Other Car Rental Programs/Partners (ie. Alamo, Enterprise, Sixt) - Franchises vs. Corporate--what's better?

Recent discussion of the various franchising models of the various rental companies made me think about posting this question:

What kind of rental company model is the best? What have your experiences been at different kinds of locations?

To me, corporate locations (at any company) are consistently OK--not stellar, not bad, just OK. (At some really large locations, I find a bit of a cultural/language barrier between me and the customer service staff, which degrades the experience somewhat--kind of like how people complain about ICCs.) In comparison, at franchises, I've seen and experienced both amazing, personable service by highly motivated CSRs and shoddy, greedy service by manipulative salespeople. The experience is much more variable--for better and for worse.

Here is what I see as the pros and cons of each type:

Corporate locations:
Pros:

More more likely to have a consistent experience
More likely to participate in advertised programs and promotions
One-ways and emergency car swaps available system-wide

Cons:

Big, impersonal company feel
Can encounter mediocre service by entry-level employees who may not feel invested in the company


Franchises:
Pros:

Can retain that small business, mom-n-pop feel (long-time, experienced employees)
Sometimes easier to talk to someone who can make decisions (less of a chain-of-command; the owner is usually just a couple of levels removed)
Can be more motivated to make sure repeat customers (at that location) stay loyal
Have some extra flexibility to adapt to policies local market

Cons:

Less corporate oversight, so policies and procedures can vary (though the corporate chain serves as a backup when problems arise)
Can encounter greedy/shoddy franchise owners who border on fraud or tolerate (or even encourage) poor service
Limited assistance available when out of town (no emergency one-way drops or car swaps)


Independents:
Pros:

Much more likely to have small-business, mom-n-pop feel
Can find cheaper rates or less restrictive policies

Cons:

Often encounter older cars
No further recourse when problems arise
No assistance for out-of-town problems


Agencies (i.e. Hertz or Avis non-independent licensees):
Pros:

Policies and procedures usually conform to system-wide standards
Can retain that small business, mom-n-pop feel (long-time, experienced employees)
Sometimes easier to talk to someone who can make decisions (less of a chain-of-command; the owner is usually just a couple of levels removed), although even his or her power may be limited
Can be more motivated to make sure repeat customers (at that location) stay loyal
One-ways and emergency car swaps available system-wide

Cons:

Limited flexibility with policies to adapt to local market


What say you?

When I was on I-80 near Toledo OH, a Toyota Corolla with Michigan plates and a Hertz barcode in the left rear window (like the barcode on the Hertz car I was driving from CA) zoomed past. Hmm, what's wrong with this picture? A Japanese car in-serviced from the heart of domestic motown, how ironic indeed.

That's one of the negatives of tapping into a nationwide fleet. The cars do not always reflect local tastes. Hertz buys a bunch of Corollas and delivers them to locations across the country. Detroit might get several, even though some people involved in the domestic auto industry might refuse to drive such a car. Also, an IL-plated Corolla might come to Detroit from Chicago where there seems to be less of a bias in favor of domestic cars. But the local people in Detroit might still refuse it, based on the country of origin.