Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:15/03/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The service Communauto offers is a safe and reliable rental vehicle that will get you from point A to point B for a daily fee that comes out to $57.63 [when staying within km/gas parameters]. On January 18, 2023, I took a Communauto car to a dental appointment in Vaughn, Ontario. I was driving on HWY-400 when the vehicle began rattling before starting to feel like a magic carpet ride - the front end was picking up and slamming down onto the suspension repeatedly in a way where I had to grip/jerk the steering wheel to keep the car from crashing into the guard rail and cars around me. As an experienced driver, I put my hazard lights on and crossed six lanes of traffic
  with the car visibly mishandling. Somebody almost hit me. Communauto then told me I have to drive the car down the ramp or I am responsible for waiting for two tow truck companies. I drove the unsafe car another KM so they would be willing to pick it up. I waited 2 hours for the tow truck. I spent 3 1/2 hours returning home on transit. My day was ruined - all plans were inevitably cancelled. The mechanic said the plate that protects the engine had broken loose, so an air stream was going through the bottom of the car. I asked Communauto for a refund for the daily rate with photographic proof of what had happened because I did not get from Point A to Point B and nearly died doing so, never mind the other hassles. After three phone calls, Communauto acknowledged this was a result of poor maintenance that I couldn't have done anything about, but no, we will not refund you. "It goes against company policy to refund people in any scenario." Recently, I booked one of their vehicles, and the check engine light came on immediately. I safely went to another car within 10 minutes and phoned customer service to let them know. I requested a refund for the faulty vehicle and the time inconvenience - again, no refund. This is a problem!

  Business Response

  Date: 21/03/2023

  Hello,
  
  Thank you
  for the opportunity to address your concerns. We are sorry to hear that your
  plans were altered during your trip to the dentist.

  
  Members are
  expected to do a full walk around of the vehicle to inspect for any damage
  prior to starting their reservation to prevent a vehicle from being operated if
  there is a concern and to avoid trip charges on a vehicle that may not be
  useable to complete the trip safely. When noticing an issue that needs to be
  inspected promptly, we ask that members call us and our call center agents (available
  24/7) can advise on the next steps.

  
   It was confirmed by our mechanic and fleet
  team that the splash shield on the vehicle needed a minor repair. The most
  common cause of these shields being dislodged is when the vehicle comes into
  contact with something typically at higher speeds, in the winter, it may have
  been ice or snow. The splash shield is designed to prevent water, mud or other
  debris from gaining assess to the engine compartment while driving. Typically,
  this shield is made of a black colored plastic and can be located at the front
  bumper. Although the sound can be a bit alarming at higher speeds, there is no
  cause for concern about the operation of the vehicle if the shield if not
  rubbing against any of the tires. In this case, our mechanic was able to
  refasten the shield and there are no further concerns. We were not able to recreate
  the inability to operate the vehicle safety upon inspection so perhaps there
  was something still under the vehicle that was causing difficulties when
  pulling to the side of the road during your trip.

  
  We
  appreciate your patience while you waited for roadside assistance. Our team
  provides all relevant details to our roadside assistance dispatch and the tow
  truck company with the least amount of wait time is selected to be sent to you as
  soon as possible. Sometimes, there can be a small delay as tow trucks must
  attend to calls based on priority. If a vehicle is obstructing traffic or if
  someone is in medical distress or has children in the car these calls will
  dispatched as emergencies and can result in a longer wait time but rest
  assured, we do our best to reduce this wait time as much as possible.

  
  Regarding
  your more recent trip, we thank you for reporting the check engine light to us.
  We were able to confirm that our fleet team has cleared this warning and there
  were no concerns. Although a check engine light may be a scary thought, more
  often than not it is not a cause for concern. This light serves a warning
  system to alert the operator that there may be an issue that needs to be addressed.
  The severity of these problems can range from minor, such as a loose fuel cap
  to a more serious offence like an engine malfunction. More modern vehicles are
  equipped with systems that are designed to protect the engine to prevent damage
  in the event of a more serious warning. For example, if the engine is
  overheating, the vehicles defense would be to shut down to prevent further
  damages. Should you notice that the drivability of the vehicle is not as
  expected when this light is illuminated (shaking, loud noises etc.) we ask that
  you contact us right away so we can assess the situation and provide further
  clarification on the engine code warning available to us online. If there is no
  concern about the way the car is operating, you are welcome to continue to use
  the vehicle for the duration of your trip and our agents will report the light
  to our fleet team to investigate after your usage.

  
  As always,
  we remain available to speak to you further about your concerns and our
  supervision team can be reached through our call center Monday – Friday from 9:00AM-5:00PM.
  

   

  The Communauto Team

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/01/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Using their car share service, I purchased a Flex Pass Unlimited on December 3, 2022 which allows you a month of unlimited trips, 30 minutes or less.
  Right after purchasing, I took this trip:
  Reservation No  ********
  Starting: Sat, Dec 3, 2022 13:26
  Ending: Sat, Dec 3, 2022 14:09
  As you see, my trip was 33 minutes. 30 minutes should have been free, but instead they charged me the entire trip $15.81 .
  Upon asking them why, they indicated I broke the terms, by "blocking 3 cars" before finally starting a trip with this vehicle.
  According to their terms:
  A period of 45 minutes between the end of one trip and the start of the next is required in order for another free 30-minute period to apply.
  This means that you must allow 45 minutes after the end of a trip before blocking or using a vehicle again. The same period applies for the successive use of a vehicle by a co-member or another authorized driver from the same business account.
  However I did not actually begin any of these trips by simply blocking cars. The trip did not start until 13:26 and there was no previous trip for my pass not to apply. Also, the cars that you block are not displayed anywhere for you to see. There is no record of trips blocked. You cannot say that I used the car within 45 minutes after ending a previous trip because the record shows I didn't.
  
  Same thing with another trip.
  Reservation No ******** Start Date: Wed, Dec 21, 2022 22:39
  End Date: Wed, Dec 21, 2022 23:12
  
  They billed me the entire duration $12.65 when the previous trip was at 20:34 (at least two hours before starting the second trip). They again, have said it's because I blocked cars between, however did not actually start those trips.
  
  I am requesting an immediate refund of $12.65 + $15.81 for a total of $28.46.
  This is a bad faith charge, as again, I did not break the terms of service as they are written. This is some weird loophole about blocking cars that is not stated anywhere in your terms.

  Business Response

  Date: 18/01/2023

  Hello Ms. **,
  
  We are
  contacting you to follow up on your request regarding the billing of the
  following reservations : 38323622 and 37975633.
  Rest assured that,
  exceptionally, we have credited both trips, for a total of 28.46$. 26.16$ was
  credited on January 16th 2022 and 2.30$ was credited today, January
  18th 2022.
  
  As mentioned in our
  terms, A period of 45 minutes between the end of one
  trip and the start of the next is required in order for another free 30-minute
  period to apply. This means that you must allow 45 minutes after the end of a
  trip before blocking or using a vehicle again. We consider that blocking a vehicle entails that the inactivity period
  wasn’t respected, even if another trip wasn’t started.
  
  In other words, once you end a trip, please make
  sure that for 45 minutes you do not block (reserve) a Flex car or start another
  trip.
  
  We thank you for your collaboration and remain
  available for any questions that you may have.
  
  Best regards,

  The Communauto Team

  Customer Answer

  Date: 18/01/2023

  
  
  ****** ******** *******
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 18686089, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** **
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:13/12/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hi there, I subscribed to a car share plan with Communauto. The subscription I got in Sep/13/2022 of this year has a 12 month commitment. On the website and all throughout the sign up process, the information about the program reads
  "Round-trip vehicles available by reservation
  
  Station-based: Bring your Communauto back to its station.
  
  
  Pick up the car at the station you selected and return it to the station where you picked it up at the agreed time.
  
  Round-trip vehicles can be booked up to a month in advance.
  
  Ideal for planned trips or when you need to make sure you have access to a vehicle at a specific time and place."
  
  
  I signed up to have a vehicle and "make sure" I had access to that vehicle at a "specific" time. That is what I signed up for as that is what is advertised. Since then, on 2 separate occasions I have booked a car and had it be late because the other person did not bring it back or had it not show up at all. I was late to an appointment and missed a meeting. This is not what was advertised, and the way they word it on their website is misleading consumers into thinking that is exactly how it works.
  
  The only stipulation in the contract is "Communauto may not be held responsible for any direct or indirect damage arising from the reservation, non-availability, supply, operation, or use of a vehicle". This does not read to me that even with a membership and reservation, it is possible that the car will not show up and that I will still have to pay for a membership in light of that. I have had other issues with the company and it is not what I intended, and not what was represented on their website.
  I have tried to get them to let me out of the contract but they dismiss me saying I'm locked in and my reservations not being honoured are not a valid reason to be let out of the contract. I believe they misrepresented and never explicitly say that even if I reserve a car and it does not show up on time I still have to pay them membership fees.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/01/2023

  Hi *****,

  
  Thank you for reaching out to us to give us the opportunity to review your concerns again.
  
  We looked into the reservations on your account and can confirm that on your most recent reservation on November 25th,  the previous member returned the car to the station at 7:38am and your original reservation was for 7:45am and we can see that you accessed the vehicle at 7:52 but our agent had kindly adjusted the start time to 8:00 am. Please be advised that our members are able to book back to back reservations, so it is possible that a member will not return to the station until their reservation is over like in this case, the previous member’s reservation was not supposed to end until 7:45am so they were actually a bit early in their return at 7:38am.
  
  The past reservations on November 18th with vehicle was returned by the previous member the day before on November 17th around noon so it was readily available for your reservation on the 18th.
  
  As you mentioned any plans with a monthly fee does require a 12 month commitment therefore you will be eligible to close your account at the end of August 2023.

  
  Please don't hesitate to reach out to our customer service team should you wish to discuss this further.

  
  Thanks again,

  
  The Communauto Team

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/01/2023

  
  
  Complaint: 18567152
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The car you are referring to was not returned by 7:38 entirely. I was not able to access the car at my reservation time, and furthermore, I was told by your customer service representative that any time someone decides to not bring back a car I would be “screwed” in the sense that there would be no immediate action Communauto would take. This is not the service I signed up for, as you advertise “immediate” and “reliable” access to a car on your main page which is not always the case. Augmenting the reservation once I had access to the car is expected, but does not change the inconvenience, as unfortunately I cannot augment meeting times and appointments. This is simply not the service I signed up 12 months for, I expected it to be constantly reliable and it is simply not. I suggest if you wish to avoid further issue, you change your wording on the webpage to make clear cars may not be brought back on time by other members. You have misrepresented, and for that I would like to be let out of the 12 month commitment without further charges. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,

  
  
  
  ***** *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:14/10/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I requested Communauto cancel my membership on the last day of June after their COB. They informed I would still have to pay July as my last month which I didn't argue. The key fob they provide was returned as soon as they sent the instructions. The invoice was automatically charged to my credit card in August.
  
  However, I received a new invoice billing me for August ($40.68) and the amount was subsequently charged to my credit card in Sept. After several messages left through their online contact form, they simply responded confirming my membership had been cancelled and didn't address the incorrect charge. I managed to speak to them on Oct. 4 and they confirmed there had been a mistake in their system and I shouldn't have been billed for August. They were going to inform their accounting department so they could contact me to coordinate the reimbursement. We're now Oct. 14 and no one has been in contact with me since. I've again reached out to them online (impossible to reach anyone over the phone) today and hopefully will get a response in about 10-14 days if I compare to previous contact attempts.

  Business Response

  Date: 24/10/2022

  Hi *****, thank you for bringing this to our attention and we're sorry that it wasn't resolved more quickly for you. We've looked into your past messages and can confirm that you requested to cancel your account on June 30th and you were then charged for monthly fees in July and August in error. Those fees have now been credited to your account and you should receive a refund to your credit card for two payments of 40.68 for a total of $81.36. Please don't hesitate to reach out through our customer service team if you have any further questions.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 24/10/2022

  
  
  ****** ******** *******
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to ********* ** ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:13/10/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I needed a car for a month and I rent a vehicle from Communauto.
  So, i called than and the company told me, in my case, VALUE plan was the best option.
  In this plan, I have to pay $500 as a security deposity and 5$ per month ( 1 year contract ).
  However, when I research a car(round trip vehicle rate), I could find any car. I called when I could find any car.. I did the research for few days, more than one at the day. None car available in the round trip vehicle rate.
  So I called Communauto and asked to change the my plan, to downgrade to OPEN plan because I did not want to pay $ 500 + $ 5/month (12 months) if I did not get the right vehicle.
  I dont want to pay for something that I dont get it.

  Business Response

  Date: 24/10/2022

  A customer service supervisor has attempted to contact the member by phone today to discuss their options regarding opting out of their 12 month commitment but unfortunately there was no answer. We have sent a follow-up email encouraging the member to call us so we can assist in resolving this matter promptly.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:14/09/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been a Communauto customer for several months.
  
  On June 15th, I received an extra charge on my credit card not listed in any invoices from the company, from Communauto. The charge was for $20.91.
  
  I emailed them on July 2nd to inquire, and included a screenshot of the transaction in my bank account. I received no response. I emailed again to follow up on July 10th. No response.
  
  I called on July 26th. They confirmed receipt of my emails and the attached screenshot. The representative on the phone said that it was out of their hands, but they sent a ticket to their billing dept. to resolve the issue.
  
  It has been nearly 2 months since this happened. I have received no further communication from Communauto and don't know what else to do, as neither my emails or calls have led towards a resolution.
  
  I would like the charge refunded, and I would like for my membership to be cancelled with no cancellation fee, as I have really been stressed by this process and no longer wish to engage with them.
  
  I attached my May 2022 invoice (billed in June) for 72.60. I was charged 72.60, AND 20.91 (see bank transaction screenshot).

  Business Response

  Date: 22/09/2022

  Hello,

  
  Thank you for sharing your
  concerns and I apologize that clarification wasn’t provided to you sooner by
  our Customer Service team. We left you a voicemail but in case you haven’t not
  received it, I’d like to offer clarification here as well. The payment of
  $20.91 is not for your account, it’s for the active account that is associated
  to your emergency contact. It appears that the same credit card was uploaded to
  both accounts which is why you are seeing multiple payments from us on that
  credit card. To avoid future charges on this card from the other members
  account, we suggest that you reach out to them and ask that they upload their
  own credit card to their account.
  

  If you wish to cancel you
  account once the 12 month commitment has been met, please don’t hesitate to
  reach out to us by phone or through out contact form.
  

  Best regards,

  
  The Communauto Team