Diary of a Drone

Over the coming weeks I shall share those who are thinking of joining the big "E" the realities of my (and others experiences) at ERAC.


The Interview
Left University? No money? In debt? Want to joina great forward thinkjing company?

Join ERAC.

Went to an interview with a lovely lady today. Drove to the company's HQ in a rundown industrial are in London. It didn't look great but inside the place was all shiny and everyone had a smile. Didn't know much about the company but I though I'd give it a go.

The lady told me that the company offers fast-track management porgrammes. Great! I don't want to hang around. They work with major insurers and Automobile organisations supplying courtesy cars for the main. The fact I didn't know that didn't matter to her - she said I had the right stuff.

It sounds great. In a year I'll be an Assistant Manager, 6 months after that I'll be a Manager earning £50k.

The hours are 8-6 with an hour for lunch. In that time I'll be marketing to accounts, getting training, driving new cars, and excelling at customer service.

Apparently they work Saturdays but they are going to get drivers in soon so that trainees don't have to work.

What a great company to work for!!!!


3 days later...

Had my second interview this morning with the Area Manager in his office. The location wasn't great - an old house that had been converted to a car lot. The area is grim, the offices are a mess and need painting, the staff seem rushed (yet smile a lot) and the place was packed - and it wasn't even 8am!!! I ast and waited for the Area Manager and read the paper. It seems very quick moving here - I like that.

The Area Manager said pretty much the same as the HR woman - I'm going to earn a sh*tload for 45 hours a week -and a bit of overtime.

The Area Manager was so impressed by my ability to blag an interview that he wanted to get the Branch Manager to interview me straight away - he rang down to the office and asked if the BM could come up - I could hear the BM say "It's a Monday morning and I'm 10 cars short - no I can't come up - can I rent your car?"

Strangley the Area Manager kept smiling and said "thanks anyway" and hung up. I don't think he knew I could hear...

"It's a Monday morning and I'm 10 cars short - no I can't come up - can I rent your car?"
HILARIOUS!!! I bet he got an earfull for that one. Monday mornings SUCK at ERAC. UGH

You have to run that magical 92%.......and if you run fat on the impending weekend, that managorial genius of a AM would pull cars from your location to make sure the cash paying deadbeats can get there 9.99......
Even though you fully explained to them that you have not only 25 confirmes reservations, you can always expect another 15 from Dealer A, and 5-10 from the BSS you built a relationship over the past 3 mos to send the rides to you...being you will take care of there customer so much better the HLE.....
Monday, no cars, crappy customer service, BSS mgr screaming at you, the MT @ the dealer on the nextel telling you every 2 mins. that he now has another customer waiting.....
and where is the AM?....not answering the cell phone, or responding to the nextel page...or the ever popular response of..."you shoudl really manage your fleet better"...thanks, next friday when you want the branch to lose 10-20 cars for the 9.99, you come work the location at 730am Monday morning and explain that to all the customers with reservations....

Once again, I'm convinced that this is a branch-by-branch issue. Some branches sound shitty.. others sound great. So far, from what I've seen, the branch I've been at has been excellent.

(This message was left blank)

What you are missing is that this is more than a "branch by branch" issue. the posters on this board will all share the same story with you, and i promise we didn't all work in the same branch, or area, or region, or group, or even country!! enterprise employees from around the world post here and the same sh*t happens everywhere. and it happens daily! you want honesty from all of us to help you with your decision, and from all the posts that i have read, you have received honest replies. What you make of them is your decision, but realize that 5,000+ posts about the misery that we all lived through while working there should open your eyes some. It really is not worth it.

[gp65:(]

Originally Posted by bleedinggreen

What you are missing is that this is more than a "branch by branch" issue. the posters on this board will all share the same story with you, and i promise we didn't all work in the same branch, or area, or region, or group, or even country!! enterprise employees from around the world post here and the same sh*t happens everywhere. and it happens daily! you want honesty from all of us to help you with your decision, and from all the posts that i have read, you have received honest replies. What you make of them is your decision, but realize that 5,000+ posts about the misery that we all lived through while working there should open your eyes some. It really is not worth it.

It is crazy and eye-opening.

If anyone thinks these problems are branch specific, area, region, or even country specific- this website has gone far to dispell that myth.

These problems are ERAC specific. They have a business plan that essentially screws the people in the branches and the customers and makes the Taylors an ungodly amount of bank.