[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by biggrin

He went through this thread and realised that Zoomcar service has gone down over the years (in terms of quality and customer experience, esp. in case of a crash)

Let's take a moment to think about why this might be the case.

There's two angles to this: Zoomcar being proactive about routine maintenance and making sure the car is kept healthy mechanically. The onus is completely on them to adhere to manufacturer recommended service schedules.

Regarding dents and scratches, as much as Zoomcar would like to keep the cars shiny, they would obviously prefer them to be rented out than be in the garage getting dents fixed. So, you should live through having a car with dents.

The other angle and more significant one is, of course the customers. Given umpteen threads and roadside incidents/accidents, we wouldn't be wrong in assuming that a sizeable number of rentals are thoroughly abused by the drivers. One unsuspecting driver then has to live through the failure or breakdown.

And there'll always be only so much Zoomcar can do to mitigate this. They will obviously think financially and have the cars on road as much as possible than repair it at the slightest hint of trouble.

Here's a story of my own: I've seen a Mercedes GLA generally parked at the Baner site while passing through the road a few times. When I went in to pick up other rentals on a few occasions, it was never there so I asked the attendant about how frequently it is rented. He says, more often than not, the car is rented for a weekend and then spends the rest of the month in the garage getting fixed from the wreck the renter caused.

The problem here isn't with Zoomcar as much as it is with our (and I mean, a significant number of people, NOT all) typical attitude: until we stop abusing a car just because it isn't ours or even not use it the same way we'd use our own car, the experience with self drive rentals will only deteriorate.

Eventually, they'll add clauses that will make it financially imprudent to rent or we'll have to accept terrible cars on offer.

I am actually surprised this concept has even lasted this long!

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

......
Eventually, they'll add clauses that will make it financially imprudent to rent

They should make it difficult for irresponsible customers. Give every customer a mechanically sound car (minor cosmetic damages are acceptable) and demand they return it in a similar condition, accounting for regular wear & tear.

we'll have to accept terrible cars on offer.

Not at all. Every customer has a right to demand proper service (including the car itself), or the vendor will lose business. Simple as that. Nobody is obliged to accept rentals with bald tires, mechanical gremlins, malfunctioning equipment and smelling like a dank cave after paying not-so-cheap fees.

I am actually surprised this concept has even lasted this long!

Me too. Blame them for blowing up VC funding like there's no tomorrow, without a viable long-term plan in place. The rental scene is still understandably immature in India, but Zoom seem like they're making stuff up as they go along (most others too, to be fair). Zoom may survive in another form, but their current business model is doomed.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

They should make it difficult for irresponsible customers. Give every customer a mechanically sound car (minor cosmetic damages are acceptable) and demand they return it in a similar condition, accounting for regular wear & tear.

They will identify an irresponsible customer only at the end of the rental, isn't it?

Every customer has a right to demand proper service (including the car itself), or the vendor will lose business. Simple as that. Nobody is obliged to accept rentals with bald tires, mechanical gremlins, malfunctioning equipment and smelling like a dank cave after paying not-so-cheap fees.

True; but this is in an ideal world.

But Zoomcar will remain vested in financial benefits; hence for them, what matters is keeping the car on the road.

Unless renters change, the cycle won't end.

I have rented with Zoomcar twice; had a pleasant experience once with an EcoSport but the City diesel that I rented was terrible: wasn't washed, not the best smelling interiors, road hugging sump guard, two-three significant dents on EACH side of the car (including the roof).

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

They will identify an irresponsible customer only at the end of the rental, isn't it?

Sure, changing customer policy is not a one-off in the best of worlds. Now that Zoom have given reckless people a taste of irresponsible, limited-liability behavior, it will take much longer for them. Big mistake to start with the policies they did, but their only target at that point was market capture with cars paid for by VC money.

True; but this is in an ideal world.

Very much in a practical world, but agreeably in a matured market. Even in our apparently immature one, Zoom now has competition from vendors who seem to have learned from their predecessors' mistakes.

I rented from Revv recently. Their limited-liability policy is nearly identical to Zoom's, but their agents are immensely meticulous about vehicle inspection pre-delivery & pickup. I spent nearly 20-30 mins both times going over even minor stuff, including a test drive each to ensure there weren't mechanical issues not apparent to visual inspection. Far cry from how Zoom handles their cars. No wonder they're all junk now.

But Zoomcar will remain vested in financial benefits; hence for them, what matters is keeping the car on the road.

True, until the cars hit a point where they're no longer road-worthy, which is pretty much their whole fleet today.

Every business is in the business of making money, but there's only so far one can go cutting corners on necessary expenses before the whole system collapses.

Old business wisdom: "Paisa banane ke liye pehle paisa lagana padta hai" (One needs to invest money first to make money).

Unless renters change, the cycle won't end.

It's a catch-22 situation. Renters won't change until rules force them to, rules won't change until vendors don't realize it's not a sustainable model long-term. It's the proverbial case of the beast tasting blood, difficult to tame now.

[biggrin]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Let's take a moment to think about why this might be the case.

There's two angles to this: Zoomcar being proactive about routine maintenance and making sure the car is kept healthy mechanically. The onus is completely on them to adhere to manufacturer recommended service schedules.

I am actually surprised this concept has even lasted this long!

I agree with your views.

I had questioned about 2 things, i.e. customer care and service quality. A good number of cars from their fleet are abused thoroughly. Generally speaking, a 10k km run frequently-rented Zoomcar will not be in a better condition than a 30k km run personal car. A 40k km run car would have gone through most probably 40 different driving styles. Such is the degree of abuse, and I am sure many Zoomcars wouldn't be lucky enough to even cross the 1 Lac km mark successfully. Since renters assume that the damage is to the car (and not borne by them till the damage is obvious and caught within their hiring duration) and they are safe if there is no visual/extensive damage when the car is handed over to Zoomcar. What is wrong is that Zoomcar blames the person who is driving the car at the time when the damage occurs. The damage has to be borne by even sedate drivers just because they are behind the wheel when a part fails. A part may have been badly abused by the last 10 drivers but the last one has to pay the price, even if he was taking utmost care while driving the car. Maybe Zoomcar folks are right when we think from their point of view, but they must assure that the car is in a condition which can be rated 8 out of 10. They should also carry out an inspection before handing over the car to a customer and mark the parts which may give up, or are at the last stage of their life. At least some protection should be given to the customer, depending on the mechanical condition of the car. When they can track fuel gauge movement and vehicle speed, then they must also track RPM changes and gear position. They can compare that with vehicle speed and find out when anyone is abusing the car.

I am not concerned about physical condition of the car. Dents/scratches are covered by the person who has caused them, so there are little/no chances that Zoomcar can blame a customer for damage caused by someone else. Mechanical condition is more important and, sadly, cannot be easily studied by every customer. They cannot continue to pass on ill-maintained vehicles to customers to achieve their profits. It is correct that, for them, car on the road is better than car in the garage. But the car which is fit for the road should be used, and the car which needs addressing by mechanics should be in the garage. If their car is not in top condition, it should be attended to instead of being pushed to another customer, waiting for a part to fail so that they can blame the customer.

I haven't personally experienced their services. In the cases where a car is involved in a part failure/accident, Zoomcar folks are simply not friendly enough. They are like the salesmen who will talk in a sugar-coated language till the deal is sealed and turn into the exact opposite every time a word is uttered against them.

After the recent experiences on this forum (and others also), I think Zoomcar's days are over. In the Indian market, with the type of mentality that people have for someone else's property, only a handful of lending/renting services can survive for long. That "Meri thodi na hai" attitute will not let these rental cars survive.

OT : A very informative discussion going on in the last few posts.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by audioholic

I think you should catch the collars more tightly Or not sure if those were the good days of zoomcar. But never believe the customer care folks, I hope you have a single person contact.

Posting this account on their FB page has helped a little. They initiated a partial car rental refund, not the taxi refund. The taxi refund as of now, looks like history. They are still billing him more than the time he was with the car. They refuse to refund Rs. 5000, collected as a deposit during booking, which is nothing but a renamed Car Damage charge.

Unfortunately there is no single point of contact till now. He might visit their office this weekend. Lets see how it goes.

I am now wondering if all of this is the aftermath of what FM reignofchaos posted a couple of pages back.

[rrsteer]

I wonder why Zoom doesn't have more Toyota's in their stable. Having an Innova may have proved more beneficial than a XUV. I rent cars quite frequently from Myles and mostly Innova and have rented them from different locations (Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi) and yet to experience a badly maintained car. Don't know if it is myles or the car.

[sandeepmohan]

Following up on my post #1063.

Colleague has given up. Zoom finally agreed to return the so called "Vehicle Damage" amount of Rs. 5000 and also refunded him for unused hours. Total refund works out to around Rs. 12,000. Refund of taxi bills was refused.Colleague requests that they review the recorded conversation of the support staff who told him to use a taxi and that they will reimburse on producing bills. They review and revert saying, the conversation isn't very clear on reimbursement of taxi bills. Fed up and frustrated with over a week of arguing with these chaps, he gives up. He has had enough with Zoom.

Think twice before hiring a car from Zoom.

[audioholic]

At least I am glad to here that they did not charge for the damage. The transport reimbursement is a different thing though. Nothing can compensate the mental strain that we go through when such an incident occurs. Many a times when my family decides to go on a trip, I feel like renting an XUV or a Merc to experience some driving fun. But things like this and my own personal experience draws me away from it and I suddenly ask myself why I should leave my trusted car at home and take such a risk. Hence I have always pushed the idea of taking the GLA out for a spin.

Originally Posted by rrsteer

I wonder why Zoom doesn't have more Toyota's in their stable. Having an Innova may have proved more beneficial than a XUV. I rent cars quite frequently from Myles and mostly Innova and have rented them from different locations (Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi) and yet to experience a badly maintained car. Don't know if it is myles or the car.

Completely agree. They always went wrong on their choice of cars. Initially they had Ventos which were prematurely phased out. Sadly I have to say that the XUV is a bad choice for such an abuse intensive environment compared to a barebones innova. Same applies to the Honda City and Amaze which are completely run down. Instead of the figo or swift, had they got a bunch of Etios, we would have had lesser people complaining.

Needless to say about the premium cars except the fortuners. People just don't know how to treat them. Due to someone else's bad driving, many a times the next renter will face trouble. Guess they are fighting a losing battle here. Most of the cars are needing replacement and more and more complaints are flooding their Facebook wall. If they dont wrap up things well and mend some policies, the company will be history.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by audioholic

lThey always went wrong on their choice of cars. Initially they had Ventos which were prematurely phased out. Sadly I have to say that the XUV is a bad choice for such an abuse intensive environment compared to a barebones innova.

I had asked the same question to someone who is setting up a self drive company in Bangalore and Coimbatore currently. They have decided to go with Toyota fleet. As per him, it depends on the market which they are targeting. His company is planning of targeting NRI's who are on long leave and business visitors in Coimbatore. Hence decided to go with Toyota fleet.

As per him, Zooms major client base is young crowd on weekend trips from Bangalore. For them the major vehicle requirement is 'sporty' models. Hence, Swift, XUV and all comes in to picture.

[dreamseller]

Originally Posted by ozzyrules

Hey guys, couple of questions.
I've booked an EcoSport from Zoomcar, Chandigarh for a week-long trip to HP. This is from their railway station pickup point. Anyone hired an EcoSport from there recently? I mean, what to expect kind of thing?

We're headed first to Dharamsala. Where do I pay the inter-state tax? Are there clear markings?

On the return leg, we're visiting Amritsar. Inter-state tax required for Punjab too?

Thanks in advance!

Hey Ozzy,

How was your experience? Any feedback would be highly appreciated. I'm in a similar situation, and contemplating between Zoomcar and Myles.

[ozzyrules]

Originally Posted by dreamseller

How was your experience?

The experience was quite good overall. The railway station pickup point is about 22 KM from Chandigarh airport. The pickup and drop-off was quite fast. Remember to take photos of any dents/scratches before you zoom off! A small piece of the bumper had chipped off and they were saying it might have occurred during my rental period, but I had a photo to prove otherwise.
Also, don't forget to carry your own phone accessories like car charger, cable, and windshield mount. They might not be present or in working condition.
The inter-state tax for both HP and Punjab was already paid, so we didn't have to stop at the RTO check-post
We were not pulled by the cops either, to check for papers..etc.

The car had done about 60K on the odo, in fairly decent condition. The AC was not very good, not sure if it was a car issue or Ecosport in general.

I haven't tried Myles yet, so can't give you a comparison. Based on this and previous experiences with Zoomcar, I'd recommend them.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

As per him, Zooms major client base is young crowd on weekend trips from Bangalore. For them the major vehicle requirement is 'sporty' models. Hence, Swift, XUV and all comes in to picture.

Does that mean Zoomcar wouldnt be in demand if they, for example had only a fleet of Innovas and Etios? If the company has a huge chunk of the market, I dont think choice of vehicle would have been a deciding point at least in their second stage of acquiring vehicles. Instead they got a huge fleet of scorpios and XUVs along with Amaze and Figo. To be honest I feel all these vehicles are more suited for personal use.

On the other hand, I noticed that the cars belonging to RTT are in better shape compared to cars owned by Zoomcar. Yesterday I saw a Scorpio in top shape though it was two years old. So was a Ciaz which was also of the same age(KA51C series). In contrast, the scorpios owned by Zoomcar(KA03 Series) are run down like anything with things missing here and there. I guess RTT maintains the cars themselves and keeps them in a better shape compared to Zoomcar.

[mo1]

My very first experience with Zoomcar.

Booking
Me and 3 more Friends with families had to travel from Bangalore Airport to Kabini and Wayanad and Back.
Self-drive was best suited for us since
- Point-to-point drive
- 5 of us would drive thus no pressure on single person.
- They had airport-pick-up drop-off so very convenient for us.
- Zoomcar deal was cheapest (10K for 6 days all inclusive per car)
Booking process for smooth using the website. We had booked 2 months in advance.
We had booked two scorpios between 22-May and 27-May.

Delivery experience
I had emailed Zoomcar asking for the airport zoomcar parking location (which is 8KM away) contact number. I received a reply instantly.
I called them 2 days before the actual date and confirmed my booking. This was probably not needed but just did it to be on the safer side since were travelling from Pune and any delay would have disturbed our itinerary. I requested them to give us good cars and he said all their cars are good! I said okay! He asked me to give a call after we land.
After landing at Bangalore airport, I called him and he said he is sending two scorpios and will reach airport in 15 mins.
We collected the luggage and waited outside. After waiting for 15 mins I called again and he said they are on their way. After waiting for 15 more minutes, I called again and he said they will reach any time and the delay could be due to traffic on airport road. After 5 minutes two red scorpios appear and we breathed a sigh of relief!
We loaded the luggage and ourselves in the cars and they drove us to zoomcar parking.
The cars were fairly new (14K and 24K on odo). We did the inspection.(checked all lights, tyre air pressure, spare tyre etc). All seemed good. And since they had just driven us 8KM from airport, that was an additional test passed. We filled the check-list and were ready to go. The cars were clean and with very few scratches. They had given us tank full. This process was smooth.

Actual Journey
Both cars were good. In one of the cars AC was not cooling enough unless kept on "4". Also in the same car, beyond speeds of 80-90, the brake peddle was shuddering. (similar to what happens with ABS but it was not ABS. It was "S4" model). The braking was good but there was this shuddering. Not sure what the issue was but since we did not feel anything alarming, we just ignored it. Other than this, both the cars drove well. Another sigh of relief!


Drop-off Experience
We had 640Kms in our package and we drove about 620. We could have covered the round-trip without re-fuelling but we topped-up Rs. 500 diesel just to be on the safer side. We had taken the bill for the same. You need to tell the registration number to the guy and he enters it and it gets printed on your receipt. We drove the cars to the parking. Completed the formalities within 5 minutes. Submitted the diesel receipt. The guy said you will receive the refund in Citrus wallet which you can withdraw to your bank. (I received an SMS from Citrus within few mins for the same! Very quick!) They then drove us to the airport immediately. This was the best part!

So, overall, it was a good experience.
Just two things:
1. On time delivery - They need to improve on this.
2. Car condition - They need to improve on this too. I have submitted my feedback to them about the AC and brake issues.

Will I go to Zoomcar again?
After reading all the negative reviews, I was actually worried about my booking, but after this first experience, I am okay to try them again. I think it probably depends on location. So may be, the Bangalore airport location guys are good at maintaining the cars.

[johannskaria]

Saw a Zoomcar 2015-16 Figo TDCi on road in Mumbai.
Wow!

Have they included them in the fleet in the other cities too?