My response to ZipCar's survey after today's failed rental:

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I arrived at 7:30am to pick up a ZipCar I had paid to reserve from 6am to 9pm. Although I'd called one hour ahead, the garage attendant didn't inform me that the car had not been returned nor had he informed ZipCar. In a case such as this one -- where the garage requires one hour notification -- I would recommend that they be required to call ZipCar if the car hasn't been returned. Had this happened, ZipCar could have determined that the car was many hours overdue, called the violating renter, and notified me before I showered, dressed, and went out to the garage.

After arriving at the garage and finding the car missing, I called the customer service rep, who was very nice but didn't know New York. She offered to replace my rental in a heavily residential neighborhood with one in a warehouse district that would be desolate on both a Sunday morning and night. And though she offered a taxi to the car, she had no suggestions for how I would get back from this deserted neighborhood on a cold and rainy night (tonight's forecast).

Only when I suggested it, did the operator offer to call the violating renter. I was on hold for about five minutes and she came back with a very sad story from the renter about a cousin having a heart attack. While I'm sympathetic, it wouldn't have changed the domino of sad stories, if I'd been on the way to a family wedding or funeral or a job interview. As it was, I missed an opportunity to see parents in their 80's. In a location with as many cars as Manhattan, I'd recommend that you put one extra car in a central location for such emergencies.

During the course of the call, I also learned that the total penalty for a return as late as this one (overnight and into the morning) is $150. In a location like Manhattan, where parking in a handicapped space results in a $180 ticket and the most expensive dessert restaurant charges $1,000 for a sundae, I'd suggest that the ZipCar penalty be raised significantly. I apologize for my cynicism, but I have no way to know if the prior renter's story is true in a city where false excuses have been raised to an art form. If there really was a medical emergency, any fee could be waived.