Enterprise Rant...
 

Ok,
Just wanted to post this for you guys. maybe it's just the location, but this happened to me. My car got hit; therefore when it was in the body shop, nationwide arranged a rental car for me from Enterprise. First things first, I call on a friday (for a monday pick-up at Warren, OH location) and make a reservation. I'm given a reservation number.

Saturday, I get a phone call asking me to call back as they want to know what day & time I'm picking up the car (isn't that something the reservation number would tell them?) Obviously when I call, it's routed to the national call center and they have NO RECORDS of that reservation number. Fair enough, I gave them information one more time and was assured that I would have a car ready for me on Monday.

So on Monday, I call Enterprise's location to come pick me up from the body shop (this is right across the street apparently). and lo behold - NO RESERVATION under my name exists. I just walked across and they assured me they could give me a car. So being that I didn't have an existing reservation, they didn't have a car 'waiting' for me. There were two on the lot, but in their system, it said they were in queue for an oil change. I was asked if I could wait, obviously to which I said, No, as I had to go to work.

So, after a few minutes of shuffling, asking each other questions, they put me in a Chevy Malibu. I asked them if there was an opportunity to get a different one later during the day. They said, sure. They would give me a call by noon, since all of this had happened. So I took the malibu (35k miles; filthy inside; dings / scratches outside) as I had to go to work. While driving, the car pulled to the left and the brakes felt like they were bare minimum. I waited for their phone call and behold. no phone call. I go during my lunch time and they have other cars there, and the two (Optima & a Charger) waiting for an oil change were suddenly available. The guy put me in the Charger (39k miles; Filthy; Stinky; and it said, Oil Change Required). I took that and went back to work. Guess what, no brakes, and the car is pulling to the right... Does enterprise even check their cars? The passenger seat had brown stains on the cloth seats, driver side looked like the previous drivers left their white sweat stains. Absolutely disgusting...

Absolutely pissed at this, after work I went back, and I said, can you please just give me a car that has decent brakes, and is leather that at least looks clean. A gentleman was given a 300 infront of me. and I was given a Jetta (it had vinyl seats). At this point I had given up... So I took it. Guess what: No Brakes; Car is pushing 36k miles... at least it doesn't have that many stains inside.

I think after this experience even if I have to go through insurance, I will surely ask for Hertz (its right next door). Unfortunately there isn't an Avis location, otherwise that's my preferred choice.

3 cars, all poorly maintained; all filthy dirty; all high mileage. I have yet to rent a car from Avis that has more than 5000 miles.

Oh yeah, upon asking this same question casually, the response I got was, 'enterprise likes to keep their cars longer. people think the recession is over, but it isn't. we keep our cars longer, upto 50k miles'.

I just got out of there. I have to keep this car for a week and honestly I don't even feel safe driving it as the brakes barely work. and I feel I will be a pest taking the car back to them again and again...

Thoughts??? (RANT OVER)

1) Hertz has the same type of old, high mileage cars, especially for customers on cheaper rate plans, even more so if it's the high season in your area of rental. 40k+ mi cars are relatively common.

2) Enterprise has always kept their cars longer. Once in a while, you could get lucky with a brand new car here and there. Now that they've bought National, it's less likely. National keeps the car for 30k mi, then gives it to Enterprise. The thinking goes, cheaper rates, cheaper cars.

My local Enterprise used to have a bunch of mid-mileage tiny Korean cars, most with NY plates, one or two borrowed from nearby NJ. They now have several beat-up Japanese and American cars with out of state plates. Enterprise neighborhood stores do not allow one-ways to be booked online, due to their small fleet size and tight utilization. These cars were one-ways retired from National.

makes sense. That's why they are extremely filthy inside (feels like no matter how much they clean it, they still are filthy); yet enterprise claims they are 'clean'. I have mostly rented with Avis. Their preferred service, fleet of cars (at least the ones I have rented) and recently their CS has made me go back to them again & again. It's a pity that Nationwide Insurance doesn't give me a choice as to where I want my rental car.

OP isn't the customer
 

OP misses the point. He isn't the customer. The customer is Nationwide. Nationwide presumably has a contract w. Enterprise which provides for deep discounts from already bottom-of-the-market rates. In returnn, Enterprise gets to provide lousy cars.

Enterprise has OP over a barrell and OP has a choice: 1) miss work and find a real rental car; 2) shell out-of pocket; 3) lump it.

Nationwide & Enterprise are betting that there may a few angry customers here and there, but most elect option 3.

I thought I heard insurance companies can not force the customer to work with a particular vendor, be it body shop or car rental. Right? So you can request Hertz, Avis, etc.

If so, remember that Enterprise does not give National credits on insurance rates, but Hertz will offer Gold points for them, as paltry as that's likely to be.

Ummmm. Yes I am the customer. Nationwide might be an 'internal' customer for Enterprise; but I'm the end-user. Either ways, it really shouldn't matter who the customer is. Enterprise has a rate, Nationwide is paying it. The least they can do is have cars that are at least on-par with safety. Yes I know these might be high mileage cars; but does that equate to really shoddy brakes, or bad alignment? As an example, I'll tell you this.

I was in Miami, and rented a car from National. I am Emerald Club member so I had an option of selecting from a bunch of cars. Unfortunately there was only 1 on the lot at the time and I didn't have the liberty to wait another 10-15 mins for another one to show up. It was a Dodge (can't remember exact mileage) but it was also 30k+ miles and it had shoddy breaks. Upon return, the lady asked how my rental went. Casually I said, 'you should probably get the brakes checked on this car as well as the alignment'. Immediately, she comped me $50 for saying this and apologized. Yes it was a great gesture, but have I rented from them again? NO. I have since moved to Avis and their 'try harder' approach. and believe me, they do try hard. I have actually written about a couple of their employees praising them for going above & beyond to get me happy!

True. I did have an option. Unfortunately for me, when I called Hertz, they didn't have a vehicle available for me. But Nationwide can't force me to go with Enterprise. I could have gone with Hertz as well. I should have, since I would have received 5 day's worth of Gold points... Lesson learned though...

I get the same horrible experiences with cars at the Enterprise in Lancaster California. The cars are never thoroughly cleaned. Always someone else's trash left in the cars, on the seats. Its horrible. I am currently looking for another rental location. Avis in my area is ALWAYS sold out (which probably says something) and I think the only other location is Budget. They seem to have the same crappy old dirty cars, but I've never rented with them so I don't know what their service is like.

Enterprise really isn't too bad in the locations I've used them: BUR, SFO, SJC, ABQ, IAH. All airport locations of course, but the cars were all (relatively) new. That is, under 20K miles, and I've rented from them 20+ times in the last 3 years. OTOH, I've rented from Fox before, and I've gotten one with 46K miles.

I am suprise when I hear this, up north in Canada The car I get from my enterprise branch is under 20k km most of the time... and often I get brand new to under 3000km cars. Compare to hertz I often get high mileage car.

Could it be a bad branch you encounter?

I avoid the local Enterprise locations like the plague. Have had not a single positive experience with them as they are always "trying" to scare and push customers into buying additional services. Was once 20 minutes early for a pickup and the woman turned me away. A second time asked to picked up and the driver arrived 45 minutes late. The cars in my local locations are nearly always filthy and worn out.

That's my experience. When I've needed a rental for insurance purposes, I always request Hertz. It's not nearly as convenient, but the points have paid for rentals when we've needed one, so I can't complain.

I agree. Ask for a different company. A few years back when I hit a deer who couldn't make up his mind if he wanted to cross the road, although Enterprise was closest to my home at the time, I chose another company that at the time worked for me (points!).

It was out of pocket, wait for reimbursement, constant caution to stay within the reimbursed guidelines.

In reference to the upsale attempts, the idea is to take the customer in for a insurance pickup and suggest you take an upgrade, other services. Contractual customers are just the bread, they want to add the butter. For me, I just want the tuna can with them anyway as a neighborhood rental.

I don't have experience with the Enterprise you went to, but for the most part I have had relatively good experiences with Enterprise. There have been a few times where I was quite displeased, but most of the time they make up for it. I have a solid mix of on and off airport locations as well.

I switched from National to Enterprise three years ago. I had one experience when my car was damaged and my insurance company arranged with Enterprise for a rental car. I had a most favorable experience on this rental plus more than twenty normal rentals with Enterprise throughout the US.