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Mediocrates
April 11, 2009 6:14 PM
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I've used Enterprise several times over the years and have never had a bad experience. Still, it only takes one of the magnitude described above to erase a lot of good-will.

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anduin
April 14, 2009 9:02 PM
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@Mediocrates:
had my mom use enterprise once when her chrysler was in for engine trouble (big suprise) and when she first got the car they did an inspection of the car, she had it for about a week. She returned it and they do another inspection (I was with her at this one), at which point the dude goes straight for the windshield wiper, lifts it and at the bottom of the glass is an almost invisible crack that could not have been cause by a rock hitting it since it was below the shield from the hood but the guy went nuts saying we have to buy an entirely new windshield costing hundreds of dollars.

They had to look in back reports to find out that it was marked down previously and that my mom didn't cause it. I always found it fishy how the dude went straight for the windshielf wipers the way he did, usually the first thing you look for a dents and scratches on the surface of the car.

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liveallnight
April 11, 2009 10:40 PM
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@Mediocrates:

Having the top 6 rental companies out there over the course of the past 6-years - I could not agree more. Unfortunately for Enterprise, they pulled the insurance thing on me the last time I was in SLC. No more of my business shall they see.

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Megladon
April 11, 2009 9:04 PM
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@Mediocrates:


I've had to use Enterprise a few times, and I've found that if you dont have the insurance company or dealership set up the rental car for you it will either be the wrong type of car or they will ALWAYS charge you more then was said for the car already agreed upon. Also the insurance they offer is a scam, I've had 2 different insurance companys tell me that they cover rental cars under their basic insurance and every time Enterprise has told me they both didnt. After being presented the car ALWAYS go over the car. The sales person will do this, but you need to make sure you go over it alot more then them as you'll be the one charged in the end if they find something overlooked. Lastly if you can avoid using the afterhours key dropoff, or droping the car off on Sunday. I took my last car to Enterprise on a Saturday night as I was told I could, I parked it on the lot right with the other cars they rented. I droped my keys in the key drop off and walked 4 blocks home. I recieved a call on tuesday thanking me for returning the car and that they'll be using my deposit to pay for the extra 3 days. I told them the car was droped off Saturday night, and they informed me that they had not seen the keys until that day. We had alot of back and forth phone calls and in the end I got lucky and they agreed to give me Sunday even though they were not open and couldnt verify it was actuly there. My guess is they went over whatever security tapes they had and saw me drop it off, but it could have been a mess.


On a side note when I have had my insurance company get the car for me, I ended up with a much larger car then I would have normaly gotten, and paid nothing extra for it except the price of the extra gas to drive it.

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Turcicus
April 11, 2009 6:24 PM
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I was done with Enterprise when they gave my wife a car (through Progressive) with tires that were practically bald. Tires not being something that gets checked, it led to her hydroplaning into a jersey barrier on the interstate and totaling the car. And she got blamed for it. The cops and the tow truck driver couldn't believe the condition of the tires, but that didn't stop Progressive (who we summarily dropped afterwards) from finding her at fault.

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SteveZim1017
April 13, 2009 6:47 PM
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@Turcicus:


Unfortunelty as others have mentioned, when it comes to insurance any accident with your veh and a stationary object will be an at fault accident, regardless of the details. This applies about 99.9 % of the time with all insurance companies not just progressive.

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Nighthawke
April 13, 2009 11:42 AM
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@Turcicus: I've sent a car back to Enterprise after discovering problems with it that would have put me into the ditch. They never charged me for the vehicle.
I've found tires to be over- and underinflated, some serious enough to warrant pointing them out to the manager.

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econobiker
April 13, 2009 4:47 PM
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@Nighthawke: Overinflated? That is a new one to me. I never thought they touched the tires.


(From he who carries his own air pressure guage tool due to flabby rental car tire pressures.)

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nsv
April 11, 2009 10:32 PM
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@Turcicus: And furthermore (she said, kicking herself for not thinking of this the first time,) what matters most in cases like that is not who is at fault, but who suffers.

Your wife hit a barrier. We both know the experience was a horrible one. I'm guessing (and hoping) that she survived, but anyone who doesn't check the vehicle carefully before driving it is implicitly trusting the rental car company with their lives.

Look at the person behind the counter. Maybe they're intelligent and caring, and will carefully check the care over to be sure it's safe. Maybe they couldn't find their own head with both hands, a mirror, a flashlight, and two other employees helping. Do you trust this person with your life?

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nsv
April 11, 2009 10:36 PM
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@nsv: \"check the CAR over\"... duh.

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nsv
April 11, 2009 10:00 PM
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@Turcicus: I sympathize with your wife, but in the two states where I've held licenses the driver of the vehicle is responsible for making sure the vehicle is in safe operating condition. From my current state driver's handbook:

Equipment Standards
The equipment on your car must meet certain standards. These are listed below.

(snip)

Tires: Your tires should have visible tread of at least 2/32 of an inch across the base with no worn spots showing the ply. Smooth tires on wet roads contribute to thousands of serious crashes.

While I agree that Enterprise should always offer only cars which are safe to drive, ultimately it is the driver's responsibility to be sure the vehicle is safe to operate. This is true for any vehicle you own, rent, borrow (steal, win, find, etc...).

This is stressed much more clearly for people who study to get commercial drivers licenses, but it's true of anyone who operates a vehicle. I've tried for years to get my mother to occasionally look at her car to see that the tires are good, the lights are working, and so on, but she seems to think that the way to find these things out is to wait for the police to pull her over, and that it's not HER fault the lights aren't working.

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ZekeSulastin
April 11, 2009 7:40 PM
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@Turcicus: ... not that I'm trying to blame the OP or anything, but in general-aviation-world (i.e. Cessna 172s) the pilot-in-command of whatever plane is flown assumes responsibility upon deciding to fly, hence a pre-flight checklist to include control surface movement, tires, and the ilk.

Yeah, it sucks that Enterprise doesn't know how to maintain cars, but if the tires were that bad shouldn't your wife have been able to notice beforehand and told Enterprise she wanted a safe vehicle?

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ZekeSulastin
April 11, 2009 7:43 PM
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@ZekeSulastin: ... of course I forgot to add the point of the PoC thing - in GA, the military (the PMCS system), etc., you check everything like that before you head out. This level of scrutiny may be unwarranted for your daily commute, but if you're given a random vehicle it behooves you to check what you can.

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rpm773
April 11, 2009 6:42 PM
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@Turcicus: \"Hi. Welcome to Progressive.com. My red lipsticked-mouth looks like the ass of a baboon. How can I help you?\"

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sinfonian94
April 13, 2009 7:10 AM
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@rpm773: Progressive.... their \"affordable\" insurance is twice the monthly premium of GEICO for me.

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fatcop
April 12, 2009 12:01 PM
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@Canino: I saw her first!

I bet she's batshit crazy too, which adds a whole new level of hotness.

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Turcicus
April 11, 2009 6:28 PM
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@Turcicus: Forgot to mention, I now use Avis for all car rentals and have always been very well taken care of from the customer service standpoint.

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Chumas
April 11, 2009 6:36 PM
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@Turcicus: Totally, AVIS always treats me well.
Think I would have sued or at the minimum wrung someone's neck at the place who gave my wife the car.

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laserjobs
April 11, 2009 6:26 PM
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bobloblawsblog
April 11, 2009 6:30 PM
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freaking liars is right. i reserved a car from ERAC last winter for a vacation. it said \"unlimited miles\". nowhere did it say we could not go south of Virginia (we live in NJ). when we got there, car loaded with pets and luggage, the rental agent casually asked where we were going. i told him North Carolina. he said, sorry, you can't take the car past Virginia. this was NOT in writing. I told him, fine, were going to virginia. He said \"NO YOUR NOT. we have tracking devices on the car.\"

end of story, we ended up putting 2k miles on my brand new car, with a hold on our bank account for 5 days (as we used it to reserve the car). I was PISSED.

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paco
April 13, 2009 1:17 PM
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@bobloblawsblog: Tracking devices? I smell a lie...

Still, Enterprise does have strange regional travel restrictions.

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jblaze1
April 13, 2009 4:52 PM
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@paco: Correct, but I'm sure they don't have tracking devices that know where you take their car.

The one by me actually is pretty good, but their weekend hours suck.

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econobiker
April 13, 2009 4:50 PM
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@paco: Most rental places do run tracking devices- either onstar or their own.


This is also big thing in the buy here /pay here cheap used car lots. If you don't pay the auto dealer your payment, they disable your car's starter until you pay or they come and get the car back via their tracking unit.

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paco
April 13, 2009 4:56 PM
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@econobiker: Fascinating. Learned something new today...

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wcnghj
April 11, 2009 6:39 PM
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@bobloblawsblog:

Step 1: Use Credit Card

Step 2: Look over RA with a fine tooth comb

Step 3: Leave

Step 4: Dispute incorrectly billed amount.

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kexline
April 12, 2009 3:13 PM
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@wcnghj: Doesn't fix the problem with the hold, does it?

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Julius Seizure
April 11, 2009 6:36 PM
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I think it has to be franchise thing: we have two in town (opposite ends of town in fact.) One has always been honest, helpful and accurate to the penny. The other has always screwed up.

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ohnoes
April 11, 2009 6:33 PM
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A Kia Sedona is a minivan, not a full-size car. Someone was confused, although that doesn't really mitigate the rest of the horrible situation.

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Jimmy M
April 12, 2009 12:41 AM
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@ohnoes: Sorry - it was an Optima. see my post below. I was shopping for mini vans at the time of the post as well so I got the terms confused. Kia Optima is what they tried to give me. I was fuming mad at the time of the email :)

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become
April 12, 2009 2:27 AM
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@Jimmy M: I *think* the optima is equal to the Hyundai Elantra, my best guess. Though not technically classified as a full-size it will easily fit lots of people (5, total, maybe 6 if the back seat is kids) comfortably.

Don't automatically discount a car just because its classified one way - though I know you asked for something different.

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econobiker
April 13, 2009 5:00 PM
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@Oranges w/ Cheese: The Elantra only sits 5 due to seat belt requirements.

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breese524
April 13, 2009 3:09 PM
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@Oranges w/ Cheese:

Though not technically classified as a full-size it will easily fit lots of people (5, total, maybe 6 if the back seat is kids) comfortably.


If there's only 5 seat belts, it only seats 5! Anymore, and you'll be ticketed and if I see it, I'm required by contract to report it.

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puka_pai
April 11, 2009 6:42 PM
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How big does a car have to be for the OP to consider it a full-sized car? Regardless of what they call it, the Kia Sedona is a minivan that can seat at least 5. That's about par for most of the full-sized cars I've seen.

Not to blame the OP at all. Enterprise yanked his chain repeatedly and he's better off going with Hertz. (I hope anyway.) My experiences with ERAC have been underwhelming at best but since they're usually the cheapest around here that's what local insurance and repair places use for their loaners.

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econobiker
April 13, 2009 5:03 PM
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@puka_pai: Sometime in the past the (grocery) \"shrink ray\" hit automobiles and the car rental places.


What used to be \"full sized\" became \"premium\"- ie Ford Crown Victoria with possible seating for six. Then what was \"mid-sized\" became \"full sized\"- Ford Taurus (R.I.P.) with seating for five.

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Jimmy M
April 12, 2009 12:42 AM
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@puka_pai: Sorry - it was an Optima. see my post below. I was shopping for mini vans at the time of the post as well so I got the terms confused. Kia Optima is what they tried to give me. I was fuming mad at the time of the email :)

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
April 11, 2009 9:59 PM
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@puka_pai: The OP is going by Enterprise's class definitions, I assume. According to Enterprise, full-size is \"Chevy Impala, Nissan Altima, Dodge Charger or similar.\" [www.enterprise.com]!-101986713?transactionId=WebTransaction1&referingPath=%2Fhome

I hate it when car rental companies dick around with what size car they're putting you in. Last time I needed a rental because of car problems, they \"upgraded\" me from the \"standard\" sedan my insurance covered to an SUV, and categorically refused to downgrade me back. So I was getting 15 freaking mpg and paying out the ass for gas, and I COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING BECAUSE I'M TOO SHORT FOR A VEHICLE THAT BIG. I was terrified to drive anywhere all week. They wouldn't even let me try a different model SUV to find one that I could safely see out of.

And the thing is, I'm sure that tons of other customers that day would have been DELIGHTED with the upgrade ... if they knew they were going to run out of standard-sized sedans, why didn't they give the upgrade to someone who wanted it instead of to me?

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puka_pai
April 11, 2009 10:23 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (on Twitter: LPetelle):

The OP is going by Enterprise's class definitions, I assume. According to Enterprise, full-size is \"Chevy Impala, Nissan Altima, Dodge Charger or similar.\"

My point exactly. None of those cars seats more than 5, which the base model of the Sedona does, too. The OP might have even gotten the 7-seater model from ERAC if they had one. So I didn't see the problem there. Unless he mistyped the model name, the Sedona was big enough.

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midwestkel
April 11, 2009 9:21 PM
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@puka_pai: Well think about it. He had guest over so do the math. Most families there is a Mommy, Daddy, little Timmy and Sue. Then you have relatives come over and that is a least two people so this Kia Sedona that fits 5 comfortably wouldn't seat everyone that would be riding in it. So a full size vehicle like a Yukon XL, Suburban or any other FULL size vehicle usually fits 7 to 8 people comfortably.

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MrsLopsided
April 11, 2009 9:53 PM
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@midwestkel:
Full size is not a big Yukon or Suburban SUV.
Full size is Dodge Charger or Chevy Impala sedan that sits 4 adults comfortably plus a child in the middle back.

The Kia Sedona is a 7 passenger minivan. Maybe the OP heard Kia and just assumed it was a subcompact .....or wrote down the wrong name in the retelling.

Car sizes: [www.enterprise.com]

I suspect that sales reps are on commission as they always try to upsell me on the CDW. When I declined the insurance last time the rep tried again with, I kid you not... \"try it for a couple of days and see if you like it.\"

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egoods
April 11, 2009 6:43 PM
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When I had a problem with Thrifty I sent a very targeted email to Scott Anderson (Senior Executive Vice President). I always rent off-site (from the airport) because it saves me about $100. Take a cab a few miles away and save. Well, this time around I went to a Thrifty/Dollar franchise that was closed when I was scheduled to pick up my rental. And then the car was totally filthy with a bent rim. A non-smoking car with cigarette burns in the headliner. I took camera-phone pictures of the damaged Charger, sent it to Mr. Anderson. Within a day they offered us a discount and upgrade to a 300. It was single handedly the worst rental experience I've ever had. But I guess they saved it in the end.

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The Marionette
April 11, 2009 6:46 PM
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The one time i had some sort of bad experience with enterprise was when my girlfriend and i planned to visit my family for thanksgiving. I called enterprise for a price estimate of the cost of renting a car, which i asked her if the total price includes the insurance and all the other charges, she said yes. When i get there (the day before thanksgiving) the total mysteriously didn't include the insurance and had to front up some more cash for it. It was already too late to get a car from somewhere else. So pretty much in the end they lied to me about the price.

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Anonymous
April 11, 2009 7:00 PM
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While you might have had a problem with your local ERAC, you noted that it was the local manager that gave you the problems. I've been going back to Enterprise whenever I needed a car (and have a res for next friday, too) because the guys at the local one here have always treated me right and even went an extra mile to fix a problem during the last rental. It's probably just your local store that is problematic.

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NeutronDecker
April 11, 2009 7:04 PM
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I'm done with ERAC... A couple months ago i was involved in a fender bender. Everything was fine till i was told i had to leave a 300 deposit. I thought the hell with it. I need a car to get to work and that was that. They offered the insurance because i was told my ins. co. might not cover me if i get in a accident and that way it will not go on my driving record. My agent called a week later to check in on how i was doing. SO i asked him if i have to have the insurance from ERAC.. he told me to get rid of it.

Two weeks later i get a call. My car is ready to be picked up. I leave work early eager to be reunited with my baby. This is when it all went sour.....
I return to ERAC and I'm told that they called AllState and they cannot find my file. \"This is normal, it usually takes a while to get everything set up\"...My deposit is not returned.
*They told me to return in a few days and everything should be good.
*I have a busy schedule so i return a week later...Nothing!! \"They called allstate and they do not return the calls\"..so they say.
*I go talk to my agent..he makes some calls and ERAC has never attempted to contact them. They go over all my info to make sure everything is correct and there is no problems with my claim number. I went back to ERAC and they are still giving me the run around.

I returned to ERAC everyday for a week..NOTHING...After a month my AllState Agent talked to someone, explained my situation and two days later i received a $380.00 check in the mail from Allstate.

Let me just say after my VERY LONG problem with ERAC..I WILL NEVER DO BUSINESS with them again....

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Chris Holland
April 11, 2009 7:07 PM
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My last Enterprise experience -- was rear ended by a teenager on a cell phone. Her insurance provided a rental through Enterprise.

Returned the car with 3/4 of a tank just like I left Enterprise with. Gave the keys to the attendant, and he returned saying that I had returned the car with 5/8 of a tank and would be charging me $5/gallon for the difference.

I balked and asked to see the fuel gauge as I had filled the car less and a mile away from Enterprise.

They took me to the car, now parked 'around back' in a area marked 'to be cleaned'. Conveniently enough the spaces were on a moderately steep uphill slope.

I complained to the manager who promptly removed the $10 charge.

Pretty sneaky, Enterprise...

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Etoiles
April 11, 2009 7:23 PM
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Wow. I'm surprised, because Enterprise is about the only positive rental experience I've had. The two times I needed to rent a car before I was 25, they were the only company to treat me like a human being, not give me downgrades, and not charge an OUTRAGEOUS fee for having the audacity to be 24. Now granted, that means the last time I used them was a few years ago, but for me and for my parents they've generally been the most decent company.

Hertz... now there's some sleaze...

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
April 11, 2009 10:02 PM
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@Etoiles: \"not charge an OUTRAGEOUS fee for having the audacity to be 24\"

If you are male, pretend to be married, and you get the over-25 rate.

When I was 23 and my now-husband was 24 and we were dating, we flew out so I could meet his family. The clerk assumed we were married, and gave HIM the discounted rate. *I* still had to pay the under-25 rate because marriage makes no difference to a woman's driving safety status. (You should have SEEN what they knocked off his car insurance when we got married ... although mine's still lower, but it just irks me that marriage doesn't make ME more responsible in the eyes of the insurers too.)

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Etoiles
April 12, 2009 7:34 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (on Twitter: LPetelle): Definitely and very unmistakably female, hehe.

Will be interesting to see if my guy's insurance rates change when we get married this October, though.

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econobiker
April 13, 2009 5:14 PM
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@Etoiles:


After age 21, the only age milestone left for guys (until retirement) is that age 25 insurance drop. Marriage does help the cost too.


If you are living together prior you may be able to combine earlier than the actual date but maybe not...


My friend's brother had such a bad driving record (mostly speeding and related crashes) that when he got married, his wife's insurance company dropped her when she tried to add him to her policy! (This was a guy who drove a lowered Roushe engined and tuned Mustang GT with a roll cage in it for a daily commuter. Go figure.)

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oneandone
April 11, 2009 11:40 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (on Twitter: LPetelle): It's an odd kind of compliment, maybe - you were already at the rock bottom of low-risk.


I never knew that about the marriage & insurance rates for men. Interesting....

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
April 12, 2009 11:40 AM
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@oneandone: My husband's car insurance rate dropped quite a bit when he turned 25, and then dropped again when we got married (when he was 25 1/2). We pay every six months, and his rate dropped about $100 every six months when we got married.

Mine dropped slightly when I turned 25 and not at all when we got married (I was 24).

I have no idea what the average is, but especially for young men, marriage produces a significant insurance rate drop.

His dropped again, slightly, when he turned 30; mine (again) didn't. I think he only pays about $10/month more than I do now.

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madanthony
April 11, 2009 9:30 PM
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@Etoiles:

When I was 24, my daily driver was hit by a hit and run driver while parked and I had to rent. Insurance set me up through enterprise, and I was talking to the guy. He was going to give me a Volvo - until he found out I was <25 and couldn't because that was considered a \"luxury car\". So instead I ended up with a Toyota Corolla.

Because I was too young to be trusted with a Volvo.

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taking_this_easy
April 11, 2009 8:55 PM
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@Etoiles: well, I am a college student who may need access to a car sometimes (no car on college, public transportation in Baltimore is okay, but not great)


Zipcar seems nice (agreement with university), $36 a year, $9/hour or $69 a day.... of course i've seen the cars, not as well maintained as enterprise's (dents, a little unclean), but usable...and inexpensive

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Anonymous
April 11, 2009 7:32 PM
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In high school, I used to work at an Avis Rent-A-Car at an airport, and they'd pull this shit all the time:

They'd always overbook their cars, but they weren't scientific about it like the airlines: the desk clerk would tell the manager that they're out of cars, and the manager would tell her to keep taking reservations, and make sure to leave before the flights came. Some people would get downgraded to a compact, because that's all that was available (even if they reserved a full-size or an SUV), others would be SOL and would get no car at all, even though they had reserved one.

BTW, don't yell at the desk clerk if the car you reserved, or any car at all for that matter. It's not her fault.

Maintenance was shitty too. I worked at a franchise location, and if it was a franchise car, we'd change the oil every 7,500 miles. If a warning light came on, we'd just reset it and rent it out to another customer. It was worse for corporate cars that were returned to our location: we'd NEVER changes the oil on those.

We'd sell the cars as soon as the warranty expired. NEVER EVER buy a used rental car. NEVER.

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bkdlays
April 11, 2009 7:34 PM
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Enterprise managers, (everyone is a manger there) work on commission for what they sell, especially added coverages which are pure profit.

Enterprise is a self insured company which means any losses are paid for by the company. There is no insurance company.

Enterprise makes it the direct responsibility of the counter people (managers) to deal with any damage, lost cars, etc and it comes directly out of that stores budget.

Their pay is directly tied to the bottom line so they nickel and dime you to death.

I will never rent from them again. Go Alamo!

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Hadoken3
April 13, 2009 4:44 AM
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@bkdlays: Enterprise owns Alamo. Also, you are partially, but not 100% correct. I worked at ERAC for about a year and a half. The branch managers make commissions based on branch profit. The rest of the employees are graded on their ability to sell you rental insurance and also if they can upsell you into a more expensive car. The reason a lot of people have experienced the \"ghost car\" situation is because the branches try to run their branch as tight as possible (they call it occupancy). A branch that runs at 95% occupancy is running more efficiently than a branch that is running at 85% occupancy because if you have cars on your lot, they're not generating any revenue for the branch. This is how problems occur. The only place a branch with no cars can get another car is another branch that has cars. However, every branch banks on the hope that there will be cars available so they take as many reservations as possible and just deal with the no car situation when it arrives.

Basically, it is a necessary evil for them because they are renting a depreciating asset and they can't have cars sitting around waiting for reservations. They need reservations sitting around waiting for cars.

Oh yeah, the insurance thing. Read what you are initialing before you do it. If your insurance covers you in a rental, great don't take their insurance. if you want to take the insurance, look at the second line called PAI. It's the biggest scam in rental car business. Personal Accident Insurance. Some agents force you to take it with the CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) and package it as the \"Basic Coverage\". It covers you up to like 2K if you get hurt in the car (they charge around $3-5 a day for it).

By the way, this applies to all rental companies, not just ERAC.

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e-gadgetjunkie
April 13, 2009 2:10 AM
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@bkdlays:
I'm sorry, I just had to comment about you last statement. You do know that Enterprise owns Alamo... correct?

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jpdanzig
April 11, 2009 7:37 PM
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Done with lying Enterprise, eh? Welcome to lying Hertz -- they WILL charge you for gas, even if you top off the tank just before you return it...


Hopefully that annoying cockney gecko will pick up the overage...

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Charlotte Rae's Web
April 11, 2009 7:49 PM
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Face it, the rental car industry is a crapshoot.

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econobiker
April 13, 2009 5:20 PM
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@Charlotte Rae's Web: Ya called it right. Before the internet, I used to have good holiday luck with rental companies at the airports by having their frequent renter programs. I would call way early and reserve a Full Size (Tarus or Crown Vic) and get bumped up to a Luxury (Lincoln) at pickup because I figured they would make the same or more money on the last minute walk-ups as they could have renting the Lincoln. Sadly the 'net and Priceline et al have seemed to killed this angle.

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savdavid
April 11, 2009 8:08 PM
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Cockney? I thought the gecko was Australian.

Anyway, I have used Enterprise many times but it has been a mixed bag. It all depends on the area or even the particular location you use. Some are excellent, some are slow but get the job done eventually, some are careless, understaffed with rude liars and some are pathetic with no idea what is going on.

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gumby101
April 11, 2009 8:13 PM
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I find the Enterprise near where I live (Anaheim) has been nothing short of great every time we use it.

Had to use it one time the day before my wedding 2 years ago because of a mess up with Dollar and they were extremely accommodating especially for a last second rental. Not a single \"no we can't do this or that.\"

We've used that particular site ever since and they still treat us with the same care.

I think it's like people in general, take them by a case by case basis.

As for the OP with the car, they take a look at your car before and after you take it because they have a checklist on the clipboard. They look it over, you should too, especially when they make you sign.

Bye.

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Anonymous
April 13, 2009 7:47 PM
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@gumby101: I agree--ERAC is a store-by-store thing. The one near my house is FANTASTIC (for example, you can't guarantee you a specific brand of car within a class, but every time I've called them and expressed a preference, I've gotten the car I wanted), theyve upgraded me for free more than once, and they aren't jerks about the insurance coverage.

But the branch near my dealership is useless. Wrong cars, no cars, rudeness, laziness--you name it and they've screwed it up. It's almost worth taking a taxi the 30 miles from the shop to my house to deal with the branch near me.

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nybiker
April 11, 2009 8:15 PM
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I guess all that goodwill they generated when they sponsored / presented the History Channel series on the Enterprise is gone. Of course the repeats have commercials in them like regular History Channel shows.

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tbax929
April 11, 2009 8:19 PM
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I haven't had any issue with any rental car companies I've used - knock on wood. However, I have learned that my car insurance policy covers rental liability and rental physical damage but does NOT cover loss of use. If you rent a vehicle and are relying on your personal auto policy to protect you, make sure it covers liability, physical damage, and loss of use (which can rack up rapidly if you have an accident in their car).

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GRPeng
April 11, 2009 8:22 PM
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Welcome to the real world. I have had problems with almost every rental agency I have used: Hertz, Thrifty, Enterprise, Alamo, Budget, U-Haul, Penske....A reservation is only a guarantee that they will try to charge you for a car if you do _not_ show up. It is not a secure iron clad guarantee that you will have a car at a specific time at any rental agency..You can go to a rental location a week ahead and pay cash and check in every day. If five people show up the hour before you do and they only have five cars, you are SH_T OUT OF LUCK! There is not a single rental company that will turn away a customer if they have a car--in order to save one for *you*--unless you are personal friends with every employee at the location.

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MMD
April 12, 2009 5:51 AM
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@ShreyaCoeus: This word \"reservation\" - I do not think it means what you think it means...

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econobiker
April 13, 2009 5:22 PM
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@MMD: And U-Haul has perfected the loose definition of \"reservation\"...

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Changed my name to \"I like potatoes\"
April 12, 2009 1:18 AM
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@ShreyaCoeus: Part of the problem is that the rental branches have to meet quotas (either set by corporate or set by regional) so the employees will ALWAYS say \"yes, we have that\" even when they know they don't. They figure that by the time you arrive, they will get one from another branch or one may magically appear as a return or, they can talk you into something else. The other branches in the city don't want to give up their cars either, so let's say you call and Joe Employee looks at the computer and sees that Y branch has a full size car. He tells you, \"sure, we have that\". He calls Y branch and says he's coming to pick it up and they tell him heck no, that's our car and we have someone coming to get it in 10 minutes. They want the rental on their branch's stats, not someone else's. After all, when corporate rewards the manager for meeting a sales goal, that manager is gonna beg, lie, and steal (hopefully not) to make that goal. Stinks for the customer.

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juri squared
April 11, 2009 9:06 PM
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@ShreyaCoeus: So, since everyone does it, it's okay?

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MrsLopsided
April 11, 2009 8:23 PM
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I've *never* been able to rent a full size from Enterprise despite booking them. They never have anything bigger than a smaller Cobalt or HHR on the lot. Bait and switch?

Here are Enterprises definitions of car sizes:
[www.enterprise.com]

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dragoncat42
April 12, 2009 2:56 AM
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@MrsLopsided:

Amusingly enough their site says...\"We are currently experiencing technical difficulties.

Please try again later, or call us to make a reservation:\"

guess they don't *really* want people to know what *their* definition of car sizing is.

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Anonymous
April 11, 2009 8:27 PM
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If you read your Personal Auto Policy from Geico, you may find your Geico policy does not cover you \"fully\" for the rental car. Missing is loss of use expenses (the daily rate that cannot charged to a future customer while the car is being repaired for damage you created). Of course, everyone is an expert and on the internet all companies are bad.

ERAC is like other companies finding that they no longer have renters, and the cost of the cars eats at the bottom line fast. They thus have smaller neighborhood fleets and have closed a number of operations. No longer do they deliver the car, but they instead \"pick you up\" to take you back to the office. The fact you have $30 a day coverage helps you better than many who do not have coverage for rental at all on their PAP.

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Petrol42
April 11, 2009 8:33 PM
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I've had a similar incident at Enterprise after I got rear ended. Needless to say, I try not to use Enterprise if I could help it.

ZekeSulastin: No disrespect to you but you are a pilot. Pilots NEED to be meticulous or else that plane is going down. If you haven't noticed about people who own cars, %95 of those people have no idea about car maintenance let alone know what tread on a tire is suppose to be for.

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chrysrobyn
April 11, 2009 9:02 PM
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Just as others (ohnoes, puka_pai) have said, the Sedona is a minivan. My wife owns one. With the third row in, it seats at least 7. The middle row can have captain chairs (only 2 in that row, but they're individual chairs) or a bench (a third person in that row). Legroom in the third row is a little tight, but if you don't need that row, you can fold the chairs pretty well and get a whole lot more room.

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Jimmy M
April 12, 2009 12:33 AM
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@chrysrobyn: Sorry - it was an Optima. see my post below. I was shopping for mini vans at the time of the post as well so I got the terms confused. Kia Optima is what they tried to give me. I was fuming mad at the time of the email :)

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rockasocky
April 11, 2009 9:04 PM
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He should have taken down that deer's insurance information.

[www.hulu.com]

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Jimmy M
April 12, 2009 12:32 AM
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@rockasocky: The girl at first actually asked if my insurance was going to pay for it.

\"No,\" I said, \"I clearly had the right away.\"

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Anonymous
April 11, 2009 9:15 PM
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Tough story-this sort of thing is frustrating, but I have been a repeat customer at Enterprise franchises across North America, most frequently Albuquerque (downtown) and Calgary (NW), but many other locations. I have had fewer difficulties with these people than with Budget (my old favorite), Avis (my even older favorite) and all the others. There is no way they can always be perfect but they seem to me to do a better job than most.

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Ben Miner
April 11, 2009 9:36 PM
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If the primary concern was having enough room to drive around with passengers, a Kia Sedona is perfectly suited for that, even more so than a \"full size\" car which would be like an Impala or a Charger.

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Jimmy M
April 12, 2009 12:31 AM
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@Ben Miner: Sorry - it was a sorento. see my post below. I was shopping for mini vans at the time of the post as well so I got the terms confused. Kia Optima is what they tried to give me. I was fuming mad at the time of the email :)

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chris_d
April 11, 2009 9:37 PM
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ERAC knows the value of teamwork! They teamed with a Chevy dealer to make me pay for a rental that the dealer had said they would pay for while my car was being repaired. After I got the state attorney general's office involved, things got fixed. And I only used that after trying for 2 months to get it resolved, with only a run-around and long distance phone bills.

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Tijil
April 11, 2009 9:37 PM
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My insurance company (Hartford) also contracts with Enterprise, and when I had to take my car in for repair after someone hit it in a parking lot, the body shop called the Enterprise location 8 blocks from them, asked if they had a small car, like an Aveo available and was assured that they had one available.

(My reasons for requesting a smaller car is I am handicapped and my rental carport parking works just fine for access with a small car, but would be impossible with a large car.)

Enterprise immediately sent a car to pick me up - a Chevy Aveo - and took me back to their location, where they tried to rent me a Ford F-150.

Leaving out all the arguing that ensued, the Aveo was not available because it was scheduled for maintenance, and the only thing other than the F-150 they had available was a Jeep Cherokee.

Since neither available vehicle was at all suitable they took me back to the body shop - in the Aveo.

(BTW, they couldn't understand why I wouldn't accept either of those two vehicles, after all, they were \"upgrades\" from the smaller car I wanted. They did not understand the idea of needing a vehicle I could actually get into and out of, or that would fit in my parking space.)

I got a rental from Hertz.

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evarga
April 11, 2009 10:39 PM
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We have friends and business associates who can get us good discounts with Enterprise....but we still stay away.

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Angel Askins
April 11, 2009 11:04 PM
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Who are you people using a credit card that doesn't cover rental car insurance? Come on, get with it. Mastercard does it!
I've used Enterprise in LA (brentwood and LAX), Houston (IAH) and San Antonio. They've all been great to me. I've taken their cars out on camping trips, and brought them back totally covered in dirt. I accidentally cracked a sideview mirror. They inspect the cars, check em off, send to be fixed, and that's that. They've been good to me.

And OP: you sound fat. Like 'I don't fit inside anything less than a FULL SIZE car.' Jus' sayin'.

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Jimmy M
April 12, 2009 12:28 AM
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@Angel Askins: Nice, well put.

I am fat. But in addition to me, I have a wife, a child in a car seat, and 3 other adults that were in town.

So my fat ass plus five other people needed something that would seat at least 5 good sized adults

Also - my weight is not the point. It was a deliberate bait and switch. I could be waif thin or 700 pounds - either way liars are liars.

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kathyl
April 11, 2009 11:51 PM
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@Angel Askins: Or the OP could be, you know...tall. My husband is 6' 7\" and mostly leg and there are many cars smaller than full size that he literally cannot fold himself into.

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cortana
April 11, 2009 11:11 PM
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strange, last time I looked, a Dodge Caliber was a remarkably roomy crossover SUV. I rented one from ERAC awhile back and it was a damn nice car.

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1234tu
April 13, 2009 4:55 PM
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@cortana: Dodge Caliber was a remarkably roomy crossover SUV. I rented one from ERAC awhile back and it was a damn nice car.


You failed to finish your sentence....


a damn nice car compared to a 12 year old geo metro with a cracked windscreen and 4 balled tires.

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Jimmy M
April 12, 2009 12:29 AM
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@cortana: it's what replaced the dodge neon.

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Anonymous
April 11, 2009 11:15 PM
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I tried to use ERAC once and never will again. In Berkeley, California, I was in a car accident and my car had to be towed away. I waited for the tow truck to come, trying to figure out how to get home. I knew that ERAC advertised that they would come pick you up if you rented a car from them. So, I called them. It was 5:45. They told me that they were closing at 6:00, but I was just in time for them to send someone out to pick me up and rent a car, since their office was just blocks away from my accident. They took down my cell phone number, my location, and told me to wait for them. So I waited. And waited. And they never came, and when I tried to call, of course, their office had closed for the night.

The tow truck driver taking away my totaled car felt bad for me, and (against the rules) gave me a lift to a bus stop.

At least ERAC never got my money -- and they never will.

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Anonymous
April 11, 2009 11:18 PM
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Actually, I would say the Nice Girl had too much training from Enterprise. Most of the training in the rental car industry is geared towards selling extra insurance to people who neither want nor need it. This is what the company wants it's employees to do.

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Tony Webster
April 11, 2009 11:32 PM
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A similar situation happened to me as well. I was rear-ended and my car wasn't drivable. Progressive arranged the tow and had Enterprise pick me up.

I thought the pickup service was nice, but the driver was late and brought me to the least convenient Enterprise location. They had SUVs or compact cars. I was okay with the former, but didn't feel safe with the latter. I was told that because of my age, I couldn't drive the SUV. So, I was forced into a compact car. Whatever.

We did the transaction at the counter, and I was pushed on having this extra coverage and told Progressive would pay for it. I called Progressive and confirmed that they in fact would NOT cover it.

Then the Enterprise guy says that again because of my age, he must call my insurance company to verify that I have current insurance coverage... even though they setup the rental car for me.

We walked around the car to inspect for damages and I had to tell the Enterprise guy about several scratches he didn't notice. And then when I went to initial, he hadn't written them down.

Luckily I didn't have to deal with Enterprise after that. I just left the rental car at their claims center when I picked up my car.

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DHanson
April 11, 2009 11:42 PM
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Ive never rented from ERAC, but I do rent from Thrifty quite often (I travel from NH to NY monthly).


Ive gotten nothing but great service, all but one time. I rented a compact car as usual (btw, they have the best prices, I often get cars for $12-$15 a day), I picked it up from Manchester airport. The car was filthy. Salt marks all over the inside of the doors, outside looked as if someone drove it up north skiing over a snowy weekend, the side-view mirrors were so dirty I couldnt see through them and the best part - no washer fluid - and it was snowing. I had to pull over 10 times at least on I-95 to wash it down at a gas station.
I called Thrifty about 3 times while driving and told them. They seemed to not care so much. Then I bitched to the girl at the drop off and they actually knocked the car down to half price for me. Not too bad.

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mariospants
April 11, 2009 11:47 PM
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Am I the only one who thinks extra rental car insurance is actually a good thing?

I rented a car from Enterprise once for a day trip while on business. Since I was using the corporate credit card, I also opted for the Enterprise \"no-hassle\" $17 insurance. I didn't even bother checking the car over when I picked it up. Someone stole the wheel covers in the Disney World parking lot (go figure - I guess it was a popular rental car and someone was playing a game of \"pass on the wheel covers\").

I drove back, the rental guy totally freaked out \"Did you get a police report? We're going to contact your insurance company. That's gonna cost them $400 for those ($19) wheel covers!\"

\"Nope\", I said, \"I paid for the extra \"no-hassle\" insurance, it's your problem. I'm off, have fun.\"

It was worth the $17 just to be able to watch his mouth hang open with no possibility of retort (and no, they didn't charge the credit card $400 extra).

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kathyl
April 11, 2009 11:57 PM
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ERAC's had two opportunities to get my business. Screwed us out of a guaranteed rental on a trip and sent us, walking, with a 5 month old baby and all the stuff that goes with a 5 month old baby on a trip plus our regular luggage, to another agency two buildings over to get a car. Refused to call down there and see if they could secure a car for us so we would at least know there was a point to lugging ourselves down there. That woman was one of the rudest people I've ever dealt with.

Tried once more about a year later, because I was willing to ascribe my first experience to a problem at that location and that particular employee, and if anything, we were treated worse. Ended up with another agency again after I warned the ERAC employee that if they tried to push the insurance I didn't need on me one more time we would walk away, which I did. He called after us, \"I'll just rent the car to someone else who knows the insurance is a good deal!\" I wished him luck with that and told him he could go ahead, but that person wouldn't be me.

So ERAC, never again. Your competition isn't great, but when all they have to overcome is a track record like yours, they don't have to be.

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Jimmy M
April 12, 2009 12:26 AM
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An update -

As many have pointed out, I said 'sorento' in my original email. it was actually a Kia Optima. We happened to be searching for a minivan at the same time, so I got my terms confused. In any case, it was a standard car - I was told full size.

A little update as well, the regional manager i spoke with before in the ordeal called me mere hours after I sent you the email and executive email carpet bombed enterprise as well. He tried to make it right by offerring to find me a full size car, but by that point I was fed up. I ended up taking the car back to ERAC that night after work (the one I was borrowing) and got a ride home. Again - the regional manager is the only asset to Austin, as that branch manager was full of sh*t.

As I mentioned, we were shopping for a mini van. That week we ended up buying a mini van (and trading in the wrecked car as-is) so the rental from hertz was never actually used.

Thanks for posting the story. those a-holes deserve it.

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Jimmy M
April 12, 2009 12:30 AM
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P.S. I normally rent from Dollar rental car when I do it myself and I've had nothing but stellar service and almost always receive an upgrade.

They also consistently beat others in price.

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Josh Thompson
April 12, 2009 12:59 AM
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I worked for Enterprise for a day and this is what I found out ...

Your \"reservations\" are like that of the famous Seinfeld episode. No matter how far in advance you book a reservation - your car wont be located until the day of the reservation, usually. It's not really a reservation.

Prices are determined by the salesperson, not some sophisticated system that handles supply and demand. If you look like you have a lot of money, you'll be charged more per day for your rental.

Oil changes can be hundreds, if not thousands, of miles overdue.

And the list goes on...

That's not good business.

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Overheal
April 12, 2009 1:24 AM
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donovanr
April 12, 2009 1:57 AM
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If you do get the insurance watch out for all the extras. Things like \"contents coverage\".

My wife's company does huge business with these bozos and they still tried to rip us off every time we rented. No more.

I can just see a meeting with the bean counters who think that hiding all these little extra charges and training their stooges to ladle on the extra fees will make an extra few bucks per customer. But what it does do is build up a huge resentment that someday puts them out of business as soon as a competitor makes it clear that they aren't sleaze bags. I plan on renting from each of the other companies to see if any don't just train their employees to become con-artists. Once I find one that works I will stick with them but it will still be one-strike-you're-out.

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mythago
April 12, 2009 2:23 AM
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Which ERAC? I'm wondering how independent the offices are. I know at some ERAC locations (like SNA) they practically offer to have a litter of muscled bearers carry me to the car, at others...service is not so good.

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HenryES
April 12, 2009 2:30 AM
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I rent from ERAC on work trips because my Co. has a corporate rate, and they have always been fine, but that might be because of the corporate acct.

I once returned a car (not ERAC), and just dropped off the keys in the box and didn't see they had charged me for gas even though I'd filled the tank until I saw the receipt later. When I questioned it, I was told that they automatically charged for gas if the customer drove less than a set amount of miles. They removed the charge without question, so I guess they did it in hope that it wouldn't be noticed.

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MrsLopsided
April 12, 2009 3:26 AM
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Seinfeld rents from Worthy Rent a Car:

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momma_andrea
April 12, 2009 3:36 AM
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My Mazda dealership uses Enterprise when they need to give customers rentals while warranty repairs happen. At my local Enterprise location, I have had to wait for more than hour and a half both of the times I had the misfortune of renting a car. And the staff there didn't seem to think there was anything unusual about that.

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Samantha E Schultz
April 12, 2009 3:42 AM
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I was hit from behind a few months ago. I went through the offender's insurance company, progressive, to reserve a car which was supposed to be delivered to the repair shop. On two separate occasions I tried drop my car off at the repair shop but it took three tries for someone at Enterprise to \"pick me up\". Probably one of the most frustrating experiences I've ever had. It got to the point that the manager of the Enterprise location was supposed to call me personally and apologize on behalf of his establishment as arranged through the Progressive agent. You can probably guess that that never happened.

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PLATTWORX
April 12, 2009 4:26 AM
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Funny, we had that happen with ERAC too. Our vehicle had \"unlimited miles\" as long as we stayed away from certain states and we planned to go down South, through three states not \"unlimited\"! We got lucky, a manager came over and re-wrote the agreement to cover us. I had never heard of such a thing.


The next time we needed a car fast we called four ERAC locations and NONE had ANY cars available! That was the end of ERAC for us.

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jwissick
April 12, 2009 5:07 AM
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Enterprise is the WORST. Dirty cars. Bad service. I will never deal with them again ever.

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Anonymous
April 12, 2009 5:11 AM
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I've been using Enterprise exclusively for long and short-term rentals, and I've never had a problem that they didn't fix immediately.

What a lot of people seem to not understand is that having a rental car when it's being paid for by an insurance company is completely different then when you rent a car outright for yourself. Many times the insurance company will be a complete pain in the ass for the car rental company to deal with, but since the car rental company ends up directly dealing with the customer they get the blame.

Enterprise is the best car rental company out there (except for Zipcar). If you treat their employees with respect and act like a well-mannered business customer (which they are used to dealing with) they will bend over backwards for you. Beats renting with a company like Hertz and their family-trip-to-Disney market share any day.

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Brian W.
April 12, 2009 5:52 AM
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I rent from Enterprise frequently because, they are the only car rental company near me that doesn't charge an ASTRONOMICAL deposit for using a debit card, I can live with the $100, Hertz is the only other and they charge $500.


Anyway, my local Enterprise is a mixed bag. The staff are very friendly and always ensure I can get a ride to the office and back when picking up and renting a car. But when it comes to actually having a vehicle availible, that is an ENTIRELY different matter. Example, Thanksgiving 2007, I rented a car from them, had a reservation 4 motnhs in advance, and the day came and they had no cars and had overbooked reservations. I had a car reserved for 10 AM and didn't get one until 3 that afternoon. But they did give me an extra days rental for free as an inconvenience, so at least they made good, and that is really what keeps me coming back. They acknowledge they screw up and do their best to fix it.


Sorry for the tl;dr.

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Rufus J Selvaraj
April 12, 2009 7:30 AM
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I had an experience with Enterprise recently that they refused to give me a ride 5 miles away from their location and told that it was outside of their coverage and asked me take the rental car which I had returned and paid for, back to another location so that I might get a ride to the place I wanted which was 1 mile from that location. So people don't be surprised with Enterprise.

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Anonymous
April 12, 2009 10:31 AM
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Enterprise car delivered - cigarette burn holes in the Kia Optima seats and smell out of the dashboard heater blowers was so bad that I had to roll down the windows in February. Called the next day to complain. Though I had to go back to the \"store\" for the exchange, I got a BIG APOLOGY and a promise of a brand new Toyota Camry ( literally 18 miles on the speedometer) for them having given out a car that should never have been used because of their cars' \"no smoking\" policy. Yes, if needed I'll use them again. Now for renting a car from Hertz in Europe and getting your bill here a month later in the states, that's another topic for discussion. . . . . .

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Anonymous
April 12, 2009 12:31 PM
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I had something similar happen to me. I got rear-ended, and the other guy's insurance set me up with Enterprise. I went to the body shop before work, and the plan was for Enterprise to meet me there with my rental car. I dropped my car off, and there was no rental available for me. I hadn't asked for anything like a full size...all I had to do was drive myself to and from work, for which I required...a car. I called and complained, and eventually an Enterprise employee picked me up, drove me to work in his personal car, and had somebody else bring my car to me when I got off work. Way more hassle than it should have been.

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Anonymous
April 12, 2009 1:46 PM
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We had the exact opposite experience with Enterprise. We had reserved an SUV from Budget. The reservation was made two months in advance. When we went to pick up the car, they said they didn't have the Ford Explorer we expected, and tried to give us a smaller SUV. We looked at it, knew it would be too small for our purposes and it smelled to high heaven. We said no. They said, well, we have another SUV at our other location 5 minutes from here. We said we would go there to pick it up. We followed the Budget employee to the other location (10 minutes, not 5) and they show us the SUV - it stinks, literally and has a two foot long crack in the windshield. No kidding, no exaggeration. We are in a pickle, since we need the SUV to drive to a trade show in Atlanta, leaving the next day. Fortunately, there was an Enterprise location right down the block. And even more fortunately, they had a GMC Acadia available. It cost us twice as much, but they gave us unlimited mileage (not the normal deal on this car) and the car was spic and span clean. The Enterprise agent was courteous, friendly and efficient, not slovenly, unfriendly and deceptive like the Budget agent. We also had a very positive experience with Enterprise in Phoenix. I guess it depends on the time and place.

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bagumpity
April 12, 2009 2:36 PM
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I used to rent from them Mon-Fri every week for about four months, and they screwed it up every time.

I finally decided to drive the extra 4mi to the competitor. As a final farewell, I sent the corporate office a letter with calculations showing the tens of thousands of dollars they lost over the next two and a half years.

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subtlefrog
April 12, 2009 3:27 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee - Had the same experience with Enterprise, but it was a ginormous pickup truck. Had no idea what to do with that thing (I usually drive a Corolla). I asked repeatedly for a smaller, even sub-compact, anything, but nothing. I'm a good driver, but jeezus, I didn't even want to take that into a parking lot. And of course I couldn't get it into the garage of my apartment building. Then I got to find street parking for that thing. In Los Angeles. Yeah. Fun. Oh, and then they ALSO talked me into that extra coverage that I didn't need (first time with a rental for car trouble, the auto shop was covering the bill, I didn't know what was included, yes my fault for not being better informed. Won't make that mistake again). Thank YOU, Enterprise!

On the upside, the mechanics heard such an earful from me at the end of this that they admitted I'm not the first they've heard it from and now have switched rental places I've heard. Win!

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dahlink_natasha
April 12, 2009 5:32 PM
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Here's my Enterprise story: flew into Harrisburg and walked up to the counter expecting to get the little standard I have reserved. (Hah!) Woman behind the counter tells me that they don't have any standards, and that they can put me in a minivan, which is about twice as expensive. After about a half hour of arguing, in which I tell them it's crazy for one person to drive around in a minivan and the only thing I drive is smaller cars-- she \"just happens\" to find a Camry. I agree to that, thinking I have no other choice, pay, and I go out to the lot. I must have passed at least five cars of the kind I had reserved and knew I had been taken for a fool. Never again!

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knyghtryda
April 12, 2009 5:52 PM
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Enterprise... its no worse than any other rental agency. I'm travelling for work and I rent from them all the time. Sometimes, their fantastic. Other times... well I dunno how they keep their cars running. My coworker's enterprise rental, a brand new Mazda 3, managed to die on the highway this week because apparently there wasnt enough OIL in the engine. Talk about an expensive repair for enterprise. As for me... My mitsubishi galant has some of the worst tires I have ever driven on. The result is:

crap tires + underpowered 4 banger = hilariously misplaced FWD burnouts

On the other hand their Hyundais are normally in fantastic shape, and the same could be said for their SUVs (this is the Boston Logan location).

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Anonymous
April 12, 2009 6:11 PM
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I used to work for ERAC years ago for about 2-3 years. Everything in this article is pretty much up to par for ERAC tactics. Not having the car when you reserve it, upselling you to a higher car regardless of the class you reserved, and telling you that they'll call you and switch you out when the right car is in, is all normal tactics that I've seen. It's something they promote from within. The best thing to do is to contact the regional manager and raise a stink with them. Usually they'll cow-tow to the customer. I've seen that happen quite a few times with the regional manager at the branch I used to work at. Matter of fact you can do teh reverse upsell tactic to them. If you're on vacation, and reserve a car through them at the destination airport, and when you arrive, and find that the car is NOT available, just be patient, wait about 30minutes, and then go back to the counter and ask for a higher class car for the same rate you reserved your original car for. Often times this will work. To them if they have too many \"fat\" (expensive) cars sitting on their lot, it's a loss to them. They're able to fill two things... Get money for cars that would otherwise just sit there, and get a happy customer.

The B.S. that this guy went through often times is a product of the branches manager. They try to manage the cars in such a way that their lot is empty. To ERAC if they have cars sitting ther in their lot, they're loosing money. So even if they have your reservation, they do try to make sure they have your car, but if it works out that they have to make you wait, they will make you wait.

It's really B.S. on ERAC's part. But also be aware, it's not just ERAC that does it, other companies do it too, it's just that ERAC is more predominant.

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Anonymous
April 12, 2009 10:11 PM
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Sorry about your trying experience. I don't work for and have never worked for Enterprise, but have dealt with them often in the past. The problem arose because it appears Nice Girl is a new employee and gave you incorrect info and as you rightfully stated, she needs to be retrained. I don't think it was ERAC's intention to lie to their customers. I wonder how many other customers she misinformed and created similar messes that you found yourself in before management had a talk with her.

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Jack Doyle
April 12, 2009 11:39 PM
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I've had issues with Enterprise as well. They've \"upgraded\" me on several occasions where they didn't have the car I reserved.

Going from a compact to a SUV isn't much of an upgrade when you think of things other than the vehicle class. For example, the gasoline is much more expensive. Also, if the vehicle gets into an accident the repairs are more expensive on a $30k SUV then on a $15k compact. Also, when it is out for repairs, if necessary, you are responsible for paying the lost rental fees while it is out. They are also potentially higher.

When I mentioned to the manager here in Roanoke one day that they should do a better job of having the vehicle that the customer reserved, he simply said I was \"bitching\" too much.

Needless to say I got an apology.

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21stCenturyDandy
April 13, 2009 12:57 AM
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Dude! This is uncanny...I had a SUPER disappointing experience with Enterprise just last weekend!

To wit: I booked a car online last Friday and secured a 50% off weekend rate. Received a confirmation e-mail with my total: $91.46.

Returned the car on Monday morning in perfect condition with a full tank of gas. Checked my credit card statement and was rather surprised to find a charge of $187.46...more than double the rate stated in my confirmation email.

Called Enterprise to inquire about the rather dramatic price difference...was told that the original price stated in my confirmation email did not include \"coverage.\" Fair enough...except that at no point in the rental process did anyone bother to explain this to me. If they had been upfront about the actual cost of renting the car, I wouldn't have rented the car. Plain and simple.

I (calmly & articulately) voiced my frustration to the manager on duty. His response: \"Sorry. Matt [the employee who had served me] is new here.\"

Whatever. I feel royally ripped-off. Never using them again, that's for sure!

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Winteridge2
April 13, 2009 1:28 AM
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I think this was an episode of Seinfeld: \"Sir, I KNOW what a reservation is\". Seinfeld: \"Apparently you don't\". Or something like that.

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barb95
April 13, 2009 6:03 AM
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Use Budget. I have found that they are the easiest to work with, and I have never had a problem with them.

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Tom_Servo
April 13, 2009 1:21 PM
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I have used Enterprise about a hundred times (our company has a corporate acct. with them) and never had a bad experience.

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Corporate_guy
April 13, 2009 3:36 PM
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They purposely con you into the insurance. This girl was trained perfectly. You were scammed plane and simple.

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1234tu
April 13, 2009 4:47 PM
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The worst thing about Enterprise is the douchbag salespeople. I'm sure they are just following some script, but I don't care what their name is, don't want to shake hands with them, don't want an illinformed subjective opinion on the quality of the car that I am renting, and especially don't want to get ripped on their stupid insurance. When you go to rent a car the people you are dealing with are there to take your info and hand you the keys - not be your best buddy or attempt to give you the perception that you are dealing with a professional class person. Afterall, how many days in a row can these guys wear the same $79 JC Penny blazer before it starts to look ratty?

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mzs
April 13, 2009 5:31 PM
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That manager that had a Kia Sedona there waiting for him for just the $30 that his insurance covers did him a great service. The poster had things to grumble about but this is a Kia Sedona:


They seat seven, very comfortably, and they even have very good safety ratings. I'm thinking here that the poster had a bit of a hissy fit at that point and the manager just let him ramble and watched him leave thinking, \"That's the last time I help that guy out.\"

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econobiker
April 13, 2009 6:02 PM
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@mzs: You should have read some of the earlier posts where he corrected himself that he meant Kia Optima which is a small car.

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mzs
April 13, 2009 6:07 PM
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@econobiker: Sorry, I did not see that in the first page, I came pretty late to this story.

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NoTrebleAtAll
April 13, 2009 6:35 PM
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I've used almost all of the major car rental services at various times and never had a problem getting what I wanted. I usually call two weeks in advance of the trip. Sometimes I even got an upgrade without paying extra because that's all that was available.


The one time I had to use Enterprise due to a car accident, the GEICO agent explained very clearly on the phone that the added insurance was NOT covered. She also stated that the added insurance wasn't necessary as I was covered for the duration of the rental.


Don't get me started on UHaul, though. I have some fairly cringe-worthy stories about a van and a box truck :)


Also, I have to agree with MZS. That vehicle would have been great for hauling quests around town. However, until he posted it I had no idea that a Sedona was a mini-van and after being told that it was \"standard\", I might have had the same reaction as the OP.

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Anonymous
April 13, 2009 8:02 PM
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I had a similar experience with an Enterprise in Florida in December, but it worked out a bit better. I had reserved a minivan for 2 weeks. I was to pick it up the day after I flew in. I had called that day to change the pick-up time to a bit earlier as we were all going to Fort Myers to visit some friends and it was a long drive. So I get dropped off and go inside to pick it up. Well guess what? No minivan. Apparently they had sent some people out to get it. So I waited. And waited. And waited. They apparently got lost. I said that I needed a 7 seater or something around that size for at least the weekend and that I would gladly swap it after that. So the girl was trying to get me another vehicle. She tracked one down not too far away, but that was a no go as it had some engine problems when it was turned in. I wasn't too happy, but I kept my cool. They gave me an Envoy and told me that they would upgrade me to a Tahoe after the weekend at no extra cost. It still took a couple more days (the person who had it was reluctant to return it I guess), but I did get the Tahoe and they still only charged me at the minivan rate. The girl I dealt with was awesome though. She really did do her best to sort everything out.

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GrandizerGo
April 14, 2009 2:00 PM
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Well until you have the steering wheel come off in your hands, while making a 90 degree turn down a hill, you don't know how bad Enterprise is...
Less than 1/4 mile from home, me and my gf in the car.
Needless to say, they then wanted me to drive the car back to them, I laughed at him and told him to have a tow company pick it up and to deliver another car ASAP.
They show up in my replacement vehicle, and the guy drives the other one back himself.

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David Rundle
April 15, 2009 5:06 PM
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Enterprise provided me a collision rental via GEICO in February 2009. The car had almost no brake pads in the front, and a damaged suspension.

The then attempted to tell me that the 2007 Toyota Camry they provided is not comparable to the 2006 Honda Accord I was driving.

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John Smith
April 15, 2009 10:54 PM
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One of the last times I rented a car was back in January 2002. Myself and two buddies were driving from Boston to Pittsburgh for the AFC championship game. We were renting an SUV with 4-wheel drive because the roads through Eastern Pennsylvania, Lords Valley to be exact, can be bad in the Winter.

When we arrived at the airport, the Ford Explorer that we were renting from Budget was not available. They did have a compact car available. I told the clerk this was unreasonable and that we wanted the Explorer or an upgrade. Well, instead of the the Explorer, they had one of those half SUV, half pickup truck available. Again, I told her no dice.

One of my buddies took a walk outside and saw three Explorers sitting in the lot. When I confronted the clerk on this, she told me they were reserved for others. I told her I had reserved an Explorer a week prior to talking to her and that she would be handing me the keys to one of those Explorers.

Fifteen minutes later, we were on the road in an Explorer. To make it truly pathetic, it turned out to be one of the warmer Januaries on record for Pennsylvania. It was 65 degrees at game time.

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Puddy Tat
September 13, 2010 11:45 AM
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ERAC, ERAC, ERAC - question who the holy X-mas IS ERAC? F*cking annoying as HELL

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