Enterprise fuel policy

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-gauge3.htm

That being said the guy that started this topic would need more than a simple calculation to get the actual gallon amount. Honestly, you would need an approximation table of some sort or most likely a calculus computation or a linear equation to get the corresponding gallons left due to how the gas gauge was setup by the manufacturer.

Besides that most enterprises will fill up a car if you ask them.

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by 17dd boy

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-gauge3.htm

That being said the guy that started this topic would need more than a simple calculation to get the actual gallon amount. Honestly, you would need an approximation table of some sort or most likely a calculus computation or a linear equation to get the corresponding gallons left due to how the gas gauge was setup by the manufacturer.

Besides that most enterprises will fill up a car if you ask them.

Thanks for the informative link, but while it explains how a carmaker could make adjustments to the reading if they wanted to, it doesn't claim that they actually do. Do you have any evidence that carmakers are doing what you described previously?

[John Deere Green]

Originally Posted by FailingEnterpriseAdmin

I'm not asking Enterprise to provide free gas. You already mark up for the "fuel purchase option" as well as the "refueling service". Here in the Bay Area, you add $1.00/gallon markup to gas. Yes, gas is expensive, and then you charge even more for the service.

Why can't you do like the other major chains and give a full tank and the two dreaded options, fuel purchase and refueling service, as well as the "just bring it back full" option.

The original poster is right that planning to bring it back with the same level you got it at is an invitation to either over fill, losing money, or underfill and getting way overcharged for gas.

Enterprise is optimizing here for their own benefit, and the customer gets screwed. Twice I rented from Enterprise and the tank was empty. I'm not asking for free gas, I'm asking for a car that works and a chance to avoid the gasoline refill rip-off.

Anyone who has worked in a non-airport branch knows how much money is lost each month in gas expense- even with the "bring it back the same" policy. This is honestly not done to turn a profit, because every branch in my group short of the airport lost money on gas, due to not slamming customers for bringing the cars back 1/8 of a tank low. always looking to ESQI....

I never did figure out why ERAC didn't always do a full tank- the airports make money on it and everyone else loses cash by trying to do the matching policy. Sure, it's a pain in the ass to drive a half mile to the gas station, but if the refueling price were as steep as I saw at Hertz a while ago ($5.49/gal with pump prices at $2.20/gal) people would either fill it up and there wouldn't be a problem, or you'd make $40 by running a half mile to refuel the car. Considering that's a decent daily rate across the board for a 24 hour car rental, and the 10 minutes are well worth it. Compare a $10/car swing from losing $5/car in gas to making $5/car, and that's a lot of money at EOM- especially at the higher levels on thousands of cars.

Believe me, it is as frustrating for ERAC to rent you a car with the gas light on (at least it was for me) as it is for you to have to head straight to the gas station. It's an easy way to piss off a customer and take an ESQI hit. For as much time that is wasted running cars all over the planet to maximize utilization, it wouldn't be that massive of an effort to implement a full tank policy.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

The easiest way to fill is to turn the car off, but leave the key in the 'on' position. You can watch the gas gauge rise as the tank fills and stop pumping when needed...it's not rocket science!

This actually doesn't work on the ford focus. You have turn the key to the off position and then turn it back on.

[z28black98]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Settle down people. I hate the company as much as anyone else, but Enterprise isnt making any money off gas..they are losing a few hundred per month per branch. Enterprise also has around 100-200 cars per location compared to a competitor's 25-70. It is a little more difficult to run that many cars to the gas station each day. In Enterprise's defense, the majority of the locations will not allow the company to place a fuel pump. The only exception should be the airports since alot of them allow fuel pumps onsite. I can see how sometimes it sucks, but they are only asking you to match it up, I dont see what is so incredibly difficult with that. If you go 100 miles, put around 4.5 to 5 gallons of gas in. What is the problem?

Thats funny, I work for a rental car company and I have never seen any of enterprise locations around here with 100-200 cars whereas I only have 25-70. The cars at my branch always go out with a full tank of gas, even if it means driving to the gas station and filling them up. One bad thing (among many of enterprise) is that each branch has their own fleet, they cant go pull cars from another branch or the airport, at my company (Hertz) I can pick and choose from the airport, so we are never out of cars. I have customers calling me all the time saying enterprise is out of cars, and they need one, every week from tues-thurs. Please dont tell me that enterprise keeps 100-200 cars at their locations, thats absurb.

[z28black98]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Another thing to keep in mind, Enterprise is the only company that will come and pick you up. Are you suggesting that after we drive thirty minutes each way to pick a customer up we should stop at a gas station on the way back?? That would be idiotic, I'm sure you can agree with that. If gas is such a big problem just mention it before leaving, I can't even tell you how many times I went to the station at the customers request to fill up the tank. And if the customer was in a hurry and the car only had a quarter tank I would mark the contract indicating that it was rented on empty so that the customer could push the empty tanked vehicle in upon return and I wouldn't charge for gas.

I've recently left my position of Branch Manager at ERAC and I hate the company as much as the next person, but ERAC isn't making a penny on gas..you can choose to believe that or not, but I saw the truth in my paycheck every month....the numbers don't lie....STOP BITCHING!! Not everyone is trying to get something over on you all the time!!

And you are wrong, enterprise is not the only company that picks their customer up, any hertz local edition offers free pickup and delivery service, or we do the rental onsite, so quite claiming "we are the only ones that do customer pickup" haha its not true.

[z28black98]

I never did figure out why ERAC didn't always do a full tank- the airports make money on it and everyone else loses cash by trying to do the matching policy. Sure, it's a pain in the ass to drive a half mile to the gas station, but if the refueling price were as steep as I saw at Hertz a while ago ($5.49/gal with pump prices at $2.20/gal) people would either fill it up and there wouldn't be a problem, or you'd make $40 by running a half mile to refuel the car. Considering that's a decent daily rate across the board for a 24 hour car rental, and the 10 minutes are well worth it. Compare a $10/car swing from losing $5/car in gas to making $5/car, and that's a lot of money at EOM- especially at the higher levels on thousands of cars.

As for the price at hertz, you have to understand, money isnt everything to everybody, People pay for convience....Do you pay the same price for a gallon of milk at the local conveience store as you do as a huge grocery store? of course not, the convience store is going to be more expensive but if your in a hurry, (like alot of business travelers are) they have no problem paying .29 cents a mile if they drove less than 100 miles or 5.99 a gallon to refuel the car, they are paying for conveince. Its offered as a convience to our customers, not as a scare tactic if they dont bring the car back full when they say they do.

Originally Posted by z28black98

One bad thing (among many of enterprise) is that each branch has their own fleet, they cant go pull cars from another branch or the airport, at my company (Hertz) I can pick and choose from the airport, so we are never out of cars.

Thats actually incorrect. All branches are not confined in any way to have the same fleet size. Branches are encouraged to either gain or lose cars at any point in time to other branches.

You may have a customer that says "Enterprise is out of cars." When this happens it is due to several reasons: 1) the customer is a walk-up or they are very late for a reservation (i.e. 3 hours or more) 2) the customer wants something that has a high demand thus the car is always out on rent and typically unavailable for the walk up customer 3) Other local branches do not have that car available since it is out on rent.

For my particular branch this is typically the compact/economy vehicle since it is the cheapest.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Thats actually incorrect. All branches are not confined in any way to have the same fleet size. Branches are encouraged to either gain or lose cars at any point in time to other branches.

You may have a customer that says "Enterprise is out of cars." When this happens it is due to several reasons: 1) the customer is a walk-up or they are very late for a reservation (i.e. 3 hours or more) 2) the customer wants something that has a high demand thus the car is always out on rent and typically unavailable for the walk up customer 3) Other local branches do not have that car available since it is out on rent.

For my particular branch this is typically the compact/economy vehicle since it is the cheapest.

but can you pull cars from the airport like hertz can for its local editions?? Hertz has the most diverse fleet among any of the car rental companies, at any given time, I can go to my airport, and get a new tahoe, cadillac dts, infiniti G35, Lincoln Navigator, Ford Expedtion (eddie bauer), etc etc. No fleet is as diverse as hertz is and thats why they are #1. They honor a reservation as well! So in other words, enterprise doesnt have the car size that any given hertz local edition does, because we are allowed to pull from the airport whereas enterprise is not. Thats why Enterprise never has cars from tues until late thurs afternoon.

You still are a car rental jockey you dumb asses. Who cares where the damn cars come from or what kind of cars you have? You can talk up Hertz all you want or Enterprise for that matter. It is like comparing shit to shit.