You book a rental car, confirm your reservation, and make the trip to pick it up. You expect the keys to be waiting. Sounds easy, right? Instead, you arrive to find out that the car you reserved has already been given to someone else.
That was the frustrating situation one customer says he faced at an Enterprise Rent-A-Car branch in Reidsville, North Carolina, after traveling from Danville, Virginia, to collect his vehicle. What followed was a tense exchange with employees that has since circulated online, raising questions about what a rental car reservation actually guarantees and what happens when a company can’t deliver on it.
The customer, who posts on TikTok as AirMax365, alleged that the experience disrupted his travel plans and cost him a non-refundable hotel deposit. But it wasn’t just the lack of a vehicle that drew attention.
The interaction with staff, including their apparent reaction to his frustration, helped turn an ordinary rental-car problem into a wider debate about customer service and corporate accountability.
The Customer Service Max Received
@airmax365isbrandingo I use Instagram mostly, but figured I’d post this on tiktok so people can see how dirty this is! This was the worst experience of my life! For starters I called to verify there was availability, then I booked the reservation online, traveled from Danville VA to Reidsville NC Enterprise to pickup my rental. I get there and the car that was left, was given to someone else. The white guy in the attached video states he hasn’t had time to looked at the reservations, that’s a horrible excuse. I paid for a non refundable hotel at the beach and they say there’s nothing they can do, they left we stranded walking, said they couldn’t offer me a ride home or anything. The branch manager, which shouldn’t even be a manager said the same thing, no care in the world. The other man was laughing at the situation. I’m going to post this all over social media so people can see how horrible this location is, to treat a customer this way, leaving them stranded when there was a guaranteed reservation online. Haven’t gotten a single call back from the Area Manager on this uncalled for professionalism. I was treated like trash, very unnecessary and unacceptable! #enterprise #dobetter @Enterprise ♬ original sound – AirMax365
Max went to the desk to pick up the car he had reserved, documenting the conversation he had with Enterprise employees. No cars were available.
But what would frustrate Max even more was that one of the employees appeared to be laughing during the exchange, adding to the tension as he tried to understand why his reservation had not been honored.
The employee explained that the branch’s inventory was behind, meaning the online system did not necessarily reflect which vehicles were actually available. However, that explanation did little to ease Max’s frustration, as he had made the booking in advance and traveled to collect the car, only to leave without one.
Enterprise’s Policy
After researching Enterpise’s policy, reservations are not guaranteed, even when customers receive confirmation.
Online bookings are subject to the company’s acceptance and vehicle availability, meaning Enterprise can cancel or refuse reservations, potentially leaving customers without a car.
The company allows bookings beyond current inventory because cancellations and no-shows affect availability. Customers may therefore arrive to find their chosen vehicle unavailable. However, reservations don’t create an obligation for Enterprise to hold a vehicle, so customers should consider alternative arrangements.
Ethically, Enterprise should treat customers fairly by ensuring they can rely on confirmed bookings and by communicating honestly about vehicle availability. Failing to provide a reserved car can damage customer trust and demonstrates a lack of responsibility towards customers’ time, money and travel plans.