**1 Star - Extremely Unprofessional Experience Returning My Rental**…read more
I am honestly blown away by how unprofessional and disrespectful my experience was returning a rental vehicle to this Enterprise location.
To start, this was an insurance claim rental because someone else had hit my personal vehicle. I had the rental for approximately 2 1/2 weeks while my vehicle was being repaired. I arrived to return it almost TWO HOURS EARLIER than my scheduled return time, with four children and car seats to transfer back into my SUV.
After moving all of our belongings and car seats, I went inside to return the keys. A male employee, who I believe was the manager, and a younger female employee went outside together to inspect the vehicle. After making several laps around it, they returned inside, and I was informed that the vehicle was supposedly so filthy that it would require professional detailing. I was told they would be keeping my $50 deposit AND charging me an additional $50 to have it cleaned.
Now, let me be clear. **I have four children, and I fully acknowledge there were quite a few crumbs in the seats and floorboards, especially underneath the car seats.** There were also some leaves from it being fall, and the exterior had gotten dirty from the rain over the 2 1/2 weeks I had it. However, there were NO stains on the seats, no spilled drinks, no mud tracked throughout the vehicle, and no damage. There was also no trash left behind, aside from a child's sippy cup that I accidentally overlooked underneath a seat.
What makes this even more frustrating is that **the vehicle was not particularly clean when I originally picked it up.** There was mud on the inside of the trunk lid, missing clips on the third-row seating, and the interior did not appear to have been thoroughly vacuumed or wiped down. The gentleman who originally rented me the vehicle even acknowledged that it wasn't the cleanest. At the time, I brushed it off because I have children and didn't feel the need to make a big deal out of it.
Apparently, that same understanding was not extended to me.
But what truly made this experience unacceptable was the behavior of the female employee.
While the man was explaining the cleaning charges, this young woman stood nearby whispering, making faces, and making rude comments about how "disgusting" the vehicle was, **RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.** I was absolutely floored. Regardless of how an employee feels about the condition of a returned vehicle, speaking negatively about a customer while they are standing right there is completely unacceptable.
I asked her if she had children and then asked for her name. She ignored me. I asked again, and the man told me he would handle it, but nobody would provide her name.
Rather than continue arguing over what I felt was an unreasonable cleaning charge, I went BACK OUTSIDE and personally vacuumed the vehicle and wiped down the surfaces myself. **Mind you, I am SIX MONTHS PREGNANT, cleaning out a rental vehicle in their parking lot because they were threatening to charge me $100 over crumbs and leaves.**
The gentleman explained that they have quick turnaround times and need vehicles ready for the next customer. I completely understand that. However, I was returning the vehicle nearly two hours early, and I would assume that vacuuming and wiping down a rental vehicle between customers is part of the normal cleaning process, especially when there are no stains or damage.
After cleaning the vehicle myself, I returned inside and again expressed how inappropriate the female employee's behavior had been. Instead of simply acknowledging the situation, the man tried to dismiss it as a "he said, she said" situation and claimed that I had supposedly flipped the female employee off in the parking lot. **That NEVER happened.** I had never even seen this girl before walking into that location that day, and I certainly had no reason to behave that way toward her.
Ultimately, the cleaning fee was waived after I cleaned the vehicle myself. Which, in my opinion, says quite a bit about how much "deep cleaning" was actually necessary.
I am not saying a rental vehicle should be returned filthy, and I absolutely understand that excessive messes can warrant additional fees. However, there is a huge difference between a vehicle needing a routine vacuum and wipe-down after 2 1/2 weeks of family use and a vehicle being so filthy that it requires $100 in professional detailing.
**My biggest issue isn't even the attempted cleaning charge. It's the complete lack of professionalism, respect, and customer service.** The way that female employee behaved was embarrassing, and the way the situation was handled afterward was just as disappointing.
I will be attaching photos so others can judge the condition of the vehicle for themselves.
I would NEVER return to this Enterprise location.
