Area Manager Zack Smilak

Admin, it was hyperbole....geesh...

Personally, I always tried to do everything I could to return a customer's items that were left behind....however, I never understood how they always tried to blame someone else for a mistake THEY THEMSELVES made...

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by bleedgreen

exactly my point. not condoned, people do it in the shadows because they're unethical bottom-feeders. I never stole anything. I did get something that sat in lost and found for 4 months, a skateboard no one claimed. It wasn't a windfall by any means. I didn't hide it though, just waited the 4 months. not everyone is unethical or shady at ERAC, contrary to popular belief. (admin.)

I'm not saying everyone is unethical or shady at ERAC. Go pick a fight with someone else.

Originally Posted by FailingEnterpriseAdmin

I'm not saying everyone is unethical or shady at ERAC. Go pick a fight with someone else.

no, I choose you

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by bleedgreen

no, I choose you

I see that. You've done it a couple of times. Keep up the good work.

Originally Posted by FailingEnterpriseAdmin

I'm not sure I completely agree with a philosophy of separating the company's responsibility from the individual's responsibility. If you're the company's customer service "representative", then you're acting for the company, and the company is responsible for what you do. Sure, there are always a few bad eggs in every organization, but once the company culture starts dismissing complaints as being only really against specific individuals, then they've abandoned responsibility for making things work.

As a customer, I'm dealing with Enterprise, not individual employees, whom, if they screw up, are immediately cut off and set adrift as individuals by Enterprise.

It always cracks me up to hear these arguments for bad service: the individual says "It's not my fault; my company doesn't give me the resources (cars, employees, time, whatever) to do my job properly", and the company says "Well, that might just be a case of a single individual not performing up to our standards". Both parties can shift responsibility and the customer gets screwed and it's "nobody's fault".

If these thieves are employed by Enterprise, and are on your location and on your clock, the customer really doesn't want to hear "Oh, that wasn't Enterprise stealing from you, that was just an individual employee".

I'm not saying Enterprise condones stealing. But I've heard about it frequently enough to wonder if it's really taken seriously. And what about the guy in this letter? Why not a better response from Enterprise? That branch manager should have been all over that issue and got it solved immediately. Those coats were in the trunk of a car and could have been found within minutes. Instead, they dragged their feet and now it's on Failing Enterprise.

Okay, may times when the customer calls, the car is already on rent to the next customer. who's to say that next customer didn't steal the item in question? I've called several customers a week into their rental to ask if they found xxx item because the last renter says they may have forgotten it in the trunk/glovebox etc. I always got a "no."

I understand your philosophy of the customer is always right, but sometimes when you forget something and no one notices, the next customer can steal too. not just the erac employees. I never had a coworker tell me they stole anything... I wouldn't have reacted favorably, so I'm sure they wouldn't have told me if they did.

I'm not sure I completely agree with your philosophy that it's the company's responsibility to rectify a situation if there is no proof or even an indicator that an employee stole anything. You're supposed to back your employees too, not just blindly assume your customer is always right. There has to be a balance.

There are shady customers too, not just ERAC employees. That was all I was trying to get at.

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by bleedgreen

Okay, may times when the customer calls, the car is already on rent to the next customer. who's to say that next customer didn't steal the item in question? I've called several customers a week into their rental to ask if they found xxx item because the last renter says they may have forgotten it in the trunk/glovebox etc. I always got a "no."

I understand your philosophy of the customer is always right, but sometimes when you forget something and no one notices, the next customer can steal too. not just the erac employees. I never had a coworker tell me they stole anything... I wouldn't have reacted favorably, so I'm sure they wouldn't have told me if they did.

I'm not sure I completely agree with your philosophy that it's the company's responsibility to rectify a situation if there is no proof or even an indicator that an employee stole anything. You're supposed to back your employees too, not just blindly assume your customer is always right. There has to be a balance.

There are shady customers too, not just ERAC employees. That was all I was trying to get at.

I was speaking of the specific instance of the customer who wrote the letter. They called within ten minutes and the car had only moved ten feet yet the coats had already disappeared.

I completely agree that if a car goes out to the next renter then the chain of responsibility is clouded. I also completely agree that there are some scam artist customers out there, perhaps more so at the low end of the market where Enterprise is, rather than in the road warrior market.

I don't insist that "the customer is always right"; that's just an invitation to be taken advantage of by your customers. It's just that I often read on this discussion board employees who are so burned out that they've taken on an attitute of "the customer is always wrong".

By the way, isn't it the responsibility of the car prep, or somebody, to spend fifteen seconds ensuring a car is ready to go before the next customer gets in? Heck, you could do it at check-in. How hard is this to do?

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Admin, it was hyperbole....geesh...

Personally, I always tried to do everything I could to return a customer's items that were left behind....however, I never understood how they always tried to blame someone else for a mistake THEY THEMSELVES made...

What was hyperbole? You didn't quote a previous message and you're Unregistered. If you're going to comment on something, at least give us a fighting chance of figuring out what you're commenting on.

Originally Posted by FailingEnterpriseAdmin

I was speaking of the specific instance of the customer who wrote the letter. They called within ten minutes and the car had only moved ten feet yet the coats had already disappeared.

I completely agree that if a car goes out to the next renter then the chain of responsibility is clouded. I also completely agree that there are some scam artist customers out there, perhaps more so at the low end of the market where Enterprise is, rather than in the road warrior market.

I don't insist that "the customer is always right"; that's just an invitation to be taken advantage of by your customers. It's just that I often read on this discussion board employees who are so burned out that they've taken on an attitute of "the customer is always wrong".

By the way, isn't it the responsibility of the car prep, or somebody, to spend fifteen seconds ensuring a car is ready to go before the next customer gets in? Heck, you could do it at check-in. How hard is this to do?

Scam artists for sure...had expeditions go out with factory wheels and come back with wheels from three-years ago's model. Radios switched out, etc.

I'm not burned out by any means, I don't have a sway one way or another. I think it's a gray area. The manager knows which employees are shady. If you've developed any sort of rapport with your people you'll know if you need to talk with them about ethical issues when a customer complains and that employee checked in the car. But for the ones that are honest, (contrary to popular belief, I believe this is the majority, not the minority) you have to take complaints of stealing without proof.

The car prep comment is cute...theoretically yes...but half of the cars go back out with a Windex of the windshield/cup holder and nothing more. Especially dealership deals where the previous customer only had the car 4 hours. In those cases, the employee does the quick once over and flips the car to the next customer. Employees are supposed to do this upon check-in, you're absolutely right. If you forget something, shouldn't you also shoulder some responsibility?

you have to take complaints about stealing WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.
sorry, forgot to finish my sentence.

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by bleedgreen

Scam artists for sure...had expeditions go out with factory wheels and come back with wheels from three-years ago's model. Radios switched out, etc.

That's got to suck. I hope you slam those guys with felony charges.

Originally Posted by bleedgreen

I'm not burned out by any means, I don't have a sway one way or another. I think it's a gray area. The manager knows which employees are shady. If you've developed any sort of rapport with your people you'll know if you need to talk with them about ethical issues when a customer complains and that employee checked in the car. But for the ones that are honest, (contrary to popular belief, I believe this is the majority, not the minority) you have to take complaints of stealing without proof.

The car prep comment is cute...theoretically yes...but half of the cars go back out with a Windex of the windshield/cup holder and nothing more. Especially dealership deals where the previous customer only had the car 4 hours. In those cases, the employee does the quick once over and flips the car to the next customer. Employees are supposed to do this upon check-in, you're absolutely right. If you forget something, shouldn't you also shoulder some responsibility?

Yes, of course a forgetful customer should shoulder some responsibility. Of course the renter should give the car the fifteen second inspection when he drops it off and understand that that a lost item may never be returned. But if he does leave something behind and comes back in ten minutes and the car's still there...