Josh Versus Deer…Again (Alternative Title: Enterprise Rent-A-Car Sucks)

Driving to work today at 5:30 a.m., I hit a deer. I feel like this is the 40th time I have hit a deer. Maybe not, I hit one in my Yaris, then a deer ran into my Subaru. I did hit a raccoon with this car and it did some damage to the front end. So I guess I was due for another run in with Odocoileus virginianus.

I am cruising down Rt. 219, speed set at 74 mph (9 over the speed limit, my cousin said that is cool and the police will not pull me over), listening to Skeptoid and drinking my coffee. Two deer jump out and I hit the brakes. The car slides sideways a bit and I hit the lead deer. I react quickly and cut the wheel a bit to counter the skid, but the momentum is going forward and it feels like the car is going to flip. At that moment, I think “oh shit, I’m going to die…who is going to open the restaurant?” Yep, that was what I worried about in those brief moments.

Fortunately, the car did not flip over and I was able to pull over to the side. I hopped out to check the damage and realized it was pretty bad. I debated what to do…call the police, call Lindsey, call my insurance company, or try to drive the rest of the way to work. I decided to test it out. I drove a little bit and the car seemed fine. However, once I made it to Johnstown, it was starting to make some noises.

I arrived at work and called Progressive (they are always so nice when you call them). They took care of them regarding having it towed to the body shop and then they set up the rental. I said that I had a problem with Enterprise before because I went in for my vehicle and they said they did not have one for me, even though I had a reservation. The lady from Progressive gives me a number to call to confirm when they open at 8:00. I call them and the guy says that yes, they have my reservation and someone will be out to pick me up at 4:30.

A few hours later I get another call. This is a different person from Enterprise. She says that they do not have a car for me today, but will have one tomorrow. Here is how the rest of the conversation went down:

Me:  Umm, how am I supposed to get home? I am at work and have no vehicle. Plus I have to pick my daughter up from daycare.
Enterprise:  (laughs) I don’t know.
Me:  This is not funny. I am not laughing.
Enterprise:  I understand sir, but this is not our fault, someone at the call center made a mistake. They should not have taken your reservation.
Me:  So what am I supposed to do?
Enterprise: Maybe call the insurance company. Just let us know about the reservation tomorrow.
I just hung up at the point. Did she really think after laughing at my situation and not being helpful at all, that I was going to call them back later and say “oh hey, I do not need a car tomorrow.” Get real, I hope they show up at work tomorrow at 4:30 to pick me up.

Anyways, I called Progressive and explained what was going on and they were very upset about it. They called Hertz and made sure they had a car for me. Hertz was there at 4:30. I am not sure how the rental car world works, but generally you want to please the customer. If I were running that place, I would have found a way to make it right. Maybe call another Enterprise within driving distance and send someone to pick up a car from them? I do not know what is in their power, but laughing at me is definitely not the answer.

Thank you to Progressive, Team Collission, and Hertz for having great customer service. Screw you Enterprise! Hopefully tomorrow is a little better day…

Author: Ngewo