Their support is OKAY, but not great. They are helpful, but not always responsive, so you feel like an engineering manager chasing after your junior direct reports, constantly pinging and babysitting them.
I've had to argue with them over points of minor contention in the past before, like one time a renter claimed my car was "dirty" and so I had to record them a video showing its immaculate interior. They also didn't want to help me chase down a renter who didn't refill my gas tank for me, as required by GetAround, but I eventually was able to resolve that as well.
GetAround completely covered the cost of parking tickets, repairs, and towing. They also made the process really hassle free. The towing was also handled decently well, but as a renter, I DID have to _notice_ my car got towed (not something I checked every day) before contacting GetAround to have them take care of it.
AFAIK, you automatically opt-in to using GA's insurance (but still are required to carry your own personal insurance on the car).
Overall, I found that renters just didn't treat my car well enough for me; they treated it like an ordinary rental car rather than borrowing a friend's car. After nearly every trip, there was garbage left behind in the car (straw wrappers, tissues, spills, stains), most did not following the parking rules, and the vast majority just didn't bother getting gas for me like they are required to by GetAround. One renter (I couldn't pinpoint the exact person) stole my mobile phone dashboard mount, my cigarette lighter USB charger (which was there mostly to help the renters!), and my SD card.
The brakes also squeal now, so I suspect somebody was driving with a square wave shaped braking pattern.
I don't understand people who rent their things out yet are surprised when folks treat them like a rental rather than borrowing something from a friend. The thing is, when I borrow vehicles or skis, or stay in a friend's house, I don't pay them. I may refill the tank or refrigerator, but otherwise, it's free. Once you demand money from someone, it's just a transaction and no you no longer get the friend treatment / stuff treated with kid gloves. Now I (obviously) don't go out of my way to trash rental things, but I certainly don't treat them with as much care as something I borrowed from a friend.
When I rent cars, I think it's fine to leave minor messes in them; it's implied as part of the rental service they'll vacuum carpets or recycle a stray bottle or two.
I, for one, go our of my way to treat AirBnBs (even) nicer than I treat hotels because its an actual friendly person's house -- not a hotel room owned by a big evil soulless corporation.
I don't see why this isn't the case with other people. With GetAround, the whole premise is that you're borrowing your neighbor's car, not getting a late model Prius from Enterprise that has been beaten to hell and back already.
I'm paying them, no wonder they're friendly. Normal wear and tear should be factored into their prices, same as if I was renting a hotel room or apartment or car.
When an AirBNB listing looks like they expect me to put myself at extra inconvenience, I don't bother with it. Especially with how many of them are basically full-time landlords of their rented spaces these days.
I think there's room in between. If the owner expects you to treat the property well, they can do things to enhance your experience that a hotel can't. But treating things well is a minor burden, so sometimes you just want to get a hotel and not worry about it.
More than a few of my AirBnB hosts didn't really seem like they needed the money, but they really enjoyed meeting new people and being in the company of their guests.
Now I understand AirBNB et al would love for folks to get suckered into the idea they need to pay cash and get the friend-loaned-you-something treatment, but that's silly.
No, renting != borrowing, but with Airbnb you often meet the owners, may even have breakfast with them in their home, etc.
Yes, money changes hands - you pay for use and cleaning of the place - but my Airbnb rentals have been significantly more intimate than any commercial hotel I've stayed in (even small hotels or regular commercial BnBs).
That's odd. Every AirBnB I've stayed at has been as impersonal as the most generic cheap hotel chain but with far more hassle and inconvenience.
The notion that you'd experience any kind of "community" or "sharing" with AirBnB has always seemed like pure marketing BS. It's cool that you've actually experienced it. Maybe it does happen sometimes.
My wife and I did a trip through Western Europe a few years ago - meeting and visiting with our "hosts", talking about what they liked about living there, etc., was a fun enhancement to the trip. The couple of hotel stays were much less welcoming and more generic.
My wife made the Airbnb reservations, and she really likes meeting local people, so she may have selected for that experience.
Brake squeal is commonly caused by the lack of anti-squeal compound on the back sides of the brake pads. It might not be correlated with brake pad wear.
I've had to argue with them over points of minor contention in the past before, like one time a renter claimed my car was "dirty" and so I had to record them a video showing its immaculate interior. They also didn't want to help me chase down a renter who didn't refill my gas tank for me, as required by GetAround, but I eventually was able to resolve that as well.
GetAround completely covered the cost of parking tickets, repairs, and towing. They also made the process really hassle free. The towing was also handled decently well, but as a renter, I DID have to _notice_ my car got towed (not something I checked every day) before contacting GetAround to have them take care of it.
AFAIK, you automatically opt-in to using GA's insurance (but still are required to carry your own personal insurance on the car).
Overall, I found that renters just didn't treat my car well enough for me; they treated it like an ordinary rental car rather than borrowing a friend's car. After nearly every trip, there was garbage left behind in the car (straw wrappers, tissues, spills, stains), most did not following the parking rules, and the vast majority just didn't bother getting gas for me like they are required to by GetAround. One renter (I couldn't pinpoint the exact person) stole my mobile phone dashboard mount, my cigarette lighter USB charger (which was there mostly to help the renters!), and my SD card.
The brakes also squeal now, so I suspect somebody was driving with a square wave shaped braking pattern.