Branch Mgr Cancelled Reservation - "Uncomfortable"
Jul 14, 2019, 7:51 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: DL DM, SPG Plat 100/LT Gold, Marriott Plat, National Executive Elite
Posts: 2,988
Branch Mgr Cancelled Reservation - "Uncomfortable"
I recently made a reservation for a convertible car at Enterprise in Hawaii and used 3 free day coupons. I primarily rent with National and am EE with them but had these 3 Enterprise coupons that I wanted to use as I've had them for nearly two years now and tired of keeping track.
I received the car late at night and as was well; next morning, I noticed the top going up and top is brushing up against a plastic cover of electrical wires, and eventually it breaks the cover from the top going up and down, and the wires are exposed. I go to exchange the car and receive a Camaro with a top that won't even go down...
I then exchange it and get 3 very, very dirty cars (on the inside). Dirtiest I've ever seen. Agent says this is all he has, but he can offer a $10 credit for the trouble. I say fine to get going, and he comes out with the tablet and he doesn't have any credit listed.
He states he cannot do it now but to discuss it at return. I HATE when they pass the buck...so I ask him to go put it into the contract now...
He asks me to go inside to speak to the Manager. The Branch Manager says "maybe it's better you don't rent with us" which has me immediately on the phone with Customer Service. The CS Supervisor tells (on speaker in front of the Manager) me to complete the rental, and call him once completed, and he will take care of the credit and issue some free days to me on the National side for the inconvenience. I say thank you and hang up.
The Branch Manager now says "I've just cancelled your rental and your 3 free days will open back up; you can rent with National." WHAT?! I call CS back. Get the same Supervisor. He cannot believe she cancelled the rental in the middle of it; he says they absolutely cannot do that unless you're on DNR (which he confirmed I was not).
He then deposits 3 free days into my National account and immediately uses that to make a reservation for National. They are co-located at this branch and he asks me to go get a car from the aisle and drive off. I attempt to do so and am blocked by their aisle representative and asked to go inside...a National Manager now tells me that the Enterprise Manager is above both brands at that branch, and said Manager is denying my ability to rent at National too (while hiding in the back).
Call CS back and get their highest level of escalations, who says that they cannot deny an EE with a reservation not on DNR a car. So the National Manager calls the Area Manager, who tells me that the Branch Manager claims I made the employee whom I asked to fix the credit "uncomfortable" by asking him to fix it on the contract before driving off. This is simply nonsensical...
I ask him what to do because I need a car; he at first states that I should consider another agency for this weekend, and he will refund my free days that the Branch Manager incorrectly used when she cancelled the reservation, and provide additional for the inconvenience. I politely push back, asking what the purpose is of free days if I can't use them; the escalations team is still on the phone with me and instructs me to tell the Area Manager that he must honor the reservation otherwise they will open an immediate ticket with the Regional Manager...
Area Manager tells me to go to Alamo and speak to a particular Manager there, and that they will "take care of me." He also asks me to contact him when the rental is over so he can return my free days. In total this exchange and the ordeal afterwards took 2 hours and I was otherwise stranded; phone died so couldn't call an Uber and couldn't get back to my hotel otherwise.
I have never, ever, ever experienced abysmal "petty tyrant" behavior from Enterprise/National like this. I was just shocked that, because they promised a credit but didn't follow through, and I politely attempted to hold them to that, they cancelled on me in the middle of a rental. Completely unacceptable.
What would you do? Both in terms of compensation but also in terms of reprimanding the Branch Manager. Honestly, she should be fired for canceling on an EE without cause. She tried to put her dirty/broken cars on the fact that "unemployment on this island is really really low right now" and "our cleaners and repairmen are subcontractors" and finished with "do you know what it's like to rent on HI?"
P.S. I don't raise my voice, don't swear, don't threaten, don't do any of the things that could cause them to cancel with cause. I've only ever called National CS once before and that was to apply a free day coupon to a past rental; literally never had to call them before because, if I ever need anything, the service is always excellent at the branches. Thoughts?
I received the car late at night and as was well; next morning, I noticed the top going up and top is brushing up against a plastic cover of electrical wires, and eventually it breaks the cover from the top going up and down, and the wires are exposed. I go to exchange the car and receive a Camaro with a top that won't even go down...
I then exchange it and get 3 very, very dirty cars (on the inside). Dirtiest I've ever seen. Agent says this is all he has, but he can offer a $10 credit for the trouble. I say fine to get going, and he comes out with the tablet and he doesn't have any credit listed.
He states he cannot do it now but to discuss it at return. I HATE when they pass the buck...so I ask him to go put it into the contract now...
He asks me to go inside to speak to the Manager. The Branch Manager says "maybe it's better you don't rent with us" which has me immediately on the phone with Customer Service. The CS Supervisor tells (on speaker in front of the Manager) me to complete the rental, and call him once completed, and he will take care of the credit and issue some free days to me on the National side for the inconvenience. I say thank you and hang up.
The Branch Manager now says "I've just cancelled your rental and your 3 free days will open back up; you can rent with National." WHAT?! I call CS back. Get the same Supervisor. He cannot believe she cancelled the rental in the middle of it; he says they absolutely cannot do that unless you're on DNR (which he confirmed I was not).
He then deposits 3 free days into my National account and immediately uses that to make a reservation for National. They are co-located at this branch and he asks me to go get a car from the aisle and drive off. I attempt to do so and am blocked by their aisle representative and asked to go inside...a National Manager now tells me that the Enterprise Manager is above both brands at that branch, and said Manager is denying my ability to rent at National too (while hiding in the back).
Call CS back and get their highest level of escalations, who says that they cannot deny an EE with a reservation not on DNR a car. So the National Manager calls the Area Manager, who tells me that the Branch Manager claims I made the employee whom I asked to fix the credit "uncomfortable" by asking him to fix it on the contract before driving off. This is simply nonsensical...
I ask him what to do because I need a car; he at first states that I should consider another agency for this weekend, and he will refund my free days that the Branch Manager incorrectly used when she cancelled the reservation, and provide additional for the inconvenience. I politely push back, asking what the purpose is of free days if I can't use them; the escalations team is still on the phone with me and instructs me to tell the Area Manager that he must honor the reservation otherwise they will open an immediate ticket with the Regional Manager...
Area Manager tells me to go to Alamo and speak to a particular Manager there, and that they will "take care of me." He also asks me to contact him when the rental is over so he can return my free days. In total this exchange and the ordeal afterwards took 2 hours and I was otherwise stranded; phone died so couldn't call an Uber and couldn't get back to my hotel otherwise.
I have never, ever, ever experienced abysmal "petty tyrant" behavior from Enterprise/National like this. I was just shocked that, because they promised a credit but didn't follow through, and I politely attempted to hold them to that, they cancelled on me in the middle of a rental. Completely unacceptable.
What would you do? Both in terms of compensation but also in terms of reprimanding the Branch Manager. Honestly, she should be fired for canceling on an EE without cause. She tried to put her dirty/broken cars on the fact that "unemployment on this island is really really low right now" and "our cleaners and repairmen are subcontractors" and finished with "do you know what it's like to rent on HI?"
P.S. I don't raise my voice, don't swear, don't threaten, don't do any of the things that could cause them to cancel with cause. I've only ever called National CS once before and that was to apply a free day coupon to a past rental; literally never had to call them before because, if I ever need anything, the service is always excellent at the branches. Thoughts?
Jul 15, 2019, 3:02 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 3,696
That's a bizarre story. It sounds to me like the branch manager thought you were giving them too much trouble by swapping cars and wanted to get rid of you, but panicked when you got supervisors involved and made up a story as cover.
However, I don't see the usefulness in trying to get an employee fired. I get that you're angry but it accomplishes nothing for you. What you should do is wait a few days and then contact them again, probably through a BBB complaint, and calmly explain what happened and tell them you expect them to make it up to you. Don't demand anyone be fired; that turns it into a he-said-she-said in which they're more likely to side with the manager. They're not going to make an HR decision based on your recommendation anyway.
However, I don't see the usefulness in trying to get an employee fired. I get that you're angry but it accomplishes nothing for you. What you should do is wait a few days and then contact them again, probably through a BBB complaint, and calmly explain what happened and tell them you expect them to make it up to you. Don't demand anyone be fired; that turns it into a he-said-she-said in which they're more likely to side with the manager. They're not going to make an HR decision based on your recommendation anyway.
Jul 15, 2019, 3:07 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
That's a bizarre story. It sounds to me like the branch manager thought you were giving them too much trouble by swapping cars and wanted to get rid of you, but panicked when you got supervisors involved and made up a story as cover.
However, I don't see the usefulness in trying to get an employee fired. I get that you're angry but it accomplishes nothing for you. What you should do is wait a few days and then contact them again, probably through a BBB complaint, and calmly explain what happened and tell them you expect them to make it up to you. Don't demand anyone be fired; that turns it into a he-said-she-said in which they're more likely to side with the manager. They're not going to make an HR decision based on your recommendation anyway.
However, I don't see the usefulness in trying to get an employee fired. I get that you're angry but it accomplishes nothing for you. What you should do is wait a few days and then contact them again, probably through a BBB complaint, and calmly explain what happened and tell them you expect them to make it up to you. Don't demand anyone be fired; that turns it into a he-said-she-said in which they're more likely to side with the manager. They're not going to make an HR decision based on your recommendation anyway.
Jul 15, 2019, 10:10 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: National Exec, HA Pualani Gold
Posts: 599
However, I don't see the usefulness in trying to get an employee fired. I get that you're angry but it accomplishes nothing for you. What you should do is wait a few days and then contact them again, probably through a BBB complaint, and calmly explain what happened and tell them you expect them to make it up to you. Don't demand anyone be fired; that turns it into a he-said-she-said in which they're more likely to side with the manager. They're not going to make an HR decision based on your recommendation anyway.
Ditto with the Executive Elite status. That situation shouldn’t have happened regardless of your Emerald Club status. This shouldn’t be a “Do you know who I am? I’m an Executive Elite.” situation.
A rational, fact-based complaint should be made to both Enterprise and National. I believe you can do that via their website — that’s what I’ve used when I’ve needed help with rental credits that didn’t post and I got a pretty quick response.
The OP lost a couple hours of valuable vacation-time dealing with broken and dirty cars and poor customer service. I don’t think either company would find that acceptable - regardless of your status with National. Let them know they let you down and what you expected them to have done.
It’s up to the OP as to what would be a satisfactory compensation to make him/her feel better about the situation. If it’s inviting the OP back to the branch to personally hand the employee their “to go” box to pack their stuff, so be it, but hopefully it’s something that would actually benefit the OP.