United Rentals Reviews

Pros

They have excellent benefits and most of your co-workers are fun and easy to get a long with. They do have opportunities for growth in just about every state nation wide.

Cons

During the recession, they have taken advantage of their employees quite a bit. We understand that we've shut down businesses and had to eliminate people, but it has been 4 years since our last 'real' raise. On top of that, with all of the lay-offs, one person is doing the work of 3. Incentive programs have been eliminated unless you are in upper management. They still get their bonuses. In a better economy, it's not all bad. With the recession, this job will burn you out.....

Advice to Senior Management

It's not a secret that men are favored in this industry. Show a little respect for the women working for your company. Sometimes their work is better than the man's, but it's hidden by the veil over your eyes.

Pros

Good Pay and benefits
Large fleet
Nation account client base made up a significant portion of revenue

Cons

Most mid-level management (District Manager and above) were self-promoting and only cared about their own success and ability to be promoted. A lot of decisions were made, and a lot of great people lost due to short term thinking and decisions because they were scared for their own jobs.
District and Regional management were often deceitful and misled branch employees.
Bonus that were earned were cut. Some benefits were taken away, and pay has been frozen or very minimal pay increases. Meanwhile, the company has seen record results.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't listen to what your VPs and DMs are telling you. They are telling you what you want to hear as anything less than positive will reflect poorly upon them. Moral at the branches is very bad and most people would like to work somewhere else. The only reason they are not is because they are locked in with non-compete contracts they were forced to sign.

Pros

Benfits are one of the greatest incentives that UR has to offer.

Cons

The ups and downs of the construction industry.

Pros

its an adventure everyday, if you like a challenge, never the same thing twice. great workplace, great people. job security. its great.

Cons

aging equipment, disrespectful customers, poor ecomony reflects poor rental margins. more factory training needed, more action less thought into every action.

Advice to Senior Management

keep up the great job. feels great to have job security. awesome place to be employed. very happy to be here.

Pros

- Pay used to be good but mgmt. changed that
- Had really good benefits in the past
- Had a company vehicle (really scratching for pros!)
- Good co-workers

Cons

- Incompetent, foul-mouthed managers that work on the bullying method. There were some really good managers but they were forced out. If you were fired by a competitor you were always welcome as a manager at UR.
- Non-stop worthless meetings at all hours. Mid-day meetings that killed sales planning.
- 1980's IT Dept. still using DOS based IBM AS400 system. In 2009 they added a terrible sales reporting program that added two hours to every day and was just a baby-sitting program.
- Long range planning consisted of today's stock price!
- Flip-flopped constantly (rate-leader, rate-matcher, contractor supply division)

Advice to Senior Management

- Figure out who you want to be...currently you are spending all your time pleasing Wall Street or trying to be RSC!
- Quit rewarding bad management and managers
- Yes times are tough but you still have some good people at the branches...don't run them all off!

Pros

Monday thru Friday, holidays off, fast paced, good teamwork environment, fun to get new equipment

Cons

Equipment breakdowns are a disaster, unclear pricing structure, too much wheeling and dealing with customers, sales reps giving the items away

Pros

Growing and has significant potential in a fragmented industry.

Cons

Can't seem to grow organicly

Advice to Senior Management

You dont have to know rental to run this buisness. you have to know business. Go get some talent from other sectors to grow from good to great.

Pros

Good intentions but no follow up

Cons

Middle Management is old school and stuck to how they want to run an operation no suggestions please

Advice to Senior Management

Find new branch managers

Pros

A good name and respected in the industry.

Decent fleet of equipment.

Fairly good community involvement.

Highly experienced qualified people who absolutely know their business.

Cons

Became highly micro managed. It seems mangements goal is to see how many hours and production they can force out of people by insisting on mandatory meetings at 6:30 am so as to not impact the business day. Mandatory Debriefing everyday at 5:30 to go over the days sales calls, asking who was seen, what was discussed and what is your plan for the next call on this customer.
It got to where we were making reports about reports, meetings about reports. The paper work that had to be completed became more important than serving the customer and renting equipment. So I quit.

Advice to Senior Management

Go back to renting equipment. Depend on the professionals you still (may) have.
You lost me and many more with10 plus years experience because you tried to reinvent the wheel
and made it out of paper.

Pros

Decent Benefits, decent pay. If you are in the rental industry UR is probably the best looking horse in the glue factory.

Cons

Almost all decision making has been stripped from branch managers and sent up the ladder. Rate approvals for BM's are narrowed down to a very narrow range. Paperwork/paperwork/paperwork. If you aspire to be a BM, be sure you like to do clerical work first, otherwise stay in sales.
What have you done for me lately atmosphere.

Advice to Senior Management

Have a vision of your own. Stop trying to be someone else. Trying to model UR after the business model of a lessor competitor shows a lack of creativity. Don't let politics and cronyism run the company. Too many good people were let go because they either disagreed with the flock or weren't one of the good ole boys. To the IT department- get with the times, you used to be the best now the competition is years ahead of you. UR wastes a ton of money on going to idiotic meetings when the message could have easily been distributed in a webex or skype.