I am trapped in a totally insane battle with Zipcar over a mysterious chest of drawers found in one of their cars.
On July 21, 2023, I rented a Zipcar Flex, picking it up at 18:57 and returning it by 19:52. I was going to dinner with friends and the only items I carried with me being my handbag and a bottle of wine. I picked up a friend on route and we left the Streatham/Norbury. On exiting the car, I encountered an issue with locking it, and I had to seek assistance from zipcar to resolve this matter.
To my surprise, several days later (around July 26), I received a call from the Zipcar call centre, claiming that I had left an item in the vehicle. I firmly denied leaving any item and repeatedly requested information about the said item's nature and location. Unfortunately, the call centre representative could not provide any concrete details, and it was suggested that the item might have been left by a previous user and that I may not have noticed it. At no point during this interaction was I asked to retrieve the item or told what it was or where it was found. No information whatsoever.
Considering that almost a week had passed since my rental, I found it puzzling that I was only informed about this alleged item now, without any prior notice or opportunity to address or discuss the situation. I was left in the dark about where the car was located, whether it was in the same state I left it, and whether anyone else had accessed the car during the intervening five days.
Since then, I received no further communication on this matter until today, August 24, when I received an invoice for an exorbitant amount of £300 labelled as 'Large Item Removal & Disposal.' Shockingly, the email indicated that the money would be deducted from my account in just five working days. This is utterly unacceptable, as no evidence, such as photographs or descriptions of the item, was provided to support this charge.
I want to emphasise how absurd this situation is. Zipcar is attempting to unilaterally deduct a significant sum from my account without presenting any concrete evidence to me. With no proof to anyone, they are planning to deduct a large sum from my account. When I called and complained, they also immediately suspended my account.
After I complained - several times - they sent some photos of the said item and a vague description of how the item was seen in the car by one of their operatives the same night. Please have a look at the photos which show a chest of drawers which covers the entire back seat of the car and the boot and required that the seats be laid flat.
The reason I did not report it is because it was not in the car that I picked up. It is an item that takes up the whole car! I could not have missed it, nor could my passenger. Zipcar provide no evidence of the time or location of the car. The photos are very carefully cropped to ensure that the location of the car is not identifiable. There is no explanation of the missing six days from when I borrowed the car to when they called me. There is no evidence at all apart from their say so.
Then of course, in their emails there are the subtle threats - we are going to contact our insurers. We have reviewed the matter and are confident that charges are correct. What was the review - a bunch of men in suits saying we need to improve our bottom line? They feel that they can say and do whatever they like and that's that. Look at the photos. The chest is drawers is not mine and it was not in the car when I borrowed it, nor was it in the car when I arrived at my destination and exited the car. How do I prove this? Or how do I access Zipcar's systems to find out exactly who had access to the car from 21 July to 26 July, and find out where those photos they sent me were taken and when?
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