[KING DYSP]

Originally Posted by WorkingGuru

Guys, I need some help. I'm considering Zoom as a serious alternative so that I don't have to upgrade to a SUV.

Hello WorkingGuru,

Go through this blog. IMHO the blogger has summed up the advantages of owning a hatchback for city usage and renting a Car/SUV for long drives very nicely.

Regards.

[bravo6]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Is the cost per additional km adjusted to your fuel bill expense?

Are there perks if you return the car with the level of supplied fuel? From what I understand, there is.

From what the fleet executive told me, you would have to pay for the extra kms when returning the car; they have a credit card machine at each pick up point.

If you produce a bill for any fuel expenses, they would refund you the amount in a few days. I'm guessing via cash/cheque.

Every time I've rented one of their cars, it had >90% fuel. I've never managed to run it below reserve during the one day trips. Returning with the same amount of fuel would make no difference since Zoom includes the fuel cost in the tariff anyway. The advantage is that you don't need to stop at a bunk to fill up every time you return a car. Good if there are no bunks open nearby if you're booking ends in the early hours of the morning or late in to the night.


@all: when taking delivery of your vehicle from Zoom, make sure you take lots of snaps from all angles. Though the executives mark all the dents and scracthes on the body accurately, one time, he showed me a huge dent in the front wheel arch but failed to mark it on their paperwork.

Needless to say, when returning the vehicle, there was a different executive and he claimed I had caused the dent. I asked him to call the other guy, and it tool a good 20 mins to reach him (it was late in the night, he was probably sleeping) and it was confirmed to be a clerical error.

Had I taken pics during delivery, we could have avoided the confusion.

[WorkingGuru]

I've now done all the calculations I could, even got an opinion from my finance manager. Turns out although it could get a bit tricky in certain unexpected circumstances, EoD those were not significant enough to sour the deal offered.

SO - I'm doing it not only as a calculated step, but also as a whim. What helps is that this renting thing definitely keeps all options open anyway. I'll give it a shot, incase I feel uncomfortable, it's not like they'll have stopped selling SUV's, I can buy one anyday!

Lets see. IMO if they grow (i.e. if their fleet grows), things will only get better & those tricky circumstances when I unexpectedly need the car for abit longer could be adjusted.

I genuinely believe that government should provide assistance to such businesses. It'll :

• Save Carbon Credits.
• Free the individual investment potential thats currently stuck in cars.
• People will get to experience different cars of their choice by individually spending very little - yet contributing very well to the cars' ownership cost to the business.
• The sheer hassle & cost to maintain a car is reduced (especially for the increasing number of creatures living among us who claim they're "not a car person" - I've seen them, they look just like us! ).
• Easing unnecessary city traffic - I've seen too many people going to work alone in their MUV's - because they couldn't afford a second car just for office commute.
• Promote tourism as more people will afford mobility.
• Promotes a viable option to travel safely - not just ABS/Airbags etc, but also small things like after market stuff we get that could be dangerous if incorrectly fit.
• Auto-makers can provide cars (for less) which they couldn't promote properly. People would get to decide based on merits rather than branding.

[searchingheaven]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

you end up filling fuel too. Is the cost per additional km adjusted to your fuel bill expense?

Are there perks if you return the car with the level of supplied fuel? From what I understand, there is.

Fuel Bills(on showing receipt) are reimbursed completely. You pay the per km charge only. As far as the fuel level is concerned, it doesn't matter if you took it full tank and return it with 2 litres left.

[searchingheaven]

Originally Posted by bravo6

they have a credit card machine at each pick up point.

If you produce a bill for any fuel expenses, they would refund you the amount in a few days. I'm guessing via cash/cheque.

Zoom does not have CC machines at any pickup point. All payments to be made online. The fleet executive has a Tab which you can use to pay. That's all.

Also, the refunds are made via Electronic transfer, to the card which was used to pay the rental initially. Zoom works cashless only. Even if it is Rs. 100 payment, it has to be done by a CARD.

[bravo6]

Originally Posted by WorkingGuru

• Promotes a viable option to travel safely - not just ABS/Airbags etc, but also small things like after market stuff we get that could be dangerous if incorrectly fit.

Except please note that not all vehicles come with ABS/Airbags. The Safaris they have is an LX variant which has neither. The Scorpio SLE has ABS alone. For your requirement for GC, ABS and airbags, I think Ecosport is the only option. Hope they add "safer" variants in the future, even if they have to charge a small premium.

Could someone please confirm what variants are available in their fleet and the safety package on them?

Originally Posted by searchingheaven

Zoom does not have CC machines at any pickup point. All payments to be made online. The fleet executive has a Tab which you can use to pay. That's all.

Oh is it? When he said I could pay by card, I naturally assumed he had a CC machine. I'd be wary of entering my card details and Verified by Visa code on anyone else's device! Better if we can do it from our own phone/tab.

[Vid6639]

Ecosport, Honda city, XUV, Merc A class and BMW has ABS and airbags. The Figo, Safari, Scorpio and I think even the Vento does not.

[Kumar R]

Originally Posted by bravo6

You may refer to this page I found for a comparison between Zoom's free km and Myles' pay for fuel concept: http://www.enidhi.net/2014/04/zoomca...-blr-self.html

Bravo, thanks for a great comparative review which makes it easy to assess the pros and cons of each.

But why have you mentioned Figo rental from Zoom @ Rs 2500 / day -- the website mentions it as Rs 1,500 / day (or have the prices increased)? Am I missing something?

The 30k-70k blocking of Credit Card limit is something to ponder over. I agree it makes sense but I'm not used to such a large 'block'

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by bravo6

Do the calculation.

True, with Zoom, the pricing model promotes duration over distance.
Numbers I'd drawn up some time back for comparison ( all distances from Bangalore ).

Originally Posted by Kumar R

But why have you mentioned Figo rental from Zoom @ Rs 2500 / day -- the website mentions it as Rs 1,500 / day (or have the prices increased) ?

I think the week-day rate is Rs. 1,500 & the weekend rate is Rs. 2,500.

[sachinayak]

I see two major advantages of Zoom Car

1. It does away with my need (not desire) to upgrade my current car. What i have always desired is to have a larger vehicle to take my family out together on long drives. Now this does not happen very frequently, so buying a car just for a drive once in a quarter does not make sense. Zoom Car helps solve this exact problem. If it were not for the ridiculously high resale value of used Innovas (resulting from ridiculously high pricing of a new one), i would have gone ahead and bought one. But with Zoom Car, i question the need for me to buy one. There is simply no need (does not address the desire part of upgrading to a newer vehicle).

2. The ease of the process. Simply put, Zoom Cars may not have taken off had their processes been any less simple. It it "R I D I C U L O U S L Y" simple. Took 5 min to give the vehicle (primarily to explain whats provided along with the package and the papers that come with the vehicle). Took 5 mins to return the vehicle, primarily to check if there was any damage to the vehicle. Thats IT. Even the fuel cost was reimbursed with absolutely no questions/hassles. I did not have to worry about fuel economy during the trip


Now the minus - Only one big one
1 - They do not offer a Toyota Innova, how thoughtless. Would have been the most in-demand vehicle if they had one.


Try it once to believe and experience the convenience.

[bravo6]

Originally Posted by Kumar R

Bravo, thanks for a great comparative review which makes it easy to assess the pros and cons of each.

Hi, the thanks should go to the author of that blog, who incidentally also wrote the Hatch + Rented SUV article on Zoom's blog. I merely posted the link

The 30k-70k blocking of Credit Card limit is something to ponder over. I agree it makes sense but I'm not used to such a large 'block'

Haha me neither. That's the only thing stopping me from trying Myles. This practise would lead one to believe that you may be held accountable for any and all damages that may occur. Max liability with Zoom is 5k, which they don't even block beforehand.

Originally Posted by sachinayak

2. The ease of the process.

Oh yes, it's such a breeze!!

Now the minus - Only one big one
1 - They do not offer a Toyota Innova..

Innova + Captain seats = very very comfortable! My preference for airport drop/pickup even when I'm solo!

[WorkingGuru]

NB : Zoom has another new outlet at Aloft Hotel on Outer Ring Rd, Bangalore.

Suggestion : I think it'll be great if the mods edited the OP & listed these locations there so readers could refer to them there itself rather than go to the website & toggle back.

Regards

[Aditya]

ZoomCar is starting its operations in Pune.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

[Cyrus_the_virus]

Originally Posted by searchingheaven

Zoom does not have CC machines at any pickup point. All payments to be made online. The fleet executive has a Tab which you can use to pay. That's all.

Also, the refunds are made via Electronic transfer, to the card which was used to pay the rental initially. Zoom works cashless only. Even if it is Rs. 100 payment, it has to be done by a CARD.

Wrong. They have a card payment module which is plugged into the exec's Tab and you can swipe your card on it. This is how I paid when I extended by couple of hours

[vinit.merchant]

The heading of the thread states "Now in Pune" as an update but I checked their site and also most of the pages of this thread but could not find the details of this launching in Pune.

Can someone please throw some light.

EDIT: Apologies. Found now in post no 178.