Fred StutzmanThoughts about information, social networks, and privacy

Update: A representative from Zipcar has called me and told me they are reviewing their practices.  I’ll update here when I get more info!

A note to Unit Structures readers: be careful if your Zipcar account lapses, as the company may give away your personal information and attempt to damage your credit.  Last year, I spent some extended time traveling in Zipcar-friendly areas, so I created an account.  My experience with Zipcar was fine.  Fast forward to March 8, 2009 – I get an email from Zipcar telling me they had attempted to charge me for a membership renewal, and my credit card was no longer valid.  I “lose” my credit cards yearly to avoid sneaky auto-renewals just like this.

Since I wasn’t planning on using ZipCar any time soon, I decided not to renew.  I assumed they would just lock my account until I re-opened it at some time in the future.  Instead, ZipCar started sending me increasingly menacing emails, which culminated in this one (bold mine):

This is the third and final reminder to let you know that we have been unable to charge your credit card for your balance of $50.00, outstanding since Mar 8th.

If you have updated your credit card information please disregard this notice.

Please contact us within three business days or your account will be closed and turned over to a collection agency for payment.

Huh?  A collection agency?  You’re going to turn my personal and financial information over to a collection agency, and tarnish my credit simply because I chose not to renew my account? And after only ten business days?  Is this any way to treat customers?  Its not like I was using my Zipcar and had run up some huge tab, my account has been dormant (and fully paid) for months.

It gets better.  So I go to the website (within three days!) to delete my account.  I am on the phone with a customer service rep who is talking me through account deletion.  She guides me to the page for deletion, and it isn’t there.  I am not allowed to delete my account until I enter my new credit card number, which would automatically charge me $50.00.  I suppose then they would let me delete my account.  Even the customer service rep seemed a little surprised that I wasn’t allowed to remove my account.  Thankfully she was able to override the system.

I understand that when I was setting up my Zipcar account I was probably forced to agree to auto-renewal, and that if I had just deleted my account before the auto-renew, I wouldn’t have had to deal with this mess.  Still, Zipcar’s overly aggressive tactics are inexcusable.  Turning over my personal information to a collections agency after two weeks on an auto-renewal?  Damage my credit simply because I don’t want to use your service any more?  This is a company with dangerous business practices.  I know that everyone is hurting in this economy, but Zipcar doesn’t have the right to damage the credit of good-faith customers.  Well, ex-customers, in my case.

1: From the Collection Agency FAQ: Third-party collection agencies may report a debt to one or more of the credit bureaus, as a “Collection Account,” including the amount, and whether it was paid or not.

P.S. Zipcar wouldn’t actually let me delete my account.  They would only allow me to make it inactive.  Another failure on their part.