[racer_ash]

I got an email from Zoomcar mentioning that they have launched their services in 3 more cities. Guwahati, Surat and Vijayawada. With this, they say, they offer self drive rentals in 20 cities across India. I have listed them below purely for convenience sake.

Bangalore, Pune, Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata,Ahmedabad, Mysore, Vizag, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Mangalore, Kochi, Ludhiana, Siliguri, Guwahati, Vijayawada and Surat.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by Jupiter-<3-Cars

They also have a list of damage charges here now. Its pretty excessive, and I wonder if they would levy the full charges (e.g. ₹7,000 for a Figo bumper) for minor scratches?

With the earlier ₹5k liability limit and no crazy damage pricing, I was happy to rent Zoomcars occasionally.. but now I think I will look for other options. Especially in Indian cities where it is easy to get bumped or scratched for no fault of your own, I have lost faith in Zoomcar for the moment.

Just check the pricing for A-Class.
They have put up a flat rate of Rs 10000 for everything. This is quite cheap in my opinion.

[hserus]

Myles has updated their T&C

1. Loss damage waiver as an addon so you won't be dinged for scratches etc. Security deposit removed.

2. Minimum age reduced from 23 to 21

3. Maximum speed increased to 120 from 100

[Rajesh Rawal]

Query to the users :- Delhi Airport Terminal 1 Pick Up

a)Would the zoom representative come to the Arrival area at Terminal 1 to drop the car ?

b) Can I return the car at Terminal 3 post trip completion or it has to be Terminal 1?

[ptushar]

I am planning to rent a car (either Zoomcar or Myles) from Delhi airport to Dehradun & Rishikesh. Wanted to know how much is the state entry tax for Uttar Pradesh and for Uttarakhand?

Also, for those in Delhi, is the RTO office available on every road that enter UP. I notice that there are so many roads that enter UP from Delhi.

From Delhi, is Myles or Zoomcar the better option? Myles is offering some good Automatic transmission cars.

[Rehaan]

It's worth noting that despite the ZoomCar website showing the older Figo as the cheapest car they had on rent (in Mumbai) the actual car received for the duration was a NEW Figo!

Great bang for your buck, especially with that stonker of a 1.5 diesel under the hood.

[mustang_shelby]

Booked Endeavor, instead got XUV in junk condition, got charged in full despite returning vehicle early due to poor condition

I am visiting my in-laws and decided to get a self-drive rental from Zoomcar for a couple of days for a road trip to various places in Punjab. I was doubtful on using Zoomcar, being aware of their generally poor maintenance condition. But their recent changes around starting to charge damages from customers made me think that Zoomcar was serious about maintaining quality of their fleet. Eventually I decided to book an Endeavor, hoping that Endeavor being a recently launched vehicle, the Zoomcar vehicles would still be relatively lower mileage. Also, in the higher segment there would be lower likelihood of abuse. I got a confirmed booking for 2 days: Apr 25-Apr 27.

25 minutes before the start of my trip at 7 am on Apr 25, 2017 I got a call from Zoomcar that the vehicle I had booked was not available. Supposedly, the previous customer had not returned it yet. They were downgrading me to an XUV. Upon my protesting, they offered me a ridiculous Rs 500 adjustment against a future booking as compensation.

Reluctantly, I decided to go for XUV since the other option would have been cancelling or re-planning the trip. I reached the pick-up point at Chandigarh ISBT and was offered a totally beaten down XUV with 1,06,640 kms on the odo. The number of dents and scratches on that vehicle would have taken an hour or more to count. 3 of the 4 tyres were balding and barely had any tread left. Upon complaining, the location staff promptly pulled out a caliper and showed me 3 mm of tread left on the tyre. I am sure it is possible to choose a spot on the tyre to get a favourable reading, if the intent is to prove that the tyre does not need replacement. The luggage rack on the top looked like it was fit in a junkyard.

The situation wasn’t any better on the inside. All the interior panels were permanently dirty. Seat fabric had holes in many places, and was soiled in many spots. One seat base was completely torn and the frame was visible underneath. Driver side sunvisor’s clip to hold it in place was broken. Passenger side sunvisor was permanently hanging halfway down due to broken mechanism. See the pictures below to judge the condition of the vehicle for yourself.

I told the location staff that I wanted a different vehicle. He said this is the only vehicle available. He reassured us that the vehicle had been serviced only last month and was mechanically sound. Faced with the prospect of cancellation of trip, I chose to go ahead and take this vehicle, since cancellation at this point would have meant also asking other people we were supposed to visit to re-plan. Big mistake.

As soon as we hit the highway and crossed 60-65 kmph I could hear a loud humming sound from the right side of the vehicle. It sounded like one of the wheel axle bearing was failing. The sound was loud, happened everytime after crossing 65 and was noticeable to everyone in the car. Cursing myself for trusting Zoomcar, I slowed down and made my way to Hoshiarpur, about 125 kms.

By now it was about 1pm, and I called up Zoomcar customer service, expecting that the delayed Endeavor that I had booked would have been returned by now and I would go back and switch with it. The CC executive simply said that they had a ‘shortage of vehicles’ and this was the only one available. I wondered what happened to the Endeavor, but the CC executive kept repeating the same lines. He suggested that I could go the Mahindra service center and get the vehicle repaired. I declined, as I did not want to spend my vacation time getting Zoomcar’s vehicle repaired. I told the CC executive I wanted to return the car. He said I would have to return it back at the pick-up location, and Zoomcar would refund the unused portion of the booking.

I am doubtful that there was ever an Endeavor available for my booking to begin with. The interaction with CC indicated the classic signs of a ‘bait and switch’ business tactic. They just issue a verbal apology for the ‘inconvenience caused’ and expect you to get on with it.

We decided it was unsafe to continue in this car, and we did not want to get stranded in the middle of the night with family. We cancelled the trip, returned to Chandigarh and I returned the vehicle at the Chandigarh pick up point the same evening, with complaints made again to the location staff, who said he was glad to get feedback and now he would take action. As if the condition of the vehicle was not apparent to him until we pointed out.

Next day I receive a refund notification from Zoomcar (I had paid Endeavour tariff at the time of booking plus they had to refund the unused portion of the booking). But the invoice on the site does not indicate any details about what they have eventually charged me for (duration, kms, fuel adjustment), only a refund amount. Another example of opaque and unethical business practices.

Upon calling Customer care again, the lady tells me that I have been charged for full 2 days of XUV tariff. I ask about the refund for the unused portion of the booking, and the lady says she cannot provide those details now. Someone will call back within 2 hours. I am still waiting for that callback.

It has been a total horror story with Zoomcar. I did not get the vehicle I booked for. I was downgraded, and provided a vehicle in junk condition. I exposed my family to the risks of an unsafe vehicle on the highway. I had to cancel my trip plans and I wasted precious vacation time. On top of that, Zoomcar charged me with 2 full days of booking, despite returning the vehicle on the same day due to issues with its condition. It actually hurts to be paying good money for such a vehicle and getting your vacation ruined on top of it.

I realize I would have been better off booking an Innova taxi from the local taxi service. The local taxi guy will transparently tell you the details of the vehicle he will be sending, the condition it is in, how many kms on the odo etc and he will charge you post rendering of the service, unlike Zoomcar where you pay the full amount upfront and are then stuck. Even the local taxi guy will not send a vehicle with a hundred dents and torn seats and mechanical issues, unless you go with the operator providing dirt cheap rates in which case you know what you will be getting.

Zoomcar realizes that they can stick any vehicle to a customer at the last minute, and faced with the prospect of cancelling and/or re-planning the trip, most of the customers will compromise and go with what is offered. Moreover there is no liability on Zoomcar upon not delivering the promised vehicle to the customer, other than whatever goodwill adjustment they might want to offer on a future booking. Contrast this with their policy about penalties on customer delivering a vehicle late (Rs 500/hr for first 2 hours, 750/hr for next 2 hrs and 1000/hr for subsequent hrs). What moral or ethical right does Zoomcar have to charge a customer penalties over and above usage fees when they themselves are not bound by any liability on not delivering the booked vehicle to the customer?

I have utilized rental cars in many different parts of the world, but nothing has ever come even remotely close to the disaster that is Zoomcar. It is ironical that they are promoting Self-drive concept by providing vehicles that provide absolutely zero pleasure in driving. As of now, the Zoomcar business model is totally broken for the customer. They are treating their customers like chumps. For Zoomcar though, it might be working out great in its current form.


The camera angle and shadow makes it look like there is more tread than there actually was.

[Chetan_Rao]

@mustang_shelby: I posted a nearly identical experience about a year ago on this thread. I absolutely refused to take the vehicle, and Zoomcar showed no real intent to resolve the matter, except parroting scripted lines. I did get a callback a week later from apparently their customer service head (as a response to my post on this thread), but he again provided only lip service 'action has been taken but we can't tell you what it is' and offered a free ride that I refused outright.

Never gone back to them, discourage everyone who asks for my opinion from using them. I've even pulled out of a road-trip recently because my co-travelers hired a Zoomcar.

[mykal shoemaker]

Looks like the quality and standards of Zoomcar has degraded, as vehicles are getting older.

I recently did a booking and got a too much scratch,dented and uncleaned interior car. Also noticed almost all cars in that parking lot was of similar condition.It is time for them to appoint a centralised maintenance team/cleaning team, as they are charging a good premium and getting a good return per vehicle.

Also, the refunds goes to wallets and that will add you another deduction from vallet provider if you want the cash back to your bank. Ideally security deposits, should come back to your card/bank account without any hassle.

[haldar_siliguri]

The poorly maintained Zoomcars have a lot to say about the previous clients. Sure zoomcar is supposed to fix them up, but I personally feel the typical lack of manners and total carelessness attitude of many users is the main reason. You honestly cannot expect them to fix a car every two days if most of the users do not want to care for a rental car. Its like those dirty seats on the trains, or litter strewn in every corner of our cities. Its not the fault of the Govt or the Indian Railways, but the fault lies in the lack of attitude and civic sense. Period.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by haldar_siliguri

The poorly maintained Zoomcars have a lot to say about the previous clients. Sure zoomcar is supposed to fix them up, but I personally feel the typical lack of manners and total carelessness attitude of many users is the main reason.

Valid point.

You honestly cannot expect them to fix a car every two days if most of the users do not want to care for a rental car. Its like those dirty seats on the trains, or litter strewn in every corner of our cities. Its not the fault of the Govt or the Indian Railways, but the fault lies in the lack of attitude and civic sense. Period.

Specious argument in this context.

Neither will Zoomcar charge damage/failure to all prior customers of a car, nor will the failure potentially inconvenience/hurt/kill anyone except the people in the car when the failure happens. Then why should a current customer silently sign up to suffer because the prior ones were reckless?

If the liability is mine as a customer, it's upto Zoomcar (or any other service provider) to give me a car that isn't a liability itself to begin with. If that's too much work in a country of 'rowdy' customers with no respect for rentals, they have my sympathies but they're in the wrong business.

[haldar_siliguri]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

If the liability is mine as a customer, it's upto Zoomcar (or any other service provider) to give me a car that isn't a liability itself to begin with. If that's too much work in a country of 'rowdy' customers with no respect for rentals, they have my sympathies but they're in the wrong business.

Exactly. Businesses like these honestly cannot thrive for long in India, if they have to give cars in mint condition and at the same time make it affordable to rent. Both aren't just going to happen at the same time, because what is attracting people to them is the affordability. I guess Zoomcar is just betting on the quantity over quality model.

[vinit.merchant]

Whether it is the Zoomcars fault or the customers, I realised I cannot rely on their services for any vacation trips any longer.
Hence I took the plunge and bought a new car in Jan this year. Even though I will be paying EMI's for the next 5 years, I will always feel safe and can confidently plan my vacations without worrying about the condition of the cars I may get if I rent.
Doesn't matter if I take the car max twice a year for vacations and/or 3-4 times more for outstation visits.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by haldar_siliguri

You honestly cannot expect them to fix a car every two days ...

Yes, you can. You are right that we should treat a rented car with some respect, but it is not the concern of a customer whether the previous renter did or not. Every rental should be sent out in decent condition.

[neeravnaik]

ZoomCar does suffer due to the bad driving of its customers but I think the company has to take some blame for some of the bad experiences for some time now. They are not at all customer focused. In any business quality of service will separate you from your competitors. Sadly it is very apparent that there is no one listening to the voice of the customer. Different customer contact points (emails, call centre, in person) do not talk to each other and you will be forced to run around for your small complaints. This is a case of good business space but badly run. Big Indian startups like Flipkart have grown because of their customer focus and Zoomcar seems to have lost it very early in their journey which indicates a management problem.

So far their competition is smaller than them and they are cruising on their first mover advantage. Myles still has very few centres atleast in Bangalore. Once one of the big ones like Hertz decides to enter India in a big way you could see the Uber -Ola or Amazon-Flipkart story playing out.

Initial movers create the market which previously did not exist but their management laxity can lose it out to bigger older players which come in late to capture the market.

There are still some questions to be answered regarding the business model. How do you deal with the Indian consumer who is one of the worst drivers on some of the worst roads in the world (former is a bigger problem). There is minimal civic responsibility and tendency to use other's property with scant respect. placing and enforcing strict penalties could be one way. I feel there could be bigger use for technology. A system (this may be already existing) that continuously monitors driving that rewards and punishes good and bad driving can be really helpful.

Overall I am thankful for zoomcar and Myles for creating the market which i really hope grows and sustains. But customer loyalty is never unconditional and people will not accept bad service.