Enterprise receives highest rank for rental car companies. What are the others?

by Jamie Rhein on

According to J.D. Power and Associates, the company that conducts a survey on customer satisfaction with rental cars, Enterprise-Rent-a-Car came out ahead. Good for Enterprise. This is the fifth consecutive win for this company. They are the only company to receive a 5 out of 5.

Other top rankers-with 4 out of 5, are Hertz and Alamo. Maybe Alamo listened to customer complaints because that company improved its service since 2007.

What makes great car rental service? Car companies were ranked according to “cost and fees, pickup process, rented car, return process, reservation process, and shuttle van/bus” according to this summary at MotorTrend. Cost and fees were what most people were after.

One in ten people report a problem at the rental desk which is a problem in today’s economy when less business people are traveling. Keeping customers satisfied is one way to increase their likelihood of returning.

The companies that ranked 2 out of 5 from bad to worse are:

  • Thrifty
  • Dollar
  • Payless
  • Advantage Rent A Car
  • Fox Rent A Car

The photo is of Enterprise’s hybrid fleet, perhaps another item that makes customers satisfied.

Will Zipcar be your ride of choice?

by Jerry Guo on

Though Zipcar–the largest car-sharing service in the US–boasts 180,000 members and 5,000 cars in more than 50 cities across the states, Europe, and Canada, chances are you still haven’t heard of them.

In late October of last year, Zipcar merged with the other dominant car-share company, Flexcar, which makes the new company the de facto service for people who need a car for the occasional errand. It’s become quite a hit here in New Haven, CT. Even lots of my friends at Yale are paying the couple hundred in annual membership fees to be able to check out a car for a day.

For many, it’s an excellent deal. You can rent by the hour ($8.50 in New Haven) or by the day ($65). And best of all, gas, insurance, and parking are all free. But it’s not for me. If you drive long distances, like I do to Pittsburgh, then you’re better off just getting a rental, especially since each mile above 180 is $0.35.

But if you need it for a couple hours every weekend or so, this might save you a ton of cash.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of June 17

by Adrienne Wilson on

The week is out of here, but before you hit the town or one of Kelly’s many book recommendations for the first official weekend of summer make sure you give these plugs one more spin.

5. A Peek into the Future of Dubai:
From the sound of things Dubai will be a circus of exotic hotels and filled with many more amusements to tickle your fancy before you can say ab-ra-ca-dab-ra. If you’re like me and you hope one day to see it without all the crazy tourism development you better make plans to go now. Otherwise cloud hotels could be fun.

4. A Quest for a Cheap Car Rental:
Summer is here and it is time to hit the road. If you are in need of tips to help you save a buck or more try this one.

3. World Nomad/LP Filmmaker Scholarship:
Here’s an incredible opportunity for budding filmmakers with a desire to travel around the world. The scholarship application deadline closes somewhere around August 15th so hurry young travelers.

2. Travel Stories That Are Rated “R”:
Okay, so these travelers tales AREN’T for everyone. Some of them like Willy mentioned are very off and bizarre even for us here at Gadling. Should your curiosity get you going and you wonder what happened in Vegas or Paris or even Cape Town that didn’t stay where it needed to be, check a few of these stories out.

1. Alaska without the Cruise Ship Part 17: Some Final Thoughts:
Neil’s fantastic Alaska dispatch has come to a close, but never fear! You can still revisit each part by clicking on the fancy icon to the right or the link right above which will allow you to explore them all over again and again and again until one day you finally decide to go on your own. The pictures of Alaska are great, but you got to admit it looks a whole lot better in person.