Enterprise Rent-A-Car Reviews

Pros

a good way to move up, once you finish the management trainee program , if you enjoy working long hours and weekends it s a good fit.

Cons

the long hours are ridiculous. the notion that you have to work 11 hour work days and that is the norm is interesting

Advice to Senior Management

please be advised that most people who work for the company are dissatisfied with the work environment and that no one cares

Pros

Great place for recent grads.

If nothing else, ERAC is a well-respected company in the business world and it makes for good resume fodder.

Managers at the Area Manager level and above are smart and always available for consultation.
There is good money to be made at the Branch Manager level, though the opportunities for advancement to Branch Manager aren't always there.

The chance to get promoted to other positions within the company ("corporate", car sales, HR, etc.) should never be passed up, as these are prized positions. Working in a position that is "non-rental" actually does give the employee the work/life balance that ERAC promises.

Non-rental positions are much more structured in that Mon-Fri, 8-5, 7:30-5:30 type model. Car Sales follows its own schedule, but there is good money in that department if you are a strong closer.

Great co-workers, and most are usually in the 22-30 age group, which can make for fun and entertaining work days.

Time spent in the "Airport Rotation" is pretty fun. Having to work weekends isn't for everyone, but it's nice to be just on the counter writing contracts, or just in the return lane greeting customers and logging their returns, all without the branch phones constantly ringing or having to rush out of the office to pick up a customer (situations you encounter every day in daily rental).

Cons

Sales, sales, sales! If you do not like selling and don't like being told to continually maintain a certain level of numbers, this might not be the right fit for you.

Long hours and very few breaks in daily rental, especially if you are in a busy branch. While they don't necessarily take advantage of Management Trainees and Management Assistants, Branch and Area Managers do stretch their employees very thin and it's easy to burn out. Part of this stems from keeping labor margins as thin as possible, so you have situations where branches are understaffed for the amount of customers (cars in fleet) they are handling. On the point of long hours, in order to make a reasonable pay check, you have to work the 8-9 hours of overtime asked of rental branch employees. So, you are looking at an average workweek of 48-49 hours. The average workday looks like: arrival at 7:15ish (need to be there before the branch opens at 7:30am) and leaving work at 6:15-6:30pm, and often later. So, while the overtime is not really optional, it's also necessary for you to make reasonable pay.

You are frequently (read: daily) dealing with customers who are forced into renting a vehicle because they were hit by someone else. Many of these people expect the world to stop everything for them because they were not at fault in the accident and they often do not see a difference between ERAC, the insurance company, and the repair shop. It's all one big organization to them and dealing with this mentality can be very frustrating.
As seen through the eyes of Management Trainees and Management Assistants, promotions to Assistant Manager and Branch Manager are often based entirely or almost entirely on sales numbers and the ability to maintain those numbers. It's rare to see an AM or BM with a good mix of personality management skills, scheduling talent, and a high sales acumen. So you get managers who can sell like crazy and maintain a heavy fleet, but they make you feel like you are failing everyone if you need to call in sick or want to use some of your vacation days. This also goes back to running branches with close to skeleton crews. One person needs time off and the machine quickly starts breaking down.

Daily Rental is a very, very reactionary environment. As a rental branch, can try to plan ahead for the next day, but you never know how many body shop and dealership customers will pop up, nor can you control how many customers put in reservations overnight for first thing in the morning. There is a kind of "smoke and mirrors" effect in that you have to always assure customers that you have cars available, while behind the scenes the area managers are shuffling cars around the city and making sure that your office has only the vehicles that it needs and not much more.

Advice to Senior Management

Give daily rental employees a slightly higher hourly wage, and try to stagger employees' shifts each day. Working 11-12 hour days Mon-Fri and then every other Saturday for 3-4 hours leads to burn-out and it's the main reason for high turnover.

Coach your branch managers to not make employees feel like he/she is single-handedly sinking the ship by calling off sick or asking for a few days off when those days off are available to them.

Be more up-front about the company's heavy focus on sales in the recruiting/interviewing process.

Take "people skills" into more consideration when interviewing for promotions. The mentality that promoting "anyone who is killing it in the sales matrix will allow everything else to fall into place" creates a culture where the wrong people are often given management positions. While it can create a short-term gain for the branch and the area, in the long-term that same promoted employee will either burn out or get fired for low numbers, while another, more management-ready employee could have provided some stability for that same branch and area.

Pros

Most of the employees are fun and energetic. It's a good first job out of college. It's a competitive work environment. You can be promoted fairly quick.

Cons

The hours are long. The starting pay is low. Promotions are mainly based on sales instead of knowledge of the business. It's a stressful work environment. There is not much of a work/life balance. You have to deal with disgruntled customers on a regular basis.

Advice to Senior Management

The pay is too low for the amount of hours worked. If the pay was just slightly better and the work week was closer to 40 hours per week, employees would be happier and the retention rate would improve.

Pros

The training is fantastic. It is well-known and recognized becuase it is so successful. Enterprise provides formal, class-room style training and real hands-on, on-the-job training. The best part is, everyone in the company starts at the entry-level (Management Trainee) position... so, if and when you need help in any position - all you have to do is ask! Networking and establishing mentors at Enterprise is encouraged and easy to do! I have always enjoyed the people that I work with at every branch... I often found myself sad to leave those people when I got promoted to the next step. Pay (once you work your way up) is also wonderful - it's a sales position... but, ERAC does a great job of rewarding your hard work with a nice commission! There is always an exciting promotion right around the corner, if you put in the work!

Cons

The hours are long... but, if you truly love your job, who cares? I was able to maintain a healthy social and family life and become very successful in the company. I will admit that it is easy to get discouraged... because working with customers in any retail situation is very difficult. But, that's why most ERAC employees really take the time out to enjoy a game or dinner after work or vent over a beer together. We bond with each other and those relationships help get you through the difficult times. I have never seen anyone in this company with the drive and motivation never get to where they want to be. People only fail because the allow themselves to. This is a career, not a job. So, if you are going to join the ERAC team - plan on putting in at least two years of the hardest work you can ever imagine... but, tough it out and the rewards farrrrrrr outweigh the challenges.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep on! I am so proud of the company that I work for. Enterprise has been the best experience of my life. The teamwork culture, reinforcing hard work and fun and the opportunities that are granted to someone with minimal to no experience at all is unbelievable. My feedback to ERAC... Thank you :)

Pros

You are not in office all day and go out and about deliver cars, pick up people or are transporting cars to other branches. A lot of times on busy days the office would buy lunch.

Cons

Have to was cars in suits. When drivers are not available you have to go pick up the customers yourself. Hard to move up. Long hours-. Have to be there before 8 and leave after 6 every day. Usually more like 7:30-6:30 on busy days which are typically monday and friday High turnover- there's a reason why they are always advertising for workers. By the end of my internship half of the people I went to training with (who were training for permanent positions) had quit.

Advice to Senior Management

More incentives for staying with company, give partial commission for sales to employees.

Pros

ou will learn the skills to run your own business
Very professional and well run
Great staff and team environment
Crash course MBA in business management
If you can do well @ ERAC you can run any company
Great training and promotional opportunity
Great entry level job to start you career in business and will open the doors to better careers

Cons

The pay is not very good for the amount of hrs you work
Promotions don't always equal more money, you have to be @ the right branch @ the right time
Long hours = 60 - 70 hrs / week
Very high stress job do to branches being extremely under staffed

Advice to Senior Management

Pay your good Branch Managers better to keep the talent you have before another company steals them from you.

Pros

1. Movement in company, allows for promotions
2. Lots of training

Cons

1. No work life balance always at work 55+ hour work weeks
2. No more weekends have to work
3. Numbers mean everything if you can preform then you won't move up

Pros

the people at enterprise are great

Cons

compensation, is an issue for most people at entry level

Advice to Senior Management

more bottem line compensation

Pros

Great corporate ladder. Promotions every month and youthful staff.

Cons

Long Hours, Low Pay, and some people get left Behind if they don't move up on time.

Advice to Senior Management

Sales is great, but managing people is more effective management to motivate great sales.

Pros

Thiscompany is well respected in sales and customer service industries. This improves ones ability to find even better enployment if and when you want to move on.
The healthcare benefits are great... but you do have to contribute
Great training program
Fun environment for the most part

Cons

No work/life balance
hours are too long
Compensation is pretty low
Passive/aggressive management styles

Advice to Senior Management

-Work harder to get your Management Trainees Promoted
-Communicate in person not just in email
-Recognize who should be promoted not only based sales but also on general job performance