BH
Bobby Hamlin
Oct 5, 2026
I have rented from Enterprise many times over the years, especially for business travel, and that is exactly why my experience at the Port Canaveral location was so disappointing. This was one of the first times I have walked away from an Enterprise rental genuinely shocked by the level of customer service.
To be clear, my complaint is NOT that Enterprise didn’t have an electric vehicle available. I completely understand that inventory varies by location. My problem was the attitude and complete lack of effort from the employee at the counter.
After being picked up from the cruise port, the Enterprise transportation staff were friendly and helpful. Unfortunately, the experience went downhill as soon as I reached the rental counter.
I told the representative that I preferred an electric vehicle. I wasn’t asking for a Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac, or any luxury vehicle. I didn’t care what make or model it was. I simply prefer an EV when one is available.
The response I received was essentially: “You paid for a Nissan Sentra, so that’s what you’re getting.”
Seriously?
There was no attempt to check availability. No, “Let me see what I have.” No, “Unfortunately, we don’t have any EVs available.” No offer to see if an upgrade was available for an additional charge. Not even the basic courtesy of trying to help.
Instead, I was made to feel like I was somehow being unreasonable for asking.
That’s especially disappointing considering I have rented from Enterprise frequently in the past. A longtime customer should not have to argue with an employee simply to have a reasonable preference acknowledged.
What makes this even more frustrating is that I had already experienced the exact opposite level of customer service from Hertz just TWO DAYS EARLIER.
When I landed in Orlando two days before my Enterprise rental, I stopped at Hertz. I had never rented from Hertz before. I asked the employee the exact same question: I prefer an electric vehicle.
The response was essentially, “Absolutely, sir. Take this one.”
They gave me a Cadillac Lyriq.
I didn’t ask for a Cadillac. I didn’t expect a luxury vehicle. I simply asked for an electric vehicle, and the employee made an effort to accommodate my preference.
Hertz was also less expensive than Enterprise.
So, as a longtime Enterprise customer, I had just experienced better pricing and dramatically better customer service from a company I had never rented from before.
That’s a pretty embarrassing comparison for Enterprise.
Again, I understand that Enterprise cannot manufacture an EV when there isn’t one available. That’s not the issue. The issue is the complete lack of customer service and the dismissive attitude I encountered.
If the employee had simply said, “I’m sorry, we don’t have any electric vehicles available today,” I would have accepted that and moved on.
Instead, I was essentially told, “You paid for a Nissan Sentra, so that’s what you’re getting.”
There are plenty of ways to tell a customer that their request cannot be accommodated. Belittling the request and making no effort whatsoever isn’t one of them.
Enterprise has been a company I’ve used regularly for business travel, which makes this experience particularly disappointing. Unfortunately, after this interaction, I’m going to think twice before automatically choosing Enterprise for my next rental.
Vehicles are one thing. Customer service is what separates rental companies.
At the Port Canaveral location, Enterprise missed badly.