It’s a long story but well, this is what happened, and I want everyone in Zoomcar to know this in detail so that I don’t have to explain it once again:
I work in advertising, and had a shoot in Tuticorin last week. For out-station shoots, we usually use chauffer-driven Innovas; since this project was just an 8 hour drive from Chennai, I decided to experiment with Zoomcar and see if it can work as a model for us as domestic transportation while on assignments – close to major cities where Zoomcar is present.
I booked a Mahindra Scorpio here in Chennai via the Zoomcar website, and picked it up early morning on 22nd May. There were various minor scratches around the vehicle, which I’d expected and wasn’t surprised about. When asked if the music system was working, the attendant at Zoomcar informed me that it’s broken. I was disappointed, as it was still a long drive, but there was no time to request for a car change as I had to get to Tuticorin by lunch time. So set off immediately.
It was obvious that there were issues with the vehicle. At a speed of 60kmph, I felt it was moving as fast as I could run. Clearly, there was a speedo error. Around and above the speed of “100kmph” (in quotes as it’s only indicative due to speedo error), the steering wheel would start wobbling uncontrollably and start leaning to the left. Wheel alignment was not done and was completely off. The gearstick was like using a big ladle to mix idli batter – it was all over the place and anyone’s guess as to which gear the vehicle was in. Still, I attributed it to how Mahindra’s quality control is not very good, and to multiple users across the 1.2 lakh kms the vehicle had already done. You’ll see later as to why I didn’t want to directly blame Zoomcar for this.
The vehicle was still in running condition, and at around 200 kms into the journey, we had already lost time as the vehicle was not in complete control over “100 kmph”. And then something completely unexpected happened. While shifting from 4th gear to 5th gear to overtake a truck, the gearstick came off completely and fell FULLY LIMP in my hand! Essentially, the vehicle was in top gear, and I had no way to shift down…all this while on a national highway with massive trucks ahead and behind us! Years of riding motorcycles across long distances had prepped me for this – I calmly navigated the trucks, came to the slow lane and dropped speed using the clutch and brakes. When the vehicle finally came to a stop, I had no option but to stall the vehicle. I was now a 100 kms away from the closest mechanic, with no way to move the vehicle (it’s not possible to move a vehicle from standstill when it’s stuck in 5th gear). My clients (who were in the vehicle with me) and I were pretty dumbstruck. None of us had ever encountered or heard of a vehicle issue like this, it was completely unexpected. As they all work in media and advertising, the cameras came out, videos were taken, and angry comments were made about how we should make a “big deal” about the dissatisfaction of using a Zoomcar. We were now surely going to get delayed for our assignment in Tuticorin.
But, I asked them to calm down, and thought I’d check online and see if there is customer support to help on this. However, there was absolutely no signal on the highway, and it was left to us to figure this one out. Before stepping out to look for a tow-truck, I tried to play around with the gearstick to see if it can be fixed. About 15 mins into fiddling around, I found the right place where the gearstick had gotten disconnected, and managed to fix it back. Heaving a HUGE sigh of relief, we set off immediately, but the compounded problems of the vehicle caught up to us and we reached Tuticorin only around 4pm in the evening.
The next few days were extremely hectic, as we were there on work. Irrespective of how gingerly I treated the gearstick, it would get disconnected from the gearbox once every 2-3 hours, and I would spend 15 mins fixing it back. Add to this the embarrassment of having my clients with me. Through all this, it never occurred to me to reach out to Zoomcar because we were staying and working around 40kms away from Tuticorin, and according to me, I could manage the problem until I get back to Chennai and then discuss it with Zoomcar. I was there to shoot an advertisement for a multinational company…I didn’t have the time to go to a mechanic to get this problem fixed. Even if Zoomcar had sent a tow-truck to take the vehicle back, my clients and I would be stuck as our mobility here was dependent on this vehicle.
3 hectic days later, it was time to get back to Chennai. We set out on 26th May with an aim to drive straight back without any stops, so that I can return the vehicle back to Zoomcar before their 8pm deadline. But that was not going to happen.
The gearstick was more erratic and came off more regularly than was “normal” earlier. I knew we would reach Chennai late, but I had to get my clients back as fast as I could.
Zoomcar realised that I would reach 2 hours after the deadline and called me to ask if I want an extension. I explained the issue to the executive and said I don’t want an extension because I’m getting delayed due to vehicle issue and don’t want to pay any higher because of this. The executive said if I don’t extend, I would have to pay late charges of INR 500-700 PER HOUR (?!). At this point I started getting annoyed and asked him how he’s planning to compensate me for inconvenience and lost time. He said he’s sorry for the inconvenience and asked me to call customer support once I reach and they would sort it out, no need for an extension.
Next, I got a call from the vehicle service team of Zoomcar, and he asked me for the problem in detail. I spent around 15-20 mins to describe the problem. He understood the issue, said there is no need to pay late charges and I could extend it to the next day to return the vehicle.
Zoomcar called me again later in the evening and spoke again about late charges. It was a different executive this time, and a different one again when I got another call. I told both of them that I’d spoken to the vehicle service team who assured me that I don’t have to pay late charges. All this was while I was still on my way back to Chennai, so had to stop multiple times to take these calls. All of them asked me to log into the app and extend the trip, even though I explained the vehicle issue to them. I told them that I’d not used the app, and had made the booking through the website. My phone was barely running on 2G on the highway, there was no way for me to download and use the app.
I finally reached home around 11:30 in the night; passed out due to sheer exhaustion, woke up the next day on 27th May, and had to rush back to work on post-production for the project that we had just completed. In my mind, I had got an assurance from Zoomcar that I have a day’s extension and can return the vehicle back to them by 8pm that day. I got a few more calls from Zoomcar, talking about late charges, extension, etc. and I asked them as to why they are asking me this again and again after having already got a confirmation the previous day. Different executives again, of course. After that, the calls stopped.
By the time I was done with work, it was past the 8pm deadline, and I assumed that it would be a non-issue as I’d already explained the issue and was okay to pay Zoomcar for the total number of hours and kilometres the vehicle was used for. I didn’t ask them to reduce the price per km/hour for vehicle damage, as they had agreed to extend the trip. I returned the car around 11pm, and the executive there asked me to pay the outstanding amount of INR 39,640 which was combination of late fees, late charges (not sure what the difference is), vehicle damage (which means I am to blame for the gearstick issue) and overspeeding (which we did to make up for time lost, but couldn’t be sure due to speedo error, so went by gut feeling as to what 125 kmph looks like). I already lost my deposit on top of this, as per their calculation, and there was no mention of reimbursing me for fuel, which they have to do as per their tariff. The attendant was bewildered, and asked me to call customer support. This time, I called them, and they were all insistent that I have to pay the charges. I told them that I was assured by the vehicle service team. They asked me to call the vehicle service team and get it sorted. I said fine, I’ll speak to them. Called the number, and it was switched off. I didn’t want to pay INR 39,640 for a day’s extension, it just didn’t make sense to me. Since it was nearing 12 am, the attendant asked me to go home, and leave my ORIGINAL DRIVER’S LICENSE with him.
On 28th May, I tried to call the vehicle service manager around 10 am, to get him to speak to customer support and sort out the issue. He picked up, and SAID I HAVE TO PAY THE LATE CHARGES!! When I said he had told me I don’t need to pay late charges due to the vehicle issue and have a day’s extension, he said that the extension was till 2pm the next day, and not 8pm! That didn’t make sense as neither had I requested for 2pm, nor did the calculation of INR 39,640 work out with that extension. And then HE asked me to call customer support and convince them.
Do you know why I was supportive of Zoomcar in front of my clients through this entire endeavour? It’s because I know Greg Moran through a mutual acquaintance, and had spoken to him at a social occasion in Chennai. He had patiently explained the long term plan for Zoomcar, to make self-driving cars BIG in India. Wow! It was very inspiring and I was very glad that there is a company that is taking the initiative to try out this new model in an underdeveloped market. Therefore, I definitely DON’T WANT to make a major issue of relatively minor vehicle problems and make Zoomcar look bad.
But when the aspiration is to introduce a new concept to a new market, why do you have prohibitive penalty charges? Why is the process of extending so tiresome for a first-time customer? And why does no one at customer support listen to the problem; why are there multiple people passing a problem from one person to the next? I’ve emailed customer support via the app; I immediately got a reply saying that once again I have no choice but to pay the extra charges. I immediately asked the person to give me the contact for escalation. I haven’t got a reply for that since 24 hours. The vehicle service person doesn’t want to take responsibility for this, and has told me that customer support is the ultimate judge and jury on this case. Why?? They’re based in Bangalore and have no way to even see what the issue with the vehicle is. And once again, why are the late charges MORE than the tariff I paid for a 5 day trip? Who’s making these decisions, and how is it helping the customer? Why is there a drive to make money unethically over and above the fair tariff?
I’ve used self-drive cars in other countries; it’s a pretty simple process. In case of an issue, customer support reaches out to you, you explain the problem, and THAT EXECUTIVE takes charge of the entire process to make your life easier when you’re stranded on the highway. They ACTUALLY have a 20-point check to ensure that the vehicle delivered to the customer is free of ALL issues. They DO NOT have artificial unemployment, with multiple customer executives passing a customer around. They certainly do not hold themselves as judge and jury, and WILL let you speak to a manager. And their late charges, even when completely justified, are a fraction of the total tariff. If you’re not able to use the app or the internet, asking them to extend it manually on the phone is sufficient…as it should be.
I’m certainly not disgruntled enough to say that I will never use Zoomcar again, I understand that these are teething issues and want to support Zoomcar. But I am now left very confused. Do I have to pay these exorbitant late charges when I have decided not to raise a complaint or ask for a refund for the vehicle problem? Is there any validity to the fact that the vehicle service manager said I don’t have to pay late charges and have a day’s extension? In my mind, I had thought Zoomcar to be as easy to use as Uber and Zomato. Or at least as effortless as it is to use cars from other self-drive companies.
I’m sorry this post is a little repetitive, but can someone from the management reach out to me for this? Customer support has held my original driver’s license hostage until I make this oversized payment. Please check attached picture for the reason of delay.
BOOKING ID -> JPS6TULCG
Thank you!
