Car sharing service Zipcar has been sued for charging customers with excessive charges and hidden fees.

The lawsuit was filed last week in the Boston’s federal court on behalf of Illinois resident, Ryan Blay, along with several other customers who claim that they were charged the unfair fees.

The lawsuit has reminded customers that Zipcar, once a start up business, has become an international brand, now big enough to attract lawsuits from those wishing to make a class-action case.

Cars are hired from Zipcar by the hour and by the day, with many outlets located in most major centres.

Zipcar has declined to comment on the suit, but the company says it has about 320,000 across 28 states in North America.

The lawsuit alleges that Zipcar has unfairly charged customers with a discreet medley of customer fees and that customers may not know of the charges as the company does not send monthly statements.

The complaint against Zipcar accuses the company of charging excessive fees including a phone fee or $3.50, additional fee for customers who receive parking fines, a late fee over $50 per hour or almost $150 per day, as well as charges for lost items and an inactivity fee.

The outcome of the case is likely to depend on how Zipcar presently disclose prices.