This is a quick note to highlight the outstanding service I received today at Enterprise Rent-A-Car (ERAC) in Boston, Massachusetts today.

I spotted the ERAC shuttle in the distance and wondered if I could make it. I started towards the shuttle after stepping outside and tried to make eye contact with the driver, who had already closed the doors. To my delight, he spotted me and waited.

As we pulled up to the ERAC office, the driver instructed us to leave our bags where they were and that he would unload them for us. As we stepped off the shuttle, a cheerful young lady greeted each of the customers as they stepped onto the sidewalk.

Stepping into the air conditioned lobby, the same young lady who greeted customers passed out cold water bottles and maps to individuals waiting in line. As ERAC employees became available, they walked up to the person waiting in line, shook their hand, and introduced themselves. After finalizing the reservation, the employee walked out to the car with the customer.

I noticed that the young man helping me (we’ll call him Samuel, since that’s his name) was moving slowly, seemingly in a bit of pain. His supervisor actually instructed him to take a break after assisting me. Despite this, he made conversation with me as he assisted me, and offered to take my luggage as we walked to the car. I declined of course, but the gesture was appreciated. I found out after inquiring that Samuel was suffering from a blown back, a bad hip, and a hurt ankle. He still walked me out to my car and actually upgraded my vehicle since the class I booked was unavailable.

Outstanding.

Contrast this with my experience at Hertz last week:

• The shuttle driver only permitted customers who had pre-existing reservations, as they were out of vehicles.
• It took almost 30 minutes to get the rental that I reserved online.
• The line was out the door in the lobby and moved abysmally slow.
• The self-service kiosks were unable to complete transactions for anyone who tried them while I was there.

I signed up for their Hertz #1 Gold Club this weekend to avoid the ridiculous wait, only to find them out of cars this week.

Who do you think I’ll be renting with next week?