car2go

need to make the process MUCH FASTER. The whole point is to have fast/​easy access to a car without going to a car rental shop and it is taking forever to process. I signed up and paid on Wednesday and now it is the following Monday and my payment hasn’t gone through so I cant have my application processed until that goes through.

Very Difficult to Cancel an Account Tried to sign up for car2go and completed enough of the application to create an «incomplete» account. however, it appears that a business account was created and so doesn’t allow me to «invite» my wife as another
also appears to have problems with the payment method. After attempting to correct those issues, I decided that it would be best to cancel the account and start over. However, despite an exhaustive search, I’m unable to find a way to cancel the account. and each time I bring up car2go on my computer, rather than allowing me to create an additional account, it sings me into the «inclomplete» account. Not a great web site. Peter K

Perhaps you have seen Car2Gos around Denver (or wherever you may live) and wondered if maybe you should become a member. The answer is an emphatic NO — unless you have a pile money to burn, in which case this miserable, greedy, stingy company will be glad to take it from you.
I was actually pretty happy with Car2Go when I first signed up two years ago. The service has gotten steadily worse since then. Prices kept going up. Additional fees kept appearing.
The final straw was that in August they drastically reduced the area where the cars are available, which means my home in South Denver is no longer anywhere near anywhere you can use a Car2Go.
Of course, Car2Go stubbornly refuses to issue me a refund, reserving its right to «increase or decrease the size of, amend, suspend, or terminate its operating areas in North America.»
Don’t make the same mistake I did! Use Über or Lyft or public transporation instead — it’s cheaper, and as an added bonus, you won’t have to drive the car yourself.

I first used Car2Go in Seattle this past weekend. I thought after the first ride, it was AWESOME, so easy. However, then the next morning I took another trip… a mere 20 minute drive to Ballard Locks for breakfast, then drove to the airport, which ended up being over 2 hours, in which, granted, I guess I didn’t completely follow the stopover info.
Once I got to the airport, it was out of home area, and I was already a bit late. This is why I was thinking «wow, this is awesome that I can get here so quick and easy, I’m going to tell everyone about this». I am panicking just a tad after I can’t end the trip, and call customer service to get the closest area. The agent tells me that there should be an icon telling me where the home area is, BUT SERIOUSLY, my passenger and I could not find it at all. So then I had to drive 10 minutes back north to Rainier Beach, just to have to park and take the light rail back down to the airport, not to mention, the agent only could tell me an address where another car was parked, not an actual area. Also, not to mention the address she gave me was in a residential area that made NO sense to park and try to walk from there or catch a Lyft to get to the light rail.
Then, I get an email saying my account is locked because that trip was $ 70.96. Needless to say, I am leaving it locked.

I wish t were otherwise, but Car2go has gone from something I loved and told everyone about to the Comcast of alternative transit. From now on I would avoid them if you value your sanity.
When the cars work, it can be very convenient, even affordable. The problem comes when you try to use the service more than once. There’s a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance that the car you get will be able to communicate with their system. You either won’t be able to get in, or worse, you won’t be able to end your trip. You’ll end up driving around the block, trying different voodoo to get it to end. Usually it doesn’t work, so then you have to call and have them do it (how come the signal always works then?). Of course they’ll erase the charge for that ride but honestly at that point you’ve already wasted more time and energy than the ride was worth.
The whole service is an exercise in frustration.
The new changes have done nothing to improve reliability. The gas cards are gone (which were a nice bonus when they gave you free minutes for filling up). The home area no longer includes any of the regular places I’d like to go (target, my gym, etc). At this point I can get most places faster and easier with less headache on a bike. Bcycle works well and is actually reliable. And their service is great. Maybe Car2go could learn something from them.
Tonight I had the pleasure of attempting to end a trip at the Sheridan park and ride. The entire mapping system is so far off I’d have had to park on the train tracks to end my trip. This despite pulling up NEXT TO another parked Car2go. I gave up and drive the damn car all the way to the city. So frustrating.
I wish they’d get their act together. But as it stands now, it’s just not worth the trouble. Living without a car in Denver is doable, but don’t count on Car2go to help you do if. They just aren’t reliable.

I regret to give car2go a rather negative review. I will agree that when it works, it is a convenient and stress-​free means of conveyance. The operative words are «when it works.» When the system goes down for one of any kind of inexplicable reasons, it is a nightmare. The other evening, both my wife and I were trying to return home from downtown (it was late), and three different cars failed to read our cards (we are both members). When we tried calling customer service we were put into «holding hell.» The next day, we both sent emails and no one responded. Based on lousy customer service and seemingly frequent system problems, I would only rate car2go as a marginally reliable service. Always carry enough money or credit card for a taxi or get an Über app.
Finally, do not confuse car2go with a cheap alternative to public transportation. Their new rates hardly make the service cheap, especially during rush hours. It loops me around to the negative comments; for the expense, the service must be reliable. It is hit or miss.

I have used car2go for a couple of years now. For the most part I love it. It’s a convenient way to get around town in a pinch. I occasionally have a rough time finding cars in the area I am in when I need them (they’re all gone from my neighborhood in the morning unless I reserve one early enough and they’re rarely in the downtown area when I get done with work late at night.) Beggars can’t be choosers, though — and this hiccup is ranks low on my complaints about the service.
Now for the stuff that irks me. If I understand correctly, car2go users are not permitted to park the vehicles in parking ramps and garages. That said, there have been countless times I have walked to where a car is supposed to be available only to find an apartment garage or a 13-​story parking ramp where the car is supposed to be. There is no way — aside from calling in about EVERY instance where I am able to report this happening. When I cancel a reservation, it doesn’t ask me why. Did I choose a different mode of transportation? Did I find another car2go on my walk towards the reserved one? Am I physically unable to find or access the car? These are important, and I’m dreading the winter months because I know I’ll have to face this nonsense all over again in worse weather.
As for customer service: the people I talk to on the phone are generally nice. I have absolutely no complaints about them except for my last interaction. Without getting into the entire situation, I was promised a 20-​minute credit on my account but have since been charged every day I have used a car2go. I don’t know what happened to this 20-​minute credit, and since my commute to and from work is 5 – 7 minutes tops, so I should have been at least credited a round trip. All I am able to do is take their word for it. I didn’t even get an email! The best I can do is assume that this person just told me something I wanted to hear and expected me to forget all about it. I’ve also had instances where I have had my trip refunded (being stuck in the car because of faulty connections, etc) — but if I don’t watch my bank account like a hawk I have no way of proving that these kind gestures of service were ever even carried through.
I find this service extremely useful… but the flaws and shoddy service follow through will eventually drive me away.

Firstly I will say as of today the Denver car2go website details are NOT current and does not reflect recent changes to policies and procedures as of June 1^st. This was confirmed by a car2go rep via phone conversation.
One of those changes is the accident insurance previously had a $ 1000 deductible which now $ 250. This $ 250 charge is waived after you have completed 90 rides (should you get into an accident).
I have read the reviews which vary quite a bit with several reports of bad customer service. I however have spoken with a car2go representative three times now without any delay and all encounters were positive. Additionally I have traveled with my friends when they have used car2go without any problems. Even my friend who is 6’3″ could easily drive one of these tinker toys without distorting his spine or banging his head and my 5’1″ stature also found the ride fairly comfortable for this type of transport. Tinker toys they may be, but they do the job!
Prior to my first ride I had not received my card yet so I called the support team to discuss how to start a ride using my smart phone WITHOUT a card. I got through on the call within one minute. I had used a promo during sign up for $ 20 off registration plus 30 free minutes of drive time and noticed that my account did not reflect my promo benefits. The support representative stated he would email the Denver branch to clear this up AND to inform them that the Denver website does not reflect recent changes to policies and procedures. I was able to reserve a car and start my ride using my smart phone. Pretty cool actually.
There was a ding on the side so I called the support team in the car and got through straight away, reported the damage and started my journey.
Overall not a bad service. Sure there are some kinks but neither myself or any of my friends have experienced anything negative about the service… yet.
Hope it stays that way. We shall see if the Denver Branch honors my promo code that was accepted at time of registration.
Sooo…here was the breakdown for my recent ride:
The cost of my car2go trip: $ 11.40 (However the last 5 minutes of my car2go journey was searching for a parking spot downtown so the cost could have been lower). The same journey using an Über consistency prices in around: $ 9.50 and a yellow cab with tip comes in around $ 17:50.
What is my favorite feature? Ability to reserve any car 30 minutes prior to departure. Least favorite? If you don’t know all the rules, you can get tagged pretty hard with tickets and fines. READ THE RULES.
TIPS:
1) You can park at meters without paying. However do not park at a meter that is designated for less than 2 hour parking. One hour and 30 minute meters are NOT included.
2) There are several lots downtown that DO allow for car2go parking.
3) Determine where you will park prior to starting your journey if possible… time is $$
Trips are subject to 11.25% tax rate.
(State sales tax: 2.9%%, Rental car tax: 7.25%, RTD: 1.10%)

I have been a member for nearly 2 years, but they finally have me moving on. I usually only use Car2go when in a crunch, like when my car is in the shop or my scooter breaks down.
Well, I had a crisis and guess who wasn’t there to help? Car2go. I had gotten a new credit card from my bank, and had a $ 6 outstanding balance. I wasn’t able to use Car2go. So, I called them and spent 45 minutes on the phone trying to pay. Seriously, it takes 30 seconds to read off credit card info.
Needless to say, they still wouldn’t let me drive. Apparently, they don’t know how to run credit cards. I was told I had to wait until midnight for my payment to be processed. It takes them 7 hours to type in 16 digits.
When you really need a ride, call a Lyft (or Über).
If you need any further info or have questions after being with them for 2 years, email me.

car2go is quickly becoming a «necessary evil» like the dentist or the DMV. I love the concept and it initially made being in a one car household a whole lot easier, but I have had more issues starting/​ending a trip in the last month than I’ve had in nearly two years of using the service. This alone isn’t the most frustrating part, but rather, the whole customer service experience. It’s awful. Yesterday, I took a car from work to a restaurant to meet some people. I found a great spot and got the (now all too often) «can’t establish a connection, park somewhere else!» message. In about 75% of the times this has happened, I can usually insert the key back in into the ignition, and try to end the trip a few more times and eventually a connection is established. This clearly wasn’t happening yesterday. So I started the car again, drove around the block, and reparked. Still nothing. Keep in mind that car2go charges by the minute, so it’s more than just time you’re usually wasting, screwing around with ending the trip.
At this point I went inside of the restaurant and tried their customer service number a few times. «All circuits are busy. Please try again later.» Keep in mind that this is the same line you’re supposed to use when you’re in an accident…
After we left the bar, I tried calling twice more only to be on hold for five minutes at a time before something (presumably voicemail, but it’s not entirely clear as it just sounds like dead air) picks up. I’ve emailed two different email addresses and have not gotten a response. Somewhere near Colfax a lonely car2go sits, unused and trip unended. I’m not sure the anxiety of that is worth the «convenience» of this «service» anymore and I’m almost ready to get another car.
I get that they’re upgrading service/​changing cellular providers, but that doesn’t account for their crappy, antiquated customer service. They’ll typically refund your minutes if you complain and sometimes give you free minutes, but I’m not sure it’s worth the time taken trying to get a hold of someone.

Convenient? Yes. But also a huge pain in the ass. The cars never can «establish a connection» this has happened to me at least a dozen times. You can be parked in a car2go port and it still will tell u to park elsewhere. You can spend 10 – 20 min trying to move around and re park the stupid car and still nothing. Then end up in the same spot you started in and it suddenly wants to work. Oh and good luck getting anyone on the phone or through the car system. Once you get past all that it’s a pretty good service but the time that is wasted and the fact that your being charged for it is a huge problem that needs to be fixed.

Users beware!
Car2go seems to be following the lead of banks and supplementing there rental charges with outrageous fees. Whether its $ 100 fee for an unlocked car, $ 25 for a lost membership card, or $ 100 smoking they’ll find a way to nickle and dime you.
These other charges are buried on the website so make sure and check before your next trip. They’ll also charge you these fees even if the fault lies in their technology, for example if the trip doesn’t end properly because a of a tech issue with their touch screen.

Writing yet another review because I was leaving work for lunch and found a car2go only to discover that I had left my card in my other jacket, which was a major letdown. So I power walked home to let my dog out and grab the card so I could take one back to work only to discover that the ONLY thing in my house my dog had chewed up was my car2go card. I emailed the Denver office and they got back to me within 15 minutes and said a new one would be in the mail. I expected it to be a much longer process with some sort of hurdles to jump through, but nope. Just «Is this still your address? We will put it in the mail today!» This company is not only incredibly convenient, but their customer service is on top of it and unbelievably helpful. This company has the business practices that will keep them going for a long, long time.

I’m a super happy camper with car2go. A little over six months ago we sold a car and evolved to a single car household. Since I’m a daily bus commuter, and also only live three miles from my office and downtown Denver, this didn’t have a huge impact on me, but there are times outside of going to and from work where I want to go somewhere and our car is not available to me. After signing up for free during a Black Friday deal last year (thanks Amanda T!), we’ve taken advantage of car2go and my husband even signed up for his own membership which is convenient when I go out of town (though at first, we just shared my single membership card and PIN).
The first time we drove a car2go smart car, we found out our house was two blocks outside of the car2go border and had to repark it, but they have since expanded and also continue to expand — including into neighborhoods near me like Edgewater and Belmar. They also now offer one-​way trips to Red Rocks! If they extended service to DIA (I’m hopeful this eventually happens), we would not even consider ever going back to owning a 2^nd car. Finding a car using the app is easy, unlocking and driving it is easy, parking (for free!) is easy, not having to pay a separate bill since it’s done automatically = easy AND convenient. No other car share/​rental service has been as affordable and slick to use as this one. We use it all the time when we know going downtown may involve difficult parking (like Rockies games) or when we know we’ll want to take a cab home (it’s half the price of a cab, in my experience). I love car2go.

We stayed in Denver for a few days on vacation. We used Car2go a few times. It is very convienent when you are downtown but in the outer areas, it is kind of a pain to find out where you can park the car. What I don’t like is getting charged by the minute when I am lost or trying to find a place to park this car. You also get charged if you want to park the car and then come back to it. So our first experience was $ 29 vs $ 12 that we were expecting to pay. Make sure you understand where you can park these cars before you take them so this doesn’t happen to you. Also, we had to go to the downtown location to get my husbands card and it was a very easy process. I recommend this for in town and the bus or renting a car. Also, if you are planning on going out to the mountains or doing a lot of driving, this would not be a good option.

You know the circus bear that rides around on the tricycle? Well, that’s the way I feel when I’m ‘cruising’ in one of these Smart Cars… I know I am accomplishing something (going somewhere) but not exactly proud of the manner that I am doing it in.
So, I signed up for the membership and after a couple of weeks they send you a card and some other crap. The process is really simple and their app is actually pretty damn good. Get on the app, find a car that’s close, reserve it for a few minutes so it doesn’t get taken in the meantime, and head to your awesome ride. When you get to the car, super easy process of getting going. Side note: leave your masculinity at the door, there’s not room for it in this go kart anyway! All my cars have been clean inside. Yes, these things are basic and I would not want to test their crash-​worthiness, but as long as you aren’t going to Vail or planning to get into a high speed pursuit, its just fine.
I pretty much use this as a one way deal when I’ll be cabbing it home, and in that mode, car2go works really well and is far cheaper than taking a cab round trip or leaving your car somewhere. They recently expanded their ‘home area’ where you can end your trip and ditch your car… so that is kind of nice. It might be nice if they had a «normal» car as an option at a higher rate, but that might not fit into their current business model.
It’s a good business, decent cars, and customer service seems to be OK too. If you live or work in the home area or whatever they call it, it’s worth considering.

Car2Go isn’t for everyone. If you don’t live within the «parking zone» (basically, Denver proper) or if you have a primary car in your home or if you rely on driving for your day-​to-​day, then this isn’t for you. Mostly, though, I’m tired of hearing folk’s bicker about learning the «parking zone» tidbit after they’ve paid the registration fee.
I live pretty close to downtown and own a truck that I share with my wife. I’ve never been much of a bus commuter and the light-​rail option in town here is pretty much useless for someone to get from my neighborhood to somewhere in the downtown area. The ride is short, expensive, and I can sometimes walk a little faster.
These little cars are useful for the nights when I don’t want to have to worry about taking the truck somewhere. Take a car from my hood to downtown — all of 4 minutes — park it and forget it. No worrying about meters, driving home, intoxication, whatever.
Basically — you are charged for the time spent in the car — about .30/​minute. That’s it. Good for around town stuff while relying on our truck for our trips to the burbs, mountains, Costco, etc.
I was concerned about how the cold would affect the batteries — didn’t seem to be a problem. As would be expected, a tiny two wheel drive on ice can be a little precarious.
Downsides? Just one: Planned on using the car to get home from work after a VERY long day where the wife took the truck to handle some errands. It was about 9:30 at night, kind of chill, and I couldn’t access any of the cars. The network all of the cars were connected with was on the fritz. Fortunately, I was able to catch a ride home. Car2Go noticed the failed use attempts and credited my account with 30 minutes of drive time.
Is it a perfect system? Probably not. It does rely heavily on network technology which as been known to fail only when you absolutely need it (damn you, Murphy!). They could also use a local customer support person, because I’m pretty sure I get to talk to someone in Europe when there is a problem.

I’m a regular car2go user, and I love it for its ease, convenience and economy. Just last night, I missed a bus and would have normally had to wait for another half hour for the next one. I clicked on my mobile phone, spotted a car2go two blocks away and popped in and drove home. It’s pretty intuitive on how to enter the car, start it up and go. And there’s a voice leading you along the way if you are bit dense. Added pluses are the built in GPS and stereo system. Car2go has said that they try to price the service so it is cheaper than traveling by cab. It’s definitely that for me. I’m trying to perfect the art of hopping in, getting to my destination and parking so fast that I can beat the $ 2.25 cost of a bus from downtown back to my home in Country Club. Haven’t done it yet, but I’m getting close.
The parking of a Car2go is the special sauce that makes this a truly exceptional idea. Being able to travel one-​way and drop it virtually anywhere in the city without having to pay parking meters is a huge advantage. You don’t know how many envious looks you get when you pull up to Coors Field just before the first pitch and have an empty space right in front of the entrance to park in. And I can’t wait until they work out some way of using Car2go to get to the airport (right now, you’re not allowed to leave a Car2go at DIA so it can’t be used as a one-​way vehicle).
The only detractions to the service are occasional problems getting a signal to unlock the doors (I actually got charged for an aborted rental) but that happens maybe once every ten attempts. I use it spur-​of-​the moment and don’t expect that it will always have a car nearby and available so I’m not going to sweat it if something goes wrong.
And the car itself is a matter of taste. It’s only a two seater, and you do look a bit goofy running around town in a Car2go branded Smartcar but with so many around now it’s less attention-​getting than you might think. And truth be told Smartcars are a helluva lot of fun to drive – think souped-​up go cart.

Alright – this service is really awesome and slick, in theory. After seeing these little Smart Cars parked in the weirdest places, my man and I decided to give one a try – just to the store and back, for the fun of it. These little cars are awesome to scoot around in, albeit a little sluggish on the acceleration – but that’s probably a good thing. Still, fun, fun experience. Thus far in the journey, the whole shebang gets 5 stars. Then we go to return it.
We park it in literally the exact spot and initiate the return car sequence. 3 – 4 minutes later, the car tells us that it can’t establish a connection and that we should park somewhere else. Considering we had JUST picked it up from this spot a half hour ago, we drove up about 30 feet. Tried again. Another 3 – 4 minutes of failed communication. We drive a block or two further in toward the return radius and try again. 3 – 4 minutes later, we get the same «shove off and park somewhere else» notice. So, now it’s time to call tech support. At this point, 3 stars. Glitches happen.
On hold. For over ten minutes. In the meantime, we pushed the support center button on the console of the car, only to tell us that it couldn’t communicate with the support center and to try using a cell phone. FINALLY, we get through to a live person, who was unapologetic and dickish in his «support.»
He stopped our account from charging only after the call came through to his center – screw the 20 – 30 minutes we spent trying to re-​park and hold on the phone, and didn’t do the customer-​friendly thing of not only refunding the cash we spend during the time we were trying to return the car, but what most places would do of refunding the whole trip. We also had to hold onto the key and gas card and schedule a rendez-​vous for a key pick-​up… They were about 20 minutes late to pick up the keys. Get it together, Car2Go.
A couple days later, I was complaining to a customer about our bad experience with the return. My customer said he had recently experienced the same thing, but he was refunded for his whole trip. Again, get it together, Car2Go.
I want to like these guys, and I might even give this service another shot, but our first experience was a truly shitty one.

14SEP2013
Third use. Great.
We walked (6.5 miles) to lunch and then onto a friend’s birthday party.
Reserved the car while at the party and walked 2 blocks and drove home for $ 8.
Less than a cab. More convenient than a cab.
I love this service.
10JUL2013
Joined and tried it today.
Very easy to use.
The iPhone app works perfectly. I used it to reserve «my» car.
This is great addition to Denver.