So who WOULD you rent from instead of ERAC??

Just curious, which rental companies do you guys see as having good prices and good customer service?

With all the ERAC-bashing around here, I'm truly curious to know which companies would be good to rent from, as I need to rent a car in a few weeks.

Thanks for any advice

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Just curious, which rental companies do you guys see as having good prices and good customer service?

With all the ERAC-bashing around here, I'm truly curious to know which companies would be good to rent from, as I need to rent a car in a few weeks.

Thanks for any advice

maybe it's just me, but i could give a fuck about customer service when renting a car.
save all the hooky fakeness, just have my car ready when i'm there...that's what people want. the fake happiness, sincerity, etc is just annoying.
all i'm doing is renting a car, just have it ready

Originally Posted by Unregistered

maybe it's just me, but i could give a fuck about customer service when renting a car.
save all the hooky fakeness, just have my car ready when i'm there...that's what people want. the fake happiness, sincerity, etc is just annoying.
all i'm doing is renting a car, just have it ready

Fair enough (I'm the OP, btw), but again, does anybody recommend any specific company to rent from besides Enterprise?

I don't care if they want to shake my hand, or not, I just care that I will get a decent car, decent deal, no hidden fees, and no underhanded behavoir.

Anyone? Maybe all of them suck, and I just have to roll the dice and hope for luck?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Just curious, which rental companies do you guys see as having good prices and good customer service?

With all the ERAC-bashing around here, I'm truly curious to know which companies would be good to rent from, as I need to rent a car in a few weeks.

Thanks for any advice

Keep in mind, for all the bitching on this site, it is primarily directed at working "FOR" the company.

Hell, you sneeze and ERAC will bend over backwards. Be reasonable. If they at all screw with you, demand they fix it, talk to a branch manager and they probably will. If they still are not cooperating for a legitimate concern, ask for their names, grab their business cards, and tell them you will be contacting their head office, and that will get their attention. Understand, if you try any of the antics ERAC allows their customers to get away with at another rental company, they'll tell you to go f*ck yourself, and show you the door. They have no ESQi or service quality index and don't give a f*ck if you're not happy. They're getting paid close to minimum wage, have no education, aspirations or future, so why should they with a damn.

I worked for a few different companies including ERAC and it's all the same shit. Same problems. They may have "less" problems only because they're not as busy and have more time. But that doesn't mean they're going to spend the time. People just want quick, courteous, consistent service. They want the best car, they want it clean, and at the cheapest price. Everything else is gravy. I still rent from ERAC from time to time, more so because I know the system, and what I can demand and get away with.

The problems you're most likely to experience include low gas tank, waiting for car to be washed, and having insurance shoved down your throat. Despite your best efforts, you can't necessarily control the first two. However, make sure you know the details of your insurance - And be confident about it when the ERAC rep asks you about it. If you don't require ERAC's insurance then be short, but polite with the rep and tell him "No, thank you" when he asks. Inevitably he'll keep asking. Try to keep your cool and keep saying "No thanks!" Whatever you do, DO NOT engage in a conversation about it. Just act irritated and like you're in a rush. The rep will get the idea.
Worst case scenario, always expect that he may make you call your insurance company to verify, whether it be your personal policy, credit card or whatever. Despite the fact that I hate having a product forced on me, they're not lying when they say there may be a lot of loopholes with your insurance. Call up ERAC ahead of time and ask them what some of the loopholes may be -they'll know, after all, they want to sell you their insurance. Then just call up your insurance provider and verify all those things with them. When you come in, you'll be prepared.

This is what makes a customer the "ideal" customer, and what the ERAC rep wants from you: (things the company mandates and measures them on)

* wants you to pay for an upgrade to help his numbers -good thing is, if you are interested, you might be able to score yourself a good deal, or maybe not. Know the prices of the other cars ahead of time, so when he offers you a "deal", you'll know if you're being "taken" or not

* wants you to buy his FULL insurance including CDW, PAI and PEC. Prices vary. Is it worth it? Probably not. Again, check with your insurance ahead of time. The CDW is a great product, just too f*cking expensive. PAI maybe if you're from out-of-state or you're using your credit card. Usually cheap, and may give you the piece of mind of enhanced medical coverage. PEC is a total waste of money. Don't even bother.

* wants you to provide him with a corporate lead. He wants to pass your company information on to his corp. act. mgr who wants to sign your company up with a corp. act. The corp act really isn't all that special and the rates aren't usually any cheaper, in fact, often they're more expensive. The good thing is they don't fluctuate up or down, and it doesn't cost anything to sign up. And if you never use the account....oh well

* wants your patience and empathy when you see him running around like a chicken with his head cut off, when the car isn't ready yet (or God forbid not there yet). Doesn't want you asking for a ride. Wants you to be cool with whatever shitty car you get, or whatever shitty situation you find yourself in. To the reps defence chances are it's upper managements fault and they're short staffed, under paid, overworked and have "very limited" cars available. He just happens to be the guy on the firing line. The less you can request of him, the better

Finally, when I worked in rental, I always gave the best service, best car, best whatever to the customer who did as many of the things listed above as possible. After all, why wouldn't I. It was to "MY" advantage. Reps would RUN to the counter for the customer who did the above, and would conveniently hide for the customer who did the opposite. They didn't want you affecting their numbers, and therefore didn't want your business. Even if you can't do many of the things above, try to befriend the rep. They put up with so much shit, deal with so many angry customers (or have customers not interact at all), that dealing with someone who actively participates in a conversation with them about anything other than renting cars is a pleasure.
Hope that helps!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Fair enough (I'm the OP, btw), but again, does anybody recommend any specific company to rent from besides Enterprise?

I don't care if they want to shake my hand, or not, I just care that I will get a decent car, decent deal, no hidden fees, and no underhanded behavoir.

Anyone? Maybe all of them suck, and I just have to roll the dice and hope for luck?

Hidden fees and underhanded behavior are the cornerstone of the ENTIRE rental industry. You can't avoid that. Also keep in mind, usually the better condition the vehicle - the higher the price, the shittier the vehicle - the lower the price. Think about it, naturally a $30/day car is going to get rented more often then a $45/day car, and therefore be in shittier condition.

After all my experiences, you could experience any of the concerns you have at ANY rental company. Brand means nothing. Management is everything. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. I know business customers that rent from different brands in different cities, based on the level of service and quality. Unfortunately, it's a matter of trial and error. And the good managers are constantly leaving for better opportunities, leaving the crappy managers behind. You have to ride the wave while it's good, and catch another once it dies.

Unless you're totally put off by ERAC, I would stick with them. Just don't book an economy, compact or intermediate size car. Those are most likely to be in the worst condition. Reserve a Standard or Full size car. The cost is minimal.
If you have problems during the rental, or upon return, ERAC will be more helpful then any of the other companies in attempting to resolve your concerns. You've probably had the misfortune of dealing with a lot of idiots in your particular city. Like attracts like. Most ERAC employees sincerely try hard and mean well.


Benefits of ERAC competitors:
Hertz: catered to the corporate no nonsense client where money is not the issue, but rather quality and speed - high cost

Avis/Budget: strong competitor to ERAC because of their diversified business. Avis competing with Hertz, and Budget catering to the price conscious traveller.

National/Alamo: nothing really special here. Rates not as good as the discount companies and not as luxurious as Hertz/Avis. Alamo has Walt Disney

Dollar/Thrifty: they run identical businesses under 2 banners. Obviously cater to the value oriented customer, but not necessarily the cheapest (Walmart/ERAC --> K-Mart/Thrifty)

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Keep in mind, for all the bitching on this site, it is primarily directed at working "FOR" the company.

Hell, you sneeze and ERAC will bend over backwards. Be reasonable. If they at all screw with you, demand they fix it, talk to a branch manager and they probably will. If they still are not cooperating for a legitimate concern, ask for their names, grab their business cards, and tell them you will be contacting their head office, and that will get their attention. Understand, if you try any of the antics ERAC allows their customers to get away with at another rental company, they'll tell you to go f*ck yourself, and show you the door. They have no ESQi or service quality index and don't give a f*ck if you're not happy. They're getting paid close to minimum wage, have no education, aspirations or future, so why should they with a damn.

I worked for a few different companies including ERAC and it's all the same shit. Same problems. They may have "less" problems only because they're not as busy and have more time. But that doesn't mean they're going to spend the time. People just want quick, courteous, consistent service. They want the best car, they want it clean, and at the cheapest price. Everything else is gravy. I still rent from ERAC from time to time, more so because I know the system, and what I can demand and get away with.

The problems you're most likely to experience include low gas tank, waiting for car to be washed, and having insurance shoved down your throat. Despite your best efforts, you can't necessarily control the first two. However, make sure you know the details of your insurance - And be confident about it when the ERAC rep asks you about it. If you don't require ERAC's insurance then be short, but polite with the rep and tell him "No, thank you" when he asks. Inevitably he'll keep asking. Try to keep your cool and keep saying "No thanks!" Whatever you do, DO NOT engage in a conversation about it. Just act irritated and like you're in a rush. The rep will get the idea.
Worst case scenario, always expect that he may make you call your insurance company to verify, whether it be your personal policy, credit card or whatever. Despite the fact that I hate having a product forced on me, they're not lying when they say there may be a lot of loopholes with your insurance. Call up ERAC ahead of time and ask them what some of the loopholes may be -they'll know, after all, they want to sell you their insurance. Then just call up your insurance provider and verify all those things with them. When you come in, you'll be prepared.

Thanks much for the great advice. I understand that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar!

I typically try to make these transactions as pleasant as possible, thats why I'm on here to find out what I can do to help myself and the agents I'm renting from.

Also, failed to mention that I'm renting from an airport location (RDU - Raleigh/Durham), if that changes anything.

First question, why are you renting from the airport location? I'm hoping because you're flying in there. Yes, occasionally they have cheaper rates then the in-town branches, and a better selection of vehicles, better quality and lower mileage, but there are many more negatives.

ERAC is still a rookie at airports. Not traditionally their niche. A lot of locations are not "on-site" at the airport like ERAC's other major competitors.
In which case you may require a little bit of a wait and a shuttle ride to the location. It's harder to develop relationships with reps at airport locations due to the nature of the business, where speed is everything. Also, airport employees are generally more unhappy than in-town employees. A couple reasons: its harder in some cases to get the "numbers" they require at the airport and are bitter as a result, they were forced to go there and don't really want to be there, the hours are even stupider then at a regular branch, and their "bosses" believe it or not, have very little desire to move an airport employee via promotion to an in-town location for these very reasons, and because they've been away from the "real" enterprise business for so long, despite lies of greater opportunity when they got sent there initially. Employees might be extra sensitive in the winter vs. summer, because in the winter it is mostly business travellers who are picky and on a short timeline, whereas the summertime brings leisure travellers, who are more easy going and increase the reps "numbers". They may be suffering from the winter blahs.

Other then the complaints you've read on this site, and the concerns I dispelled that every company suffers from, what specifically is/are your problem(s) and then I can give you a better answer.

[BFDBFQ]

I rent from Avis, 2 x per week. I travel a lot on business.
Its quick and efficient.
And you don't have to deal with all the pathetic gushy insincere robots who work there. I want a quick transaction, I don't want to make new friends with emotionally needy low life rental employees who want to turn a 2 minute transaction into a half hour conversation.

Originally Posted by BFDBFQ

I rent from Avis, 2 x per week. I travel a lot on business.
Its quick and efficient.
And you don't have to deal with all the pathetic gushy insincere robots who work there. I want a quick transaction, I don't want to make new friends with emotionally needy low life rental employees who want to turn a 2 minute transaction into a half hour conversation.

Honey, what does bfdbfq stand for? I'm thinking bigfuckingdeal...something.
What is it, hon?

Love,

Your Favorite African-American Renter

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The word for today is REPARATIONS!