Zoom car - Convenience with a broken system/customers

We had a week long booking from airport to airport in Zoom car. This post is about the experience and tips

Our booking for a week at Gujarat from and to airport.

Booked well in advance about 2 months ahead of schedule

A week before our schedule we got a call saying our car met with an accident, so it's going to be a free upgrade to a Eco sport. We said we are okay as long as car is ready

On the day of pick up we reach airport to hear from them saying it's going to be a swift instead and it is not near airport. We were asked to reach to a point about 10 KMs away from airport. Taxi bills will be reimbursed was told. We accepted and proceeded. 

We reach the place to see a swift car parked outside apartment complex. We were suppose to do self check-out and the option to unlock car didn't appear in our app. We call call center reach to a person explain the story, he unlocks for us. We enter to see there is no key anywhere. Searched for about twenty minutes, then called reached to another call center representative, he send a mechanic. He comes checks and says no key. Then we were given a different car and different location.

We take a taxi reach there to see there is no car there. By this our vacation mood is little stressed. We cannot stand with all the big luggage in the middle of road. We gave up on zoom car and tried to take a taxi. But last minute taxi for a week is hard. 

Zoom car said they would call us back. After back and forth calls, we were asked to reach to another place and there we found the car and the key.

Lessons learnt:

1. There is a equal chance of zoom car to just work and just not work
2. People who are using their unlock and go kind of system are less and less profeesional, the car given to us was very dirty (sand, windshield full of dust, punctured stepney, no jack for change, boot without any cover which could damage our luggage
3. Every time you call you reach a  different zoom car person. It is so hard to start the story from beginning and explain all the details. Painful yes
4. Carry power bank multiple phones as you are going to be on phone for long time in the time of issues like this.
5. Better to keep a lot of cushion time for entire zoom car process
6. India and Indian are still getting used to rental market
7. Zoom car app doesn't get updated of change of location of car and other details though the call center folks tell you it will come
8. Carefully note down the latitude and longitude location given by zoom car folks. Repeat recheck, ask them to whatsapp you the numbers. A digit mistake will put you at a wrong place with no car. 
9. Check the spare tire ,tools, carry a spray waste cloth to clean the car before getting in.
10. Ultimately they work to resolve the issue, patience is the key.
11. Be kind to the person who is going to use the car next leave it at clean state.