Today At The Tampa Airport

[FailingEnterpriseAdmin]

Originally Posted by ohboy

What's really funny is that 6 people got into line, and were willing to wait for their car. They must be doing something right if people are willing to wait. Good job Admin, you are really making a dent in their business.

Let me get this straight: You're claiming that mandatory 60 minute waits for customers is proof the company is doing something right?

There is one thing that the company DOES do right. It lies to vulnerable career seekers about pay and about integrity. What ERAC should do is focus on employee retention and concentrate on taking care of its employees, not screwing them (literally in some cases--haha). Anyway, I always use Hertz at airports because they are quick and easy (like most ERAC chicks at a good holiday party). Also, their cars smell like they should, not like pot, vomit, or like someone just banged in them. Any comments? BRING IT!!!!

Originally Posted by FailingEnterpriseAdmin

Thanks for setting up a straw man just so you could knock it down. I don't know anyone like that.

Except that's not why they do it. They do it because upselling at the counter under the guise of being friendly is extremely profitable. And if you want to show some semblence of being human, making your customers cool their heels for 30 minutes isn't going to do it.

Even if they won't change for me, at a minimum we'll be able to warn everyone who values their time in the slightest to stay away from Enterprise.

See! This is what I’m talking about. The 23,000 views you’re so proud of are merely the same people coming back to see if anyone has replied to their posts. I’ve also told you how easy it is to manipulate number of views on here; I made it look like one of my posts got 80 hits in less than 15 minutes the other day. And don’t start with that R-squared argument. Any statistician will tell you to always question numbers. Always.

And I’ve suffered through your posts about people getting redirected to your site on google. But let’s think about this. Below is a typical scenario:

You’re planning for a trip. You need to get a car. There are a million things you need to attend to before you leave and a million things you need to set up for your vacation.

You’re getting online to reserve a car when all of a sudden you see a website called Failing Enterprise. You take a quick look. Most of the stuff you see is shit talking, corporate cues or stories that expose ERAC as one big, wet Lovenasium. You laugh heartily at some of the remarks as you speed through the pages. “Shit, it’s kinda addicting,” you mutter to nobody in particular.

But then you realize that you need to reserve your car, so you log out, go to ERAC’s website, and do what millions of other people will do.

Remember Admin: the public is not brand loyal. They are bargain motivated. And only a fool would not question the credibility of some of the claims found here. Unless you’ve work for Enterlies, you’re most likely going to believe that what you are reading is BS and sour grapes. Nothing more, nothing less.

And your remark about him chewing gum is just a cheap shot. Trust me (and I’m sure you’ll agree with me on this) I know a cheap shot when I see one. I don’t give two shits about that. And anyone who says they do should be shuffled to the nearest asylum.

And, even you assume that the person who posted that quip works for ERAC; the remark about looking for another career pretty much shows that. I know he doesn’t. I’m the guy who wrote the post ;)

Once again . . . for the love a Jesus, Yahweh and Peter Cottontail, stop thinking your words sting the Taylors. Again, and this is more for your blind followers than for you, I do not like the Taylors at all. Let’s use some more logic on that argument.

Say you have so much money that you actually sleep on a big pile of it every night. You can do whatever you want . . . with in the limits of the law. Would some harsh words on a website affect your day to day life? I think we know the answer.

My opinion is that the Taylors know full well that their company is unethical. But, with tons of money at their disposal, they really don’t care. They are not moral people. They are soulless, greedy hogs with an appetite for cash that knows no satiety. Just like many other brutal corporations out there.

Do not let your hatred for the company interfere with you’re logic. Yeah, I’m sure he does read some of the stuff. Big whoop.

Crisco

The post I made was for comment number 10 on this thread. I accidentally hit the wrong Quote bubble.

Crisco

[HERTZGIRL]

Originally Posted by FailingEnterpriseAdmin

Hello All,

I flew in to the Tampa airport today, and while I was waiting for my luggage, I got to observe the Enterprise rental counter.

Behind the counter was only one employee, a tall white guy, looked about 24, with white shirt and a striped tie. During the ten minutes I watched him, he was still talking with the exact same customer, even though six additional customers had now joined the line. At this rate, the customer at the end was in for a more than one-hour wait.

By contrast, I went to the counter for the company I normally use and they had three people working and no line. I had keys and was gone in 45 seconds.

How many times do I have to keep making this point, Enterprise? Your insistence on having a ten-plus minute conversation with every customer, while chronically short-staffing your branches, is going to drive away every customer who values their time in the slightest. No business traveller will ever put up with this.

Oh, and for the entire ten minutes he was doing the "upselling", he was chewing gum with his mouth open.

Andy Taylor: Do you just completely not travel by commercial flight anymore and just never see this?

Doomed.

I hope the Co. you used was HERTZ!

[Popper1977]

Originally Posted by HERTZGIRL

I hope the Co. you used was HERTZ!

ERAC seems to think that the suitcoat and tie will go above and beyond general professionalism. As long as you are dressed like you are from Wall Street (how ERAC actually uses that as a term to describe what it expects yet it doesn't pay its employees Wall Street wages goes beyond me) you are in good shape.

[Popper1977]

Originally Posted by gp65:(

I think it is hilarious how passionate ERAC employees feel about ERAC.

Ain't taht the damn truth. I've been gone from ERAC for 1 1/2 years yet I am still passionate about bashing it. Was this discussion forum in existence in August 2004? If it was I wish I had known about it then!

[Former24FFer]

My guess is that the reason there was six people looking at an hour wait is that the rep behind the counter was the only one working that day. When I was in FF (my name gives it away) I worked at both Airports in New York.

I can honestly say that at the time, ECRAP was big on getting into the Airport business but when it came to manpower to run the two offices, that is when the tight wallet came into play. It seems like yesterday I would walk into the hotel where ECRAP was based out of on a Monday morning.

65% occupancy

10 reservations

at least 40 scheduled returns...not counting those renters who dropped their car off in the middle of the night and politely parked their cars in spots that disrupted the bus for the Hotel. (Even though we asked and told them millions, and millions of times not to block the front of the hotel. Park in the garage if you can. If you are in a rush, park on the side of the hotel where the big, air condition always broken, banged up, Enterprise Bus is. Pretty please....with sugar on top. Thinked they listed.....nah. Too easy)

Where were my co-workers you asked? Well since there was only 3 of us......I was behind the counter answering the phone trying to explain to my a-hole of an area manager (he was fired shortly thereafter. he...he...never did like him any way) why our occupancy is so low...why there are only 10 reservations, what regions am I giving cars back to. My answer to the high almighty.....Dude.....the office opened at 8am and its 8:01am. Want to give me a chance to breath? Take off my jacket? Is that too much to ask? Guess when you are home for the weekend not working, you have that energy for a Monday morning....not me. Why? I just worked a 9am- 6pm shift for Saturday and a 8am - 8pm for Sunday. (By the way, those where the airport hours for Saturday and Sunday when I was there. Anyone who ever worked for 24FF and did the aiport run knows exactly what I am talking about) and taking care of returns, while one was driving customers back to the airport and the other was logging in returns that were scattered all over the place. Its safe to say my ARM was not too happy with my response. Oh well.

So the genius who earlier said that ECRAP is big on customer service and providing that one on one feeling probably never worked at the airport. I on the other hand, along with others on this site, did.

So before any other ERAC Loyal person comes on this site and bashes Admin or any other person who posts negative, but true gripes against ECRAP, remember this............

Dont talk it if you never walked it.

[erac_whore]

Mmmm'kay.... Not even going to quote the original post or the replies here... I'm just gonna jump in with my usual $.02!

Admin, I can only speculate on what the employee you saw was doing... Maybe he was handling a customer complaint. ("Even though I reserved an economy car for $12.95/day, there is no way I can fit my family of six and all of our luggage and skis in that Aveo. I demand that you give me a free upgrade into a Suburban!") Perhaps he was providing a customer directions to their hotel, or recommending a good place to eat, or a local attraction that an out-of-town visitor might like to see. Hmmm, he might have even been trying to offer an upgrade for a discounted price, or even (gasp!) have been trying to sell some damage waiver (shame! shame!)....

The only true complaint I will agree with is that he was visibly chewing gum. Not so professional there, admittedly....

Whenever I have travelled by air since I have been working for ERAC, I have looked at not only our (ERAC's) operations, but also that of our major competitors. Here is what I have seen:

1. Our competitors continue to move towards the concept of the vending machine. If I am not mistaken, National RAC has actually crossed the barrier. You can now avoid the rental counter entirely. Freestanding terminals await you at selected airports: simply swipe your driver's license and credit card and proceed to the parking lot where your car is located. Other competitors offer expedited rental processes as well... (Hertz Gold, Avis Preferred, etc.)

Advantages: No more waiting in line. Show up, present your license (and credit card, if it's not already on file). Proceed to your car. Drive away. Quick. Easy. No hassle, right? (Unless...)

Disadvantages: Treated like a number, not a customer. ("Welcome to Atlanta, Mr. Exxon.") Maybe you would like a map of the local area, or some suggestions as to a good place to eat. Too bad. Wow, I can get a luxury car (SUV, convertible, etc.) for only $X more per day? What a deal! Oh, sorry. The machine didn't know to offer that option for you. You can just stick with what you (or your company) reserved originally. Have fun with your Chevy Aveo. Beep! Beep! "Wow, Mr. Jones, this is the third time this month you have rented from us. Have you heard about our Corporate Class program? We can offer you discounted rates for volume business!" Or you can experience, "Welcome back, Mr. Jones. As a Hertz Gold Member, you full-sized car is only $72.99/day. Thank God you didn't shop our retail rates, or that of our competition, or else you would have seen that everyone's rate today (including our own) is only $34.50 for full-sized cars..." I could go on and on.....

The key point is that no matter how big ERAC gets, or how many airports we go into, at each and every branch, we will still behave as if we are just a small local business. That's what we do! We appreciate your patronage, and will take a little time to talk to you. Yeah, there's someone in line behind you. We will acknowledge them ("Hello, Ma'am, we'll be with you in just a moment...") but we will give you all the attention and assistance you require, even if it takes 10 or 15 minutes. For the person waiting in line, the consolation is that when you get up to the counter, we will spend just as much time with you, too, if that is what you require or desire.... If not, we will be as quick and efficient as possible.

If you want the vending machine, go to Hertz or Avis, National or wherever. If you want individual attention from a professional employee (and not the car prep they just promoted last week who's paycheck is primarily based on how much they can sell you...), then come to Enterprise. Remember, you always have a choice.

Again, just my $.02!

erac_whore

[IhateERACUK]

I'd keep your 2 cents, working for ERAC you'll need it