S
speakman
Guest
So I'm aware this post is going to sound like a spoilt whiney rant... it's to do with LR Manhattan North Bethesda (MD) having a policy of Enterprise rental service loaners. Now I travel a lot in the United States, so am no stranger to the joys of the Ford Taurus, lord of the car rental lot, although the one they found for me yesterday was pretty stripped down - I didn't know they made cars without CD players and remote control locks, these days. Anyway it's not the car (although of course a new Range Rover would be nice).
And yes, there's a wait involved while Enterprise do the paperwork and find you a car, which if I were in a hurry would have been a problem. But that's what the Blackberry is for, and I'm happy to shoot the breeze for half an hour with my sales person, the fabulous Samantha at LR North Bethesda (find her on the used car lot, but she can sell you new ones too like she did with us).
No, the problem with Enterprise is the nasty-ass nickel and diming they try and do with you. They try and press you into paying for a more expensive car (not a Land Rover but a fancier Ford) for a bunch of extra money. Then when you resist their entreaties and say, no, I'll take the free one that LR pays for, they go away for half an hour and find you the Taurus. Again this is OK by me (although i think they found me the nastiest car they had - it's not like the airport counter where they at least try and make you happy).
Then the hard sell begins. They say do you want to pay extra for the insurance? You say no, then they paint bleak pictures of how you may be on the hook for thousands on the deductible because they will hunt down your insurance company if you ding it. They ask you who your insurance company is (what is this? an interrogation?), and hint that the deductible may be so much that you really would be stupid not to pay the extra for the rental money.
You say no, no, no, please just stop pressuring me and give me the loaner, blood pressure rising, and eventually the ordeal ends and you get to go. The end result is that you're made to feel cheaper than a truck stop ******. It's a degrading experience. Bottom line (for me) is that it's not the car they give you, it's the nasty experience of getting pressured.
The Land Rover is a complex piece of engineering and needs to get serviced. Furthermore the free maintenance is included in the price. Sad therefore that I am considering the Annapolis Land Rover dealer to maintain the car (and therefore to buy the next one when the two-year lease is up). Furthermore the Land Rover is an expensive car. When I take our other car in (a Mini) the dealer throws us the keys to another Mini or a BMW. How come taking in the more expensive car is such a nastier experience?
Jerry Jaffe, who runs the dealership, seems like a great guy who is really trying to respond to the new Land Rover franchise - he sponsored a fun free off-road driving course, for instance. And Samantha is a terrific person to do business with - plus the service operation seems very professional. But by allowing Enterprise to run their loaner operation they are turning a relationship-oriented business into a deal-oriented one. Well, you made me a deal when you sold me the car but don't you want to sell me another one?
Again sorry if this sounds like a rant. I love my LR3 and I don't even expect it to be maintenance-free. I just don't want to be pressured to open my wallet by slimy car rental agents when i take it in.
*deep breath* there, i'm done. sorry. Erm... discuss.
And yes, there's a wait involved while Enterprise do the paperwork and find you a car, which if I were in a hurry would have been a problem. But that's what the Blackberry is for, and I'm happy to shoot the breeze for half an hour with my sales person, the fabulous Samantha at LR North Bethesda (find her on the used car lot, but she can sell you new ones too like she did with us).
No, the problem with Enterprise is the nasty-ass nickel and diming they try and do with you. They try and press you into paying for a more expensive car (not a Land Rover but a fancier Ford) for a bunch of extra money. Then when you resist their entreaties and say, no, I'll take the free one that LR pays for, they go away for half an hour and find you the Taurus. Again this is OK by me (although i think they found me the nastiest car they had - it's not like the airport counter where they at least try and make you happy).
Then the hard sell begins. They say do you want to pay extra for the insurance? You say no, then they paint bleak pictures of how you may be on the hook for thousands on the deductible because they will hunt down your insurance company if you ding it. They ask you who your insurance company is (what is this? an interrogation?), and hint that the deductible may be so much that you really would be stupid not to pay the extra for the rental money.
You say no, no, no, please just stop pressuring me and give me the loaner, blood pressure rising, and eventually the ordeal ends and you get to go. The end result is that you're made to feel cheaper than a truck stop ******. It's a degrading experience. Bottom line (for me) is that it's not the car they give you, it's the nasty experience of getting pressured.
The Land Rover is a complex piece of engineering and needs to get serviced. Furthermore the free maintenance is included in the price. Sad therefore that I am considering the Annapolis Land Rover dealer to maintain the car (and therefore to buy the next one when the two-year lease is up). Furthermore the Land Rover is an expensive car. When I take our other car in (a Mini) the dealer throws us the keys to another Mini or a BMW. How come taking in the more expensive car is such a nastier experience?
Jerry Jaffe, who runs the dealership, seems like a great guy who is really trying to respond to the new Land Rover franchise - he sponsored a fun free off-road driving course, for instance. And Samantha is a terrific person to do business with - plus the service operation seems very professional. But by allowing Enterprise to run their loaner operation they are turning a relationship-oriented business into a deal-oriented one. Well, you made me a deal when you sold me the car but don't you want to sell me another one?
Again sorry if this sounds like a rant. I love my LR3 and I don't even expect it to be maintenance-free. I just don't want to be pressured to open my wallet by slimy car rental agents when i take it in.
*deep breath* there, i'm done. sorry. Erm... discuss.
