Hello,

I am wondering if anyone has had a similar experience when using the gas card. I rented the Prius Paris and was on the highway when I needed to refuel. I stopped at the first place, an Exxon, and entered the odometer reading and driver number, but the card was not accepted. Zipcar customer service referred me to the cashier at the gas station, who had no idea what I was talking about, so I went on to the next gas station, also an Exxon. Same thing happened there. Figuring it was perhaps an Exxon problem, I stopped next at a Shell Station. The Shell pump took the driver ID and odometer, then asked me for a "vehicle number." Having no idea what that was, I called Zipcar again, and they didn't know, either. Neither did the gas station attendant. Unfortunately I had to use my own cash to refuel (thank god its a hybrid car and was cheap) and now have to get my refund via Zipcar eventually.

Has this happened to anyone else? Three out of three failures seems odd to me. Should I in the future count on the gas card failing and assume I will be paying for gas myself, or is this a freak thing?

Other than that, everything about my Zipcar experience was wonderful.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2004

Answers

When the gas pump asked for the "driver number", what you should have entered was the number on the gas card, not your own driver number. This is the "vehicle number" that the attendant was looking for. It works like a charm when you do that.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2004