We always rent a car at the airport but we were going to be in town for 2 weeks and decided to rent at another location. Mostly because of the savings and extra fees attached with renting at Sky Harbor airport. We chose this Enterprise location because of the proximity to where we were staying.
We had reserved a mid size car but interesting enough when we got there to pick it up they didn't have any. They offered us several other vehicles (none of which worked well) but took the boat size SUV in the event that we would come back the following day and swap it out for what we originally ordered.
The manager, Matt B., tried to be accommodating. He said that Sundays tend to be one of their busiest day and they get a lot of cars returns. We came back almost at opening on Sunday and the place was already busy. With only 2 agents at the counter it didn't take long for a line to form and have to wait. Wouldn't you think on one of their busiest days adding staff might be good idea?
It wasn't like we just drove off with our exchanged vehicle. They had to still clean it and send the car through the wash before it was ready. That all took awhile. Megan, the service agent, was aware of the long way wait and tried hard to get us in and out as quickly as possible. Was the extra time and hassle worth it? I'd have to say YES! The cost differential for renting a car for 2 weeks was over $800 for choosing an off site location. While this cost differential is unusual it's always worth checking as renting at the airport is expensive.