May 11, 2008
Zipcar: The Not-So-Bloody Aftermath
Image via Wikipedia
In my previous post I outlined my recent troubles with the Zipcar service.
Well, surprise surprise. In the space of less than 24 hours after my phone call and subsequent cancellation of my service, I received follow-up via both voice mail and email from the General Manager of Zipcar New York.
Dear Matthew,
I wanted to take this moment to apologize for the bad experiences you had as a Zipcar member. As per your request I have returned your membership fees as well as credited you for the reservation which you had in March for a total of $120.
You should see this money on your credit card statement within 3-5 business days.
Should it ever interest you to become a member again, please contact me and I will arrange for your account to be reopened free of charge.
Regards,
XXXX XXXXXXX (General Manager, Zipcar NY)
Gosh, that was friendly. Never once did I even get remotely nasty with these folks, and they’re going out of their way to make me happy.
And you know what? That’s what it’s about. I just wanted my problem to be heard and, more importantly, listened to.
There is a lesson here for other companies: listen to your customers, give them what they pay for, and if you fail to do so then own up to it and make the situation right. Strange concept, I know.
I’m still undecided about whether or not I’m going to take them up on their offer of a free reactivation of my account. I’m a bit wary, but the fact is I could really use their service, and their extremely positive follow-up has done a lot to wipe the bitter taste out of my mouth.
So we’ll see. But regardless, I felt it appropriate after publicly slamming Zipcar to keep things fair by sharing their excellent attempt at correcting the situation.
slam away, matt. if any company wants to make money they have to be able to do what they say. thats not free market capitalism, its just how things work.
and if you have learned anything in the last two weeks, i would hope that you could forget about zipcar and just go jack a car ala gta4. duh.