The choice was not mine to use Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The earth was melting or so it felt when the air conditioner of my beloved VW Passat stopped working in Florida during the hottest week of summer.
The diagnosis from the dealer service centre was grim. Call at the end of the day, it may need to be in overnight. My jaw dropped to the ground. I had waited 3 days to get this service in a dealership which was miles from my home and now I would be car-less?
But I have children, I heard myself say in a pleading voice. The amiable associate flashed a smile and asked "Do you need a car?"
I wanted to grab him by his corporate blue tie and stick his head outside of the ice-box that was the customer service booth. Was he insane? This is Florida Mars is the only place hotter and the only time people walk here is to get from their air-conditioned car to a thermostatically cooled shopping mall.
He disregarded my maniacal look to tell me that there was an Enterprise Rent-A-Car office across the driveway and all I had to do was take this pink form to them. The dealership would pay if the car was kept overnight. Perfect.
So with pink paper in hand I raced into the Enterprise office where there was a short line of other car-less people awaiting the same outcome. This Enterprise office had a captive audience; everyone was in need of an auto while their own car was being serviced. Luckily, I had no pressing engagements for the next half hour as I watched the two Enterprise staff behind the counter fill out paperwork, tap away on their computer and then take each customer to their awaiting car.
Finally it was my turn. I handed over my now crumpled pink authorization paper. The Enterprise staff member greeted me with a half hearted "Hey!", barely looking up as he tapped away on his computer, had another bite of his breakfast burrito and winced.
I'd hoped his demeanor was not on my account but on the unhealthy choice of his breakfast. "Sorry don't have anything," he said before taking another bite of the burrito. He mumbled something about being really busy and maybe a car will be returned later although he failed to mention the time parameter of "later".
He glanced up to catch my startled reaction. Here it was 8am on a weekday and this car rental company didn't have any cars. I couldn't help but laugh; I'd seen this on an episode of Seinfeld.
Another mouthful of burrito, another wince and more tapping on the computer, "How do you feel about driving a truck?" He asked. "I've got a Chevy Silverado. It's diesel."
Just as I was about to explain my reluctance to driving such a big vehicle, in walked my savior, a returning customer with keys to a compact Nissan Versa. I waited a few minutes while his paperwork was completed. I handed over my credit card to secure the insurance and was driving with air-conditioning and a half full tank of gas within ten minutes.
Enterprise's rental cars don't have that high quality clean feeling that you get from some of the higher end rental companies. But then they don't cost as much to rent. At this particular office attached to a VW dealership, customers were getting into the rental cars literally the moment they were being returned so cleaning would have just slowed down the process.
Surprisingly, the car I drove was very clean but didn't have that just-cleaned smell rather the lingering smell of men's cologne from the previous renter.
The Enterprise assistant, who finally finished his burrito, told me not to fill the gas tank but return it with the same amount of gas that was in it. He'd become quite jovial as he sent me off in the little Nissan it was either the relief of finding me a car or of finally digesting his breakfast.
My own car did stay overnight so I called to inform the Enterprise office. They were extremely polite and told me that it wasn't a problem. The following day, the return of the rental car was extremely swift. An Enterprise assistant had a cursory look over the car as I handed the keys back.
But the story doesn't end there. I got to experience that same Enterprise office the next week when my air-conditioning stopped working again and had to be returned to the dealership. The service was a lot quicker as this time they had cars available. I would never have considered Enterprise prior to using them as I'd always used Hertz or Avis but now they're on the top of my list as their rates are so much more reasonable.