Fw: Enterprise Contract Dispute

Last week I sent the following complaint to Andy Taylor, the second generation owner and CEO of Enterprise Rent a Car after his customer service manager in LA hung up on me and his Regional Rental Manager never returned my calls. As the old saying goes: "THE FISH STINKS FROM THE HEAD DOWN." Mr Taylor never responded to my complaint. Enterprise claims that every rental car company in America automatically places a $300 "deposit" on their customers' credit cards (presumably other companies actually disclose the transaction). When I finally arrived in San Fracncisco (no thanks to Enterprise) I called around and discovered that Alamo Car Rentals does not place a deposit fee on your charge card. Consumer be warned. Four days after I returned my car in Southern California, the money still has still not returned to my charge card. I trust Andy Taylor is making millions on all of his customers' missing money.

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From: "Lawrence" Email User

To: "Email User" <Email User>

Subject: Enterprise Contract Dispute

Date: 10/05/07 06:46

Dear Mr. Taylor,

It is with great sadness and frustration that I find myself writing to you regarding my experience as a customer of Enterprise Rent-a-Car. On Monday May 6th I arrived at LAX from Sydney Australia and rented a car from Enterprise, which friends in the States told me was one of the best rental companies with which to do business. At LAX I was quoted a daily lease rate and an additional daily fee for insurance coverage. Both of those rates were specified on the contract and I was asked to initial each of those fees, signifying that I agreed to have those charges placed on my credit card. Several days later, when I attempted to book a flight from Burbank Airport to SF, my credit card was declined. Since my bank is half way around the world in Australia, and since my account is a business account, it is not a simple process to call up and find out what the problem is. Upon making enquiries, I discovered that Enterprise had placed an additional $300 "deposit" fee on my business credit card without my authorization and without disclosing their intention to place that fee on my charge card. While such a fee might seem trivial to the CEO of Enterprise, consider that for me, as an international visitor the implication was that I was left stranded at the airport. Since it takes 24 hours to transfer money from my business account onto my business charge card, I was not a happy camper. As the publisher of a group of community newspapers in Sydney Australia, the issue is not having money in my business account; it is simply having proper notification so that I can make plans in advance of arriving at the airport in a foreign country.

Upon reviewing my contract with Enterprise, I noticed that at the very bottom of the contract there is a hidden fee for a deposit. That fee was not disclosed to me by the leasing agent and does NOT have my initials next to it, verifying that Enterprise does not disclose that charge to its customers. When I complained to your managers at Enterprise, their attitude was condescending and offensive. The manager, with whom I first spoke, one Vyetta Carter, said that all rental companies in America charge such a deposit. When I explained that international visitors should not be assumed to be aware of fees in the US, since in Australasia, customers are not charged a deposit and when I demanded that my deposit be refunded immediately, and not within three to five business days, Ms Carter hung up the phone on me saying she did not like my attitude. Subsequently I attempted to contact Thomas Murphy, your Regional Rental Manager in LA. I left several messages, because both he and his Executive Assistant hide behind voice mail and do not allow their cell phones to be released. Neither Mr. Murphy nor his assistant has had the courtesy to return my call.

While I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, I personally feel that Enterprise needs to lift its game. Surely the deposit fee should be disclosed on the contract with all other charges and initialed before it is placed on a customer’s charge card. Transparency is always the best policy. And it goes without saying that customers deserve better service when they are stranded at the airport as a result of your company’s policy of placing unauthorized fees on customers’ credit cards, so that presumably your company has access to millions of dollars of undisclosed funds on a daily basis. While it might make a wonderful source for cash flow and investment reserves, I for one would have like to consent to your taking money off my charge card and I would have liked to have been advised that the bank would not return those funds for up to one working week. Honesty is always the best policy and anything else smells of deceit.

Yours truly,

Lawrence Gibbons

Managing Director

The Alternative Media Group