Talk:Zipcar/Archives/2012

Costs to Zipcar user info addition would be helpful and informative

Did a previous version of this article include information about what a Zipcar user pays including specific example(s)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Detailaware (talk • contribs) 18:10, 20 October 2010 (UTC)

Why don't you go ahead and add it then? Hanxu9 (talk) 21:26, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Research

I’m a PhD student at Northwestern doing research on hourly car rental services like ZipCar and iGo, and I'm looking for interview participants to talk about their car rental experiences. I'm based in Chicago, but we can arrange to do a phone interview if you're not local. Please contact me if you’re interested in participating. Thanks! Bokonon6 14:31, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Template

please see Template:Car sharing to edit the section with the worldwide list - this might want to be made into a box the way most other templates are, but since it was a section before, I left it as a section for the time being - plus, I don't know how to make tables -- Tedernst | talk 21:13, 10 December 2005 (UTC)

Zipcar operates in Chicago now. --Mr. A. 02:51, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

Zipcar operates in Chapel Hill NC at UNC too! 152.2.71.55 (talk) 19:33, 13 April 2008 (UTC)Lindy in Chapel Hill, 13 April 2008

Not actually public

Zipcar isn't traded on NSYE or NASDAQ... can't figure out how to unlist

It's traded on Nasdaq under ticker symbol ZIP. Hanxu9 (talk) 12:47, 21 June 2011 (UTC)

Could do with some non-US details

Three of Zipcar's offices are outside the United States (London, Toronto, Vancouver). What are the liability insurance details in London, for example? We're not told. Loganberry (Talk) 01:03, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

Big advertisement?

I didn't add the above but I certainly read the fact that a section is entitled "Member Benefits" as advertorial. --Treekids (talk) 22:59, 27 January 2011 (UTC)

I agree about the way the page was, but I think it's largely been fixed now. Hanxu9 (talk) 16:18, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Disagree. Why would an encyclopaedic article about a for-profit corporation have a "Member Benefits" section? This section definitely sounds like it was 'contributed' by a Zipcar ghost writer.

Somebody (was it you?) changed it from "benefits" to "details," so that's good. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that rather than complain about an article, people should just frigging fix it. ;-) Hanxu9 (talk) 15:34, 4 October 2011 (UTC)

Is the article still written like an advertisement? If so, how? Be specific, please. Hanxu9 (talk) 21:29, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Is this needed?

Is this article really needed? It seems like just an advertisement for the company, in which case I'd refer the reader to their website. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.19.191.249 (talk) 22:59, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

I agree. Its like a big ad.--70.157.42.133 (talk) 03:12, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Oh, horse manure. It's a company. It's real, it has a product, people use it. An article is needed. Aldenrw (talk) 17:36, 8 October 2010 (UTC)

Most major corporations have an entry in Wikipedia. Since Zipcar was the first carsharing company in the US, it is particularly relevant.

BTW, except for price and its destroying competition by buying up its biggest competitor, I have heard nothing but praise for this company from my friends in the city. I wish there were more information about the merger, esp. critical information. In how many cities do they have a significant competitor? Bostoner (talk) 03:14, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Generally there are network effects in car sharing, so it's a winner-take-all sort of market, just like Google is for search and Facebook is for social networking. I've heard nothing but praise for Zipcar too, and I intend to join shortly, and then maybe sell my car. 69.63.206.125 (talk) 22:10, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

good for environment?

How is this service good for the environment, other than using high-mpg cars? Are there fewer cars on the road? Family Guy Guy (talk) 18:29, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

There are 560,000 members as of March 2011, and there are 8,000 cars in the Zipcar fleet. 560,000 divided by 8,000 equals 70 members per car. Surely a good portion of those 70 are members of Zipcar instead of owning their own car. Zipcar itself estimates each of their cars removes 15-20 cars from the road, although since they have an incredible 70 members per car, that might actually be a conservative estimate. Hanxu9 (talk) 17:57, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Fewer cars per se is of course only good for the environment in that it saves production costs. http://www.zipcar.com/is-it/greenbenefits states, for instance, "After joining Zipcar, 90% of our members drove 5,500 miles or less per year. That adds up to more than 32 million gallons of crude oil left in the ground—or 219 gallons saved per Zipster.". I can't really see why they claim the service to be good for the environment from the fact that most of their users use their service very rarely. Is all this somehow different from oldschool rental services? Jarlz0r (talk) 21:52, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

• This kind of service has also the potential for introducing a new model of personal mobility by which people has an option to own a personal car. If successful, this new paradigm in urban mobility would reduce significantly all the negative impacts of the car-centered culture as less cars will be running in urban areas (read the article referenced in the lead by The Economist).--Mariordo (talk) 01:16, 6 June 2009 (UTC)

Many people give up their car when they join Zipcar. They almost invariably drive less, because of the small hassle in getting a car. They also don't take joy rides just to charge their batteries, since city-dwellers who don't drive every day often find their batteries dead. Without your own car right outside your home, your first instinct is to walk, bike, or take public transportation.

No-Fault Insurance

I added the bit about No-Fault insurance. In certain states, such as Massachusetts, another driver can be entirely at fault for an accident and your insurance will compensate you for the damage to the car, etc., but you have no recourse against the other driver (unless you sustain personal injuries amounting to over $2,000, but that is for another article). These states are "No-Fault" states and because ZipCar cannot recover against the other driver or his insurance company, they charge Members in these states for the first $500 if the Member is in an accident, regardless of fault. The practice may be a topic for a debate, but I felt the objective issue - that ZipCar charges members in No-Fault states as if they were at fault - should be mentioned. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.211.34.130 (talk) 00:34, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

by country

I suggest include information about the expansion. For example, http://www.avancar.es/cat/index.php --Nudecline (talk) 15:44, 22 June 2010 (UTC)

Wireless data link?

Could someone please shed some light in the article about what kind of "wireless data link" is used for the car to take reservations and upload data to the control center? It is way too vague to just say "wireless data link". Is it satellite? Through a 3G network? --Wykypydya (talk) 00:39, 25 January 2011 (UTC)

• Probably cell-based or via the satellite spectrum to a ground-based repeater. I don't know of any two-way satellite-only transmitters that are fitted to passenger cars.

Lack of collision insurance (US)

I added the section on lack of collision insurance in the US because Reuters has written about it, and it seems like a glaring omission to advertise "comprehensive insurance," to ZipCar members and the public when in fact the public could have to pay for the car in a loss or collision. Abe Froman (talk) 22:41, 6 March 2011 (UTC)

• I emailed ZipCar to see what the policy truly is, and based on their response now I am unsure and am seeking further clarification. Either way, a notable source hasn't written about whatever their updated policy is yet. Abe Froman (talk) 17:02, 7 March 2011 (UTC)

It's on their website here: http://www.zipcar.com/how/faqs/faq-28 -- a $500 deductible Hanxu9 (talk) 16:21, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

File:Zipcar sign - Washington, D.C..jpg Nominated for speedy Deletion

An image used in this article, File:Zipcar sign - Washington, D.C..jpg, has been nominated for speedy deletion for the following reason: All Wikipedia files with unknown copyright status What should I do? Don't panic; you should have time to contest the deletion (although please review deletion guidelines before doing so). The best way to contest this form of deletion is by posting on the image talk page. If the image is non-free then you may need to provide a fair use rationale If the image isn't freely licensed and there is no fair use rationale, then it cannot be uploaded or used. If the image has already been deleted you may want to try Deletion Review To take part in any discussion, or to review a more detailed deletion rationale please visit the relevant image page (File:Zipcar sign - Washington, D.C..jpg) This is Bot placed notification, another user has nominated/tagged the image --CommonsNotificationBot (talk) 00:01, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

Well, I can't see how Zipcar would have a problem with the sign -- unless they're morons and don't like free publicity. Was there some kind of complaint lodged? I don't understand why this image is an issue all of a sudden. Hanxu9 (talk) 16:16, 25 February 2012 (UTC)

This was largely written by ZipCar

This article read like one big advertisment for the company, so I just edited it quite a bit. Feedback is welcome.

Note how obvious this is the work of a PR person:

• Look at the edit history of Cmccormick01 -- this editor is only interested in making ZipCar and it's CEO seem great.
• Google Cmccormick01 and you'll see this is a handle used by ZipCar's PR person.

Anyway, I wanted future editors to be on the look out for ZipCar turning this page back into a press release. --Quasipalm (talk) 20:23, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Antje Danielson

I don't know if she merits her own article, but her name as it exists now in the zipcar article is linked back to the zipcar article itself. Delete the link?--Vistawhite (talk) 01:33, 15 August 2012 (UTC)