I have run a business since the age of 19, back in the Stone Age. At that time, I was a member - a proud member - of the Chamber of Commerce.
No more. I am not a corporation, and will not incorporate, because I believe that corporation entities, LLCs included, are illegitimate entities, which allow tax loopholes to provide unconscionable exploitation of customers and workers alike, to feed the greed of owners and to shaft consumers.
I am proven right in this again and again. Follow me over the fold to a method I have used, starting with my diary "Boycott Starbucks"to win back, letter by letter, and corporation by corporation, the power of the consumer dollar and the consumer voice, and take on corporations where they live: their pocketbooks.
Today's missive is to Enterprise Rent-A-Car, a franchise car rental company I have depended upon heavily since my auto accident, because the car I owned and loved, was destroyed by an irresponsible driver. The insurance debacle is being handled by my lawyer so I won't be going into the insurance angle, which is nightmarish enough to REQUIRE legal representation by an expert in personal injury law. I happened to get one of those so I'm covered there, although he is so busy that my little teeny tiny case, which should be a slam dunk of accepted liability claim in a no-fault state, tends to languish and i am still not reimbursed for about $3,800 in last month's expenses.
Today's modest TOS - Consumer Style is about rental car services, and here is the beginning of this letter campaign.
To Jim Runnels
Senior Vice President
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
via Email
Hi there,
Since you signed my welcome package, I would like you to know that I had an unfortunate experience the day I signed up for Enterprise Plus and failed to rent a car in Alexandria, Virginia.
I have recently moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I have a rental history with Enterprise at their Lyndale location. I never had any problem either paying for, or returning, a rental car there. Nor had I ever heard that my business banking VISA was a restricted form of payment, since I have used it in five foreign countries as a VISA card, and everywhere else in the United States (twenty different states). My business banking account has been open for fifteen (15) years, it is attached to my CD accounts which have a balance of over $3,000 and my credit limit is validated - just like a VISA regular credit card. I was told when I rented for a one week rental period in Landover, Maryland, on December 26, 2009, that an authorization would be placed against my VISA card for the term of the rental, but that no charges would be run at that time. The authorization amount was $100, I rented for 8 days.
When I phoned the Duke Street, Alexandria, location to rent a car on the 3rd of January, I was told that my VISA card was not valid for rental without a charged deposit, proof of residency in the form of a utility bill at my street address, and a state driver's license in Virginia.
I have no utility bills in Alexandria, Virginia. I have no proof of residency, since I moved here on the 15th of December, 2009, and I have no state driver's license in Virginia as I am a permanent resident of California. I was refused a rental and told that I could place a sizable deposit (the amount exceeding the amount of the rental itself) against my VISA card, despite the fact that I would be purchasing complete collision damage waivers and liability insurance as part of my rental.
I am unable to use your company any longer due to these restrictions and limitations, which will continue to pertain, despite the fact that I have a valid VISA card with a line of credit available, I have a valid California driver's license, a perfect driving record, and a permanent job with the [redacted] in [redacted] Virginia. I find this an amazing situation. And I cannot believe that Enterprise really wishes to turn away such lucrative rental business to validated repeat customers who have rented in multiple states from you in the past without problems.
I live across the street from an Enterprise rental location. It would be a wonderful benefit to me to be able to rent from your company, but without some sort of change in your policy, my membership is irrelevant.
Thanks anyway. Do you want your upgrade coupon back?
Regards,
E. Louise van Hine
Threshold Publishing Company
louisev@zebratta.com
member # 7KRJK42