Alta Bicycle Share

Review: My complaint is directed to "Capital Bikeshare". Sunday, April 15 2013, I ventured to Washington D.C. for the day. I saw tons of tourists riding red bikes, and wondered where they were getting them! When my boyfriend and I finally got to a bike rack, after walking about 2 miles in the Washington Mall, we immediately jumped on the opportunity, so that we could get around quicker than walking, and for cheaper than a taxi.

When you walk up to the prompt machine, the screen is about 5 inches, with computerized directions. It stated "$7 all day membership, free first half hour" and then stated other membership options that could be purchased. So I purchased 2 bikes under the 24-hour membership option, since there were only 2 options at the time of the payment. There were about 5 people (tourists, I am assuming) impatiently waiting in the busy Washington D.C. area, right infront of the Washington Monument. After selecting the membership I chose, I came to a page that stated "terms and agreements" and was on page 1 out of about 137 pages. 137 pages!! After scrolling through about the first 5, I could sense people behind me getting impatient, so I agreed. I was under the impression that my credit card would be charged $14 dollars for the whole day, first half an hour being free. My boyfriend assumed the same, as we were reading the terms/memberships together. We thought this was too good to be true, but went along and couldn't get over how good of a deal and REASONABLE this price was for 2 regular bikes. We had the bikes for about 3 and a half hours. We returned the bikes, and left Washington D.C. for the day. Monday, April 16th, 2013, I checked my bank account and saw that I was charged $106.00. Shocked at the cost of 2 regular bikes that we only RENTED to ride around for the day, with no damages, I called Capital Bikeshare to discuss the billing. I told a woman that I was shocked and that this price seems a little outrageous and if we were to be charged that much then it should be stated more clearly because I didn't think any person in their right mind would rent bikes for $106.00. You can PURCHASE a bike for that price! She then stated that I should have "read the terms and conditions" because the bikes are to be brought back to a "charge" station EVERY 30 minutes in order for the price to be $7.00 out of a 24 hour membership, and that the bikes are to be ridden by people running errands or getting to and from work. I think that statement is absolutely insulting, when the "terms and agreements" were about 137 pages with 5 people standing behind me, tapping their feet with their arms crossed, anxiously waiting their turn. I also think that statement is a contradiction, because if people are using these bikes to get to and from work, or to run errands, how are they to return the bikes to a "charge station" every 30 minutes? It took almost 30 minutes to find a station other than the one we rented the bikes from originally! We saw only 3 bike stations throughout the whole mall.

When I explained that the cost was out of this world, the customer service representative then put me on hold for 45 seconds, came back to the phone, and said that she would give me "half of my money back". So, 2 bikes for not even 4 hours of use is $53.00, when to my knowledge it was 2 bikes for $14.00 for 24-hours.

I feel EXTREMELY taken advantage of and instead of asking if that was reasonable to me, I was told there was nothing else the company could do. I then told the woman, that if people were to be charged so much money for 2 rented bikes, that the price should be in big neon letters without 137 pages of terms and agreements on a computer screen 5 inches big in a popular tourist town, and that having to return the bikes every 30 minutes was not practical whatsoever. I want to report this company, because I feel that I was thoroughly taken advantage of and that the pricing is extremely unfair.Desired Settlement: My desired outcome is to get a refund of my money for being taken advantage of and being charged so much money for 2 bikes. If I had damaged the bikes, lost them, or didn't return the bikes at all, I would gladly pay the total $106.00. However, the bikes were returned, I called the company to discuss the payment, and I was shunned away, probably like tons of other people who have the same billing issues. I want this company to make the pricing more clear, for future consumers. That way there won't be questions when they are charged more than what they paid for.

Thank you very much for you time.

Business

Response:

Review: I've been an annual member of [redacted] Bikeshare since 2012, using their key-fob and paying the annual fees. These keyfobs warp and wear out easily within a year and need to be annually replaced from normal use and life-on-a-keychain. The summer is the busiest and most valuable time to use this service but their inability to provide the key for service, any useful or similarly convenient solution or any sort of honest answer on when it will be fixed has made this a miserable experience and they've destroyed a lot of the good will I had and made me regret supporting and evangelizing them to visitors and friends.

I renewed my [redacted] Bikeshare membership ([redacted]) in June 2014 and have now been waiting 3 months for the renewal/replacement key fob to arrive since then and they have not delivered, despite several phone calls to them and them repeatedly promising that the keys would be arriving and shipping within 5-10 business days after I called them.

They've been completely incommunicative, never updating me on the status (I always have to call them) and only offered a 3-day rental pass to tide me over when I call, which is only good for 3 days, not near the 5-10 BUSINESS days for their promised, but never delivered shipping time.

These 3-day passes also require a several step-process every time you check a bike out, a $100 credit card for every bike I check out and repeat renewals and phone calls, wait/hold time and credit card transactions to get more passes.Desired Settlement: Refund/comp my annual fee for the hassle of not being able to easily rent a bike with the promised key fob, and send a working key immediately.

Review: My key that enables me to use the bikeshare broke. Originally, I was told upon the initial complaint, July 10, 2014, that I would receive a new key within 7-10 business days. Instead they gave me a temporary 3 day pass that keeps a $100 hold on the credit card I use. The hold can stay on my card for up to 30 days, as per the terms of the bank. The problem is that I only use a [redacted] card and bikeshare doesn't accept [redacted] card. My check card is a [redacted], but getting a $100 hold on my account for up to 30 days would be unacceptable and I can't afford to do that since that may cause problems with my checking account. Bikeshare had no other solution for that, so I said I would wait the 10 business days for the new key. When it didn't arrive within that time frame, I called. (July 27, 2014). It was then and only then that they informed me that I was on a list to receive the key but that there were none available. I would have to wait at least another 2 weeks, but most likely longer. I asked if my account would be prorated the time that I was unable to use the key and the customer service person said that it would not.

The fact that I have already waited for the key the 10 business days, and now am being told that a. bikeshare knew there were no keys available when I made the original call and b. they don't know when I will receive a new key is unacceptable. I have paid for a service that has an expiration and I cannot use the service, through no fault of my own.Desired Settlement: I would like to get my key replaced as soon as possible, and I would like to be prorated for the time I was unable to use the bikes.