Enterprise Rent A Car - given rental car with lug nuts not tightened on two wheels - very dangerous

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on August 5, 2002:

From:

RE: Enterprise Rent A Car - given rental car with lug nuts not tightened on two wheels - very dangerous I RENTED A VEHICLE 2 WEEKS AGO FROM ENTERPRISE RENT A CAR, AND WHEN I FIRST BEGAN TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE I HEARD A WEIRD NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT END WHEELS THAT I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT, BUT I ASSUMED WAS SIMPLY THE SOUND OF CHEAP WHEEL COVERS.

WHEN I FIRST RENTED THE VEHICLE, I WAS LOOKING FOR BODY DAMAGE AND ISSUES WITH THE PAINT DURING THE INSPECTION, AND NEVER EVEN PAID ATTENTION TO THE WHEELS OTHER THEN TO SEE THEY ALL HAD AIR, SO IT WAS FINE. ON SATURDAY NIGHT AS I WAS DRIVING HOME, A COUPLE OF GUYS THAT WERE STOPPED NEXT TO ME AT A RED LIGHT WERE MOTIONING ME TO ROLL DOWN MY WINDOW, AND TOLD ME THAT I MUST HAVE A FLAT TIRE CAUSE MY FRONT WHEEL WAS SHAKING LIKE CRAZY.

I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER, BUT FOUND ALL OF MY TIRES HAD AIR. UPON CLOSE EXAMINATION I SAW THAT FOUR OF THE FIVE LUG NUTS ON THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE WERE NOT SCREWED IN, NOT LOOSE, BUT IN FACT NOT SCREWED IN AT ALL. IT IMMEDIATELY MADE SENSE TO ME THAT THIS WAS THE NOISE THAT I HAD BEEN HEARING SINCE THE DAY I PICKED UP THE CAR.

I BECAME SCARED THINKING OF WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED, FOLLOWED BY ANGER WITH A COMPANY THAT WOULD RENT A CAR IN THIS CONDITION, AND I DID A MEDIOCRE JOB USING THE SUPPLIED LUG WRENCH TO SCREW IN THE LUGS. AS I CONTINUED TO DRIVE HOME I STILL HEARD THE NOISE FROM THE TIRE AREA, SO I FIGURED I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE SOURCE OF THE NOISE. WHEN I FINALLY GOT HOME I INSPECTED THE OTHER FRONT TIRE, DRIVERS SIDE THIS TIME, AND FOUND THAT THIS TIRE HAD ONE OF THE FIVE LUGS ATTACHED AS WELL.

THIS NEEDLESS TO SAY MADE ME EVEN MORE ANGRY, SO I IMMEDIATELY CALLED ENTERPRISE AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION TO THE REP, WHO SEEMED TO BE UNDERSTANDING AS SHE TOLD ME THAT THE SAME THING HAD HAPPENED TO HERE WHEN SHE HAD HER BRAKES REPLACED, ONLY HER TIRE HAD FALLEN OFF AND SHE CRASHED. AT THE END OF THE CALL SHE SAID THAT SHE WAS TO HAVE "AAA" COME OUT FOR THE CAR AND WOULD PHONE ME BACK WITH DETAILS ABOUT MY NEW CAR. AAA CALLED BUT NEVER SHOWED UP, NO ONE FROM ENTERPRISE CALLED ME BACK, SO I CALLED BACK ABOUT 1:00AM, SIX HOURS AFTER THE FIRST CALL.

AT THIS POINT I WAS PUT ON HOLD FOR 13 MINUTES, HUNG UP, CALLED BACK, THEN WAS DISCONNECTED. I CALLED BACK TODAY, HAD A 40 MINUTE CALL OF TRANSFERS AND PEOPLE EASE DROPPING SILENTLY, WAS ASKED WHY I WOULD DRIVE A CAR IN THAT CONDITION BY THE REP, WHAT A STUPID QUESTION, AND THEN I WAS HUNG UP ON, STILL NO REPLACEMENT OF THE CAR AND THE ONE WITH 8 OUT OF 10 LUGS FAULTY STILL SITS IN MY DRIVE WAY.

I cannot BELIEVE THAT THIS IS HOW YOUR COMPANY TREATS ITS CUSTOMERS. I DO BELIEVE THAT I WILL BE DOING EVERYTHING WITH IN MY POWER TO INFORM AS MANY PEOPLE ON GODS GREEN EARTH THAT THIS IS HOW YOU TREATED ME. STARTING WITH USAA, THEY SHOULD LOVE TO HEAR THIS STORY AS YOU ARE ONE OF THERE PREFERRED COMPANIES, BUT USAA TRULY BELIEVES IN SERVICE AND SAFETY-TWO THINGS THAT BY THE LOOKS OF IT, YOUR COMPANY DOESN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT.

MY EMAIL IS Email User, PLEASE GET BACK TO ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, I DON'T WANT THIS COMPANY TO GET AWAY WITH ENDANGERING LIFE AND TAKING IT WITH SUCH AN UNIMPORTANT MANNER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.

- BEN KNIGHT