Enterprise part 2

DISCLAIMER;

Mistakes happen.
I make plenty of them.
I really value time and may have an unfair advantage and/or extra motivation in this category

So I thought I was done when I wrote this letter to Enterprise yesterday. Then minutes after writing it Enterprise called and said they should not have given me the car I had, could I please swap it out. I replied to this message at about 10:00 a.m. We agreed they had a comparable car **honestly the Ford Fusion may be fancier than the Chrysler 200 but it is not an upgrade** and we agreed that we can exchange cars at 1:00 at my home. Simple enough, mistake happened, I said no problem I would be happy to help and went about my day.

Now it is 12:30 and I am home. Car seats are removed and the original car is in my driveway ready for pickup.

Now it is 1:05 still no Enterprise.

Now it is 1:15 so I call. After sitting on hold for several minutes I am assured he is 5 minutes away.

Now it is 1:35 I call back pretty annoyed since I will now be late for my 2:30 and was told there was an accident on an adjoining road and he was on his way. **

Finally 1:55 and the driver arrives. Here are some observations;

1. People are late all the time, it happens. CALL Most humans will understand. But call even when you think you may be late. The only call I received was at 9:30 when I was asked for help.

2. OWN your mistakes. Not once did I feel any genuine empathy for the time I allowed you to steal from me. Remember I was helping you fix your mistake.

**3. About that “accident” Most accidents that hold up traffic involve the police and sometimes fire trucks and ambulances. My home is .2 miles from the main rd and .9 from the fire station. I heard nothing BUT the driver had a full iced tea/coffee from Dunkin Donuts. Could be coincidence but this is just north of my home and actually out of the way if coming from your location.

4. About the driver, if you are employing anyone you have a responsibility to help them develop. Why would you send a college graduate out with jeans, a t-shirt and a baseball cap on. Like it or not image is very important. Then again you gave me another car that is overdue for an oil change.

Now what, right to Twitter and Facebook. A very quick response via Facebook and I was told someone would call. Earlier this afternoon they did. I suppose 24 hours from an incident is not bad. I think the only way this person could have cared any less is if he actually said I really don’t care I am just calling because I was told to… When your managers have no ability to empathize it makes sense that their reports have none either. He claimed to know nothing about what the actual problem was and I had to explain it. During our chat he actually gave more praise to the manager who gave out a sold car, lied to me and made no effort to make things better than he did to apologizing and making me feel better.

No genuine thank you, no random “gift” no direct compensation for my lost time/productivity, NOTHING. Just another lost opportunity and another hour of my life gone.

Now I will spend the next two weeks or so in your rental. It would be great if you could try as hard as your commercials say you do. Aw well.

08.30.13

by The Insurance Bill

Dear Enterprise Rental Car,

8/29/13

I had an unfortunate moment last Thursday when my car was struck by another one. Now that I have had some time to relax and think I thought I would right you a letter. I believe that if you are going to hand out feedback you need to be willing to share good and bad. DISCLAIMER, I have been haphazardly recommending you for about ten years since a previous employer had arrangements with you. Shame on me.

The good news is my first two conversations with Geico representatives were wonderful. Great job empathizing with me, made me feel like they really cared. Not once was I put on hold in about 20 minutes on the phone. The bad news, in my first conversation with your rep I was put on hold twice and could tell he had a lot more he was working on than just my car. I also let him know that I would need a larger car. Since I have two children that would not fit in the Fiat he offered maybe something else would be available, he really was unconcerned. I asked him if he really wanted to send me out in a car that was not safe and he did not answer.

More good news, Geico stepped up and made sure I had a comparable car available. More bad news, when I arrived there were two options but neither was washed and ready. When I did get the new car it was then washed while I waited. FAIL. Then when I started the car I realized the car needs an oil change. This has been great, every time I start the car I am reminded of how little your employees care about it. Should be real fun for the next two weeks while my car is fixed.

Good news, Geico checked in to make sure things went smooth. I informed them of how great their service was but how your bad service actually reflects negatively on them as well. Of course they were not pleased. More bad news, you have young impressionable adults who could and should become wonderful pieces of society. Instead the person that handled the paperwork followed his script and made sure I was just another transaction. Thought it was particularly wonderful when I told him about a stain in the back seat and he told me “don’t worry about it we are only concerned with the outside..” So we don’t care about interior or the engine, nice.

Now these may be small things but the reality is small things add up to big things. Like the 1000+ people I do business with each year and the couple of dozen claims my customers have each year, they all add up. One person at a time I try to provide a good experience, I own all my actions, good and bad. I am by no means perfect but I always try.

Thanks for reading. Best of luck on improving your experience.

Dissatisfied in Poughkeepsie,

Billy Van Jura

P.S. Also, shouldn’t all your cars have satellite radio? Why make someone have to look for stations in an unfamiliar location? I am sure XM can give you a volume discount like you give Geico and other insurance companies.

08.12.13

by The Insurance Bill

Supporting local, could be the next Walkway over the Hudson

Mount Beacon Incline Railway Restoration Society

receives donation from Birchyard LLC

Wappingers Falls N.Y. (August 9, 2013)– Birchyard LLC donates to the Mount Beacon Incline Railway Restoration Society. The donation was presented on August 4, 2013 at 9 a.m. The funds will help support and repair the Incline Railway on North Beacon Mountain. Scenic Hudson’s Mount Beacon Park currently serves as a nature park, and the incline restoration is intended to preserve and enhance that role.

The Mount Beacon Incline Railway Restoration Society was founded in 1996. It consists of volunteers from all around the New York State area. The society is committed to returning incline railway service to the summit of Mount Beacon. This is creating a nature park for people of all abilities.

“Thanks to the support of our trustees, volunteers, members, friends and donors, we’ve made terrific progress towards our goal in the last two years,” Mike Colarusso, president of the Incline Society said. “It’s heartening to see and I’ll do my level best to help maintain the momentum.”

Birchyard develops customized property and casualty insurance plans that fit the needs of individuals, family’s, and business owners they serve. The Beacon Incline Railway Restoration Society is a non-profit historical society with a goal to restore the historic railway on Mount Beacon. For additional information about the rebuilding of the Mount Beacon Railway, visit www.inclinerailway.org.