Key mechanics are poorly executed – Maven – Car Sharing Review

First, the car unlocking system. It’s at first very convenient to have your phone become the wireless key fob for the car. However, the key flaw is that each time you need to connect to the car you have to be able to have wireless service of some kind whether through cell data or WiFi. Often times available parking in LA (where I drove most) is either in a large concrete structure or in an underground structure. Both are examples of places with limited or no cell service. The result is that you are left stranded with a car you cannot unlock or start and a ticking clock to when your reservation might end. To their credit Maven does have a really great roadside assistance team, but even then you will have to wait 1+ hours and field many phone calls in order to be towed out. Second, is the way in which late returns are handled. Once the car is late, you will no longer have authorized connection to the vehicle and therefore be stranded wherever you are. What happens in this situation is that you have to call in to have them end the reservation for you, then you have to wait 30-45 minutes for the payment to process, then call them back in order to start a new reservation with which you can drive the car back. It’s a lose-lose situation in which you cannot get home and are charged $50 per hour (a fair enough fee) and they will be out of a car for a much longer time than necessary. I have been using Maven for over 2 years and having fairly good experiences, but in one day I was presented with so many problems that I will be doing everything in my power to not use this service again.
Review by Hal Pan on Maven – Car Sharing.