What happens when you desperately want to rent a Corvette, but your luggage won’t fit into the trunk compartment?

This particular snag actually happened for two of Management Assistant Emilia O.’s renters at the Orlando International Airport. Thanks to Emilia’s quick thinking, she had the husband and wife on the road in the car of their dreams in no time.

The wife expressed her appreciation for Emilia’s perseverance and excellent customer service in an email where she said, “Enterprise is fortunate to have Emilia!  It is obvious that she takes a great deal of pride in her job.”

Q: Tell me a little bit about this particular customer transaction.

A:  The couple had a reservation for a Mustang, but when they came to the branch they noticed the Corvette convertibles sitting out front and jokingly asked if they could upgrade their reservation. I told them we’d be happy to make the change. I could tell how excited they were.

We got the paperwork sorted out and got them to the car, but we ran into a problem when we tried to get their luggage in the trunk – we couldn’t get it to fit.  We tried to mash it in different ways, and we even had other people come over to help but nothing seemed to work.

The couple finally decided to just hold the bulkier suitcase up front in the passenger seat.

Q: What was your first thought when they told you their plans?

A: I immediately thought how uncomfortable it would be. I knew they had a two-hour drive ahead of them. I imagined sitting with that huge suitcase on my lap, and I just thought, ‘I have to make this work for them. I have to think of a better solution.’

Q: What was your solution?

A: They had one smaller suitcase and one larger suitcase. I suggested they put the smaller suitcase in the trunk, and then just empty the contents of the larger one into two big plastic bags I found. I offered to let them leave their suitcase with us at the airport. They loved the idea.

When they left I thought to myself, I’m not sure if I made a good decision or a bad decision, but I have to find a place to store their suitcase. I didn’t want there to be any chance it would get misplaced at the office, so I took it home. I knew they were returning on my day off, so I dropped off the suitcase early in the morning and talked to both of the managers working that day so they understood the situation.

Q: What motivated you to go above and beyond for these customers?

A: With every transaction I aim to keep my customers completely satisfied, but with this couple I really felt a connection. When I saw their excitement over the Corvette, I knew I had to make the upgrade possible. Our team at the Orlando airport really preaches the company’s value of customer service. This was a way to bring it to life and exceed their expectations.

Q: What’s your key to keeping customers satisfied?

A: As we say, “great things happen when we listen.” I try to listen to my customers, because everyone has a story.