We had our first Zipcar experience and it almost went off without a snag. The car was where it should be, when it should be. Tom gained entry by waving his magic Zipcard at the windshield and off we went.
Our one snag was when it came time to gas up. Gas is included in the rental fee (as is insurance). A gas card is provided in the car, but we hadn't read the instructions carefully enough. The pump prompted for odometer reading and PIN. It took us three tries to get the odometer reading right (the first two times, Tom was reading TripA and TripB) and then a couple to figure out the PIN. When we finally had it all right, the card still got rejected. We don't know if this is because of our previous attempts, or if the particular gas station just doesn't accept that card. Zipcar promises to reimburse for gas if there's trouble using the card, so we'll be putting that promise to the test.
Tom was happy enough with the experience to rent another car for this weekend. He found it a little more difficult to reserve a car for a three day weekend than it was to reserve for just a day - none of the nearby cars were available - but he'll be visiting his friend in style in a Volvo. Too bad the Mustang convertible was booked!
