- Travellers were left stranded on a highway after police seized an illegal rental car in Rajasthan
- The car had a Gujarat number plate but was rented for use in Rajasthan via Zoomcar
- Zoomcar customer support was unresponsive. The travellers missed their prepaid safari and incurred extra costs
Many travellers prefer renting cars on trips to explore a destination at their own pace. However, a "ridiculous" car rental experience left a traveller frustrated, reportedly ruining his trip and leaving him stranded in the middle of a highway. X user Akshat Jain shared his experience on social media last Sunday after booking a car via Zoomcar in Jaipur to travel to Ranthambore.
Jain said the vehicle's number plate was masked on the app, so he had no idea which car he would ultimately receive.
"We reached the car, and it was a Gujarat (GJ) white-plate vehicle. I felt uncomfortable instantly, but it was too late to change the vehicle - this was the only seven-seater option available in the city," Jain shared. He was reportedly travelling with a large group.
He added that the owner reassured him there would be no issues and claimed the car had been listed on Zoomcar for four months. "Cops won't stop. Take my number if anyone stops you," the owner reportedly told him.
Within 45 minutes, Jain said they were stopped by the police, who seized the car, took the keys, parked it in a random plot and asked the group to contact the owner.
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Police flagged the improper number plate and called the rental illegal. Jain explained, "The owner proudly told them that he'd been renting it out for months and never faced an issue. The police were adamant that this was illegal - and rightly so. The owner needs to visit the RTO and pay up. Any commercial vehicle being used in Rajasthan for that long needs to pay road tax here and convert to a yellow plate if used commercially. Road tax alone would come to around Rs 1.5 lakh."
Travellers Left Stranded On Highway, Missed Their Pre-Paid Safari
After this, the police left, and the travellers were stranded in a random area off the highway in 38 degrees Celsius heat.
The owner never showed up, calling it a Zoomcar legal team issue, while Zoomcar support reportedly said that since it was Sunday, they would only be able to help the next day.
Zoomcar customer care allegedly added, "Since your booking is still live, please don't leave the spot; if any damage happens to the car, it'll still be your responsibility."
The travellers were left stranded for almost two hours before figuring out their next steps.
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Due to the disruption, the group missed a Rs 28,000 safari, paid an additional Rs 12,000 for last-minute transport, and lost an entire day of their trip.
Traveller Calls Out Zoomcar For Poor Customer Support
Jain added that a week later, he remained disappointed with how Zoomcar handled the situation. He wrote, "After all this and seven days of escalations, Zoomcar called and said they would 'refund the booking amount'. Think about this. No one should know the legalities of vehicle rules better than them, yet they listed this car and then abandoned us mid-crisis. And honestly, what if this happened at night, to a woman travelling alone? You hand over an illegal car and then disappear? I've been chasing Zoomcar for a week now. Let's see where this ends."
The post went viral on X, prompting a response from Zoomcar.
The company commented, "Hi Akshat, I can feel how disappointing this situation is for you, having to deal with a legal issue involving the cops during this reservation. I found that our team is already handling the matter. I'll ensure it's highlighted to our priority team so they can address it promptly. Joseph, Zoomcar Care Team."
According to Jain's last update shared yesterday, communication from the company is still pending, and the issue has yet to be fully resolved.
