Failing Enterprise Fan Mail #126-150

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(new letters get added at the top)

It's easy to send us fan mail:  just send an e-mail to comments2 ((at)) failingenterprise ((dot)) com.

Dear Failing Enterprise,

Thank You for publicizing this website...sadly I wished I had seen this before deciding to work at ERAC. I worked an Internship with ERAC in Charlotte, NC in 2004 and since the job market was not at its best after I graduated I went back for more hell. I agree with all the complaints on this site for I experienced them first hand. At many times, I was made to feel like a "loser" (by Branch manager) when I didn't reach the CDW sales of the day. I tried but I just couldn't be as SHADY as the employees who were selling more than the 40% quota. This is the only company where I worked so hard I lost a serious amount of weight (and I was by no means overweight to begin with) to where I was skin and bones with high blood pressure. Washing cars in 100 degree weather in a business suit with sweat dripping down your face and working 7am-6pm daily trying to please customers goes unappreciated to say the least. Oh, did I mention I made $8/hour with a Bachelor's degree in business.

My worst experience throughout the entire time with ERAC was when I worked at an in-town 250+fleet Branch during my internship. Upon my first day at the branch, I was asked out by another MT. This doesn't sound like a big deal...that's flattering, right? Well, I continued to be nice but said "no thanks", "I don't date those I work with," "I have a boyfriend already." He made a bet with all the other male employees that he would be the first to sleep with me. It was a matter of time before this leaked out to where everyone in branch including managers but and of course the BM and AM did nothing about it. He persisted for two months, still asking me out. I walked in after washing a car to yet another one of his disgusting unprofessional conversations with the other male MTs about how women shave their parts, he yelled out in front of everyone asking me, "how do I shave my area?" Could this be more unprofessional????...where's the manager when you need one, though probably wouldn't have done anything about it. I just wanted to do my job and not be harassed but it got to a point where he started retaliating against me. One afternoon, it was 99 degrees and I had to drop off a rental at one of our branch's corp accounts and the BM knowingly picked the very guy who had been harassing me to pick me up shortly thereafter. He left branch but drove around for over an hour and left me outside in 99 degree weather and dehydrated. I was so upset that he purposely did this...he transferred to another branch as soon as I told him I called Human Resources about him. Human Resources talked to me about it over the phone to gather the info and that's it!

ERAC hires the young, fresh out of college because graduates do not know enough the job market, i.e. what people pay for certain levels of work and how there really is life outside of ERAC. I don't miss that $8/hour.

IH8ERAC2

Dear Failing Enterprise,

Brilliant just brilliant. I have waited for so long to read the truth about this horrible place.  I wish there was a way to sue this scum bag company for pain and suffering.  I want to join and offer my horror stories to the masses.  I HAVE GREAT STORIES ALONG WITH NAMES!!!

P.G.

Dear Failing Enterprise,

Thank you so much for your website. My final interview with Enterprise was with a very shady looking man in Baltimore, MD, with a huge cold sore who just creeped me out. I came home and found your website. Please find the text of the letter I sent to the recruiter who originally contacted me (I apologize that I was perhaps a little rude but I was so incensed at the fact that they blatantly lied to me about everything during the interviews with a straight face). That same day I got a job offer from a reputable company that offered a better salary. Needless to say, I readily accepted that offer.

I am writing to thank you for contacting me regarding employment with Enterprise, however, I would like to remove my name from further consideration for employment with your company. I hope my feedback is helpful to you. Immediately following my third interview, I decided to do more in-depth research about the position because it seemed a bit too good to be true. After reading www.failingenterprise.com, and www.jobvents.com, I decided that this company was not a good fit for me. I have accepted an offer with a company that offers growth potential, competitive salary, and a positive corporate environment.

I was also a little concerned that I was blatantly lied to about all aspects of the job. In the future, please be more truthful with potential candidates and I doubt that you will have as many problems attracting and retaining quality employees. Further, please understand that punctuality is important. Each of my three interviews started 20-30 minutes late and that demonstrated to me that the company had very little respect for my time. If it happened once, or even twice in a busy location then it would have been more understandable but waiting that long on three separate occasions in different offices with no customers makes me realize that it was the rule and not an exception. I wasted 1 hour of my time sitting in your regional offices alone. I doubt that you would have wanted to wait in a cold lobby that long for a candidate so why would you make prospective employees do so?

Finally, based on the job and the true salary you are offering, it may be helpful for you to expand your search for candidates to include high-school or junior college graduates.

Once again, thank you for the opportunity to interview but I am no longer interested in the Management Trainee position.

Thanks,

M.P.

Dear Failing Enterprise,

Many thanks for this information!  You may have saved me some aggravation ahead of time.  I've had good luck with the locals in Carmel, Indiana, but am travelling elsewhere in awhile, and don't want to take any chances in a distant locale.

DAR in Indianapolis

Dear Failing Enterprise,

I also love this site if I would of seen this site two years ago I would of never rented from there for my youth group.

1st year I rented I needed a van so I reserved one but the rep never gave me a conformation number when I got there he said it was never in the system I had to wait a little more than an hour to receive a van because the van I supposedly rented was in another city.

I decided to give them a second chance thinking maybe it was an accident so I reserved this time two vans for my youth group a little over six months in advance when I get there to pick up the vans to my surprise both vans are there. That's not the end of it when they open the Chevy van that same morning they saw that the pins that held the seats to the floor had "mysteriously" vanished so I had to wait over two hours for the rep to call around to other city's looking for the pins for the seats or other vans then to make matters worse when I came back to drop off the vehicles I rented the rep told me he was going to give me the 50% off weekend special that they had going on. I didn't get the discount plus they tried to make me pay for an extra day because I didn't bring them back on time after they told me on that Friday to return them any time on Monday.

So with this experience with Enterprise I am never going back with Enterprise for my youth group we are now going to charter a bus for them.

G.

Dear Failing Enterprise,

I just had a horrible experience at Enterprise and your site made my day. I appreciate that you provide their corporate address. Most helpful!

Colin

Dear Failing Enterprise,

i found your site today and it is great. had i found it friday, i wouldn't have wasted an hour out of my day interviewing for enterprise. the interviewer was 17min late in starting, and all through the interview something didn't seem right. plus, my friend said he worked or enterprise years ago and it was the worst job of his life.

anyways thanks for the site.

Dear Failing Enterprise,

As an accomplished former Enterprise employee, let me just say that this website is pretty much dead-on. There are some obviously bitter people who go a little overboard, but I can't really poke any holes in the content of the claims or the deceptive practices. As a Branch Manager, I made pretty decent money. Nothing like the $120k they might lead you to believe, but decent for 3 years out of college. I am ashamed to admit that I was systematically coerced into doing some pretty unethical things.

I'm pretty sure the creators of The Office TV show based Steve Carrell's character on my boss. He was the most out of touch, unlikeable leader I have ever worked for. It was brutal. But every cloud has a silver lining. He was a main factor in my realization that I had to be off to greener pastures.

I now look back on my days at Enterprise with bittersweet memories. It was, after all, a very good place to gain experience that can be applied to a real career. In my opinion, the people who truly suffer are those that stay when they know their time is up. A lot of people because they lack self confidence or have an irrational fear of change. They might realize limited success in a short amount of time and then keep holding on for that promotion that never comes. These are the lifers that always seem to crash and burn eventually. Retiring from ERAC is a pipe dream for the overwhelming majority of trainees.

My advice to anyone would be that once that moment comes when you think you may have squeezed all the toothpaste out of the tube that is your car rental career, it's time. It really is better out there people. Working 60+ hours per week really is rare in the professional world. We get to go out to lunch and relax - sometimes even with our coworkers because its not a problem if no one is in the office (we have voicemail). We travel on the company dime and stay in nice hotels in rooms by ourselves. We don't work Saturdays. We make lots of money. We don't get sick to our stomachs on Sunday nights knowing that we have 55 reservations staring us in the face the next morning with 5 cars on our lot. We don't have to use street economics to balance the cash box that always seems a few bucks off. We don't clean our own bathrooms. We wear nice clothes to work that we are not afraid to ruin in the wash bay. We don't have to repo cars in a dangerous part of town while our boss is safe inside his "company car" hoping that your key works. Does this all sound too good to be true? It isn't. Take your experience for what its worth and go find a better job. Trust me - they are out there.

BH

Cincinnati, O.

Dear Failing Enterprise,

Thank you so much for your site. I have run into many of your top complaints personally with Enterprise such as reservation cars being unavailable, being offered the not so free upgrade and one that you did not mention the "you damaged our rental" when actually the damage was done by the previous renter. On that occasion, I am glad that I took a dated cell phone photo, but that is another story.

It take courage to speak up, but West Coasters like you are really good at confronting injustice with the goal of resolving the problem. It is clear to me from your site that you really want Enterprise to fix their problems and not just punish them for their wrongs. Keep up the great work and thank you for standing up to say "no more" for all us consumers who lack the internet skills that you have.

Regards, LB

Dear Failing Enterprise,

I booked a minivan on Christmas day for 28th Dec. I got a confirmation number. On 27th (a day before the travel) the local office calls and tells that there was a glitch in the system and there are no vehicles available. I called their so called 1-800 # and I was given the same run around saying.. it is just a reservation and that I should read the fine prints that states how they are not obliged to actually honor the reservation and that they don't have to give any reason for it.

I have booked hotel and guests are here and I am given 24hrs notice! Horrible experience! I don't think I will be able to make it and will be losing lots of money on tickets, reservation and more...

Enterprise sucks.

S.P.

Dear Failing Enterprise,

I like your site.

S.K.

Dear Failing Enterprise,

Recently, I interviewed with a recruiter in Denver, and she seemed excited enough to quickly set up an interview for me with an Area Manager in Colorado Springs, which also went very well. I was then immediately set up for my last interview with the Regional VP in Denver. I was asked by the VP if “the customer is ALWAYS right”. Answering truthfully, I said no, but then firmly stated that I would listen to the customer’s entire issue/complaint so that I could remedy it as quickly and efficiently as possible, following the companies guidelines.

After 3-4 days with no feedback from ERAC, I naturally started to wonder what (if anything) changed about their interests in me working there. I expected to hear a “yes” or “no” by now, and since it appeared that every interview went well, I guess I just assumed I would get hired… later this afternoon, I found the Failing Enterprise website which helped me realize that ERAC was NOT the place for me!

Minutes ago, I finally received a call from the ERAC recruiter who informed me that the Regional VP decided to not offer me a job, because I didn’t answer the customer service interview questions to his liking? For what it’s worth, I have been in sales for 20 years and (commission only) sales for the past 9 years. I have also owned my own business for the past 9 years, with customers in 5 countries. I make well over $90,000.00/year, and I have to live and breathe customer service in my world, unlike mister Regional VP at Enterprise who has the comforts of a salary, and his cheap suit that he wore during my interview. I can only hope that he learns something from your website as well.

Thanks Failing Enterprise for stopping me from making the worst decision of my business life!

Tom in Colorado Springs

Dear Failing Enterprise,

I need to rent cars every few weeks and just started with Enterprise.

I have been renting cars frequently here and abroad for a quarter century, with nary a problem.

The first rental failed when the local manager confessed that Enterprise wouldn't be able to produce the van I had rented very far in advance. I went elsewhere, paid twice as much, and agreed to give Enterprise a second chance.

The second time, had I had the time, I would have walked away, since the pressure to purchase additional coverage was so very unpleasant. Then I took the car and immediately noticed that whereas I was told to return the vehicle full, there was only 3/8ths of a tank. My wife called from the highway and Enterprise agreed that I would return the car with the amount of gas I received it with.

But the kicker was returning it this morning. The same employee found three very very minor scratches by prior drivers - the kind that NO ONE would ever consider damage - on the BOTTOM of the bumper. The only way for me to even see the scratches was to get down on my hands and knees and look up in bright light. When she informed me that I would be charged for a repair I was actually dumbfounded.

The funny thing is, the same employee had walked the car with me when I rented the car - which was parked with the front in shadow, and and didn't get down on all fours at that time.

The local corporate rep swears Enterprise is not scamming me and wants to make it right.

On the meantime, everything about it is just plain wrong, and, as I informed the account rep, I cannot understand is they aren't what explains their actions.

So thanks for the website. It helps.

J.T.

Dear Failing Enterprise,

I was turned down for the management trainee position at Enterprise Rent-A-Car earlier this week. I have been in a job search ever since graduating from college last year, and have been getting frustrated with not finding anything. When I e-mail the recruitment manager to ask why other candidates were pursued, they told me that it was a "company policy" not to tell me why I was not selected.

I can tell you what I think it was. I am a little overweight right now, and I am starting a diet next week using some natural products. I believe it is obvious that I was turned down because of my heavyset figure. All the people I met at each of my interviews were skinny, and I was more qualified than most of the current ERAC employees I talked to were when they had their interviews.

I felt upset when I got the rejection letter, after all this job search is getting very frustrating. However after looking at your site for about an hour today, I don't feel as bad. You folks kind of cheered me up in a way. Now I know I can find a career a lot better than ERAC. I would like to thank all the people who run this site, as well as all that have posted on it. I feel I was discriminated against because of my appearance, and now I know I'm not alone when it comes to hating this evil company.

Thanks Everyone!

Justin - Green Bay, WI, USA

Dear Failing Enterprise,

I would like to commend you on a really good website. It is amazing how you can take something that you are so passionate about and turn it into a 23000 page views / day website. Well done, I have tried to do this my whole life and never got it right.

R.C.

Dear Failing Enterprise,

i think this site is unreal. i worked for erac for a year and a half and every point brought up is so true its scary. if you ever need any inside information about how this abortion of a company is run, id be more than happy to help.

the best point made by you guys is the one regarding reservations. there is no such thing as a reservation with enterprise. let me tell you that right now. we NEVER have all the cars we are supposed to have in the mornings or nights when they are the busiest. the whole business, although extremely lucrative for the owners, is a complete scam.

thank you for creating this site so others who have been scammed can voice their opinions. enterprise is a big load of shit where employees are brainwashed into believing that they are not only helping the customer but working there way up the ladder to bigger and better opportunities......the best opportunity for me was getting up and quitting that bullshit job.

thanks again,

G.

Dear Failing Enterprise,

I am a current Enterprise employee (3.5 years with the company, 2 of them in rental) very disenchanted with the company. I kind of feel like I'm in purgatory right now... The complaints are legitimate but so are the rebuttals. There are two sides to every story.

I work in Loss Control. The pay sucks and I still get yelled at every day despite the fact that, "We would not be having this conversation if they had purchased DW." Branch employees hate me even though I'm there to take the heat off of them when their renter damages their car. I do NOT make commission nor am I salaried. I do not make overtime anymore. I do not drive a company car.

I still wear a suit to work, but thank my lucky stars I work -almost- normal hours and can wear nice shoes again. I am so happy I could cry on the days of a snow storm or blisteringly heat that I work at Admin and not rental. I am biding my time, sucking up all the experience and training I can get before moving on to another company with better pay and better benefits. (I quote my dental receptionist, "You have the most basic benefits I have ever seen.")

All of you bragging about your great jobs once you left the company, remember this? Most employers will not look at a recent college/university grad for anything with decent pay or opportunity for advancement. You have to put in your time and prove yourself before they will even look at you. Management positions generally require 3-5 years experience. At least your time working for Enterprise earned you some of that much needed experience to work elsewhere. If your jobs are so great, why are you not trying to save the current ERAC employees by referring them??? SAVE US PLEASE!

M.

More on Enterprise car rental at the Failing Enterprise home page.