Pros
Even though I really did not enjoy the position, I can't say I regret working for Enterprise. They have a really great management trainee program, and I learned a ton while working there, being that this was my first real job after graduation college. Enterprise teaches its employees solid customer service skills, how to sell, and even a bit of the back end and how to run a branch. Most companies where I've applied after Enterprise have pointed out to me that they love hiring ex-Enterprise employees. This is partially because they know how great the training program is, but also because they know that you must be a hard worker, if you stuck around with Enterprise. It's not a bad company to have on your resume. Enterprise typically hires young employees, fresh out of college. I became very close friends with many of my co-workers. I'm writing this review 3 years after leaving the company, and I am STILL very close with some of them. Being that the position itself wasn't for me, my co-workers are what made it bearable (at least for awhile). There is definitely a work hard, play hard attitude in the office, and we would go out for drinks after work pretty often. Because you are placed on a sales matrix, and must hit certain goals, this can create some fun competition within the office. Some managers will offer incentives for top sales people, whether it is for the month, or just for the day (for example, whoever sells x amount first today, gets to go home). However, the incentives were pretty rarely offered. That said, it was always fun to compete against our co-workers. There IS room for advancement within the company, HOWEVER, make sure you'd be happy working in daily rental forever. I realized it was time to leave the company when I looked at my head boss, whose job I should've wanted so badly, and I didn't want it at all -- daily rental just wasn't for me. There are some opportunities to work in corporate, but not many at all, and it's worth it to just look elsewhere, if that's the route you're looking to take. There is a lot of money to be made here, provided you are an amazing salesperson, and again, that you are okay working in daily rental. My area manager was very young and making BANK, but if you're not looking to stay in daily rental and sell like a boss every single day, it isn't going to happen. Benefits weren't bad. Health insurance was decent, and 401k match is always great. Flex days. Most local branches are open for a few hours on Saturdays, and you are only supposed to work 48 hours per week. Because the hours are long, and you will be working some Saturdays, you will be entitled to what they call a "flex day" once per week. This is where you either leave early or come in late, so that your hours don't end up exceeding 48 hours. It may depend on the branch, but at every branch where I worked, the manager pretty much determined which day would be my flex day. In my experience, managers have been very helpful and willing to train any struggling employee at their request. I struggled at one point, and got a lot of attention from my managers, who helped me get back on my feet. Everyone at the company starts out as a management trainee. This is amazing because ALL of your managers understand your struggles. There is never a feeling that someone above you didn't have to survive years of daily rental -- they've all been there. You get to drive new model cars around.
Cons
The 'every day' at Enterprise is pretty miserable, to be honest. I dreaded every single day going into work. Most local branches are open from 7:30am-6pm. You are typically required to be there a bit early, and it's not uncommon to get stuck there late. The hours are pretty long, and everyone that I worked with ended up getting really burnt out at some point or another. Yes, there is a flex day so that you don't exceed 48 hours, but an 11 hour day (almost daily) will hurt after awhile. Maybe the branches I worked at were super busy, but I was on my feet almost that entire time, running around and getting things done. Again, 11 hour days (much longer sometimes) running around is extremely exhausting. More often than not, I did not get to take a lunch, or I worked through it. You have to wear a suit every day. I found this to be a little ridiculous, since we are renting cars. I completely understand looking professional, but I feel that khakis and a polo would have been fine for men, and dress pants for women. It's really uncomfortable running around all day in a stuffy suit. You will clean dirty cars. You will do this both in the warmth of summer and the cold winters. You will do this in your suit. Again, incredibly uncomfortable. If you live somewhere it may snow, you will help shovel every single car out. I was living and working in New York, so we had some really cold winters, as well as a ton of snow/rain/bad weather. You will be going outside and coming inside constantly throughout the day to check the customers into cars, check them for damage when they return, and help clean them. Again, this is no fun when it's raining/snowing/freezing out. Customers treat you VERY badly. I have worked plenty of customer service jobs, as well as retail positions, so I'm no stranger to rude customers. For some reason, they were the worst at Enterprise. They definitely do NOT realize that you have a college degree or have any idea how hard you work every day. Because of cars being damaged, overbooked, having mechanical issues, etc., it is not uncommon to run out of cars, and customers are NOT cool about it. It can be very frustrating as well to watch your manager or another employee upsell a customer to an expensive car for a few extra dollars per day, and then have to deal with the customer who actually reserved the expensive car, and have to tell them that you do not have the car for them. I couldn't even guess how many times I've had to drive angry customers to other branches to get a car from them when we are all out. The branches I worked at were mainly for insurance claims, so we typically would not know how many customers would come in each day, as these people will bring their cars into a shop, who will then refer them to us. This means that it can be impossible sometimes to try and estimate how many cars we will need that day, and end up with a ton of angry customers. It also means a lot less organization and no idea what to expect from that day of work. This obviously is just the nature of the business, but it was definitely something that got to me after awhile. If you work at a local branch, you will work some Saturdays (6 day weeks). When I was leaving Enterprise, they were contemplating opening up branches on Sundays as well, but I'm not sure whether that ended up happening. I worked at an airport location at one point, which was a 7-day operation, open from 6am-midnight. I did not have a solid schedule, and some days I would open the branch, while I would close other nights. I had a full weekend on, full weekend off. I'm not blaming this on Enterprise by any means, as I understand that not everyone will have this reaction, but the erratic schedule really got to me after awhile. I eventually became an insomniac, and would go days without sleeping, or sleep 1-2 hours a night. Again, this isn't Enterprise's fault, but the erratic schedule at the 7-day operations may not be for everyone. Sales can be frustrating, especially with this company. There are different types of rental: insurance, retail, and corporate. Selling tends to be much more difficult on insurance rentals, and very easy on retail rentals. The branches I had worked in were all very heavy on insurance rentals, so sales were tough. I was ranked against employees at retail branches, and felt that it was a bit unfair. That said, sometimes this may be taken into consideration, as I've seen some people promoted who did not have the highest sales numbers. Still, it definitely is something that needs to be looked at much more carefully, because it tends to get very frustrating for the employees on the crap end of it. Entry level pay is low. I realize that the potential to make money as a branch/area manager is very real, but it's really tough for a management trainee to stay motivated at such a tough job for such a low salary. Not much PTO given, and it can be very hard to get days off. I believe you start out with just 7 paid days off in your first year. I worked at very busy branches, and I would feel guilty taking a day because I knew how tough the day would be, minus an employee. There are a lot of unethical things that go on at Enterprise. I know this happens at many companies, but it sometimes gets to the point where it is uncomfortable for the employee.
