Group 23, are you out there??

Are there any group 23ers out there?? Nor Cal represent!

We love our group to much to talk crap about them on this lame website. It's funny how this website started because of a 23 branch, but I sure don
t see anyone from 23 posting here.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

We love our group to much to talk crap about them on this lame website. It's funny how this website started because of a 23 branch, but I sure don
t see anyone from 23 posting here.

If its so lame, what are you doing on this site in the first place?

Secondly, what would possess you to take the time to add to it?

I call bullshit. I think you are an upper management green bleeder (who probably isnt performing at a very high level, and may be paranoid) that has to check in to see if their branch/area/region (whatever...) is getting their business thrown in the street for lack of quality management.

Feel free to reply, and add to this lame website. If not, see you monday, lets go rent some cars!!!

Our group is doing well. This website has many valid complaints. Each office is operated differrently and with the constant rotation (or employee turn-over), the people who helped you at the Folsom St. back in the days most likely no longer are at that office anymore so it's nothing that the current employees at that office would take personally. As much as the situations you describe do happen, it happens at any office whether it's Enterprise or any other rental agency. The good thing with Enterprise is that whatever complaint you have, they are usually able to assist you with making accommodations for you before you leave that office...other companies you have to sit there holding the line for an 800# or writing a letter to corporate. If you rented at one office for a whole year, it's best to call to confirm next time even if you have a reservation if you've had bad experiences with that one office. Enterprise has a location every 15 miles in Northern California so I'm sure you would have been able go to an office that would accomodate your needs. Reservations cancel all day and some never even have the common courtesy to call us because we make it convenient with no cancellation fee. Some even make several reservations under one name at different offices...yea...we catch on to all you customers who try to work the system. Working our new employees for free-upgrades and squeezing discounts from them from a car that's completely fine. If we held a car for every single reservation made, there wouldn't be any left for walk-in and no one would ever get a car unless they had a reservation. Some rental companies don't even accept walk-in's at all unless they're at a sky high price. As you notice, even Hertz Gold Crowne members are getting screwed by Hertz's high prices. So for those that have a bad experience, it can happen to anyone, just like any other bad experience in life. There are other offices in S.F., therefore, if you had bad experiences with that one office, why continue to rent from there and why not talk to a manager about your situation? Most of the time they will remember you once you voice your opinion and make sure that next time you rent, you will get what you want or even more. That's the good thing about Enterprise, we take good care of our customers so we win them for life. What you have to do is be mature about it, learn from it, let it go and move on. Most customers who love us or the branch they rent from regularly are well taken care of especially if they've built a relationship. Those who love us and continue to be loyal are who keep us as the LARGEST rental company that exists...and still growing. It will be hard to get rid of all of us 'green-bleeders' when we provide opportunities to employees at over 5,000 offices worldwide. Bad experiences can happen with any company, that doesn't mean that everyone will have that experience. If there are so many bad experiences with Enteprise out there, why do we continue to grow each year?
I'm glad you have this website here...for the few years it's been up because it lets people vent and voice their opinion but it will be hard to bring down a company that's been around for 59 years and has never had an unprofitable year or a lay-off. But, GP23 is one group that has a higher employee retention rate then other groups. Plus, giving rental a chance will teach you how to run your business but it doesn't mean you have to stay there. You can look into going into other positions in corporate or at least have it as a resume builder for those who are curious about giving ERAC a shot if there's really nothing lined up...when you have the right manager, you may even like it. If not, at least you got the training.

I used to work in GP23, and I transferred back home to GP09 to be with family when I had my baby. I saw a significant difference in how GP23 treated their employees and how GP09 did. Doug Watt in GP23 and Len Almalech are a couple of reasons why this group is able to retain people. If you just care about the customers, and not the employees like GP09 does, then you are going to inevitably have horrible retention.

[smartgirl]

I don't agree with Group 23 employee's are happy. A week ago I rented a car out of the Airport. I just quit erac from another group and had just got a new job with more $$ and came to the Bay Area to find a place to live. At the airport counter I saw one M.T. all by himself trying to do the work of 3 people. Looking at the Fox Rental Car, Avis, Hertz, and Thrifty employees--they all had two or more employees helping customers.

First thing I thought: busy airport and no staff--retention. When my turn came, the M.T. apologized for the wait, I told him it was okay and that I left the cult recently. I told him he needed to go on this website and he said he'd heard about it from is AM and wrote it down. He was through being the Lone Ranger at the counter.

When I came to get my car, the next MT said he was quiting less than a month and going in banking. The hours and pay were killing him and he'd been on this website.

Upon return, another MT female is wanting to quit. I gave her the website for morale support and she wrote it down and couldn't wait until her shift ended. We didn't get to share erac stories because her ARM was watching us.

So in my experience, Group 23 does not have happy employees and wake up out of the fairy tale!!

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by smartgirl

I don't agree with Group 23 employee's are happy. A week ago I rented a car out of the Airport. I just quit erac from another group and had just got a new job with more $$ and came to the Bay Area to find a place to live. At the airport counter I saw one M.T. all by himself trying to do the work of 3 people. Looking at the Fox Rental Car, Avis, Hertz, and Thrifty employees--they all had two or more employees helping customers.

First thing I thought: busy airport and no staff--retention. When my turn came, the M.T. apologized for the wait, I told him it was okay and that I left the cult recently. I told him he needed to go on this website and he said he'd heard about it from is AM and wrote it down. He was through being the Lone Ranger at the counter.

When I came to get my car, the next MT said he was quiting less than a month and going in banking. The hours and pay were killing him and he'd been on this website.

Upon return, another MT female is wanting to quit. I gave her the website for morale support and she wrote it down and couldn't wait until her shift ended. We didn't get to share erac stories because her ARM was watching us.

So in my experience, Group 23 does not have happy employees and wake up out of the fairy tale!!

You're the Johnny Appleseed of Failing Enterprise! Thanks for spreading the word!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Our group is doing well. This website has many valid complaints. Each office is operated differrently and with the constant rotation (or employee turn-over), the people who helped you at the Folsom St. back in the days most likely no longer are at that office anymore so it's nothing that the current employees at that office would take personally. As much as the situations you describe do happen, it happens at any office whether it's Enterprise or any other rental agency. The good thing with Enterprise is that whatever complaint you have, they are usually able to assist you with making accommodations for you before you leave that office...other companies you have to sit there holding the line for an 800# or writing a letter to corporate. If you rented at one office for a whole year, it's best to call to confirm next time even if you have a reservation if you've had bad experiences with that one office. Enterprise has a location every 15 miles in Northern California so I'm sure you would have been able go to an office that would accomodate your needs. Reservations cancel all day and some never even have the common courtesy to call us because we make it convenient with no cancellation fee. Some even make several reservations under one name at different offices...yea...we catch on to all you customers who try to work the system. Working our new employees for free-upgrades and squeezing discounts from them from a car that's completely fine. If we held a car for every single reservation made, there wouldn't be any left for walk-in and no one would ever get a car unless they had a reservation. Some rental companies don't even accept walk-in's at all unless they're at a sky high price. As you notice, even Hertz Gold Crowne members are getting screwed by Hertz's high prices. So for those that have a bad experience, it can happen to anyone, just like any other bad experience in life. There are other offices in S.F., therefore, if you had bad experiences with that one office, why continue to rent from there and why not talk to a manager about your situation? Most of the time they will remember you once you voice your opinion and make sure that next time you rent, you will get what you want or even more. That's the good thing about Enterprise, we take good care of our customers so we win them for life. What you have to do is be mature about it, learn from it, let it go and move on. Most customers who love us or the branch they rent from regularly are well taken care of especially if they've built a relationship. Those who love us and continue to be loyal are who keep us as the LARGEST rental company that exists...and still growing. It will be hard to get rid of all of us 'green-bleeders' when we provide opportunities to employees at over 5,000 offices worldwide. Bad experiences can happen with any company, that doesn't mean that everyone will have that experience. If there are so many bad experiences with Enteprise out there, why do we continue to grow each year?
I'm glad you have this website here...for the few years it's been up because it lets people vent and voice their opinion but it will be hard to bring down a company that's been around for 59 years and has never had an unprofitable year or a lay-off. But, GP23 is one group that has a higher employee retention rate then other groups. Plus, giving rental a chance will teach you how to run your business but it doesn't mean you have to stay there. You can look into going into other positions in corporate or at least have it as a resume builder for those who are curious about giving ERAC a shot if there's really nothing lined up...when you have the right manager, you may even like it. If not, at least you got the training.

This is the most disturbing post I have seen in a while. It is carefully crafted to appear fair, reasonable, even keeled...well forget it, I see right through it. As a former GP23 employee, I can confirm all of the poor business practices this site details so accurately occurs in its branches & then some. It is just as dreadful as the rest of the horrible company.

Tell Tracy Thomasshe has great pointies, and one short finger, and forget about her moles, and that a certain acquaintance wants to nurse them and go down the Russian River in our Borthday suits in a canue again like it happned some day a log time ago ,lol. Group 23 is great.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Our group is doing well. This website has many valid complaints. Each office is operated differrently and with the constant rotation (or employee turn-over), the people who helped you at the Folsom St. back in the days most likely no longer are at that office anymore so it's nothing that the current employees at that office would take personally. As much as the situations you describe do happen, it happens at any office whether it's Enterprise or any other rental agency. The good thing with Enterprise is that whatever complaint you have, they are usually able to assist you with making accommodations for you before you leave that office...other companies you have to sit there holding the line for an 800# or writing a letter to corporate. If you rented at one office for a whole year, it's best to call to confirm next time even if you have a reservation if you've had bad experiences with that one office. Enterprise has a location every 15 miles in Northern California so I'm sure you would have been able go to an office that would accomodate your needs. Reservations cancel all day and some never even have the common courtesy to call us because we make it convenient with no cancellation fee. Some even make several reservations under one name at different offices...yea...we catch on to all you customers who try to work the system. Working our new employees for free-upgrades and squeezing discounts from them from a car that's completely fine. If we held a car for every single reservation made, there wouldn't be any left for walk-in and no one would ever get a car unless they had a reservation. Some rental companies don't even accept walk-in's at all unless they're at a sky high price. As you notice, even Hertz Gold Crowne members are getting screwed by Hertz's high prices. So for those that have a bad experience, it can happen to anyone, just like any other bad experience in life. There are other offices in S.F., therefore, if you had bad experiences with that one office, why continue to rent from there and why not talk to a manager about your situation? Most of the time they will remember you once you voice your opinion and make sure that next time you rent, you will get what you want or even more. That's the good thing about Enterprise, we take good care of our customers so we win them for life. What you have to do is be mature about it, learn from it, let it go and move on. Most customers who love us or the branch they rent from regularly are well taken care of especially if they've built a relationship. Those who love us and continue to be loyal are who keep us as the LARGEST rental company that exists...and still growing. It will be hard to get rid of all of us 'green-bleeders' when we provide opportunities to employees at over 5,000 offices worldwide. Bad experiences can happen with any company, that doesn't mean that everyone will have that experience. If there are so many bad experiences with Enteprise out there, why do we continue to grow each year?
I'm glad you have this website here...for the few years it's been up because it lets people vent and voice their opinion but it will be hard to bring down a company that's been around for 59 years and has never had an unprofitable year or a lay-off. But, GP23 is one group that has a higher employee retention rate then other groups. Plus, giving rental a chance will teach you how to run your business but it doesn't mean you have to stay there. You can look into going into other positions in corporate or at least have it as a resume builder for those who are curious about giving ERAC a shot if there's really nothing lined up...when you have the right manager, you may even like it. If not, at least you got the training.

This is exactly the kind of rhetoric that you hear when you are an employee. Everything gets spun so that you perceive it their way. BTW, the author of this diatribe either doesn't know the history of the company or simply can't add (the company is 49 years old, not 59...founded by Jack in 1957 with 7 cars in fleet, blah, blah, blah). To be honest, what I have more of a problem with, rather than how they treat customers, is how they treat their employees. That is a much better indication as to what kind of company ERAC is. Customer service will never be fairly quantified because employees micromanage that part of the business so heavily. They "sell" a pipe dream to naive job-seekers straight out of college that promises big bucks via their Management Trainee program. If they know a particular trainee won't pan out as an Assistant, Branch Manager, etc., they will continue to string that employee along to keep his services as a glorified "grunt-worker." They will continue to educate him/her on what he needs to work on, etc., knowing all along that they have no plans to promote them. All the while, they will pay them what amounts to peanuts. My example (I was a branch manager up until recently in the SF Bay Area, without being too specific):

M-F (we'll exclude saturday, given that they will give you that time off during the week) 715am-615pm with an hour lunch and an extra hour on friday = 51 hours/week. I remember my gross income as an MT was ~$1200 every two weeks.
1200/102=11.76/hour

Keep in mind that the above figure INCLUDES time and a half overtime for any hours over 40 incurred in one given week. I can't recall my per hour income for that time period, but imagine how low it must be to still be only 11.76/hour on average while including 22 hours of time and a half overtime.

We're talking about intelligent college-graduates making roughly $3/hour above minimum wage. These are the people who are the foundation of this company and rake in the billions (9 of them predicted this year, from what i remember from orlando) of revenue that this company generates every year. This doesn't even include the "voluntary," after-work activities that go on at least once a week, most likely more at a bigger branch. Go ahead and miss these activities and see how much of a team player you'll be viewed as.

Back to the above quote; it really tickles me to see the author included that the company "has never had ... a lay-off." They don't have to! The people at the bottom of their pyramid (the more and more I think about it, the more it likens itself to MLM - multi-level-marketing) wise up to the act and quit on their own. Why do you think retention is so important in ERAC? They NEED to keep the people on the bottom there or else the whole thing collapses. But when employees notice that they are constantly washing and vacuuming cars in their neatly pressed graduation gift of a suit, it raises a few red flags in that college-educated brain.

I admit, this is a lot longer than what I originally intended to write, but the corporate rhetoric above really touched a nerve. There is life outside of ERAC people!!!!!!! Proof: I was a branch manager. Switched jobs and am making twice as much money now working normal hours.