Enterprise Car Rentals Deceitful slick conartists Burbank California
I went to visit my family in CA and my father (age 73) who has beginnings of Alzheimers and can be confused with babble from conartists had rented me a car for my visit and put it on his visa. He and I both have full insurance coverage as well as car rentals being covered by his visa. This salesman had my father convinced that none of these covered the rental and that even 1 scratch would cost him thousands of $$. He agreed to the insurance reluctantly which cost $70.00 plus tax for 5 days.
I was furious and called their corporate as well as many of their other offices. I was contionously smooth talked and received no refund at first. I threatened to call the BBB which they don't care about as many of their locations are not BBB members anyway. Once I threatened with calling the FTC (federal trades comm)(which I did call and did file a report) they immediatley refunded the insurance fees. Never give up on these people and continue to go higher and call the FTC and file a report. With enough reports they can loose their sales license.
These reports go through the FTC to the Attorney General (from what I was told).
Robin
Hermiston, Oregon
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Paula
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
Alzheimers patients aren't the only ones who are deliberately confused!
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, August 03, 2004
First, to Robin in Hermiston, OR, my sincere best wishes to your father, who is at the beginning stages of Alzheimers. He (and you) might feel better in knowing that he likely did nothing wrong.
In the early 1990s I had cause to rent from a San Diego branch of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. When asked if I needed the additional insurance, I emphatically turned it down and made sure that the fast-talking salesperson did NOT check that box on the form. When I returned the car, I was in fact charged for that additional insurance, and I disputed it, astonished. The girl at the counter haughtily said, if you did not want it, you should not have agreed to it, so you owe it -- and proceeded to show me the contract, which had been altered! My own copy clearly showed that I had NOT checked that box, and here was this girl telling me that only THEIR copy was binding!
I raised such a public stink there that they dropped the charges on the spot, but only after about 30 minutes of very loud condemnation. I do not recommend that now, of course -- report the complaint as Robin did, to the FTC.
Some 7 years later, a girlfriend needed to use Enterprise and went in armed with my warning -- and that Los Angeles branch did the exact same thing to HER!
I cannot help but wonder at the ethics behind such a business that is constantly mining for branch managers month after month, year after year. It certainly isn't because of "expansion"; it must be just replacing those who are "hired" to become their own boss only to find that this "opportunity" just isn't what was represented to them, and thus they bail. It's been my overall impression that too many Enterprise Rent-A-Car managers are tempted to cheat when they find that their "dream" is not the reality for the vast majority. Whatever the cause, it's the consumer who eats it in the end.
Tim
Phoenix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Good Job & Shame On You
#3Consumer Comment
Mon, July 26, 2004
It's good news that you were able to be refunded by Enterprise, and that's great advice (getting the FTC commission involved and letting people know which avenues work).
However, it's hard to pass up (therefore I'm not going to) the temptation to say "Shame" for allowing your father, 73, beginning of a terrible mind disease, and already easily confused - to transact such business. You should now be able to see why this is *not* a good idea, as you ran into this outfit who is uncouth enough to take advantage.
Your dad can still maintain a ton of dignities, but yet not be put in a position where he has to transact serious business.
I'm not talking out of my a*s.... I've been through it. Good luck to you all. My thoughts are with you.