"The Walk-In"

Make sure you reserve a car on the phone or over the internet before going in to the branch. Enterprise has a source code called "walk in." This code is used for any customer who just walks in off the street. These customers get gouged with almost double the price. I've heard assistant managers say, "no walk in's for under $42/day. Enterprise employees lick their chops when a "walk in" comes in the office. They believe that if the customer is already in the office, they will be able to scare them into a higher rate. Wouldn't you think a company that practices honesty and integrity should have a set price for all their customers?

[GP51 Weidner's Bitch]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Make sure you reserve a car on the phone or over the internet before going in to the branch. Enterprise has a source code called "walk in." This code is used for any customer who just walks in off the street. These customers get gouged with almost double the price. I've heard assistant managers say, "no walk in's for under $42/day. Enterprise employees lick their chops when a "walk in" comes in the office. They believe that if the customer is already in the office, they will be able to scare them into a higher rate. Wouldn't you think a company that practices honesty and integrity should have a set price for all their customers?

As much as I hate the company, this is not correct. Believe it or not, we are told by upper management to stick by the aa0910 rate, no matter what. In fact, GP51 actually has secret shoppers employed that walk in to branches, or call and say they are on their way right now and need a car. If we quote way higher than the set rates, we do hear about it. I'm sure it does happen, and probably quite often knowing how Enterprise is, but I can at least defend my branch on this one and say it doesn't happen where I'm at. And no, there is no code for walk-in. I don't know where you came up with that one.

[Cynical]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Make sure you reserve a car on the phone or over the internet before going in to the branch. Enterprise has a source code called "walk in." This code is used for any customer who just walks in off the street. These customers get gouged with almost double the price. I've heard assistant managers say, "no walk in's for under $42/day. Enterprise employees lick their chops when a "walk in" comes in the office. They believe that if the customer is already in the office, they will be able to scare them into a higher rate. Wouldn't you think a company that practices honesty and integrity should have a set price for all their customers?

Don't you love how they spin it has supply and demand though? You see a customer needs a car, we have forty on the lot, and 20 more at the satellite but we still gouge them. Where is the S & D curve on that one? I don't think this is the kind of economic practices Adam Smith had in mind.

[erac_whore]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Make sure you reserve a car on the phone or over the internet before going in to the branch. Enterprise has a source code called "walk in." This code is used for any customer who just walks in off the street. These customers get gouged with almost double the price. I've heard assistant managers say, "no walk in's for under $42/day. Enterprise employees lick their chops when a "walk in" comes in the office. They believe that if the customer is already in the office, they will be able to scare them into a higher rate. Wouldn't you think a company that practices honesty and integrity should have a set price for all their customers?

Ah, yes... another example of Enterprise getting slammed for standard industry practice as if we came up with it ourselves. Unlike Enterprise, most (not all) of our major competitors pay their employees commission based on their sales: damage waiver, upsells, addtional drivers, and especially, the walk-up. They are typically responsible for hitting a certain "yield" level, and trust me, these guys will hook you up, if you know what I mean...

The idea of the Enterprise employee "licking his chops" for a walk-in is laughable. There is no financial incentive for the employee whatsoever. Additionally, more times than not, by getting that walk-in customer going, we now have to scramble to replace that full-sized car for the corporate customer who had it reserved, and will be in in under half an hour. We also remember the last couple of times we had to "free upgrade" that same corporate customer into a Dodge Ram or Suburban. Not only did he chew us out in the office, he went home and started up a remarkably successful anti-Enterprise website (nod to Admin.. :P )

If you don't believe me that Enterprise is neither first nor best (worst) at the "walk-up" pricing game, just do a little experiment next time you happen to be at an airport: Before you get there, call the national 800 numbers for each company, or easier, go to www.travelocity.com to get a one page quote of what everyone's prices are that day for the 5 standard car types (ECAR, CCAR, ICAR, FCAR, MVAR)... Print it out and bring it with you to the airport. Then go "walk-up" to each rental counter and inquire as to their current prices... I am not in a position to guarantee that Enterprise will always quote what you got from the internet; it really depends on the current availability of cars. l would be willing to bet that most of the time Enterprise will not be the highest price, not even close. Some of these other guys might shock you, not so much with the astronomical price they quote you, but with their ability to look you in the eye and keep a straight face while they calmly ask for $30, $40, even $50 per day in excess of their internet rates...

Don't hate the player, hate the game....

erac_whore

Originally Posted by erac_whore

I am not in a position to guarantee that Enterprise will always quote what you got from the internet; it really depends on the current availability of cars. l would be willing to bet that most of the time Enterprise will not be the highest price, not even close.

Erac would phone shop each competitor at the airport location each morning to find out what their rates were then create their walk up rates for the day, making sure their would be a few dollars less.

[playerchick]

Originally Posted by GP51 Weidner's Bitch

As much as I hate the company, this is not correct. Believe it or not, we are told by upper management to stick by the aa0910 rate, no matter what. In fact, GP51 actually has secret shoppers employed that walk in to branches, or call and say they are on their way right now and need a car. If we quote way higher than the set rates, we do hear about it. I'm sure it does happen, and probably quite often knowing how Enterprise is, but I can at least defend my branch on this one and say it doesn't happen where I'm at. And no, there is no code for walk-in. I don't know where you came up with that one.

Yes, I also vouch for that. It used to be ( speaking for GP51 ) that we could pull rates out of our a@S and quote whatever we felt like to walk ins. Once problems started happening and customers going up the chain complaining about inconsistency, that is when Talley came down and said everyone quotes the same rates. It has been a few years now ( 2004 is when it started I think ) that all branches are required to use 0910 screen and use same rates !! It used be to stupid that branches steal their own customers because of rate discrepancies.

Originally Posted by GP51 Weidner's Bitch

As much as I hate the company, this is not correct. Believe it or not, we are told by upper management to stick by the aa0910 rate, no matter what. In fact, GP51 actually has secret shoppers employed that walk in to branches, or call and say they are on their way right now and need a car. If we quote way higher than the set rates, we do hear about it. I'm sure it does happen, and probably quite often knowing how Enterprise is, but I can at least defend my branch on this one and say it doesn't happen where I'm at. And no, there is no code for walk-in. I don't know where you came up with that one.

Do you really work for enterprise? The source code is under retail, and if your boss said to use 910 rates for walk ins, then they are the minority.

Originally Posted by playerchick

Yes, I also vouch for that. It used to be ( speaking for GP51 ) that we could pull rates out of our a@S and quote whatever we felt like to walk ins. Once problems started happening and customers going up the chain complaining about inconsistency, that is when Talley came down and said everyone quotes the same rates. It has been a few years now ( 2004 is when it started I think ) that all branches are required to use 0910 screen and use same rates !! It used be to stupid that branches steal their own customers because of rate discrepancies.

Maybe thats where our groups differ. GP32 has no mercy for the walk-in customer. I don't know what the other groups are like, but if any MT/MA wants to get promoted, then they'll gouge that customer for a higher IPE.

We always tried to get a nice high rate for walkins. It all depended on the situation. Obviously if we were sitting tight, we quoted higher rates, and if we were fat, then we would go for as high a rate as possible but not lose the deal. People bitch about price gouging, but noone is making you rent a car! If you don't like the price, don't rent....go somewhere else, or walk, or go sit in a corner and cry. The same thing would happen if you walked into a hotel or up to an airline counter without a reservation, you would pay more. Yes, the person who walks in after you might pay more or less depending on who they are dealing with, but that is part of the deal. Again, if you don't like the price, leave!

[Te(V)plar]

Originally Posted by stickittothem

We always tried to get a nice high rate for walkins. It all depended on the situation. Obviously if we were sitting tight, we quoted higher rates, and if we were fat, then we would go for as high a rate as possible but not lose the deal. People bitch about price gouging, but noone is making you rent a car! If you don't like the price, don't rent....go somewhere else, or walk, or go sit in a corner and cry. The same thing would happen if you walked into a hotel or up to an airline counter without a reservation, you would pay more. Yes, the person who walks in after you might pay more or less depending on who they are dealing with, but that is part of the deal. Again, if you don't like the price, leave!

God, I hope you get raped by someone with AIDS.