Enterprise Rent A Car-San Diego, Ca Discriminating, Humiliating, Unethical, Unprofessional Treatment that cost me extra hundreds of dollars!! San Diego, California

I had initially reserved the car online on 11/07/2012 to take advantage of the online rate of $23.39 per day x 4 days + all taxes/fees = Total Rental Charge of $103.48. However, I when I confirmed my reservation I was told that because I was using my Visa debit card through my bank instead of a regular Visa credit card, I

would have to pick up the rental from the downtown office on F. Street and would need to bring in a utility bill showing my address for locality. As I have rented from your company before using my Visa debit card, I already knew I would have to show proof that I lived local and the company would hold $300.00 on my card until the return of the car at which time they would only charge the rental price and release the rest. When I went to pick up the car at 12pm noon, I was told that the bill I presented was not acceptable because it had a past due balance on it.

I have NEVER had this problem before. In fact, the last time I reserved a car I only presented the payment coupon that shows my address, I didn't bring in the whole bill with all pages showing all charges. when I advised the woman, who turned out to be the branch manager Beth Sexton, that I've NEVER had a problem renting before and I always use my Visa debit card and I usually only bring in the payment coupon showing my address, not the entire bill as I did that time, but I was in a hurry and just grabbed the whole bill not thinking anything of it as I've never had a problem before. She told me it was company policy to show proof of where I lived. Well that's already proven with my address on the bill, which, by the way, is on the same street as the office

only across the freeway East of the office. I argue that's not the point & none of her business; they only need proof my address. She says to me "It's for proof of financial stability. Having a past due balance says you're not responsible. You don't pay your bills on time but you want us to rent you a 20 thousand dollar car??" I was not only shocked she said that to me but that she would say it LOUD & hold up my bill in the air...with an office full of people. I was LIVID! I advised her that my financial situation

was none of her business and she had no right to speak to me like that let alone to judge me. Also, if she knew anything about finances, she would know that having a credit card does NOT insure the individual's financial stability or responsibility. Over 50% of the population are DEEP into credit card DEBT which is why I refuse to have one and use the Visa credit card option directly through my account. If I don't have the money topay for my purchase in my account it won't go through. She just rolled her eyes. Wow! I ask what I need to do so I can get the d**n car I reserved, she said pay your bills. I said, Fine. Ill go to SDG&E and pay that tiny past due balance & come back with the receipt.

She said, no I had to pay the entire balance in full. The current charges are not due until Dec. 8th, THAT was not past due. She said, It has to show a zero balance. If you cant afford to pay that, you cant afford to rent a car. I was beyond LIVID & HUMILIATED by her talking to me like that.

This trip, with the ECONOMY/COMPACT car rental given to me (Nissan Versa: gets 34mpg highway) the tank was empty by the end of the grape vine and I had to fill up. That was only 3hrs into our trip.

Ive NEVER, EVER had to do that. But thats not all. When I arrive to my destination, I check the air filterits FILTHY. I check the oilits DIRTY. I was very upset, after all that office put me through just to rent the car, not honoring my advanced online reservation rate and charging me Triple what my

original rate was to now also having to pay a lot more in gas because they gave me a car that clearly had not had a tune up greatly upset me all over again. I went 1.5hrs North to visit some friends and by the time I got back I had to fill up the car again. Once again, something I have NEVER had to do. The gas mileage for that rental car was NOT being met due to the filthy filter and dirty oil and I was fed up with Enterprise by this time. Upon my return of the car, I tell the lady what happened, show her the photo I took of the filter, she goes down to look at computer for car, comes back and says the car was past due for a tune up and should not have been given out to rent. She apologizes and offers me a 10% discount. Really.10%? I tell the girl after all Ive been through 10% is an insult. The supervisor on duty steps over to us and asks me if he gives me a 20% discount, will I accept that as settling

everything that has happened and close the whole issue. I said to him, 20% discount to settle the whole insulting, humiliating, disrespectful, unprofessional behavior and now getting a car that wasnt fit to rent? Absolutely not. But I will take a 20% discount for the extra cost in gas it has cost me. He says, lets make it 15% for that issue. From 20% down to 15%...really it's just insult added to insult. Like the extra 5% was going to break them?  I agreed but let it be known it was NOT my agreement to accept that as my settlement of the entire matter. Until this rental, I have always spoke highly of Enterprise Rent A Car and referred many associates to give them their business. Today, Im extremely disgusted in the company and very disappointed in all that has happened. 

Enterprise is a Privately owned company, not franchised. ALL offices should have the same training and rules. I've been in management most of my adult life and would never tolerate an employee treating a customer like that. Managers have a responsibility to lead my example. Enterprise's website that claims to call customers directly to rate their experience and to have 'Superior Customer Service'. Let me clarify the call to customers claim from my own conversations with other existing and prior employees. They only call about 75-100 people; this is a very small amount when you compare to the hundreds of thousands of customers they have annually. They also claim to put their employees through a 'Management Training Program...we train them thoroughly". If that is true, this one employee somehow fell through the cracks or put on a very good, false front to their supervisor to advance. The horrid, unprofessional service and her degrading, humiliating treatment of me is proof of that.