Fair App Review – Is the Fair car app, fair?
The Fair car app has been advertising heavily lately, so we checked it out. Like many things, on the surface it sounds nice, but we found some warning signs, and others agree. It seems to draw people into an app and system that leaves people feeling it’s, unfair. Here’s why.
First of all, they state that their mission is to combat the low advertised rates by new car manufacturers, when suddenly potential buyers are hit with the high-up front cost that is often advertised in smaller font. Yet, Fair does this as well, being hypocritical and deceptive. The typical upfront cost is shown at about 4x the monthly cost, so a $300/m car (before tax) costs $1,200 to get into. And on tax, registration, insurance, and other fees, and it really starts adding up, making you wonder, is it any fairer?
What if you want a car for a month, or a week, or a time period shorter than the three-year benchmark they say they use? Paying a high upfront fee isn’t very welcoming for short-term users. One sneaky little thing they have is a barely noticeable white slider, on a white background, that you can slide to the left, to reduce the upfront cost, but it increases the monthly cost. Maybe if they didn’t spend so much money on advertising, they could afford to lower their upfront cost that tries to recoup the ad cost?
Another really shocking feature miss in the app is the location of the cars. The search results present cars hundreds of miles away. This is shown to people who don’t have a car. Are they to walk, take the bus, rent an electric scooter, fly there, or what? Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s tagline famously states “We’ll pick you up.” Good old fashioned courtesy and convenience, matched with often more locations than any other rental car company, make them stand out and an easy pick in a crowded rental car industry. Why not just rent a car instead of lease it for short-term needs? Much easier to get in and out of than with Fair. Fair seems to be better positioned for the longer-term, casual commuter, due to their higher upfront costs than a rental, and 10,000 mile lease cap per year, until they start charging for overage miles. Who can really guess accurately how many miles they drive? What if they want to feel free to take a road trip every now and again on a whim? Fair starts to feel confining, like any typical car lease.
If you want to speak with their customer service about any of these issues, questions or concerns, they don’t even answer right away. A call made to them during business hours said they would call back in 30 minutes, which was requested, yet they never even called back. A look at their reviews online suggests customer service is a major weakness, including with dealing with post-purchase issues. Notably, car issues and assistance with issues like roadside assistance, had dishonorable mentions. Given all of this, what is Fair about it?
Pomona Kia offers a better experience. You can view and test drive the cars before you choose one. All of the cars are at one convenient location, so you don’t have to travel hundreds of miles to pick it up. The cars are new and affordable. You can speak to knowledgeable people in person or on the phone during business hours. There’s a service center on-site for any repairs or maintenance. Why risk your money, time and energy on a new app? Instead, come to a tried-and-true, well-managed car dealership, where you’ll have a great car shopping experience.
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