Struggle: City CarShare, San Francisco, California

A month ago this piece might have been different or non-existent.  Today, it’s an unresolved mess that I would just like to mark as a “Find” or “Fail” and get past.

I signed up for City CarShare in May of 2008 as a measure of environmentalism and because it was cheaper than owning a car while giving me a car at my disposal.  For three and a half years the service was good, the company was reasonable, and all went well if for no other reason than I never had a conflict to bring to the table.

Then I had to discontinue my service.

Sadly, most companies believe that if you are discontinuing your service you are doing it because you aren’t happy with them, which is a dangerous tact to take.  If the consumer isn’t happy with the service, that could be a tweaking point.  If the consumer is forced to leave due to economic hardship or geographical changes, then don’t you want that person to be just as wowed by a lasting impression as a first one?  Particularly if the service was in a metropolitan area that friends and networks may be moving to?

So here’s my advisement so far, just from my own personal need to discontinue the service due to economic hardship and geographical change:

• The only way to get an email from City CarShare with information in it is to either call them, visit them in person, or pay them.  Their actions prove that sending them an email, either directly to a specific agent or to their members’ email, will not give you a response;
• Even though City CarShare has the ability to directly debit your credit card or debit card account each month, they do not seem to have the power or the inclination to credit the same account with member deposits when service is concluded.  Members need to wait from three weeks to forty-five days to get their deposits back, regardless of length of time with the service or regardless of activity or lack of it;
• The final month of service is not prorated, regardless of when members cancel and regardless of policy stating the contrary.

I’m hoping, and soon, that this piece can be edited and updated to reflect a change of heart on City CarShare’s part...and I’m hoping it’s a change to a “Find” instead of a “Fail.”