Sixt want £1,000 for a scratch, refuse appeal and chasing through courts

accorian

Well done, Sixt.

Having now read this latest post on your company's business practices, I've just added you to the inglorious list of Car Hire Companies No-one In Their Right Mind Should Ever Do Business With.

I've placed you co-equal with that other illustrious operator, Goldcar.

I'm an ex-Sixt customer, have used it three times across Europe, and never had a problem. In fact, the luvvly ladies at your Cyprus in-country desk (not airport) were fantastic in offering an unasked for upgrade and helping out with some detailed road mapping a couple of years back.

However: where car hire is concerned, if it doesn't work for someone else, then it doesn't work for me, either.

Sixt's top management needs to make sure that the company is seen to be trading honestly and reputably, otherwise there'll be no trade at all. But perhaps Sixt has been bought by Goldcar? (Perish the thought -- and perish the company, too.)

Mambosteve

macman said:

Remember that they are not just billing you for repair work at 'insurer's rates' (which are much higher than they actually pay at trade rates), but also for downtime. Every day that a car is sitting in the bodyshop, it's losing a day's rental income, and that is factored into the costs.

That appears to have been intemised at £80 (less than 10% of the total cost) on the Engineer's Report.  However, any company (I'm a Qualified business founder/owner of 18 years myself) would do a Cost/Benefit analysis of losing a day's downtime vs repairing what are inconsequential marks that don't affect the fitness for purpose of the vehicle.  Additionally, any small marks and their impact on value will likely be covered by the depreciation of the vehicle that is fully tax-deductible.  Of course, they don't need to worry about this, as they foist it upon the next victim who didn't pay the additional damage waiver.  Certainly, the hire prices are probably unsustainably low, and that is a conscious Policy choice of a company, either make fools of your clients, or charge properly and alienate price-sensitive clients.  That is the cost of operating in a market of monopolistic competition.  Someone posted earlier "car hire only works if you're the person who doesn't may the true price".

missile

"Sixt contacted me with a damage assessment report entirely written in German and demanded €851"
Very reasonable charge. You ought to have paid it.

Squidge69

UKC said:

Moneysavers: beware Sixt with their excessive damage charges and aggressive legal threats.

Last summer I hired a car from Sixt to drive around the narrow Italian mountain roads around Lake Garda. The car I ordered wasn’t there on arrival and I was ‘upgraded’ to a 9-seater impractical mini-bus. During the week I scratched the small, removable, wheel-arch panel above the wheel.

On return I pointed out the scratch and said I had caused it. Sixt contacted me with a damage assessment report entirely written in German and demanded €851 at first. I reasonably asked for a report in English and an explanation of their appeals process as per my consumer rights. They refused to provide either on multiple occasions.

As a pragmatic and reasonable gesture, I offered €500. I was then contacted by a debt collection company (Profaktura Schuldnerkontakt) demanding that I cease communications with Sixt, only correspond with them and that they were pursuing me for €1,006 including legal costs. They demanded payment under the threat of now appointing UK lawyers and debt collection companies, stating they would the include their additional fees in what I ‘owe’.

So, firstly I would strongly recommend you avoid booking with Sixt. I have always used Enterprise in the past and had nothing but outstanding service from them; Sixt strike me as a cowboy operation trying to fleece excess profits from their own customers for accidental damages.

As for me, can anybody advise on how I might challenge these fees? There must be some kind of organisation that helps stop car hire companies stinging their own customers like this? If I have to then I’ll contest it in the UK small claims courts but that seems like a waste of court time and my own time (not to mention bad for Sixt time, money and reputational damage).

Any help much appreciated.

UKC

Hi did you ever resolve this?

eskbanker

Squidge69 said:

Hi did you ever resolve this?

OP is unlikely to see your question, not having visited the forum in the nearly five years since starting the thread!