Enterprise Ranks Highest in Satisfying Rental Car Customers for a Fifth Consecutive Year WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Nov. 11
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- As consumers and the
travel industry face increasing financial pressures brought on by a sluggish
economy, customer satisfaction with renting cars at airports has declined
considerably for a second consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power and
Associates 2008 Rental Car Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a)
Now in its 13th year, the study measures overall customer satisfaction
with renting cars at airports by examining six factors (listed in order of
importance): costs and fees, pick-up process, rental car, return process,
reservation process and shuttle bus/van. Overall satisfaction declines
significantly from 750 points on a 1,000-point scale in 2007 to 734 in 2008.
"The current economic climate is having negative effects on all aspects of
the travel industry -- from airlines to hotels to rental car companies -- as
staffing and operational cutbacks have resulted in diminishing levels of
customer satisfaction," said Jim Gaz, senior director of global hospitality,
travel and entertainment at J.D. Power and Associates. "Some leisure and
business travelers are avoiding air travel altogether, which has ramifications
for airport-based rental car companies in terms of a shrinking customer base
and decreasing revenues. In times like these, it becomes particularly
important to deliver superior customer service and retain current customers,
since new ones may be scarce."
Enterprise ranks highest in customer satisfaction among rental car
companies for a fifth consecutive year and performs particularly well in all
six factors. Enterprise is followed in the rankings by Hertz and Alamo,
respectively, with Alamo improving considerably from 2007.
The study finds that while only one in 10 rental car customers say they
had a significant problem during their rental car experience, having a problem
has a strong negative effect on overall satisfaction. When customers say they
experienced a problem, overall satisfaction declines by 128 index points,
compared with customers who report no problems. Furthermore, if the problem is
not resolved, satisfaction decreases even further-by an additional 52 points.
"Ensuring that rental car customers have a problem-free experience is
critical to providing high levels of satisfaction," said Gaz. "Other factors
that have a particularly strong impact on satisfaction with the car rental
process include: adequately preparing vehicles so that they are clean and in
good operating condition upon pickup; ensuring that customers receive the
vehicle models that they reserve, rather than substituting a different model;
and minimizing wait times for vehicle pick up and drop off."
The study also finds that, by a wide margin, customers with the highest
levels of satisfaction and high commitment to a particular rental car brand
are much more likely to use that company again and to recommend the company to
others, compared with the average customer. Among customers who are highly
committed, 86 percent say they "definitely will" use the company again, and 88
percent say "definitely will" recommend the company to others. On the other
hand, among customers who say they have medium commitment, only 21 percent say
they "definitely will" use the brand again, while only 20 percent "definitely
will" recommend it to others.
The 2008 Rental Car Satisfaction Study is based on more than 13,400
evaluations from business and leisure travelers who rented a vehicle at an
airport location between September 2007 and October 2008. The study was
fielded between October 2007 and October 2008.
For more information, to read an article or view rental car company
ratings, visit JDPower.com
Customer Satisfaction Index RankingJ.D. Power.com Power Circle Ratings
(Based on a 1,000-point scale) For Consumers
Enterprise 7735
Hertz7504
Alamo7474
National 7423
Industry Average 7343
Avis 7333
Budget 7273
Thrifty 7142
Dollar 7092
Payless 6942
Advantage Rent A Car 6742
Fox Rent A Car 6742
NOTE: Ace Rent-A-Car is included in the study but not ranked due to
small sample size.
Power Circle Ratings Legend:
5 - Among the best
4 - Better than most
3 - About average
2 - The rest
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a
global marketing information services company operating in key business
sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement,
training and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction
measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For
more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance,
cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and
Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global
information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial
services, education and business information markets through leading brands
such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power
and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries.
Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional information is available at
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.
Media Relations Contacts:
Lindsay Wagner John Tews
Brandware Public Relations J.D. Power and Associates
New York, N.Y. Troy, Mich.
(516) 594-0072 (248) 312-4119
lwagner@brandwaregroup.com john.tews@jdpa.com
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in
this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and
Associates. http://www.jdpower.com/corporate
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Jim Gaz
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=58134
SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates
