Higher costs and longer waiting times have leveled off the upward trend in rental car satisfaction the industry has experienced since 2009, according to a new J.D. Power 2014 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study.
The 2014 study finds that the price of a rental car has increased by an average of $5 per day from 2013. Additionally, wait times are longer across all aspects of the rental process, from the shuttle bus or van ride to returning the vehicle, compared with 2013.
On average, customers wait 43.4 minutes in total for the vehicle pick-up and return process, and shuttle bus/van experiences, J.D. Powers says. Business customers experience slightly shorter wait times than leisure/personal customers (41.5 minutes vs. 44.3 minutes, respectively).
Timeliness of service, an important component of satisfaction, drops between 18 and 58 points when customers wait longer than five minutes during any of these steps in the rental process.
A simple smile from employees at the rental car agency makes the waiting period seem shorter for customers. On average, customers who are greeted with a smile from the rental car staff indicate they wait 16.8 minutes to pick up their vehicle, while those who are not greeted with a smile indicate they wait 25.7 minutes, on average.
“Customers have experienced cost increases for airlines and hotels, but hotels can demonstrate they’re adding value commensurate with the increased costs; customers aren’t able to see that added value with airlines and rental car agencies,” said Rick Garlick, global travel and hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power.
Enterprise ranks highest in satisfaction among rental car companies, with a score of 805. National ranks second with a score of 797, followed by Alamo and Hertz with 776 each.