Hertz Employees Need Diversity Training

I had an experience with Hertz recently that was just the opposite. I
was clearly being disciminated against because I was white, and also
probably because I am male. I am seeking employment, so I responded
to an email invitation from Hertz to attend a "hiring fair" for
interviews at the their location at Hobby Airport in Houston. I am a
white male, age 52, with a great deal of customer service, call
center, and retail experience. All three counter agents working at
the counter during the hiring fair were black females. Both of the
supervisors who conducted the interview process were black females.
One of them was a location manager with considerable experience, but
the other was a corporate representative who had only worked for the
company 96 days. (And was making hiring decisions.) There were 6 job
seekers in my pre-interview group: myself and 5 black females.
Needless to say, I was not invited to stay for the second interview,
which is the sit-down interview that could have led to employment. so
yes, Hertz does need diversity training for its employees--it needs to
teach its black supervisors not to discriminate against white
job-seekers.

If they didn't say anything directly to him about his race how do you
know that is why they treated him "disrespectful"?

To start commenting about race card this, you pulled the race card
that, has no basis. None of us were there, so we don't really know
what happened. It very well could have been racial.

I am sick of people playing the race card. You think it's hard to be
black in America? Ask the Native Americans who are on reservations!

If anything blacks get preferential treatment. I have seen it happen.

If I hear "diversity training" or "sensitivity training" one more
time, I AM GOING TO SCREAM!!!

If I hear "diversity training" or "sensitivity training" one more
time, I AM GOING TO SCREAM!!!

You know, your nephew really should be writing this letter. That way
there is an actual side to the story, not just heresay.

I'm sure it sucks to be black in this country. Every time you turn
around you are getting discriminated against. I think you are lucky
because you have the card to use that white people don't have. The
"race" card. It gets used a lot on this site. It must be nice!

Peace!

Did he actually say something about your nephew's race? If not, you
don't know if it was a race issue at all. Maybe he was just having a
bad day.

OH PLEASE. I am sick and tired of people trying to say they were
treated like that just because they were black. Come on, I am white
and the same things happen to me and I do not say its because I am
white. The same goes with all the hispanics coming over here. Every
single time something bad happens to them, its because they are
minorities. BOO FREAKIN HOO!!! Its called life and stuff happens. Deal
with it.

Dear Gene,

We are in receipt of your letter. Thank you for bringing this to our
attention.

We have investigated your complaint, and we find it to be completely
without merit.

Thank you for choosing Hertz, and the next time you or your nephew are
in the Ft Lauderdale area, we urge you to choose another rental car
company. We don't like being called racists.

Sincerely,
Ernest McScrooge
Customer Care Manager

Gene, in the deck of race cards, you're the Joker!

Last night I started reading a response, got tired and said to myself
that I could check it out tomorrow.
Tomorrow comes and I don't see it.
Anybody else see it?
It made a reference to a United White College or something along that
line.
Thanks.

If in doubt pull the race card because people actually believe this
enhance the complaint when in reality it does not. It just makes the
substance of the complaint less valid!

There may have been miscomunication between the person he spoke with
on the phone and the person behind the counter. But it seems they did
find the items, sans the charger.

As for the accident itself if he was not at fault then who cares what
the counter agents thinks? This is not between the counter agent and
him its between Hertz and the people involved in the accident.

Go to Enterprise. I have for years and then finally purchased a car
from them. Had the best service from both sides of this company and if
I ever need to rent or buy another vehicle I will surely go back.
Their employees are very nice, very courteous and will do just about
anything for their customers.
(Ok..I know there will be someone out there who had a bad experience I
am sure!)

Your reply was perfect. I feel exactly the way you do about this. I am
so tired of minorities thinking this way, almost like we should go out
of our way to accommodate them when they have problems.

See how the above poster made their point clear without appearing
obnoxious? I respect their opinion even though I may not agree with
everything stated, but they expressed themselves while keeping in mind
that racial issues can be controversial.

If your nephew is old enough to rent a car, he's old enough to write
his own letter. That being said, just because things didn't go
smoothly it's no reason to believe it had anything to do at all with
race. Playing the race card without proof or just for the heck of it
takes away from people who have legitimate claims of racial
discrimination.

Have you ever been to Ft. Lauderdale Airport? There would be CONSTANT
discrimination if the counter agents harassed every person that was
black, hispanic, asian etc. etc. Unless they came right out and made
racist comments you really have no right accusing them of being
racist. Especially when you weren't even there.

"he was treated with disrespect because he his a young black man and
was unshaven and wearing ripped blue jeans."

Leave race out of this, because it has nothing to do with it.
However, the important part of that sentence is the last part, about
being unshaven and wearing ripped blue jeans. If you show up to
anyplace looking like that, you WILL get treated differently than if
you were clean-cut and well-dressed - and it won't matter if you're
black or white.

There are times when I might go a few days without shaving - usually
after a few days off from work. And if I use my credit card for a
purchase, more often than not I will get asked for ID. This never
happens when I'm clean shaven. Guess what? I'm ok with it too.
After all, if you look like a bum, you'll be treated like one. That's
the way the world is. It has nothing to do with race. So put that
race card back in your pocket for another time.

And I agree with others here: You need to butt out and let your
nephew write the letter.

while I very much agree with rude employees and the fact that some
must need training on how to deal with customers, I personally don't
see how race enters into it. did the agents say anything to that
affect?

Butt out, Gene. This is your nephew's complaint letter to write, not
yours.

I am so sick and tired of the race card. The main point of your
letter is to make an allegation of racial discrimination. Instead of
contributing to the racial tension in this country, why not make
yourself part of the solution?

And I'm sure I'll get smacked around for being "racist," but can
someone PLEASE explain to me why whenever there is a complaint and the
OP just happens to be a different race than the employee, why the
immediate assumption is that it was "a racial" thing?

The only thing I am sure of is that rental car companies likely get
claims every day that the damage to their rental car was the fault of
someone else. That's ALL I got from the clerks comment. Not that they
didn't believe you because you were black, not that they were
disrespecting him, but because they probably hear the same song and
dance over and over again (much like we hear "They mistreated me
because of my race" over and over again.) they have become skeptical.

While they might have exercised a little more compassion and a little
less presumption, you are just as bad as them to ASSume they behaved
that way because your brother is black.

Apparently YOU need some training to understand that it doesn't always
have to do with the color of your skin.

Unless the agent actually said "I am treating you with disrespect
because you are a young black man", I doubt this was a race issue.

I've always wondered what diversity training contains...

"This is a black man. He's pretty much the same as a white man, but
with a little more pigment."

"Huh. How about that?"

"This is a Jew. You'll need the company-issued crowbar to get your
change away from them."

"Understood."

I guess I don't see how this was a race issue. Even if they were rude,
maybe they are just rude in general- to everyone. That doesn't mean
they need diversity training.

Were you there to personally witness the rude and disrespectful
behavior shown to your nephew by the Hertz employees? Were you there
when his personal integrity was allegedly called into question?

Race doesn't matter - - if he's old enough to rent a car then he is
old enough to fight his own battles and write his own letters.

You leave way to much out of this letter. You go from being mad about
a cart of lost and found being brought out, to producing an accident
report. Secondly, you did not rent the vehicle, therefore YOU should
NOT be writing this letter. Hertz will throw this letter away, if the
person who rented the vehicle cannot be bothered to write the letter.
How do they know who you are? As far as you playing the race card,
its pathetic, this had NOTHING to do w/ race. Im guessing they were
pissed about the car being damaged. Stop using the race card, its not
helping you at all!

gene r.,

Let's de-race this and suggest that the company might need to provide
Empathy Training as opposed to Diversity Training.

How was he treated with disrespect or better yet why don't you have
the nephew submit his firsthand experience so he can state exactly
what was said and done to make him feel ill at ease as well as what
the Manager said when he spoke with him/her.

Thanks.

BillR.

Since your nephew was the one who experienced this, he should be the
one writing the letter. Hertz has no idea who your nephew is.