What capabilities must the Computer System of a Dollar Rent A Car franchisee possess?
Dollar_Rent_A_Car Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
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Computer System
At your expense, you must purchase or lease, and maintain, a Computer System. As described in Item 7 (note 9), your Computer System shall have the capacity to electronically exchange information, messages, and other data with other computers, by such means (including but not limited to the Internet), and using such protocols (e.g., TCP/IP), as we may reasonably prescribe in the Operations Guide or otherwise in writing. We shall have the right from time to time, and at any time, to retrieve data and information from your Computer System, by modem or other requested means, and use it for any reasonable business purpose both during and after the term of this Agreement. We may, from time to time, specify in the Operations Guide or otherwise in writing the information that you shall collect and maintain on the Computer System installed at Your Franchised Business (including rental transactions, Vehicles, reservations, customer profiles and other pertinent information relating thereto), and you shall provide to us such reports as we may reasonably request from the data so collected and maintained. The information so obtained by us shall be in addition to and not in lieu of the reporting requirements set forth in Section 14 of your Franchise Agreement. In accordance with Section 12.18 and 12.19 of your Franchise Agreement, we reserve the right to require you to acquire the Computer System (and each part of the Computer System) from an approved supplier as we may from time to time prescribe in the Operations Guide or otherwise in writing. We may designate ourselves or an affiliate as an approved supplier (and may be the sole approved
supplier) for the Computer System (or any part of the Computer System). You shall keep the Computer System in good maintenance and repair and, at your expense, shall promptly install such additions, changes, modifications, substitutions, and/or replacements to the Computer System, as We direct. We cannot predict the cost or frequency of required modifications of the Computer System; however, we estimate that the costs of any updates or upgrades will range from $0 to $500 per year. You cannot deviate from the specifications without our previous written consent. (Franchise Agreement, Section 12.19.)
Your hardware and software that is part of the Computer System must be able to interface with our data transfer and acquisition systems via a dedicated telephone line modem or dedicated network connection (if we require), including any data transmission or retrieval system, capable of handling rental check-in and check-out, office administrative functions, reservations, customer profiles, intercity transactions and other pertinent information.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 61–69)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Dollar Rent A Car's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Computer System that franchisees must purchase or lease must be able to electronically exchange information, messages, and other data with other computers through means such as the Internet, using protocols like TCP/IP, as reasonably prescribed in the Operations Guide or in writing. Dollar Rent A Car has the right to retrieve data and information from the franchisee's Computer System via modem or other requested means for any reasonable business purpose during and after the term of the Franchise Agreement.
The Computer System must collect and maintain information, including rental transactions, vehicles, reservations, customer profiles, and other pertinent information, as specified in the Operations Guide or in writing. Franchisees must provide reports from the data collected and maintained as reasonably requested by Dollar Rent A Car. The information obtained by Dollar Rent A Car is in addition to the reporting requirements in Section 14 of the Franchise Agreement. Dollar Rent A Car reserves the right to require franchisees to acquire the Computer System (and each part of it) from an approved supplier, including themselves or an affiliate, as specified in the Operations Guide or in writing.
Franchisees are responsible for keeping the Computer System in good maintenance and repair and must promptly install any additions, changes, modifications, substitutions, and/or replacements as directed by Dollar Rent A Car, at their own expense. While the cost or frequency of required modifications cannot be predicted, Dollar Rent A Car estimates that the costs of any updates or upgrades will range from $0 to $500 per year. Franchisees cannot deviate from the specifications without Dollar Rent A Car's prior written consent. The franchisee must also maintain a Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant security service subscription to protect the confidentiality of information gathered from guests' credit cards and other payment cards, using a vendor designated by Dollar Rent A Car.