Having nightmare with Sixt car rental!

hayhayc

Rented a rental car from Sixt in the UK last month, collected the car at a dim basement for inspecting the car to confirm the condition. 

Having hired the car for 2 days, the windscreen suddenly cracked while driving on highway.  But, didn't hear any sound or see any object hitting the windscreen so far. 

Advised by their branch staff to return the car to the branch on the following day and had the car exchanged.  Upon returning the replacement car at the end of the rental period, the branch staff told me that it was found that the crack was caused by the pre-existing condition of the windscreen, and hence I was not held liable for any repair cost.  I took his words for it and thought that would be the end of the story. 

  

BUT, I was so wrong!   A month later after the end of the rental period and settlement of my final car rental payment, Sixt sent me an email asking me to pay some 7xx pounds for the replacement cost of the windscreen based on an assessment they have recently commissioned.   

I wrote to them and they replied that I would be held liable, as I did not report any pre-existing damage when collecting the car.  But, it was not possible for me to identify minor pre-existing damage of the windscreen upon collection especially under insufficient lighting condition at the basement.  So, despite what their staff has promised me before, they have now unilaterally overturned their decision!   

  

I feel being treated very unfairly.  Anyone has similar experience or can advise what I can do? 

ontheroad1970

Did you not take any photos at all around the car?  It might have been dark, but you can edit it to make it lighter.  

AdrianC

You hired a car without a cracked windscreen.

You did not flag anything at the time of collection, nor did you flag anything for two days - until you admit that the screen cracked while the car was in your possession.

You returned a car with a cracked windscreen.

Did you get anything in writing from the branch staff that they would not pursue the issue?

What is the excess on the insurance you took with the car?

Flight3287462

I had a similar problem once and was told I would be paying for it.  Crack appeared from the bottom edge of screen and was only 2 inches long. Fortunately I kept the car on hire as they wouldn't swap it without me paying for the screen and the firm went bust before it was returned...........lol.  Never heard anymore.

NSG666

In fairness, are you any worse off than if someone had never said it was a pre-existing fault? You'd have had to pay for it.
As a matter of interest have you priced up the windscreen replacement via say Autoglass?

hayhayc

But I never heard any noise or see anything flying towards my wind screen which is very strange to just crack on its own. The fact that the staff actually state its a pre existing fault make more sense to me. Now that they changed their mind and seems I'm all of a sudden 'liable'. Feels like I'm the scapegoat for them to recover moeny to fix a fault

[Deleted User]

You should contact the people who told you there was a pre existing problem and ask them what it was. Ask in writing.

heidiiii

Sorry to hear this. i would contact the ones who told you it had problems and try to get them to give it to you in writing.