Driver Stranded After 'Smart' Rental Car Can't Phone Home
from the dumb-tech-is-smart-tech dept
If there’s one recurring theme for the internet-connected era, it’s that smart technology increasingly isn’t all that smart. Your smart locks bleed personal data and can be easily hacked. Your “smart” refrigerator can leak your Gmail credentials. Your “smart” oven can turn on in the middle of the night, potentially putting you at risk. Even your “smart” Barbie doll would be better left in its dumb incarnation given it can be used to spy on toddlers.
Some “smart” rental cars appear keen on continuing the theme.
Last weekend, Guardian journalist Kari Paul took a trip to rural California for a story she was working on. To get there, she rented a car through a local car-sharing service called GIG Car Share, which rents a fleet of electric Chevrolet Bolt EVs and hybrid Toyota Priuses to Bay Area residents. But Paul, who was headed to a rural area roughly three hours north of Oakland didn’t have much fun on her trip. In part because the car she rented effectively became useless after the car’s computer system lost cell signal. Without a tendril to the mothership, the rental car simply refused to start, leaving Paul stranded:
today in sharing economy struggles: our app powered car rental lost cell service on the side of a mountain in rural California and now I live here I guess pic.twitter.com/XoqqMpEwdN
— Kari Paul (@kari_paul) February 17, 2020
Ultimately the joy of modern technology didn’t prove much of a joy, and the company added insult to injury via terrible customer service, which involved some 20 (!) calls to support staff, and the recommendation that the customer sleep in the car overnight:
six hours, two tow trucks, and 20 calls to customer service later apparently it was a software issue and the car needed to be rebooted before we could use it @internetofshit pic.twitter.com/LZBZQwRJk8
— Kari Paul (@kari_paul) February 17, 2020
As Ars Technica notes, the company does offer users an RFID card to use to lock or unlock the car in areas of poor cell service, though that clashes with the company’s marketing for instant convenience and “on the spot” rentals. The company’s messy design will now likely result in a massive PR nightmare, and a reminder that in the modern era, dumb technology routinely winds up being the smarter option.
Filed Under: apps, car rentals, internet connected cards, internet of things, kari paul, stranded
Companies: gigcarshare
Comments on “Driver Stranded After 'Smart' Rental Car Can't Phone Home”
Customer Service?
Does GIG have customer service staff, or are they just repurposing their internal IT support? I balk at getting told sleeping in my car from a customer service rep. I’ve learned to expect it when troubleshooting anything with IT.
Re: Customer Service?
The problem with a lot of startup companies is that they start with core functionality (the tech), then they grow so quickly that they have to put everything into what brings the money in directly (sales, new products) and not into things that show up on a balance sheet as cost centres (support and customer service roles).
That particular suggestion is obviously idiotic with no excuse, but the fact is that as a lot of these companies grow too quickly to gather a specifically loyal customer base to offer quality support to early on, that aspect is often left forgotten.
Re: Customer Service?
"I’ve learned to expect it when troubleshooting anything with IT."
Most people working tech support tend to look at actual client contact as the opportunity to communicate good technical sense to a neanderthal with a bad grasp of the spoken language and barely enough technical acumen to field-strip a broken branch into a serviceable club.
Doesn’t help much that they are often asked to make the customer satisfied with the equivalent of a frayed string and some chewing gum.
My guess is that GIG’s tech support and customer service both realized early on that the "always on" type of rental was to beg for trouble, advised this, were ignored, and are now taking passive-aggressive revenge over being ignored.
Re: Re: Customer Service?
I’ve seen both sides. I’ve worked support trying desperately to teach people the basics of why their printer won’t work without power, I’ve also gritted my teeth arguing with the muppet on the line who gets confused when me telling him exactly why we don’t have to follow the rote script he barely understands.
"My guess is that GIG’s tech support and customer service both realized early on that the "always on" type of rental was to beg for trouble, advised this, were ignored, and are now taking passive-aggressive revenge over being ignored"
I’d guess that most likely early support was taken on by the original developers, then passed on as soon as possible to a team who got confused when the issue presented to them didn’t match the list they usually deal with.
Re: Re: Re: Customer Service?
"I’d guess that most likely early support was taken on by the original developers, then passed on as soon as possible to a team who got confused when the issue presented to them didn’t match the list they usually deal with."
Sadly, I recognize that exact scenario from multiple occasions I’ve had the personal misfortune of having to deal with. Once bubble support has gone away it’s anybody’s guess what functionality will be preserved of the project…
Re: Customer Service?
But … the first question from IT support is always "have you tried turning it off and on again" which would have solved the issue quite easily. So, it’s obviously the fault of the driver!
/s
Stories like this
Stories of all these "smart" devices failing on their users prove that "smart" devices are a really, really dumb idea.
What did they expect?
Cars go many places. Cell phone signals, not so much. How a car rental company achieved the notion that they could rent cars to people who go many places, some of which might not have a cell signal, and require that cell signal to continue operating is beyond me. Seems like the business analysts who prepared the case studies for the project manager failed big time by not analyzing how rental cars are actually used.
Re: What did they expect?
They probably expected the customer would only use it to drive around town, and that in case of a breakdown, there would be people, cabs, and buildings within easy walking distance.
The ability to get reception on an actual cell phone, with its necessarily limited antenna and battery size, combined with the inability to get reception on the car’s cellular modem, which could have access to much more capable antenna and power, is an impressive failure though.
Re: Re: What did they expect?
To save money, the car may only support old cellular standards or may lack roaming capability.
Re: Re: Re: What did they expect?
So what your saying is that they will soon have 5G power super smart cars. that can only be used in visual range of a major sports stadium. and only if a game isn’t currently happening.
Re: Re: Re:2 What did they expect?
"We don’t understand. It worked fine outside our downtown San Francisco office!"
Re: Re: Re:2 What did they expect?
"that can only be used in visual range of a major sports stadium."
You grossly overestimate 5G range here. 5G is about the same range as a conventional wifi router, so you’ll need repeaters just to cover the entire stadium. Visual range? Heh.
Re: Re: What did they expect?
"They probably expected the customer would only use it to drive around town"
They should probably stop advertising like this, then:
https://gigcarshare.com/gigs-day-trippn-guide-for-evs/
"an impressive failure though."
It appears to me that what failed is essentially DRM, so failure is expected.
Re: Re: Re: What did they expect?
"It appears to me that what failed is essentially DRM, so failure is expected."
You mean it’s a feature, not a bug.
No doubt marketing advised them that this specific event would mean they’d get the opportunity to try to lease a second vehicle to the same customer…
Re: What did they expect?
I’m sure the problem was duly identified back at the design stage and proactively "solved" by including the warning to not take the car out of cell service areas on page 7243265 of the rental agreement, in 3-point font.
Re: Re: What did they expect?
See Karl’s last paragraph:
Re: Re: Re: What did they expect?
I don’t care if it’s locked or not if it won’t go.
Re: Re: Re: What did they expect?
"lock or unlock the car"
How does that help the customer who can get in and out of the car fine, but can’t start it until it’s towed somewhere to be rebooted?
Re: Re: Re:2 What did they expect?
That’s probably just bad reporting. Why would the company offer an RFID device that doesn’t also start the car?
Re: Re: Re:3 What did they expect?
"That’s probably just bad reporting."
It’s actually what they state on their website where I linked earlier:
No mention of starting the car.
Also no mention of the car only being able to start a certain number of times per trip, yet that is something that’s been mentioned in reporting on this story. That seems ridiculous, but it apparently a feature of this service.
She should have downloaded GIG Car Share's ET app ☎⛺☝
… oh wait!
Amen. Up until last month, I was commuting in a 2019 Impala company car with all the new bells and whistles, everything connected to everything, whoop-de-doo, and I don’t miss it at all. I had so many headaches with all that shit when it went haywire that I never have with my 1998 4Runner which still runs like a dream and isn’t connected to anything.
Re: Re:
For once, I totally agree with you! I want my next TV to be dumber than Donald Trump and Patrick Star combined!
Re: Re: Re:
The sad truth is that you have to pay extra for a dumb TV.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
but it is worth the extra functionality
Re: Re: Re:2 Re:
not to mention the privacy!
Re: Re: Re: Re:
You really don’t. Just don’t connect it to your network.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Or just don’t buy a maclargehuge tv. (At lest for now.)
Meanwhile, somewhere a buggy-whip factory is planning to reopen.
Re: Re:
Heir of the Buggy-Whip makers of the 19th century: "Finally! My comeuppance has arrived! Time to strike!"
Spying on toddlers
I’m sorry to go off-topic, but the over-hyped panic compels me.
What conceivable information could a toddler have that would make them a valuable target of espionage?
Toddlers are lucky if they can talk at all. They seem unlikely to say anything of interest. You may as well "spy" on a pile of dirt.
Re: Spying on toddlers
Because pedophiles, is why.
Re: Re: Spying on toddlers
… and how, exactly, is anyone harmed if some pervert faps to a video screen somewhere?
I mean, I get that it’s icky, but really … I don’t see how anyone is harmed.
Re: Re: Re: Spying on toddlers
So… You’d be ok with someone masturbating over a video feed of your toddler so long as they’re not physically in the same location? Ok I guess but I doubt most parents would agree.
Re: Re: Re: Spying on toddlers
"… and how, exactly, is anyone harmed if some pervert faps to a video screen somewhere?"
Depending on the jurisdiction the fact that some pervert is fapping to the imagery of your toddler will magically turn you, the person who bought the camera, into a CP producer from the legal pov.
I’d say that has the potential of being quite harmful. Not many people think they risk ending up doing mandatory maximum-security prison time and end up on a "sexual predator" watch list for life just because they bought an insufficiently secured smart toy to keep check on their toddler.
Re: Spying on toddlers
Wrong question, ask what information do their parents discuss while playing with a toddler.
Re: Re: Spying on toddlers
You seriously think somebody is going to monitor video streams of thousands of crying or sleeping babies on the off-chance that one of the parents will say something worth all that effort?
Really?
Re: Re: Re: Spying on toddlers
Strange how you’ve now turned toddlers with dolls into sleeping babies. The target market for Barbie in not a child who will be static all day. Also, passive data gathering exists.
Re: Spying on toddlers
"What conceivable information could a toddler have that would make them a valuable target of espionage?"
What information could toddlers reveal about their play habits that would make them a valuable target to toy makers? That’s the question you have?
Also, are you saying that in the Barbie doll case being referenced, that doll would always be alone with the toddler, and never left near higher value general targets? Not to mention the general creepiness of a toy being used with such capabilities at all (especially if the device is capable of video).
I appreciate that "for the children" is overused, but when you have a device aimed at children that’s specifically capable of gathering private data about them, it is a real concern, especially when there’s few real notable benefits for having that functionality otherwise.
Re: Re: Spying on toddlers
Toy makers?
You fear that toy makers are going to use toddler-cams for market research for the nefarious purpose of designing toys that are extra fun to play with?
You really think they can’t find some better way to spend their marketing and R&D dollars?
This is paranoia.
Re: Re: Re: Spying on toddlers
Mattel designed the product to gather data by all accounts. They are also known to be occasionally intrusive with market research from what I understand. Also you ignored my other points, deliberately I presume.
WHAT ABOUT HURRICANES?!!!
This is actually a matter which Congress must take up. Hopefully Trump will push for legislation to force car companies to provide a way of (with an audit trail) hotwiring electric vehicles. If you were stuck somewhere, with a hurricane coming, this would be no joke. What if it happened to 20% of cars on the road, that, because of overloaded cell towers along a roadway, the cars ceased to function? Automobiles are vital infrastructure, and most be regulated as such.
Re: Re:
How did they beat the Borg?
… sleep mode …
Why are they called "smart devices" when all of them do stupid things?
Re: Re:
Because they are the smart way for companies to force more sales by bricking the old smart devices that they control.
Re: Re:
Because marketing dickwads thought it sounded clever.
I heard that the instant you lose the cell phone signal it locks all the doors and then shuts down the car. That’ll teach you to get back to nature.
this seems familiar...
I live in SF, some of the stupid tech startup ideas here are just classic. One day I walked through my neighborhood and noticed some jackass had put up signs on garages advertising their service for people to "rent" the street space in front of the garage, I guess without bothering to ask the owner of the building or the person who parks in that garage. I wonder how many suckers paid up before that app was shut down and the perps fled the country.
Re: this seems familiar...
Round here some enterprising scamps put up parking signs on a road, with a number to call to pay for parking with your credit card. Guess what happend to your credit card info?
Solution
From my past experience, the Company’s solution will be to issue the customers a Legal disclaimer not to use the car where there is no cellphone service. How does the customer know where that is? Not their problem.
Ok..
IT vs Idea vs Tech vs design vs Software vs Updates…
Who remembers the picture of a Fighter aircraft Sitting on deck, doing a Software update on the main screen..
Fake or not…THIS AINT what I would want..
Wont mention that all your recent cars after 2000 have some REAL computer power in them.. and its already shown that its NOT to hard to hack, from the other side of the planet.
I don’t drive, but if that was me, I think I would have called a taxi, left the car in the wilderness, then gone back to the company and said;
"I was going to return your car, but your stupid policies physically prevented me from doing so. Here are your keys, my rental contract is now fulfilled. If you want to retrieve your car it’s sitting side of the road somewhere off highway xxx out in the woods. Oh, and if you have any ideas about taking legal action against me for abandoning your car out in the middle of nowhere or try to claim that I didn’t fulfill my rental contract, my lawyer will be happy to counter-sue for the money I had to spend on a taxi, stress, mental anguish, risk to my personal safety and so on. Have a nice day."
Re: Re:
"if that was me, I think I would have called a taxi, left the car in the wilderness"
"if you have any ideas about taking legal action against me… my lawyer will be happy to counter-sue"
So, your response to being left potentially stranded in the middle of nowhere by a company whose initial response was simply to tell you to stay put and refuse additional support would be to… get a taxi at your own expense to provide the service they just failed to provide you? Then, you’d take no further action unless they tried suing you for the mild inconvenience you just caused them in return for the massive problems they caused you?
They would actually love that compared to the alternatives.
Re: Re: Re:
It was an off the cuff reaction that I didn’t put a ton of thought into. The main point I wanted to make was abandoning their car out in the woods somewhere where they would have to go hunting for it.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
That wouldn’t do much, though. If the car is "phoning home" regularly, they’ll know roughly where it is, even if they don’t get an accurate signal at the current location. It’s also possible they have a live location from another GPS system on the car, it was only the one tied to the ignition that wasn’t connected. That seems very likely as this type of rental seems like it might potentially be prone to higher levels of theft.
Far from causing the company stress and expense, you’d be causing it all for yourself, even if the company just shrugged their shoulders and allowed you to get away with it.
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