my enterprise car rental ordeal
Here's the letter I wrote to the Regional Vice President:
I was referred by State Farm to the Enterprise a few blocks from my home in Buena Park, CA to get a rental vehicle while my car was being repaired.
Getting my rental car on the morning of 7/30/2008 was fairly trouble free. I was surprised, however, when I was asked to present a credit card, NOT a debit card to use for a deposit. When I called to make a reservation the night before I specifically asked the reservation agent what I needed to bring to rent the vehicle since State Farm was pre-paying for the rental and the Enterprise agent said I didn't need to bring anything with me to Enterprise.
After I presented my debit card (the only card I carry with me) I was offered my choice of 3 vehicles, and I chose the 2008 Chevy Malibu. After leaving the Enterprise location I noticed several things: the warning light for the tire pressure was on & flashing; the car was pulling to the right; there were several crumpled up papers tucked away in the backseat side door pockets; there was a melted crayon in the backseat on the passenger-side floor; and there appeared to be chewing gum ground into the front passenger-side floor. Needless to say the car's interior was far from clean. When an Enterprise representative called me that evening to see how the rental vehicle was, I mentioned all these things to him. He assured me that I didn't need to worry about the tire pressure light or the car pulling to the right, that Enterprise vehicles were serviced regularly and the warning light was probably just something that needed to be reset. He did apologize about the messiness of the interior and assured me I wouldn't be liable for any of the mess when I returned the car. At no point did he offer to exchange the vehicle for another.
When my own vehicle's repairs were complete on 8/8/2008, I called Enterprise around 3:00PM to let them know I would be returning my rental and also to inquire if I would be able to get dropped off at Fix Auto, the body shop where my car was waiting. The Enterprise agent hesitated, and then assured me I could get dropped off anytime I came by. I clarified to the Enterprise agent that I would be coming by between 4:30PM and 5:00PM (after I got off work) and would need to get to Fix Auto before they closed for the weekend at 5:30PM. Again the Enterprise agent hesitated and then reassured me that whenever I came by I would be dropped off at Fix Auto.
That day I got to the Enterprise in Buena Park, CA a little after 4:45PM, and was surprised to see 10 people waiting in line in front of me with only 2 agents behind the desk helping customers! Most of the 10 people in line (including myself) had to wait in the sun by the door because there wasn't enough room in the store for everyone. It was well over 90 degrees that day and a lot of us were suffering in the sun (I am now sunburned as a result), there was no shade provided for customers that were forced to wait outside. As agents were finishing with customers they didn't know who was next in line, and ended up overlooking a lot of customers that had been waiting and didn't speak up. When I finally reached the counter the agent that offered to help me was also helping 4 other customers at the same time, and left the desk in the middle of our transaction 3 times to go outside with other customers! I told the Enterprise agent that I needed to be dropped off at Fix Auto before 5:30PM several times, and he kept assuring me that he would get me there before Fix Auto closed. Finally after I had completed the return of my rental and had been waiting in the sun for 10 minutes I asked the agent that helped me again when I was going to be dropped off at Fix Auto. It was 5:25PM, Fix Auto closed at 5:30PM and the agent again assured me that he would drive me as soon as he was done helping other customers. Finally we left at 5:35PM and I arrived at Fix Auto just as they were about to close, thankfully, I had called from my cell phone and advised them I was on my way, had I not thought to call, I would have been unable to get my car until Monday morning.
I have rented from Enterprise before, but at a different location, and had no problems. I am not sure if the problems I experienced were unique to the Buena Park location or not, but I am weary of renting from Enterprise again. After my ordeal, many family members and friends shared similar stories that they had experienced at multiple Enterprise locations in Southern California. I am thankful that State Farm was paying for my rental vehicle from Enterprise, because had I paid for the service I received I would have felt so cheated. Even so, after an accident, it's so discouraging to have to deal with poor service at the rental car company. I hope my letter helps you better serve customers in my situation in the future.
I was referred by State Farm to the Enterprise a few blocks from my home in Buena Park, CA to get a rental vehicle while my car was being repaired.
Getting my rental car on the morning of 7/30/2008 was fairly trouble free. I was surprised, however, when I was asked to present a credit card, NOT a debit card to use for a deposit. When I called to make a reservation the night before I specifically asked the reservation agent what I needed to bring to rent the vehicle since State Farm was pre-paying for the rental and the Enterprise agent said I didn't need to bring anything with me to Enterprise.
After I presented my debit card (the only card I carry with me) I was offered my choice of 3 vehicles, and I chose the 2008 Chevy Malibu. After leaving the Enterprise location I noticed several things: the warning light for the tire pressure was on & flashing; the car was pulling to the right; there were several crumpled up papers tucked away in the backseat side door pockets; there was a melted crayon in the backseat on the passenger-side floor; and there appeared to be chewing gum ground into the front passenger-side floor. Needless to say the car's interior was far from clean. When an Enterprise representative called me that evening to see how the rental vehicle was, I mentioned all these things to him. He assured me that I didn't need to worry about the tire pressure light or the car pulling to the right, that Enterprise vehicles were serviced regularly and the warning light was probably just something that needed to be reset. He did apologize about the messiness of the interior and assured me I wouldn't be liable for any of the mess when I returned the car. At no point did he offer to exchange the vehicle for another.
When my own vehicle's repairs were complete on 8/8/2008, I called Enterprise around 3:00PM to let them know I would be returning my rental and also to inquire if I would be able to get dropped off at Fix Auto, the body shop where my car was waiting. The Enterprise agent hesitated, and then assured me I could get dropped off anytime I came by. I clarified to the Enterprise agent that I would be coming by between 4:30PM and 5:00PM (after I got off work) and would need to get to Fix Auto before they closed for the weekend at 5:30PM. Again the Enterprise agent hesitated and then reassured me that whenever I came by I would be dropped off at Fix Auto.
That day I got to the Enterprise in Buena Park, CA a little after 4:45PM, and was surprised to see 10 people waiting in line in front of me with only 2 agents behind the desk helping customers! Most of the 10 people in line (including myself) had to wait in the sun by the door because there wasn't enough room in the store for everyone. It was well over 90 degrees that day and a lot of us were suffering in the sun (I am now sunburned as a result), there was no shade provided for customers that were forced to wait outside. As agents were finishing with customers they didn't know who was next in line, and ended up overlooking a lot of customers that had been waiting and didn't speak up. When I finally reached the counter the agent that offered to help me was also helping 4 other customers at the same time, and left the desk in the middle of our transaction 3 times to go outside with other customers! I told the Enterprise agent that I needed to be dropped off at Fix Auto before 5:30PM several times, and he kept assuring me that he would get me there before Fix Auto closed. Finally after I had completed the return of my rental and had been waiting in the sun for 10 minutes I asked the agent that helped me again when I was going to be dropped off at Fix Auto. It was 5:25PM, Fix Auto closed at 5:30PM and the agent again assured me that he would drive me as soon as he was done helping other customers. Finally we left at 5:35PM and I arrived at Fix Auto just as they were about to close, thankfully, I had called from my cell phone and advised them I was on my way, had I not thought to call, I would have been unable to get my car until Monday morning.
I have rented from Enterprise before, but at a different location, and had no problems. I am not sure if the problems I experienced were unique to the Buena Park location or not, but I am weary of renting from Enterprise again. After my ordeal, many family members and friends shared similar stories that they had experienced at multiple Enterprise locations in Southern California. I am thankful that State Farm was paying for my rental vehicle from Enterprise, because had I paid for the service I received I would have felt so cheated. Even so, after an accident, it's so discouraging to have to deal with poor service at the rental car company. I hope my letter helps you better serve customers in my situation in the future.