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Commentroversy: They’re Mad As Hell, And They’re Not Gonna PhillyCarShare Anymore

pcsTo be honest, we haven’t given much thought to PhillyCarShare since we had this (non-)conversation with PCS’s Eli Massar back on July 29th. But it seems like other folks — folks who’ve been burned in one way or another by PCS, it would seem — have been thinking about it a lot. Just posted on that last post we ran was this little bit of whathaveyou:

Many PhillyCarShare employees and members feel we’ve been harmed by unethical or illegal actions committed under Eli Massar’s leadership. Please read on and let us know if any of the following applies to you.

Over the past year, has PhillyCarShare under Eli Massar’s leadership:

* charged your credit card, or drained your bank account, without your awareness or permission?
* wrecked your personal finances and/or credit?
* contracted you as a vendor but not paid you?
* reneged on your severance agreement or denied you proper severance?
* failed to pay you for hours worked or vacation pay, as required by law?
* turned its back on you, the employee, over reported workplace harassment or discrimination?
* jeopardized your safety and/or the safety of your loved ones with poorly maintained vehicles?

Are you aware of any of the following committed by Eli Massar:

* lies told to banks, funders, media, or government
* conflicts of interest that put business decisions into serious question
* business expenditures for substantial personal use
* other unethical or unlawful acts?

Email us with your particulars and, if you want to be contacted regarding future actions to hold the company accountable, provide us with the best way to reach you.

Thank you,
Members & Employees for Accountability
MEFA.PhillyCarShare@gmail.com

Ahem. Let the games begin.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 11:39 am.

  • barryg

    No on all counts. Very happy customer here.

  • John Lightstone

    Me too. I hope they’ve straightened out the management issues.

  • insectintellect

    I used to hang with this girl that worked for philly carshare that would buy extra bags of coke to take to her bosses and coworkers.

  • replyer

    To be honest, it is obvious that you, in fact, have given quite a good deal of thought to Philly Car Share. I do not believe I have every seen such a long list of angry name calling in a long time. I personnally have had very satisfactory experiences using Philly Car Share over the last two years. With that in mind I would either like to know if you are paid by ZipCar for such outbursts, or if not, is the person making up such a shopping list of evil doing sure enough of their facts to identify themselves to the public. I mean they really should take credit for unearthing such a destructive entity as Philly Car Share to the unknowing public.

  • barryg

    Replyer, dawg, who are you addressing? Philebrity did not come up with that list, they just re-posted what this MEFA group is saying. If you are a PhillyCarShare shill, you are dumb as rocks and maybe there is some merit to MEFA’s claims if you guys can’t even figure out who is leveling these serious charges at you.

  • chattycathy

    While these charges are harsh and possibly groundless, as a customer of Philly Car Share since ’04 or 05′, I’m not having a very hard time believing MEFA’s claims. Let me attempt to briefly recount the bullshit I’ve dealt with.

    1. The removal of the late return grace period. Merely five minutes or less late returning your car? Say goodbye to $40 for a late fee. Even worse, there was a time when their phone line was non-functional as we were trying to extend our reservation and when we finally got through to a rep, they couldn’t guarantee we wouldn’t be hit with a late fee – even though the phone line delay pushed us past the return time. “Sometimes the automated system charges people. Sometimes it doesn’t.” A computer doesn’t arbitrarily decide to add charges. Give me a straight fucking answer re: whether we will have to fight a $40 charge or not.

    2. Worse than the late fees? How about the same $40 charge for picking up a car a few minutes early? Better make sure your watch is coordinated with PCS time.

    3. Key FOB malfunctions that lock customers out of their reservations. This happened to me at 3am as I snagged a car to drive a friend home. It’s lovely having to walk to Kensington to snag another car at 3am when the previous two car reservations failed.

    4. Charges for other customer’s parking tickets. Then having to fight tooth and nail to prove that – no – I didn’t take my car for a joyride to North Philly and park illegally six hours after my reservation ended.

    5. Poorly maintained cars. That is one item in MEFA’s list that I can attest to.

    6. Self-congratulatory monthly newsletters with the actual invoice buried and frequently so riddled with misc, random fees as to be undecipherable to the customer. Sometimes it takes willpower to even bother fighting bogus charges.

    I could go on and on, but this rant probably already seems a tad crazy town, at the very least longwinded.

    Why haven’t I switched to ZipCar? (1) I’d still rather give my money to a locally-based non-profit. I doubt ZipCar will be as competitively priced if/when PCS is a memory. (2) My lazy ass doesn’t want to trek to the nearest ZipCar in NoLibs from my house in Fishtown. So sue me. I want to be able to walk to the cars in 5-10 minutes or less.

  • worldb

    Good to see you participating in the ‘new media’ equivalent of billboards and late-night commercials for ambulance chasers, Philebrity.

  • tips

    Hey, somebody posted it in the comments. We thought it was worth noting. But no, please do go on and continue to shoot the messenger. It makes you all look sooooo smart.

  • worldb

    Yes. It was posted in comments to a much older thread where hardly anyone would notice. You then bumped it up, giving free advertising to Irwin R. Shyster and his anonymous gmail box. At least you could’ve gotten paid for it. Like you said to philly.com, you’re doing it wrong.

  • varrato

    Been a member almost since the beginning, and haven’t really had many problems. My fob always works, haven’t had erroneous charges. The cars are clean (reasonably). Good availability. True, they’ve sent some really annoying (sometimes insulting) emails, but they’ve got my support while they continue to work out some kinks (um, gas cards?). In my opinion, PCS provides a valuable service. They saw a need in Philly and created an organization to meet that need. The good far out weights the bad.

  • notfornothing

    I used to work there and I can tell you that the list is accurate. I still want to see the company succeed. It does provide such a valuable service to this city. I hope everything gets worked out. Good luck PCS and good luck to the people still sticking it out there!

  • rsilverx

    I won’t say “I told you so!” but it was inevitable, Zip Car could not continue to offer rates in Philadelphia that were substantially lower than what they are currently charging in every other US City. This international company didn’t come to Philly because they liked the liberty bell, they wanted to make PROFIT$. Their strategy to drive PhillyCarShare out of business by cutting their rates has brought PCS to its knees but has not knocked them out. Now the bean counters in Cambridge Mass want to start showing their investors PROFIT$ so they can sell the company and they can’t do that with Philly at current prices.
    Those of us who support the local economy really want to see PCS survive. We know that even with its warts and scratches, PCS exists solely to serve Philly. We need to get behind this nonprofit and show it some love. I think they want to listen and to make the changes that will make this community asset even better than it is today.
    So, to all you Zipsters out there, it is time to crunch the numbers again. Beware of the next price increase. Philly is still behind New York, DC, Pittsburgh and all the other Zipcities. Quit pinching those Zippennies and buy local. The job you save may be your own.

  • iamdante

    Yes, Zipcar raised their rates once. During the same period, PCS has raised their rates several times, changed the way they charged, upped their fees, increased their penalties enforced their fees and penalties anyway they want, and did their best to hide the ways they charged their endless list of fees and penalties.

    I am one of the world’s greatest poets. Yet, under PCS I was treated like a criminal and had to fight tooth and nail to change the fees and charges. One more thing I learned about PCS: They are never wrong. Ever. Not to mention the cars were often filthy and poorly maintained.

    With Zipcar, the rules are simple and easy to follow. The fees, penalties, etc. are relayed to customers in a clear, concise manner. Now that I use Zipcar, I am a model citizen. The last time I felt so liberated was when the White Guelphs ruled Florence in the 13th Century.

    Like a lot people, I bought into the non-profit, local business crap. Then I watched as PCS pissed on their customers and nickel and dimed them to death. The whole “we’re non-profit we’re local” speech is nothing more than a cynical sales pitch. They applied the same pressure using their local, non-profit status to try bully the Fairmount Civic Association to give them several spaces they wanted on city streets. Spaces that PCS couldn’t even prevent from being taken from anyone who wanted to park there. Someone parked in a PCS street space? Tough, find another place nearby and if you turned the car in late looking for a place that will cost you $40.

    At this point anyone who still defends PCS is either employed by PCS or is an idiot.

    I am Dante and I approve this message.