Zoomcar Hosts can avail of substantial savings of up to Rs 1 lakh on pre-owned cars purchased on Cars24.

Car-sharing platform Zoomcar has inked a partnership with Cars24 to assist their hosts in fleet expansion and increase earnings. 

Zoomcar Hosts can now avail of substantial savings of up to Rs 1 lakh along with additional benefits of up to Rs 20,000 on pre-inspected and certified car purchases from Cars24. Additionally, they can avail of flexible financing options. 

According to Zoomcar, the partnership with the pre-owned car platform will promote the advantages of incorporating pre-owned vehicles into the car-sharing ecosystem. Zoomcar Hosts will also have an option to easily upgrade their present cars on CARS24 and get additional benefits.

Zoomcar offers cars shared by local hosts across more than 45 cities, including pick-up and delivery options at transit points like airports and railway stations, with a comprehensive portfolio of cars across categories - Hatchbacks, Sedans, MUVs, SUVs, EVs, and Luxury cars.

It is a crime to expect good vehicles from them and if you get a bad one, guess what, it is your responsibility to fix it.

BHPian Pam81 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have had terrible experiences with ZoomCar and Revv. Not using them for 9 months now and will never use them. Scam and really stupid business model where zero respect for customers.

Zoom is the most horrible one!

First

No real customer service. Amazon's business model inspired them and so, they never own any cars now but tweak the legal system's loophole and generate a contract of lease between the rental customer & participating private car owner. So, very lean customer care (less expense for Zoom) and no real spend on car's health.

Second

Since they don't own the car, you are in luck & GOD's mercy in finding a car that is clean, well-maintained and devoid of problems. It all depends on the private car owner's behavior. Most of these car owners (not all but the majority of them) like to provide continuous availability to Zoom car since they do not schedule but Zoom car does (just like OLA / Uber to the drivers). They (private car owners) need to take a firm decision to pull the car out of the schedule to inspect & determine if it needs service.

In reality, they do not even take a look until there's a need to use the car for themselves. So, 90% of the time, expect the car interiors to be dirty or at the mercy of the previous renter. If the previous renter found the car dirty beyond his / her tolerance, why would they bother to clean it up before they return it, plus that is like extra on their part within the rental time for which they are paying the money.

Third

If you experience issues with the car, during the time of your rental, expect no help from anyone but all by yourself. It is tough to catch either Zoomcar customer care or the owner of the car. Even if you are successful in contacting either of them, expect a cool answer of, "Sir, please take the car to a nearby workshop and fix it at your expense and Zoom will reimburse you against the bill". This is the funniest part. The car owner rents out without worrying about the car and Zoom never bothers anyway if it happens to be a bad day for you, please fix the car as if you would do for your own car.

With all these, Zoom put all the risk on you because you wanted the car. So, it is a crime to expect good cars from Zoom and if you get a bad one, guess what, it is your responsibility to fix it because when you are in the middle of your rental time, there's nothing else you could do. They won't cancel your booking for such reasons. As soon as you agree to take the car, there's no cancellation of booking is possible. Thank GOD, they are in India where customers are a joke.

Now Revv:

They have staff and try to do their bit to keep the cars on their own but sadly their execution is a hit or a miss. I booked them for 4, ended up using them 2 times and cancelled 2 times due to their issue of not being able to give me the booked car. For both cancellations, they gave me a full refund.

My only saving grace is Orix-backed My Choize. Lengthy procedures, lots of paperwork but cars are reasonably well maintained and you get good customer support. Used them 3 times now and all along no troubles at all.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

From an abused & dirty Mahindra XUV500, a cranky caretaker and unreliable customer service, we saw everything on this trip.

BHPian AnnaRocks recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

ZOOMCAR & an Old XUV 500 - A rattling combo

For a sudden trip to Mumbai, my friend and I found ourselves in a predicament with limited options and time constraints. Despite a previous positive experience with Zoomcar in their early years, this particular adventure turned into a series of mishaps and left us with a lasting impression. Buckle up as I recount the tale of our ill-fated encounter with Zoomcar and an XUV500 that seemed to have seen better days.

Getting the driver profile verified after installing the app was a headache. This was followed by car pickup fiasco. Throughout the process, I got a strong 'Golmal hai bhai sab golmal he' vibe from Hera Pheri.

The following was the car shown on the app for representative purpose (I wondered why the original pic wasn't shown then).

The Dirty Dilemma:

We headed straight to the parking lot after landing. As we approached the car, parked in the dark underground parking of BMC near Mumbai Airport, our enthusiasm began to wane. It was as if we stumbled upon the dirtiest car we had ever travelled in, surpassing even some of those leased unkempt Uber/Ola vehicles found in some metros. And to think that we had to spend the next 3 days in this. The level of filth was so extraordinary that my friend flat-out refused to touch the steering wheel, creating an instant bond of disgust between them.

Prior to this, I had used Zoomcar years ago, and if my memory serves me right, it was a relatively smooth process when Zoomcar managed the cars themselves. The cars were neat, had those Zoomcar stickers prominently displayed, white and yellow plates etc. However, I must confess that I haven't kept up with what happened to them since then, as I rarely used their services. On a couple of occasions while waiting for the delivery of my new car, I resorted to using EVMwheels, which turned out to be a pleasant experience.

The Never-Ending Handover:

The process of car handover turned into a lengthy affair, taking a whopping 45 minutes in the humid basement parking. The car itself was a sorry sight, with signs of severe abuse and a nonchalant caretaker who couldn't care less about its condition. As we waited for the car handover and completed the formalities, the combination of the stifling humidity and lack of proper ventilation created a near Sauna bath experience for us. To add insult to injury, he demanded a fuel deposit of Rs. 3500, making us feel like we were being taken for a ride before the ride even began. Nevertheless, pressed for time, we reluctantly transferred the money and embarked on our journey.

The Wallet Quest:

Shortly after our departure, the caretaker called in a state of panic, claiming he may have left his wallet in the car. We reluctantly pulled over in the chaotic Mumbai traffic to search for the elusive wallet. Alas, there was no wallet to be found. The caretaker, still flustered, promised to check with other cars he had rented out that day. We resumed our bumpy ride, with my friend expressing his colorful dissatisfaction with the XUV.

The Symphony of Warnings:

As we continued our adventure, the car treated us to a symphony of warning sounds and illuminated warning lights. Confused, we called the caretaker for assistance, only to receive an incredulous response claiming that the car was in perfect condition. We couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. Miraculously, the warnings gradually became less frequent and eventually stopped altogether, granting us a temporary reprieve.

The Bonnet Fiasco:

Just when we thought the comedy of errors had reached its peak, the caretaker called again, suggesting that his wallet might be there in the engine bay. Yes, you read that right. His high levels of hope and equal levels of sheer stupidity led him to believe that a wallet could survive a two-hour drive nestled within an engine compartment. Finding a suitable spot on the highway, we attempted to open the bonnet, only to be met with stubborn resistance. Even the boot had a secret trick to open it, which we learned during the car handover in the basement. We must have looked like amateur detectives trying to crack a case. We even consulted a mechanic at a petrol pump, engaging in video calls and troubleshooting over the phone. Time continued to slip away as we fell further behind schedule.

From Concern to Crankiness:

The caretaker's incessant calls became more aggressive, and that was the tipping point. We decided to put an end to the madness and refused to entertain his increasingly demanding requests. With no refund or apologies forthcoming, we returned the car post our journey to an unfamiliar face in the "Pataal Parking," bidding farewell to our unforgettable Zoomcar experience.

Post-trip, our attempts to address the refund issue with Zoomcar were met with automated bot responses in the app. It seemed like an endless loop of frustration until a glimmer of hope emerged. Finally, a human representative from Zoomcar replied and suggested connecting with the host to settle the refund matters. Unfortunately, the chat option was no longer available in the app since the trip had ended, and the provided phone number yielded no response.

This was the available options in chat which got responses from bot. I saw no other customer service contact number.

Frustrated but resigned, we ultimately decided to let it go, vowing never to embark on another Zoomcar adventure anytime soon, and my friend declared a temporary ban on Mahindra cars in his automotive aspirations.

As we bid adieu to Zoomcar, we couldn't help but reflect on the importance of reliable customer service and the role it plays in shaping our perceptions of a brand. Although this adventure had its fair share of frustrations, it gifted us with a humorous story and a cautionary tale about the perils of last-minute bookings and overlooked car maintenance.

Here's what BHPian Thad E Ginathom had to say about the matter:

Beautifully written, and very entertaining. The Caretaker guy really is like something from a horror story!

I am sure that the experience was absolutely not entertaining. Although you might have had to laugh a couple of times just to keep your sanity.

Thank you for the great read --- but, more seriously, thank you for giving these scamsters the publicity they deserve.

Oh, and I think I might have left my wallet in your car…

Here's what BHPian Gupts007 had to say about the matter:

I don't think anyone can have a good experience with this scam company. I have had multiple dealings with them and each experience was terrible. You might ask why did I go back to them? The thing is I had no choice and the earlier experiences, I thought were just a one off thing but the last one was terrible.

I booked a vehicle with them for delivery in Whitefield, Bangalore as I had to go for a holiday to Chikmagalur. Delivery was around 7AM. So I get this call that the vehicle is on the way and then despite repeated calls it didn't come until 10AM. At that time the guy just gave up and said we don't have a vehicle, call up the call centre. One can keep calling their number but they don't respond. In the end they just said they don't have a vehicle. I had hotel bookings and all done prematurely and all that was about to go to waste. Last minute I had to get an ola outstation cab at an atrocious pricing. The story didn't end there. The refund was such a pain to get.

I can't imagine how this company is still running. They have no systems, no checks, no staff in place. I guess the only reason they are surviving is that the demand is so high people just overlook their appalling service.

The cars they provide are not even roadworthy. The tyres mostly look like worn out tyre tubes and I once tweeted with the tyre pics of a vehicle they gave to me. However nothing seems to shake them or wake them.

Here's what BHPian prithvi53 had to say about the matter:

I had a bad experience with Zoomcar about 4 months back. I had booked a relatively new Nissan Magnite. It was easy to locate in the Coimbatore airport parking lot and I was pleasantly surprised with the automated process. I just used my app to unlock the car and the keys were inside the car. The fuel gauge showed full and everything seemed okay.

I was returning the car three days later and about 20 kms before reached the airport I filled up the car. As usual, I told the attendant to fill up the tank. I had asked them to stop when the auto cut-off stopped the fuel supply. I paid and started the car and to my horror, the fuel gauge did not show a full tank. it was showing 5 out of 6 bars. This was weird but I thought it might come up in a km or so and went ahead.

About 3 or 4 kms before the airport, it still showed only 5 bars out of 6, so stopped again and tried filling more fuel. As expected the auto cut-off happened after about Rs100. Since the fuel gauge was still not showing full, I insisted that they keep putting in more fuel. The attendant kept putting it little by little and slowly it took Rs700 worth of fuel. This itself was weird as usually, cars don't take this much fuel after the auto cut-off. At this point, there was literally no more fuel that could go in and I could literally see the fuel right on top. Even the fuel gun couldn't go in without causing an overflow.

After all this, the car is still showing only 5 out of 6 bars. So I called the customer executive at Coimbatore through the app and I told him my issue. He told me that it's a common problem with this Magnite and not to worry. He said when you leave the car just mention the tank is full. So I did just that. However, a day later I get a mail saying that I didn't fill the tank and they demanded Rs750 as a penalty for the same. I tried telling them the issue but after about 25-30 emails, trying to explain the issue and asking them to contact the Coimbatore team to verify this, they refused to budge. There was definitely a problem with the car's fuel gauge and the local team probably knew about it but at the end of the day, I was forced to pay them the extra money.

The worst and most frustrating part is that there is only an email address and no phone number of anyone who I can speak to. I couldn't even speak to the customer service team at Coimbatore as the app doesn't let you call after you terminate the booking. I ended up paying and telling myself that if I ever have to take a rental car, I'll look for other options.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The vehicle appears to be a total loss and is at a police station. There is no clear communication from the ZoomCar team.

BHPian Bhargav7 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A friend of mine had a car which he attached with Zoom. It went well for a while until the car met with an accident. Long story short, the car is now in the police station for a while and there is no clear communication from the Zoom team on the next steps.

The photos of the vehicle were shared and it appears to be a total loss. We want to proceed further and claim the insurance either as a total loss or try to get it repaired. The Zoom team which contractually has to do the entire activity seems totally incompetent.

Has anyone else had a similar experience or know a way out of this? Any guidance on how to get the car from police custody and do the next steps on the insurance will be highly helpful.

Here's what BHPian speedmiester had to say about the matter:

Did your friend get a self-drive permit for the car? If yes, then it would be better to grease the police and get the car out and claim insurance. Also do check whether there were any injuries or death due to the accident to either the renter or third party. This will make it a little difficult to get the car back.

If on the other hand, the car has a private registration with white board, better forget about insurance or any money. It is illegal to rent out private cars for hire purposes and no Insurance company will pay out. Zoomcar will just wash their hands off in this case.

Here's what BHPian Bhargav7 replied:

It is a private registration. Zoomcar came with a workaround - they make a separate lease agreement every time the car is rented out. That said, I am not really sure if that is accepted by an insurance company. At the time of attaching the car, Zoomcar had specifically mentioned that all repairs etc are their responsibility. Even now, they give assurances that they will get the car cleared and repaired. Just that they are only words not backed by actions.

On your other question, thankfully there are no deaths or major injuries reported.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

According to many Zoomcar customers, the mobility service company is yet to return refunds of payments and security deposits of trips cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

While some customers have received refunds, many customers, including some BHPians have reported that the refunds are pending since March 2020. Zoomcar claims that there is a delay due to unforeseen situations. Customers have also maintained an open spreadsheet with the details of the bookings awaiting refunds. Only a few of these have been marked as refunded. Pending refunds date back to March 21, 2020 and amounts up to Rs. 89,691 per booking.

The lockdown enforced due to the Covid-19 pandemic has hit mobility services hard. A lot of bookings were cancelled due to the travel restrictions. Some BHPians have also reported that the condition of the cars offered were pathetic.

Thanks to BHPian rakirank for sharing this with other enthusiasts.

MG Motor India has partnered with self-drive rental platform Zoomcar to offer vehicle subscription program for customers.

Zoomcar will manage the subscription program, offering MG vehicles on a 12, 24 or 36 month subscription. MG claims that the subscription model would make its vehicles more accessible to customers and will also enable it to increase its foothold in the subscription market.

MG already has a tie-up with Myles, which offers the Hector and ZS EV on a subscription basis. In Delhi, the monthly subscription for a Hector starts at Rs. 32,894. Also, the ZS EV is available at Rs. 62,096 per month.

Source

Zoomcar has resumed operations in 35 cities across multiple states. The self-drive rental company has also announced the 'Zoom to Atmanirbharta' sale which offers 100% discount and unlimited rescheduling to customers.

Zoomcar has resumed operations in the South and East zone cities including Bangalore, Mangalore, Hyderabad, Vizag, Chennai, Coimbatore, Kochi, Calicut, Guwahati, Siliguri, and Bhubaneswar. In Mysore and North and West zones, cars will only be available from 7 am to 7 pm.

Zoomcar is offering a 100% discount which includes a flat 50% off on initial booking amount and 50% cashback on all short-term rental bookings made from May 26-29, 2020. Customers can book for the travel period starting from June 1, 2020 onwards using the code ZAN100.

Zoomcar is also offering free rescheduling for all bookings. This will be applicable indefinitely. Customers who require cars for a longer duration can subscribe for 1, 3 and 6 months.

According to a media report, Zoomcar's database was hacked and personal data of around 3.5 million users has leaked. The user's data is believed to have been put on sale on the Dark Web.

The leaked data includes names, email ids, passwords, mobile numbers and IP addresses of Zoomcar users. The hacker is said to be selling the data of 9 million Zoomcar users for US$ 300.

According to a cyber security consultant, the hacker was selling the data privately until now. The actual data breach is believed to have taken place in July 2018. It is said that hackers often avoid selling the stolen data soon after the breach as it makes it easier for law enforcement to track down their internet protocols (IP).

Greg Moran, Co-founder and CEO of Zoomcar has issued an official statement regarding the matter - 

"The assertion pertaining to a breach of Zoomcar user’s password data is patently untrue. All Zoomcar data, including user passwords, is encrypted with strong algorithms that make it impossible for anyone to access. Moreover, we have a strict password rotation policy across all our assets along with a robust Akamai security layer.  Furthermore, Zoomcar routinely works with external security auditors (including Big 4 audit firms) to ensure our systems & processes remain robust and best-in-class at all times."

Source

Zoomcar is celebrating its 7th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the company is offering 100% off on all self-drive rental bookings made on February 13, 14 and 15 for a travel period between February 21 and August 10, 2020.

Customers will be able to avail a flat discount of 50% on their initial booking and an additional 50% cashback in the form of Zoom credits. The Zoom credits will be disbursed into the customers’ account within 7 days of their respective trip completion.

Besides this, Zoomcar will not charge any cancellation fee on advance bookings. Customers who are a part of the Supermiles club will have early access to the sale from 6 pm onwards on February 12.

Zoomcar is also offering Free Flight Vouchers from Wego, Experiential Holiday Vouchers for 10 couples from Sterling and a free 3 month FIT KIT Membership from Growfitter and Fitness Kitt worth Rs. 15,000 for 20 lucky winners.

Self-drive rental company Zoomcar has announced that it will guarantee a vehicle for all bookings. In case a vehicle is not available, it will offer a cashback of Rs. 10,000 in the form of credits and will also refund the full booking amount.

According to the company, its inventory system runs a real-time check on all cars to estimate time taken for them to return to their drop-off points. It takes real-time traffic and road conditions into consideration. In case of estimated delays, the upcoming bookings are automatically relocated to the nearest car available. If the exact car booked by the customer is unavailable, alternate cars that best suit the customer's requirements are suggested.

Zoomcar claims to have a team of more than 1,000 logistics specialists, who inspect every car before every booking. In case of a mechanical issue, Zoomcar claims that it will provide Rs. 5,000 per day for alternative accommodation and Rs. 5,000 credits, no questions asked.