Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Difference between revisions
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==Enterprise Rent-A-Car== |
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Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the largest rental car company in North America,<ref>http://aboutus.enterprise.com/</ref> and has more than 5,399 “local market” locations (91% of all transactions), and 419 airport locations (9% of all transactions).{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}} According to ''[[Detroit News]]''{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}, Enterprise purchases seven percent of all new automobiles sold in the United States. |
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Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s primary focus is the local rental car market, specializing in [[car rental]]s to consumers who need a replacement car as the result of an accident, mechanical repair, theft, or who require a vehicle for a special occasion such as a short business or leisure trip. In the late 1990s{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}, Enterprise Rent-A-Car also began expanding its operations to include the airport market, and now serves airports in the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany and Ireland. |
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By 2005, Enterprise Rent-A-Car's [[customer service]] has been recognized seven times by [[J.D. Power and Associates]] as highest in customer satisfaction for rental car companies at or near airports.<ref>[http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2005/11/14/daily34.html "Enterprise Rent-A-Car ranks highest on J.D. Power survey"] - ''St. Louis Business Journal''</ref> The company was named ninth on ''[[Business Week]]'s'' top 25 companies customer service list in 2007.<ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_10/b4024001.htm "Customer Service Champs"] - ''[[Business Week]]'' - March 5, 2007</ref><ref>[http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/customer_satisfaction/index.asp "The Customer Service Elite"] - ''[[Business Week]]'' - March 5, 2007</ref> |
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===Fleet management controversy=== |
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To reduce costs, the company laid off thousands of people. Some safety features standard in retail models are ordered by Enterprise without those features. During model years 2006-2008, 66,000 of the [[Chevrolet Impala]]s the company ordered were purchased without [[airbag#Side airbag|side-curtain]] [[airbag]]s, saving the company $11.5 million ($175 per vehicle).<ref name="kc0815">{{cite web| url=http://www.kansascity.com/842/story/1385463.html| title=Investigation finds Enterprise Rent-A-Car sold Chevy Impalas without standard side air bags| publisher=[[The Kansas City Star]] | date=August 15, 2009 | accessdate=2009-08-17}}</ref> The practice, which the company notes does not "violate any federal mandate", came to national attention when cars being retired from their rental fleet were sold with claims that side-curtain air bags were included.<ref name="kc0815"/> About 5,000 [[Chevrolet Cobalt]]s and [[Buick LaCrosse]]s were also purchased with the side air bags omitted.<ref name="kc0815"/> Enterprise admitted that it inaccurately advertised and sold 745 Chevrolet Impalas -- model years 2006 through 2008 -- that were identified online as having side air bags, when in fact they did not. A company spokesman said that it would inform customers who had bought the cars, and offer to buy them back from the customers if they would like. <ref name="kc0815">{{cite web| url=http://www.kansascity.com/842/story/1385463.html| title=Investigation finds Enterprise Rent-A-Car sold Chevy Impalas without standard side air bags| publisher=[[The Kansas City Star]] | date=August 15, 2009 | accessdate=2009-08-17}}</ref> |
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According to Safety Research and Strategies, a safety research firm that regularly works with the automotive industry, it is a highly unusual practice to delete safety features. "I’ve never seen a standard safety feature removed from a vehicle. I’ve been doing this work for 17 years and, until now, had yet to see this happen,” said Sean Kane of Safety Research & Strategies. |
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<ref name="kc0815">{{cite web| url=http://www.kansascity.com/842/story/1385463.html| title=Investigation finds Enterprise Rent-A-Car sold Chevy Impalas without standard side air bags| publisher=[[The Kansas City Star]] | date=August 15, 2009 | accessdate=2009-08-17}}</ref> Contrary to this, some sources have noted that buying fleet without normally standard features does occur, as auto manufacturers offer this option to fleet buyers. |
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===Criticism=== |
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[http://www.failingenterprise.com/ Failing Enterprise] is the online community for Enterprise Rent-A-Car customers and employees. Founded in December 2003 by a long-term customer, the site and its discussion board (140,000+ posts) provide a venue for discussing Enterprise policies and practices. |
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Critics of Enterprise on the site tend to point out customer service problems and dissatisfaction with both employment conditions and the company’s ethics, while supporters of Enterprise tend to question the skills and motivation of former employees and the intelligence and character of customers. Specific customer complaints include aggressive upselling of the insurance products, dishonored reservations and long waits for cars.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztravel/2006-12-21-enterprise-usat_x.htm | title=Enterprise muscles its way onto airport scene | publisher=[[USA Today]] | date=2006-12-21 | accessdate=2008-09-06 }}</ref> Specific employee complaints include high turnover, long hours, corporate disregard for branch staff lunch breaks and the treatment and compensation of lower-level employees. |
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Beginning in 2004, Enterprise began blocking access to Failing Enterprise from most internal corporate networks. The site now serves 60,000+ pages daily. |
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===Hiring practices=== |
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In 2006, ''[[Business Week]]'' listed Enterprise among the top ten places to begin a career.<ref name="bw2006">[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_38/b4001609.htm?chan=careers_first+jobs_employers "No. 5 Enterprise: A clear road to the top"]. ''[[Business Week]]''. September 18, 2006.</ref> Although the company's pay for management trainees was among the lowest on the list (at an average $32,500), "those who catch on"<ref name="bw2006"/> quickly get a chance to run a branch office with the responsibility to generate a profit. There are certain requirements and qualifications to become promoted to an Assistant Manager, and many of these qualifications may depend on the employee's sales. According to BusinessWeek's list of "Best Places to Launch a Career," Enterprise was in the top 15. However, 50 percent of their interns accept full-time positions. Within five years, a successful manager take positions at headquarters or become area managers responsible for multiple branches.<ref name="bw2006"/>. |
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==WeCar== |
==WeCar== |
Revision as of 14:55, 14 April 2010
Company type | Private holding company |
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Industry | Car rental |
Founded | 1957 |
Founder | Jack Taylor |
Headquarters | Clayton, Missouri |
Key people | Andrew C. Taylor, Chairman & CEO Donald A Ross, Vice Chairman Pamela Nicholson, President & COO |
Revenue | $12.1 billion |
Number of employees | 68,000 |
Website | enterpriseholdings.com |
Enterprise Holdings, Inc. is a privately held company formed in 2009 to operate rental car subsidiaries: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, Alamo Rent A Car, WeCar and its commercial fleet management, used car sales, and commercial truck rental operations.[1]
Enterprise Holdings was formed as part of a reorganization that followed Enterprise Rent-A-Car's acquisition of Vanguard Automotive Group.[1] The resulting company was 21st on the 2008 Forbes list of "Largest Private Companies in America."[2]
Enterprise is headquartered in Clayton, Missouri, U.S., near St. Louis.[3][4][5]
WeCar
In 2008, Enterprise piloted its first on-campus car sharing program at Washington University in St. Louis.[6] The program, called WeCar, was introduced at University of South Florida in July 2009.[6]
References
- ^ a b "Enterprise launches new holding company". August 3, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
- ^ America's Largest Private Companies: #21 Enterprise Rent-A-Car, from Forbes
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions." Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Retrieved on June 14, 2009.
- ^ "Clayton city, Missouri." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on June 13, 2009.
- ^ Hathaway, Matthew. "KC Star: Enterprise didn’t tell buyers cars lacked side air bags." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 17, 2009. Retrieved on August 18, 2009.
- ^ a b "USF joins Enterprise WeCar sharing program". Tampa Bay Business Journal. July 23, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
External links
{{{inline}}}
- Enterprise Holdings official website
- Enterprise Rent-a-Car official website
- WeCar official website
- Failing Enterprise Open Discussion About the Ongoing Problems at Enterprise Rent-A-Car