Enterprise is a great company to rent from, so long as you go into the sale armed with the knowledge laid out for you here. First, all ...
Enterprise has great specials - usually $9.99 per day on the weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun) for an economy (think: small) car with 100 miles per day, or 19.99 for unlimited miles. If a reservation is made, it doesn't guarantee that you'll actually get a car... it just reserves the RIGHT to have a car if one is available).
If you rent with a debit card, just know that you'll need to fill out a RIF (Renter Information Form) that will ask for references, personal information, as well as having to provide at least 2 forms of address verification... these can come in the form of a utility bill (water, cable, sewer, electric) that comes to your physical address and is in your name, a landline phone coming to the same address, or the like. No financial instruments such as bank account info or cell phone bills are taken.
Also, in addition to the total cost of the rental, they will also deduct a $200 refundable deposit. If you pay cash, (and some please won't accept cash - or green-dot/pre-paid visa cards - then expect to have Enterprise run a credit check on you as well as require a minimum of a $500 deposit which will be refunded after you return the rental in the form of a check mailed from corporate office... this could take as long as 2-3 weeks to recieve. The easiest way to rent is by using a major credit card, NOT linked to your checking account... this will skip all of the forms, and they'll simply do a pre-authorization for the cost of the rental, which is finalized upon the return of the unit.
Pay close attention to the condition of the car that you get in - look at it from the back at an angle to notice any dents larger than a quarter; if they aren't marked on the contract you sign when you rent the car, then your insurance will be charged for their repair when you return the vehicle if you didn't opt for the Enterprise Collision Damage Waiver... and of course, you're responsible for paying your insurance deductible up front, which means right then. Also, return the car with as much gas as it left with.
The words "completely satisfied" are golden at Enterprise. If you have any issue whatsoever, from booking to returning the car, just mention that if "XXXXX" is done, you will be "completely satisfied" with your experience and watch employees bend over backwards to accomodate any request you have. Corporate makes random phone calls to customers asking if they are satisfied or not (this is called the eSQI call) and any answer other than "completely satisfied" counts as a 0. Pass/Fail, no middle ground. Management does not get promoted unless this number is sufficiently high to warrant a promotion, so it puts a lot of power into the hands of a knowledgable customer.
Another useful bit of info - if you have the weekend special, and decide to keep the car out for another few days, the branch will almost always extend the same price to you during this time as opposed to bringing the car back - there's no guarantee that it will be rented out, and a car on the ground generates $0 in revenue for the branch... it's better to continue the same low special than make no profit at all. The same goes for insurance reservations - these greatly discounted rates can be continued out indefinitely after your insurance company refuses to pay. Also, by letting them know that you work for a large company, like Exxon or State Farm, then you'll get very deeply discounted corporate rates.
Last but not least, if you are the claimanat (victim) of an accident, and the insured (other party's insurance) is paying for your rental, and you only have liability coverage, you are legally entitled to have their insurance pay for you to recieve collision damage waiver so if anything happens to the car, you just walk away without having to pay for the damage.
Overall, Enterprise tries very hard to keep customers happy - of course, there will always be exceptions to this rule, but as long as you keep in mind that every Enterprise rental agent and manager is a 4-year college graduate, use common sense and treat them with respect, they will go out of their way to help you out and provide you with a great service for a great price.
Pay close attention to the condition of the car that you get in - look at it from the back at an angle to notice any dents larger than a quarter; if they aren't marked on the contract you sign when you rent the car, then your insurance will be charged for their repair when you return the vehicle if you didn't opt for the Enterprise Collision Damage Waiver... and of course, you're responsible for paying your insurance deductible up front, which means right then. Also, return the car with as much gas as it left with.
The words "completely satisfied" are golden at Enterprise. If you have any issue whatsoever, from booking to returning the car, just mention that if "XXXXX" is done, you will be "completely satisfied" with your experience and watch employees bend over backwards to accomodate any request you have. Corporate makes random phone calls to customers asking if they are satisfied or not (this is called the eSQI call) and any answer other than "completely satisfied" counts as a 0. Pass/Fail, no middle ground. Management does not get promoted unless this number is sufficiently high to warrant a promotion, so it puts a lot of power into the hands of a knowledgable customer.
Another useful bit of info - if you have the weekend special, and decide to keep the car out for another few days, the branch will almost always extend the same price to you during this time as opposed to bringing the car back - there's no guarantee that it will be rented out, and a car on the ground generates $0 in revenue for the branch... it's better to continue the same low special than make no profit at all. The same goes for insurance reservations - these greatly discounted rates can be continued out indefinitely after your insurance company refuses to pay. Also, by letting them know that you work for a large company, like Exxon or State Farm, then you'll get very deeply discounted corporate rates.
Last but not least, if you are the claimanat (victim) of an accident, and the insured (other party's insurance) is paying for your rental, and you only have liability coverage, you are legally entitled to have their insurance pay for you to recieve collision damage waiver so if anything happens to the car, you just walk away without having to pay for the damage.
Overall, Enterprise tries very hard to keep customers happy - of course, there will always be exceptions to this rule, but as long as you keep in mind that every Enterprise rental agent and manager is a 4-year college graduate, use common sense and treat them with respect, they will go out of their way to help you out and provide you with a great service for a great price.
