Sixt Hidden Charges

April2017

Hi all

I recently hired a car with Sixt for 10 days in Croatia. I was well aware of the extras they would try and sell me when I collected the vehicle. In preparation I had purchased my own excess insurance in the UK so that I wouldn't need to pay for their zero excess insurance.

When I collected the vehicle the Sixt representative tried to sell me the zero excess cover, tried to sell me a full tank of fuel and navigation etc. I said no to everything. As I had anticipated they advised they would place a hold on my credit card which would be released if the vehicle was returned with no damage. I understood this and agreed.

I returned the vehicle 10 days later with no damage, which was confirmed by the Sixt representative at the Airport. A few days later I checked my credit card statement to see if the hold had been released and noticed they had deducted 449 Kuna (£55) from the card.

I immediately emailed their customer service who sent me a reply which included:

<To ensure that the vehicle completely meets your requirements Sixt rental cars are available with a range of additional services. After you have made your choice, we enter the data in the rental contract and the invoice.

You have opted for the Roadside Protection and Foreign Use as extras and confirmed these with your signature. You will find the cost as a fixed item on the invoice. A subsequent change is no longer possible. A copy of your invoice is attached to this email.>

Firstly, there is no way that I would have agreed to pay extra for roadside protection and my excess insurance policy, I took out in the UK, already includes it.

I was so determined not to be another tourist ripped off by their rental firm, but Sixt have added these charges that were never mentioned to me.

Does anyone know if I have any chance or fighting this? As I paid via credit card, do I have any protection against this kind of thing?

Thanks in advance
Ruth

jackieblack

Do you have a copy of the agreement you signed?

April2017

Yes, they emailed me a copy which shows the extra charges (added at pick up). I only have myself to blame for not reading the agreement thoroughly.

However, the customer service rep told me that their colleague would have asked me did I want the extras before adding them. My partner and I are both 100% sure the Sixt colleague did not mention them. Therefore, they have been added to the agreement and they have waited to see whether I would spot them.

It is a lesson learnt to read every line before signing anything, but very disappointing practice by the Sixt agent in Croatia who knew what they were doing.