreading the word… DO NOT JOIN PCS!!

By: Eli

Eli — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:05:36 +0000

Massar is known to be a troubled and troublesome little man.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:39:09 +0000

I closed my PCS membership today. HORRIBLE experience and HORRIBLE customer service. After 30 minutes on the phone with them, they determined the car I was in was DEAD. I was late for an important meeting. Customer service follow up was sorely lacking – and they didn't do anything to keep me as a customer. Then, they hit me with extra fees. I'm done with PCS and will warn as many people as I can not to deal with them. They are unrealiable and don't give a hoot about customer service.

By: ana Carvalho

ana Carvalho — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:41:14 +0000

I just canceled my membership of PhillyCarShare. I had a problem in the past with them with a specific person, but had decided to give them another chance. This time, however, what happened was so disturbing that this is it. When I tried to return the car about 11:00 pm to its location -a single parking space on the street- the parking space was occupied. I immediately called and was connected to a pleasant person who said for me to leave the car in any nearby available legal parking space and to phone them back to tell them where. There was a parking space the other side of the street. Like all parking spaces in the area (and in center city) there is a time restriction for non"sticked" residents- it's only unrestricted from 9:00pm to 9:00 am, (which is actually better than than most others). I phoned back as I walked home and spoke to a 2nd person (with whom in the past I also had an interaction problem). She tells me that if the car gets tickets after 9:00 am next day I will pay for them otherwise I have to find an unrestricted parking space. As I explained to her there are NO unrestricted parking spaces except for those residents with a sticker and that in any case my reservation had concluded . The car was no longer managed by me, but by Phillycarshare. She insisted and insisted there were unrestricted parking spaces on a nearby street (which I knew was not true) and I was already near home where my child was expecting me and walked/ran back to the dark street that she mentioned near their dedicated parking space. Of course, she was wrong but had insisted.. She also told me that I was responsible for the car till the end of the reservation though I had dropped it before my reservation time and had informed Phillycarshare by phone. During all this time, frustrated (wouldn't you?) and walking fast I was trying to explain over and over again that there are no unrestricted parking spaces . When I arrived to the mentioned street and back to the car (it's the same location) a gangster like person was in his car occupying Phillycarshare space and I had to confront said person and ask him to leave. This was not terrible safe specially since this Phillycarshare space is just across from a congregation of homeless and crazy and all the business had already closed on the block . So Phillycarshare was asking me repeatedly to provide them with the impossible (an unrestricted parking space) and put my safety at risk by insisting a unrestricted parking space could be found on a nearby dark street (not true at all). The Phillycarshare person wasn't interested in any solution that meant that they had to manage the situation, the car and its parking space. I asked if the space was not going to available for 3 days because of other cars occupying it would I be expected to pay tickets or babysit the car (and move it every 2 hours to a different block) until the space was vacant ?. Or should I sit in the car and send spies to tell me when the space is vacant? The absurdity of Phillycarshare position and its demands that the impossible be obtained and that the member should be responsible for the car and stay in it presumably (how else?) for as long as necessary to obtain the dedicated parking space is only matched by its nastiness and complete ignorance of their own rules-they charged me for the time to get to the street of their choice on foot (with the wrong info) and the time that I took to put the car back in its proper place and still gave me a lecture on the delights of a membership which apparently requires that Phiilycarshare member is responsible for managing cars and parking spaces after their reservations expired. According to her a member has such duties. Well, no longer. Phillycar share will not get me to manage their cars. I was a monthly member when no such thing was required. I was a very good member. What bad management and what terrible membership interaction. Nothing has changed since their last survey.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:19:45 +0000

Albert: Any word on PCS's community healing forum this Monday? PCS seems to need a lot of healing, and I wonder if the event did anything. Did the director take feedback well or just try to justify his actions?

By: jblaze

jblaze — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:49:59 +0000

I just realized that they started charging $15 a month. Oh well, as soon as it is 9AM, I will cancel my membership.

My overall experience has been good, but I don't want to pay a monthly fee for a car that I have as a backup.

By: DNice

DNice — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:00:28 +0000

Does Philly Car Share charge a $2.00 car rental tax? I think I heard that recently.

By: Albert

Albert — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:30:07 +0000

Steve – If PCS is gone, then Zipcar has a monopoly in town and that's good for nobody. Prices will go up. PCS needs to clean house from the top down and then, things will get better. Maybe they won't though.

I've moved on and I'm not stupid angry at them like I used to be. I wasn't screwed over by this plan though, I'm on the pay plan already. Their patterns are predictable and I know how to get what I need out of the service.

By: Mooser

Mooser — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:43:51 +0000

Just do the sensible thing and buy a small motorcycle or scooter. Problem solved, and a world of transportation adventure is open to you.
Stay home in the winter, that's where the heart is, baby.