Prius Rentals

Originally Posted by mastermann

Back in 2004, I used to be a regular $9.99 weekend customer. The branch I frequented had a cool manager named "Mike" who would hook me up. Although I sometimes got an Aveo or Hyundai, I would often get nicer cars like a Prius, Camry, Tahoe, and sometimes even a Cadillac Deville. I would use my university alumni assocation discount code to waive the underage fee and change the rate to $8.44 per day. The total weekend always came to $31.02, with all taxes included.

One day I found out that Mike had been fired (not because of me). The new person running the branch tried to upsell me on the underage fee, CDW, and upgrade charge. He was the one who told me that a G6 is a fullsize ($10 upgrade per day) and a Maxima is a luxury car (I had one of those as a special the week before but he wanted $20 PER DAY). The new guy also told me that he had never lowered the rate below $9.99. After a bit of haggling, he honored my deal very grugingly for an Aveo. If that's not bad enough, he even wanted to charge me for an extra day at the end of the rental (he backed off on this, too).

Circumstances later forced me to purchase a new car so I no longer frequent ERAC except when I am traveling. I bought a Prius because I liked the ones at ERAC so much.

You are probably the worst customer to rent to.

Originally Posted by mastermann

Back in 2004, I used to be a regular $9.99 weekend customer. The branch I frequented had a cool manager named "Mike" who would hook me up. Although I sometimes got an Aveo or Hyundai, I would often get nicer cars like a Prius, Camry, Tahoe, and sometimes even a Cadillac Deville. I would use my university alumni assocation discount code to waive the underage fee and change the rate to $8.44 per day. The total weekend always came to $31.02, with all taxes included.

One day I found out that Mike had been fired (not because of me). The new person running the branch tried to upsell me on the underage fee, CDW, and upgrade charge. He was the one who told me that a G6 is a fullsize ($10 upgrade per day) and a Maxima is a luxury car (I had one of those as a special the week before but he wanted $20 PER DAY). The new guy also told me that he had never lowered the rate below $9.99. After a bit of haggling, he honored my deal very grugingly for an Aveo. If that's not bad enough, he even wanted to charge me for an extra day at the end of the rental (he backed off on this, too).

Circumstances later forced me to purchase a new car so I no longer frequent ERAC except when I am traveling. I bought a Prius because I liked the ones at ERAC so much.

I knew Mike. He was too much of a nice guy. He got canned because his numbers sucked. He lost money month after month, giving away rate to all his frequent customers. Mike spent 6 months looking for a new job. In the meantime, his wife left him and he had to sell his car to make ends meet. I hope you feel good about what you did to Mike.

[TrailerTart]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

We tried to pass off a PT Cruiser as a Fullsize. It even made me laugh trying tos ay it with a straight face

When the PT's first came out, we rented them as an XCAR (Specialty Car), which was a class between PCAR (Premium) and LCAR (Luxury).

Originally Posted by TrailerTart

When the PT's first came out, we rented them as an XCAR (Specialty Car), which was a class between PCAR (Premium) and LCAR (Luxury).

Who cares!

[TrailerTart]

Originally Posted by My Butt Smells Like Anus

Who cares!

Apparently you do since you felt the need to post a reply.

Interestingly, the original poster said the prius could be passed off as an SCAR or maybe even an FCAR...but the Impala should certainly be considered only an FCAR.

Freakin' retarded! The Prius, while spacious for a small car, is not nearly as spacious as an Impala.

Another retarded poster that said that the Caprice was really a full size car, but not an Impala...is completely ignorant. The Caprice Classic, for instance...WAS THE IMPALA. At least the '83 Caprice I tooled around in in highschool (circa 1996-1997)

Renting the Prius was typically really annoying...the key slot with start button...the big LCD display that no customer could figure out...it was a pain in the butt (a fine car, but your average customer is rather stupid).

In case you want more info on why you're stupid, check out wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Caprice

read especially about 1977-1990...the time where the caprice was made smaller, and I believe (in '83, at least) the Caprice Classic was the Impala. I still have the owners manual!

The only really retarded car class designation Enterprise has is Standard Size for the PT Cruiser...that is clearly more of an ICAR, at least, since it is on a Neon's frame...meaning it may even be worthy of the compact designation.

Originally Posted by MAforenterprise

Interestingly, the original poster said the prius could be passed off as an SCAR or maybe even an FCAR...but the Impala should certainly be considered only an FCAR.

Freakin' retarded! The Prius, while spacious for a small car, is not nearly as spacious as an Impala.

Another retarded poster that said that the Caprice was really a full size car, but not an Impala...is completely ignorant. The Caprice Classic, for instance...WAS THE IMPALA. At least the '83 Caprice I tooled around in in highschool (circa 1996-1997)

Renting the Prius was typically really annoying...the key slot with start button...the big LCD display that no customer could figure out...it was a pain in the butt (a fine car, but your average customer is rather stupid).

In case you want more info on why you're stupid, check out wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Caprice

read especially about 1977-1990...the time where the caprice was made smaller, and I believe (in '83, at least) the Caprice Classic was the Impala. I still have the owners manual!

The only really retarded car class designation Enterprise has is Standard Size for the PT Cruiser...that is clearly more of an ICAR, at least, since it is on a Neon's frame...meaning it may even be worthy of the compact designation.

Look at this tool with the wikipedia "facts". Nobody cares about a car that Chevy hasn't made in years. What class was the studebaker in?

Read some of the earlier posts. ERAC car classes are determined by how much the vehicle costs. If one vehicle costs 15,000 and another costs 10,000, you would oviously rent the one that costs 15,000 for more regardless of price.

If ERAC really wanted to play a lead environmental role, they would bring more Hybrids into fleet. If you think about fleet/rental companies purchasing millions of vehicles, they have a huge influence in the automotive market.

Instead, of a bullshit publicity stunt of planting a bunch of trees (good gesture, wrong motive), why not be a proponent of technology who's time has come, and twist the arm of manufacturers to produce more. This would inevitably lower the cost of the technology and consumers would be more inclined to purchase one. As well, it would give people the first chance to try out these new vehicles as people are reluctant to switch from something they're comfortable with. The resale on them would be amazing too. Toyota Prius is the dinosaur of hybrids. It looks like an alien car. Other hybrid vehicles by Ford, Toyota and Honda are a great alternative.

I can't think of a better time to try a hybrid car, that when you "have to" rent a car anyway. An insurance claim, dealership rental, or leisure/vacation traveler would be perfect. I almost got hit by a Ford Escape Hybrid Taxi the other day; I didn't hear the thing coming from 25 feet away. Talk about hearing a pin drop.

The one problem I hated when I worked with ERAC regarding enterprise.com was the sample vehicles available in that car class. Obviously each region was different, and would carry a different mix, so instead they nationalized the makes of the sample vehicle class sizes.

If only Andy put a little thought, time and money into how the average idiot consumer thinks, he'd realize that if you put a sample car online, that's the only thing people are going to know to ask for. For a couple of the classes, we didn't carry any of the examples (or maybe only a handful in the entire groups fleet). Why they couldn't give the groups the ability to customize the sample cars I'll never know. Shit Andy, if you're so concerned about ESQi, why not be honest with the customer and make their life easy by being upfront with them. Now I know your computers until recently were about two decades behind the times, but c'mon, get with the times.

If more attention was paid to the "small things", a monkey could run this business (no pun intended). Take 99% of the common things customers get frustrated about from beginning to end, they are so easy to fix, but nobody above BRM pays attention to the details, and branch employees are forced to work within the constraints that they've been given. If they were "truly" able to "run their own business" and management listened, the branch would be better able to attend to customers needs. Here's a hint: pay attention to the details and the "numbers" will follow. Sometimes you have to spend a little money to make even more money boys, stop being so fucking cheap!

Originally Posted by Unregistereddd

If ERAC really wanted to play a lead environmental role, they would bring more Hybrids into fleet. If you think about fleet/rental companies purchasing millions of vehicles, they have a huge influence in the automotive market.

Instead, of a bullshit publicity stunt of planting a bunch of trees (good gesture, wrong motive), why not be a proponent of technology who's time has come, and twist the arm of manufacturers to produce more. This would inevitably lower the cost of the technology and consumers would be more inclined to purchase one. As well, it would give people the first chance to try out these new vehicles as people are reluctant to switch from something they're comfortable with. The resale on them would be amazing too. Toyota Prius is the dinosaur of hybrids. It looks like an alien car. Other hybrid vehicles by Ford, Toyota and Honda are a great alternative.

I can't think of a better time to try a hybrid car, that when you "have to" rent a car anyway. An insurance claim, dealership rental, or leisure/vacation traveler would be perfect. I almost got hit by a Ford Escape Hybrid Taxi the other day; I didn't hear the thing coming from 25 feet away. Talk about hearing a pin drop.

You are dumb as a mule and twice as ugly. If here was a demand to rent hybrids, Enterprise would do it. Hybrids are very expensive and there are waiting lists for most of those cars. Enterprise would have to spend a lot of money on those cars, there would be a hold on when they could sell back those cars, and the cost for renters would go up. Enterprise has a niche as one of the lower cost rental agencies, why would they want to change that?