Hey All,
I'm not usually this emphatic about these things, but I can't even believe how upset I am with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. So, I am telling everyone I know, and even those I don't to never go with Enterprise when you rent a car. I've had great success with Avis, and in the future will go with them (or anyone) over Enterprise. Let me tell you a story:
As you know I had a conference in California that I had to go to for work. After much discussion Durrant and I decided to rent a car and drive the distance rather than trying to deal with a 3 mo. old baby and all the accoutrement's on the plane. It turns out that Enterprise had the best deal and we thought it would be fine. Having rented cars before, we knew the routine. However, I should have known from the beginning that it wouldn't turn out.
First: When I picked up the car I was told that I could either return the car with a full tank of gas, or be charged to have them fill it up (normal to all rental agencies I've dealt with). However, they were not obligated to provide me with a full tank when I picked it up. That was my first sign.
Second: The car was dirty when I picked it up. Not only on the outside (actual mud splot on the mirror), but literally covered with pet hair on the inside. Can you say NASTY????
Third (and most significant in my mind): The middle seat belt in the back seat, where we would be putting the baby's car seat, was broken. The belt was stuck, and wouldn't give. I considered taking it back, but was told when I arrived that they didn't have any other cars for me to take. And, I didn't have the time to deal with the problems that would ensue with exchanging cars at a different location.
All of these things were not ideal, but something I would probably store away in my mind and remember never to personally rent from Enterprise again. Not until I tried to return the car did I decide to tell the whole world to black list the company.
The reservation was through Sunday, but I had intentionally extended the reservation knowing we would probably be back sooner than that. On the way home on Saturday I called the company to see where to drop the car only to find out that their office was closed. Their hours were 9am to 12pm on Saturdays. So, I called the national line and found some disparraging news: since it was after hours I could either pay a $75 drop off fee to take it to another agency, or simply pay through Monday 7:30am; regardless of when I dropped the car off. Seeing as how I only paid $52 a day for the car, it wasn't worth it to drop the car off early. So, I figured if I was going to pay for the car, I might as well hold on to it.
I expected to hear from the car company on Monday, so I could tell them exactly how I felt about things. Nothing. On Tuesday, I received a call that said that everything was okay when I returned the car (they obviously didn't check the seat belt in the back seat), and since I returned it on Sunday I would only be charged $200 more than I originally budgeted and was contracted for. Yeah...
Oh, it only gets better. I went online to lodge a complaint with the company and discovered that you can't complain via email, you are forced to do an online chat with one of their agents. Unhappy with this, I proceeded to tell them how I felt about things. They asked for my contact information and told me the regional manager would be contacting me.
They waited a few days, then called Durrant's phone (weird, as the only way they would have that is to look on the contract and it was listed as HIS phone number, not mine) saying they heard something about us not being satisfied. I called them back, and the person I talked to wasn't who called D's phone, and didn't know anything about it. They said they would pass on the information to their manager, Dave. That was 10 days ago and I have heard nothing.
As a result, I am so angry with this company that I am on a personal mission to broadcast to the world how unhappy I am with Enterprise. I hope you pass this on to any/all who might ever be interested in renting a car.
My advice: go with Avis.
4 comments:
Hi Jill,
First, let me apologize for the experience you had. I saw your blog entry in a google alert and if you can email me, I would like to follow up with the local group where you rented the car. Please email me with your full name, dates of the rental and the location and I promise I will look into it for you.
pamela.j.webster@erac.com
Pam Webster
AVP, Recruiting
Fight them Jill! They were crooks to us too! Fight them and keep fighting till they give in and then get it all in writting for the next time you have to fight them! This is a prime example of all that is wrong with business in America and I will do anything I can to support you in your fight!
As a person who has rented cars over 500 times during the last 14 years, I must say that your experience with Enterprise is unusual. They do tend to be a little more persnickety about things, like knowing where you are taking the car, and the whole gas thing, but overall I have had excellent service with Enterprise.
That is too bad that you did not have a good experience with Enterprise. There are always little problems that you can find with any rental car. We had a great experience with Enterprise. They were even willing to swap out three cars for us in New England because I was not down with the smell of them. That was nice of them to credit you for $200.
-Nelson
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