Other Car Rental Programs/Partners (ie. Alamo, Enterprise, Sixt) - Why I'm not going to rent from Enterprise ever again.

I am never going to rent from Enterprise again because I recently had a reservation for an Enconomy class size car and all they had there for me was a Chevy Aveo and they refuse to give me an free upgrade into a nicer car but insist that if I want something nicer that I would need to pay $5 more a day. I rent from them at least once a month, they should at least give me a free upgrade for always renting from them. I just ended up staying with the Chevy Aveo so that they'll stop hassling me. Next they told me that I since I'm using a debit card, they'll have to take a deposit of $350, they said it was $300 plus estimated charges for my rental. What gives! My rental will total less than $50 and they want me to leave over $300 in deposits?! That's highway robbery... it's not like that I'm not going to return the car.
Next they try to sell me on insurance and made me insepct the car. I declined and they told me that if something happens to my car that I'll have to pay the deductable and that they'll file a claim against my policy... I really don't like it when they try to scare me into buying the insurance but I still declined. On top of that, the car doesn't really work that well, it starts vibrating when I went above 85mph down the interstate and it scared the living daylight out of me. Who designs cars that don't drive smooth when you reach speeds of 85 mph! :rolleyes: Anyways, so when I got to the hotel, I called Enterprise up about getting a different car because the car they put me in vibrates, they say they can do that but I would have to go into an local office... so I did, all they did was put me into another Chevy Aveo because thats all they had at the local office in the middle of the day. I know that I'm only paying $19.99 a day, but at least they should of given me a decent car! Not only did I have to go to another office to switch out, they made me walk around the new car too! On top of that, on the day that I was suppose to return the car, I was running late and I decided to drop my car off at the hourly parking across the street from the airport terminal, after all, Enterprise do offer free Pick Up service.... so I get to the parking lot and call Enterprise what I was doing and they said that I would have to drive all the way back to the rental car terminal to drop off the car and then I would have to take the shuttle that runs every 5 minutes back to the terminal... I don't have time for that... but I did it anyways.... when I got to Enterprise, I told them what happen and that I would like to be reimbursed for the parking back at hourly parking and they said no even though it was their fault for saying that they offer free pick up service... how is one to know that free pick up service doesn't include picking up a car a mile away?! Next they said that they notice a dent, which I did not do and did not recall seeing after I gentally bump a pole in the parking lot of the hotel I was staying at. They than made me give them my insurance information because there was never any records of any damages on the car and than charged my $250 deductable onto my credit card. Anyways, I returned the car and rushed to the terminal and bearly made it to my flight... Because of them, I was the last to board and there was no overhead bin space left and they made me gate check my bags... errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Should of Enterprise just picked up the car, I would of had somewhere on the plane to put my bags in the cabin of the plane.
A couple days later, I checked my bank account and Enterprise haven't even process the refund of my deposit so I called the branch and they said that the refund was processed Friday night when I returned the car... I think that their full of it beacuse its sunday and its not back in my bank account... they had the nerves to tell me that I should call my bank because they have no control over what my bank do and that they can't just make the money appear in my bank account in real time and that it was up to the bank. They also said that with most bank it takes up to 2 or 3 business days... Well... I think if they can pull the funds out of my account in real time, they should process the refund in real time too.
Just when you think its over, they sent me a bill a month later for $275 for running a red light... I don't ever recall running a redlight but they said I did because the car was rented to me when a redlight camera took a picture of the chevy aveo running the redlight. Their only logically explination is that since I was the renter and that I told them that I'm the only one driving and it indicateds that on the contract I signed plus the fact that the picture was taken during the time that I was renting the car that I ran the redlight and I should pay for the ticket! That is just outragious, its their car, they should pay the ticket. Well.. thats the last time I'm ever going to rent a car from them!

While I agree that dealing with Enterprise is a pain, especially with their hard-sell extra insurance, I don't see a legitimate complaint here. It sounds like you had a lousy rental experience that was largely of your own doing. Let me try to understand; please correct me if I'm missing something.


Enterprise:
a) Gave you exactly the car you requested. (Sorry dude - even at Hertz, renting once a month probably doesn't give enough status for the automatic upgrade.)
b) Nailed your debit card for a hefty deposit - which is pretty standard industry practice, not just Enterprise.
c) Made you inspect the car before you left (which is a wise idea anyways ^ ).
d) Gave you the hard-sell on extra insurance (which you should have expected given your monthly rentals with them).
e) Swapped you cars when you weren't happy with yours, albeit with some hassle.
f) Made you return the car to their location, just like every other customer. (Notice Enteprise advertises they'll pick YOU up, not their car!)
g) Charged you for damages and a speeding ticket incurred on the car while it was in your posession (Any other rental car company would have handled these the same way - after all, you did hit a post, and should have demanded a copy of the picture from the red light camera if you wanted to dispute the ticket.).
h) And after all that, did get you to your flight on time.


You can be mad at Enterprise all you want, but I think they treated you just as fairly as any other company would have.

Enterprise was also correct about the delay in your debit card transaction. This is a goofy glitch in the way the credit card processing companies handle these transactions - you need to take it up with your bank.

I can tell ya why Enterprise is the last ones on my list. But from the OPs post alone , I see no reason why I shouldnt rent from them, most if not everything was the OPs fault.

Im not gonna go over every point that the OP made but I dont remember finding in the OPs favor for even 1 of them. I got the feeling that the OP rented a car for the very 1st time with this rental and as much as I dont like Enterprise I dont find anything wrong in the way they handled things from their side.

OP if you think Enterprise was bad wait till you try to rent from the others and even the Majors at that, you'd be running right back to Enterprise so fast, you wont believe it.

e) Swapped you cars when you weren't happy with yours, albeit with some hassle.

You can be mad at Enterprise all you want, but I think they treated you just as fairly as any other company would have.


They appear to have been very fair considering the problem that required the car to be swapped was doing high speed in a small engined vehicle.

They appear to have been very fair considering the problem that required the car to be swapped was doing high speed in a small engined vehicle.

a few years ago when I rented out West somewhere (forget now) they made me initial where it was printed that they had not only a GPS on the car but also a duhicki that keeps track of the speed you were going and even if the Cops didnt stop you , they would be alerted that you exceeded the speed limit and would fine you for doing so. If you went out of the States allowed that would be another fine.

I am never going to rent from Enterprise again because I recently had a reservation for an Enconomy class size car and all they had there for me was a Chevy Aveo and they refuse to give me an free upgrade ...I know that I'm only paying $19.99 a day.... Well.. thats the last time I'm ever going to rent a car from them!

I am sure that Enterprise will cease to exist without rational high paying customers like you. Are they a public company? I smell a great "short" here!

Ok, I just want to start off and say that I agree with what everyone have to say so far up to this point. In reality, none of that happen to me and I just decided to take the various reason why people don't rent from Enterprise and other rental car agencies (which seems to be very universal on why one don't rent from so and so company) and compile it into this short little story. What I'm trying to show is that although some of the complaints are legit, there are those that would stir up whole debates even though it is 100% obvious that it was the renter's fault and that what the rental company did was justify. Speaking of how out of line some people are, today I was in line waiting to get check into a rental car and there was a lady that held up the counter arguing with the rental agent about the hold on their debit card and swore that the company had full control over what the bank does... just another example how some reason as to why not to rent from a particular company is just wayyy out of line and unjustifiable.

As for Enterprise, I do rent from them often but not at the low rate that I used in my little story. I admit, Enterprise need to still work on improving their operation... I sorta agree that Enterprise doesn't have the most efficient level of service and/or operation at their airport branch... you can say the same for Hertz Local Edition in the neighborhoods... Enterprise seems to have a stronger focus on the local market and their local operations is really really organized and efficient whereas if you look at Hertz.. their airport operation are AWESOME yet seems like they can never get it right in the local market. However, as Enterprise improves on their airport operation, Hertz is improving their Local market operation... theres a reason why Enterprise and Hertz are where they are at today.

The one area I notice that Enterprise need improvement on is airport operation, I read some reviews of various people experiences with Enterprise at various airports.... from what I understand of the company, the company is divided up into "regions" and those "regions" are operated independently of each other, from what I understand, and I think that where we get problems with Enterprise having different level of service at different airport. For example, here are MY experience with Enterprise at various airports across the country...

Syracuse, NY: You go to the counter, check in, they send you to a parking lot, someone else check you into the car.
Long Beach, CA: You go to the counter, check in, proceed to the kiosk, check in there, and wait for your car and get check into your car.
Sacramento, CA: You check in at the counter, they give you a map and bottled water, recently they started offering toothpaste and shaving cream, and depending on how busy they are, they either walk you to your car or they pull the car to the terminal and check you in... I kind of like this location more because they even have those smart carts but with the Enterprise Logo that you can use for free for your bags.
Austin, TX: Check In at the counter, proceed to a random lot, used car lot feel, as many people run up to you and try to help you.
Washington Dulles: They check you in, wait in the lobby for someone to help you into your car.

The list goes on and on, however, it seems like the standard practice is they check you in, make you go to the lot, and someone check you into the car. However, I also did notice that at some other branches, they do other stuff such as my example of their Sacramento Airport location with the free bottle water and having the same person check you in and go over the contract and put you in the car... kind of like that process better. But that's just me.

a few years ago when I rented out West somewhere (forget now) they made me initial where it was printed that they had not only a GPS on the car but also a duhicki that keeps track of the speed you were going and even if the Cops didnt stop you , they would be alerted that you exceeded the speed limit and would fine you for doing so. If you went out of the States allowed that would be another fine.

I never read that or seen that on any Enterprise contracts or contracts of other rental car agencies...Are you sure that is what it says and not your interpritation of the statement? I did, however, read that some cars have GPS navigation systems built into the car.. I'll have to pull it up from my files at my office... but never did I ever read anything about getting fines as a result of using the GPS system. I do know that most GPS systems do track speed and where you went... after all, thats what their design for... their not just there to help you go where you need to go. That is why GPS with most rental car agency are optional... I doubt they can do that type of tracking with someone that didn't rent a GPS system from the company (Reason why I'm saying company is Enterprise is not the only company that rent out GPS systems) Plus even if Enterprise or any other rental car agency have the system you talk about.... the company would of had a class action lawsuit filed against them for privacy issue OR it would at least make it to those special reports on your local 10:00 news. Even if they DO have such a system, at least they told you about it and you do have the option to not rent from them and go somewhere else that does not have the system installed or they are but did not disclose that information to you. Let just say that statement is actually written on the contract, after all, it is their car, they can do what ever they want to it, but it is YOUR choice to either rent or not rent based on what you know....

Just to add... even if you did rent those optional GPS systems, you could of at least reset it before you return the car so no one will know where you went or how fast you were going.

a GPS on the car but also a duhicki that keeps track of the speed you were going -------- and would fine you for doing so. If you went out of the States allowed that would be another fine.

This was attempted in Connecticut a few years ago, and deemed to be illegal.

Yale University (http://research.yale.edu/lawmeme/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8)
USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2002/02/20/rental-car-tracking.htm)
Findlaw (http://writ.news.findlaw.com/ramasastry/20050823.html)
Opinion from CT Supreme Court (http://www.jud.state.ct.us/external/supapp/Cases/AROcr/CR273/273CR53.pdf)

There may be similar situations/cases pending or resolved in other jurisdictions.

IANAL, YMMV etc

They appear to have been very fair considering the problem that required the car to be swapped was doing high speed in a small engined vehicle.

I agree. It's usually one of the cheaper places to rent a car and I find them typically dependable. I don't understand why anyone would use a debit card rather than a credit card for a rental car reservation.

I agree. It's usually one of the cheaper places to rent a car and I find them typically dependable. I don't understand why anyone would use a debit card rather than a credit card for a rental car reservation.
Many people simply don't have credit cards, so debit is their only option. Either they don't believe in credit cards, or can't get one issued to them.

This was attempted in Connecticut a few years ago, and deemed to be illegal.

Yale University (http://research.yale.edu/lawmeme/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8)
USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2002/02/20/rental-car-tracking.htm)
Findlaw (http://writ.news.findlaw.com/ramasastry/20050823.html)
Opinion from CT Supreme Court (http://www.jud.state.ct.us/external/supapp/Cases/AROcr/CR273/273CR53.pdf)

There may be similar situations/cases pending or resolved in other jurisdictions.

IANAL, YMMV etc

Yeah, umm, those articles were fore ACME rental, not Enterprise. I just want to point that out for those that didn't actually read the articles and just made the assumption their about Enterprise.

:rolleyes:

Yeah, umm, those articles were fore ACME rental, not Enterprise. I just want to point that out for those that didn't actually read the articles and just made the assumption their about Enterprise.

Are you, therefore, suggesting that because the articles are about another company, that the legal effect then does not apply to other companies who may be doing the same thing? :rolleyes:

Mike

Are you, therefore, suggesting that because the articles are about another company, that the legal effect then does not apply to other companies who may be doing the same thing? :rolleyes:

Mike

I never suggest that nor would I ever suggest that. All I am saying is if you look at the history of this thread, the links to those article was posted after someone stated that Enterprise forced them to sign something indicating that they track them and charge them if they leave a certain area... than another post dispute that and than the article gets posted with no quotes from it which will make everyone think that the article talks about Enterprise and how they are in the wrong for doing it... NEVER did I suggest it was ok for another company to do the same thing. :rolleyes:

What I am gonna suggest now, since you seem to think I'm trying to imply something with my post.... if Enterprise did had something similar and knowing that we are a lawsuit happy country, and given the fact that Enterprise is the largest rental agency in North America... wouldn't there be similar cases out there regarding Enterprise wouldn't the lawyers go after Enterprise too? With that, I'm gonna suggest that Enterprise never had a system in their car that is able to charge renters more money when they leave a certain area, otherwise, they would of been some type of lawsuit out there against them.

That is hilarious!! You should be a comedy writer. Or maybe join up with Boratt.

What actually WAS it that they were supposed to do that they didn't do?
Bigger car? No. Not require a deposit? No. Make you late? No. Fix the dent for free? No. Pay YOUR ticket? No.

This is just too funny. Thanks for a good laugh. (I doubt it's real)


I am never going to rent from Enterprise again because I recently had a reservation for an Enconomy class size car and all they had there for me was a Chevy Aveo and they refuse to give me an free upgrade into a nicer car but insist that if I want something nicer that I would need to pay $5 more a day. I rent from them at least once a month, they should at least give me a free upgrade for always renting from them. I just ended up staying with the Chevy Aveo so that they'll stop hassling me. Next they told me that I since I'm using a debit card, they'll have to take a deposit of $350, they said it was $300 plus estimated charges for my rental. What gives! My rental will total less than $50 and they want me to leave over $300 in deposits?! That's highway robbery... it's not like that I'm not going to return the car.
Next they try to sell me on insurance and made me insepct the car. I declined and they told me that if something happens to my car that I'll have to pay the deductable and that they'll file a claim against my policy... I really don't like it when they try to scare me into buying the insurance but I still declined. On top of that, the car doesn't really work that well, it starts vibrating when I went above 85mph down the interstate and it scared the living daylight out of me. Who designs cars that don't drive smooth when you reach speeds of 85 mph! :rolleyes: Anyways, so when I got to the hotel, I called Enterprise up about getting a different car because the car they put me in vibrates, they say they can do that but I would have to go into an local office... so I did, all they did was put me into another Chevy Aveo because thats all they had at the local office in the middle of the day. I know that I'm only paying $19.99 a day, but at least they should of given me a decent car! Not only did I have to go to another office to switch out, they made me walk around the new car too! On top of that, on the day that I was suppose to return the car, I was running late and I decided to drop my car off at the hourly parking across the street from the airport terminal, after all, Enterprise do offer free Pick Up service.... so I get to the parking lot and call Enterprise what I was doing and they said that I would have to drive all the way back to the rental car terminal to drop off the car and then I would have to take the shuttle that runs every 5 minutes back to the terminal... I don't have time for that... but I did it anyways.... when I got to Enterprise, I told them what happen and that I would like to be reimbursed for the parking back at hourly parking and they said no even though it was their fault for saying that they offer free pick up service... how is one to know that free pick up service doesn't include picking up a car a mile away?! Next they said that they notice a dent, which I did not do and did not recall seeing after I gentally bump a pole in the parking lot of the hotel I was staying at. They than made me give them my insurance information because there was never any records of any damages on the car and than charged my $250 deductable onto my credit card. Anyways, I returned the car and rushed to the terminal and bearly made it to my flight... Because of them, I was the last to board and there was no overhead bin space left and they made me gate check my bags... errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Should of Enterprise just picked up the car, I would of had somewhere on the plane to put my bags in the cabin of the plane.
A couple days later, I checked my bank account and Enterprise haven't even process the refund of my deposit so I called the branch and they said that the refund was processed Friday night when I returned the car... I think that their full of it beacuse its sunday and its not back in my bank account... they had the nerves to tell me that I should call my bank because they have no control over what my bank do and that they can't just make the money appear in my bank account in real time and that it was up to the bank. They also said that with most bank it takes up to 2 or 3 business days... Well... I think if they can pull the funds out of my account in real time, they should process the refund in real time too.
Just when you think its over, they sent me a bill a month later for $275 for running a red light... I don't ever recall running a redlight but they said I did because the car was rented to me when a redlight camera took a picture of the chevy aveo running the redlight. Their only logically explination is that since I was the renter and that I told them that I'm the only one driving and it indicateds that on the contract I signed plus the fact that the picture was taken during the time that I was renting the car that I ran the redlight and I should pay for the ticket! That is just outragious, its their car, they should pay the ticket. Well.. thats the last time I'm ever going to rent a car from them!