Cheap Rental, But Absolutely NOT Worth the Headache -- Stay Away from Sixt
I strongly regret renting from Sixt. I had seen the negative reviews before booking, but I decided to give them a chance because in 30+ years, I had never had a bad experience with any rental car company before in the US. I should have listened to the reviews.
Our nightmare started the second day after we picked up the car. The car suddenly wouldn't start, leaving us stranded in a remote location. We had to wait THREE HOURS for Sixt to send AAA. Three hours of our vacation were completely wasted because Sixt gave us a car that couldn't even reliably start.
But the worst part came afterward.
Because the car was in such poor condition, we decided to return it two days early. Before returning the car, we contacted both Sixt and Expedia and specifically asked whether we would receive a refund for the two unused days. We were told yes.
After we returned the car, the story completely changed.
Sixt told us to contact Expedia. Expedia contacted Sixt while I was on the phone and the representative even sent Sixt the email request they asked for. Then the next day Sixt told Expedia that I needed to contact Sixt to process the refund.
When I contacted Sixt, they claimed they had never received Expedia's email and told me that I had paid Expedia, not Sixt so I had to go back talking to Expedia.
Back and forth. Again and again.
Finally, Expedia arranged a three-way call with Sixt. Only then did a Sixt representative--who refused to give me his name--finally tell me that Sixt would NOT refund the two unused days because the rental had been prepaid.
Excuse me?
If prepaid rentals are non-refundable, why didn't Sixt tell us that when we called BEFORE returning the car and specifically asked about the refund? Instead, we were told that we would get a refund, only to be told afterward that there would be no refund.
Whether this was incompetence, poor communication, or simply an attempt to avoid paying the refund, the result was the same: we lost money and wasted hours dealing with Sixt and Expedia.
A rental car company should provide a safe, reliable vehicle and stand behind what its employees tell customers. Sixt failed us on both counts.
My advice: Don't be tempted by Sixt's low prices. The money you save isn't worth the risk, inconvenience, and frustration. Sixt clearly doesn't care about its customers or the problems it causes them.
1 star -- I would never rent from Sixt again. read more
