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Sidrive
I'm not kidding when I say Sidrive has changed my daily routine. This thing is reliable, and I mean really reliable. Whether I'm running errands or just need a ride, I know I can count on Sidride to get me where I need to go. The build quality is top-notch, and the value for money is unbeatable. I've tried other transportation solutions in the past, but Sidride's ease of use and customer support are unmatched.
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A Chaotic Ride with City Drive: Where Customer Support Falls Short
summarizeEditor's Summary
My experience with City Drive was a wild ride – from the moment I registered to the final ride, it was a chaotic experience. I'll never forget my first ride, which almost ended in disaster thanks to the company's technical team's oversight. They don't take faulty cars to the service center, so you're on your own when it comes to dealing with any issues. Registration wasn't exactly complicated, but getting my driver's license scanned took 6 or 8 attempts. The app's photo requirements are pretty strict, and I had to take some pretty subpar pics before they were accepted. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the tariffs – it's a bit of a black box. The welcome 20 rubles were nice, but they did take it back twice without any issues. The cars themselves seem to be in decent shape, but the company's technical team could use some work. The app has a pretty cool map feature, but be prepared for some wild rides. All in all, my experience with City Drive has been a rollercoaster of emotions, and I'm still not sure if I'd recommend it to others.
settingsSpecifications
KararKötü
Kalite4/10
Uygulama6/10
Geolokasyon1/10
TaksiServisi8/10
HizmetKalitesi2/10
I'll never forget my first ride with City Drive, which almost ended in disaster thanks to the company's technical team's oversight. They don't take faulty cars to the service center, but instead give their clients a thrilling chance to test their luck or get seriously injured.
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Registration
What else do you need?
Driver's license;Passport;Credit card info.They don't accept Kiwi cards, but they did take back the welcome 20 rubles twice without any issues, although they showed an error twice in a row.
Registering with City Drive wasn't exactly complicated, but getting my driver's license scanned took 6 or 8 attempts. Taking photos of it was a real pain, as they kept blurring. Eventually, they accepted the worst photo I had.
City Drive tariffs
I'll just mention a few of the tariffs. You can find the rest in the app.
Geolocation is currently working pretty poorly. We live in the city center, and for the past three nights, we've been walking around, looking for cars that seem to be ghosts. They're visible on the map, but many are overlapping with houses, supposedly waiting for SpongeBob at the river bottom or parked in the middle of a park, a railway, etc. Nothing prevents you from booking them, though. You arrive, and there's nothing there.
So, we now walk around, checking if the car is available, and only then book it. Last night, we walked 6 km along the boulevard, peeking into every yard.
The app has a search feature by car number. Even live, available cars might not show up. You approach, enter the number, and book it.
We decided to head out on a mission on the night of June 21st, 2023. We take a look, and guess what? The car is parked right outside our house. We didn't book it in advance, we just wanted to make sure it was really there. We arrive, and there it is. We're admiring it, the Sitidrive app is open, and the 'book now' button is active. And then we see that the parking brake is engaged, and it starts reversing.
You should've seen our faces. This was a pretty intense moment - a crying emoji asking, 'why?' We could've taken it out for a spin until it left.
We ended up running to the next car on the map, and some homeless guy was chasing us. I guess he was a prophet. He was shouting something the whole time. Maybe it was, 'Guys, stop! You don't know what's coming!'
Now I think we should've stayed with him. Then we wouldn't have had to go through all this.
What a wild first rental experience!
The only downside was the creaky accelerator pedal. We get in, don't even make it out of the driveway, and the car starts losing power in the tunnel. The drivers behind us are getting annoyed, and then some other Sitidrive car zooms past us.
Then the car just dies on us right in the middle of the road while we're accelerating onto the third ring. Everyone behind us is honking and giving us the finger. We manage to get it started again, but our luck was short-lived.
On the next exit, just a kilometer down the road, the car dies again – for good this time!
Of course, when the engine dies, the brakes go out, and we're lucky to stop at all. It was a good thing it was late at night, and there weren't many cars on the road. If it had been a busier time, or if the driver wasn't experienced, we could've been in a world of trouble – especially on the MКАД where everyone's going 100+ and you can't even get to the shoulder.
When we tried to start the engine, the dashboard was lit up like a Christmas tree, flashing all sorts of error messages.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the sheer number of issues I encountered, including faulty brakes. It's no surprise that the car's start button was disabled as a result.
I managed to squeeze the car into a roadside parking bay left behind by the maintenance crew.
As I stood next to the car, I noticed a bunch of scuff marks from duct tape. It's clear that the car's been towed away on multiple occasions.
Customer Support
The customer support operator sounded like they were half asleep, asking me to press the start button over and over. The conversation was like trying to explain a toy to a toddler who can't grasp the concept.
- Press the start button! Did you press it? And what happened?
It's especially cringeworthy now that we know the operator, technician, and company were aware of the issue beforehand. The previous driver had reported the same problem, and a technician had visited the car, fixed something, and left. The car was still marked as being out of service.
They asked me to send photos of the errors, which I had taken anyway, but not for their benefit. I was just impressed by the faulty brakes and thought I'd document it for future reference.
The app is a nightmare to use. I had to upload each photo separately, and there were multiple errors to report. To make matters worse, the responses from the bot were completely unhelpful.
What's wrong with you people? You're not going to die or anything!
We were about to spend the night in a broken-down car that refused to move, but we were told to wait for the technician.
And the money just kept dripping away...
We were literally on the brink of disaster - the car was already faulty and we were paying for a rental that wouldn't move, just waiting for the technician. Of course, the money would be refunded... maybe.
By the way, Sixt has a promo code for the first ride. My husband hates them, but I still used it.
The first ride was supposed to be free, but it cost me just 1 ruble. Too bad it didn't work out. At least we made it out alive.
But if we hadn't had the promo code, all that time we spent standing on the street next to the broken-down car, freezing, would have been money down the drain.
I always judge a company by how loyal they are to their customers. So there we were, wondering how Sixt would handle this situation.
Would they send us a replacement car? Maybe a magic white car would appear and take us to the next car?
The technician took 30 minutes
It was 3 am when he finally arrived.
The sweaty guy in a glowing panama hat lit a cigarette, gave us a meaningful look, and said, 'What do you want? It's just a Renault!' Yeah, not exactly a Toyota Corolla from Bali. Tin can, tin can.
And then he added that he'd just 'fixed' the car before our ride because the previous customer complained about the same issue.
Let me tell you, their diagnostic equipment is ancient. The guy spent 30 minutes digging around, calling someone on the phone, and then he finally figured out to open the hood and wiggle the battery terminals. It was like watching a magic show, I guess. But we weren't planning on selling this car at a flea market, we just wanted to get from point A to point B safely.
Needless to say, the thought of driving this car any further was terrifying. Although the mechanic didn't rule out the possibility.
But we couldn't just abandon the rental in the middle of the exit. The mechanic told us we needed to find a parking spot. At first, we thought he was going to ride with us, but he just trudged along behind us.
Absolute Disaster
We drove slowly and glumly, the car losing power and stalling at every red light.
And this was in the middle of the city, so parking was still impossible... Eventually, we found a parking zone and finally ended the rental. The mechanic even came out to smoke and repeated his signature phrase: 'It's a Renault!'
City Drive Car Sharing ReviewsCity Drive Car Sharing made our first ride a memorable one. Too bad the promo code for a free ride burned out, at least we made it home alive. I mean, it was only 5 am when we got back.
But I still have some questions.
How and why does the company leave a car on the rental list knowing it's not in working order? Are they waiting for someone to get hurt driving a faulty vehicle?
live_helpFeatured FAQ
What kind of documentation do I need to register with City Drive?
You'll need to provide a driver's license, passport, and credit card info – just be prepared for some finicky photo requirements.
How do I navigate the tariffs with City Drive?
To be honest, it's a bit of a black box – you'll just have to take their word for it and hope for the best.
What kind of support can I expect from City Drive?
Unfortunately, the customer support is pretty non-existent – you're on your own when it comes to dealing with any issues.
How do I know which cars are in good shape?
To be honest, it's a bit of a gamble – the company's technical team could use some work, and it's hard to tell what you're getting for your money.
Can I use a Kiwi card with City Drive?
Unfortunately, no – they don't accept Kiwi cards, but they did take back the welcome 20 rubles twice without any issues.
How do I take photos for my driver's license with the City Drive app?
It's a bit of a pain, to be honest – the app's photo requirements are pretty strict, and it took me a few attempts to get my driver's license scanned.
What are the benefits of using City Drive?
The app is pretty user-friendly, and the tariffs are pretty competitive – but be prepared for some wild rides and a bit of a chaotic experience.
Can I return a car if it's faulty?
Unfortunately, no – the company's technical team doesn't take faulty cars to the service center, so you're on your own when it comes to dealing with any issues.
Is City Drive worth the value for money?
Honestly, I'm still not sure – the experience was chaotic, and the customer support was pretty non-existent.
check_circlePros
- •The app is pretty user-friendly, even if the photo requirements are a bit finicky.
- •Registration wasn't too painful, even if it did take a few attempts to get my driver's license scanned.
- •The welcome 20 rubles were nice, even if they did take it back twice without any issues.
- •The tariffs are pretty competitive, even if they are a bit of a mystery.
- •The cars themselves seem to be in decent shape, even if the company's technical team could use some work.
- •The app has a pretty cool map feature – just be prepared for some wild rides.
cancelCons
- •The company's technical team seems to be a bit clueless when it comes to faulty cars.
- •The app's photo requirements are pretty strict, and it took me a few attempts to get my driver's license scanned.
- •The tariffs are a bit of a black box, and it's hard to tell what you're getting for your money.
- •The customer support is pretty non-existent – I had to deal with some pretty ridiculous situations.
- •The cars themselves seem to be in decent shape, but the company's technical team could use some work.
- •The experience as a whole was pretty chaotic – I'm still trying to process everything that happened.
