DillMan
Apr 17, 12, 3:17 pm
I rented from the LHR Sixt about a month ago and I'm hoping someone here can help me with following up on what the called an "accident"
Background:
I rented the car well after midnight and thankfully the employees were quite accommodating. Sadly, though, the car cleaner was already long gone so the car we rented was absolutely FILTHY on the outside - especially the windscreen which was covered in some sort of thick dust or dirt. I used the wipers to clean the windshield and never inspected it directly (nor would I have inspected it if it had been clean honestly). They apologized profusely and I was on my way.
Upon returning the car a bit after noon the next day I noticed a bit of a slow down with the return processing. About 15 minutes after handing in my paperwork I was told the car had been in an "accident" (this word was used about 40 times that afternoon). It turned out that they had detected what they called a crack in the windshield when inspecting the vehicle. This crack was right around where the windshield is tinted darker near its bottom edge. Since the crack was the typical starburst-type shape one associates with, say, a rock and since I was unable to feel it on the outside of the windscreen (it was unreachable from the inside) I wasn't sure whether it was actually a crack or just a bit of discoloration. The total length of the crack was probably under 1cm.
I didn't feel like investing the time in disputing it either way. After all - what does a chip cost to repair? 20GBP? Maybe 100GBP with lost time? Little did I know I was in for almost 2.5 hours of paperwork! It seemed only one person could process this car and this person had many other responsibilities including, apparently, lunch.
I offered many times to just pay the cost of a windscreen. After all, I knew I was staring down at some pretty hefty change fees for me and my companion and we had work to do prior to our flight. I was assured the process was "almost done".
I was given three pieces of paper. One included notes concerning "damage due to reckless driving" (??), one was a drawing of the vehicle showing the window damage and one was a super informative list of facts about -- -- me.
I've since tried to follow up many times. I don't want to be placed on Sixt's DNR list, however, I can't seem to find anyone that can help me. I've called in the UK, US, and Turkey and can't seem to get connected to the right person. I've also called all 3 accident-related numbers on Sixt's UK site; all netting me no progress.
Has anyone had an "accident" with Sixt? How does one follow up? How can I insure that my claim is settled and I'm good to go with Sixt in the future?
Background:
I rented the car well after midnight and thankfully the employees were quite accommodating. Sadly, though, the car cleaner was already long gone so the car we rented was absolutely FILTHY on the outside - especially the windscreen which was covered in some sort of thick dust or dirt. I used the wipers to clean the windshield and never inspected it directly (nor would I have inspected it if it had been clean honestly). They apologized profusely and I was on my way.
Upon returning the car a bit after noon the next day I noticed a bit of a slow down with the return processing. About 15 minutes after handing in my paperwork I was told the car had been in an "accident" (this word was used about 40 times that afternoon). It turned out that they had detected what they called a crack in the windshield when inspecting the vehicle. This crack was right around where the windshield is tinted darker near its bottom edge. Since the crack was the typical starburst-type shape one associates with, say, a rock and since I was unable to feel it on the outside of the windscreen (it was unreachable from the inside) I wasn't sure whether it was actually a crack or just a bit of discoloration. The total length of the crack was probably under 1cm.
I didn't feel like investing the time in disputing it either way. After all - what does a chip cost to repair? 20GBP? Maybe 100GBP with lost time? Little did I know I was in for almost 2.5 hours of paperwork! It seemed only one person could process this car and this person had many other responsibilities including, apparently, lunch.
I offered many times to just pay the cost of a windscreen. After all, I knew I was staring down at some pretty hefty change fees for me and my companion and we had work to do prior to our flight. I was assured the process was "almost done".
I was given three pieces of paper. One included notes concerning "damage due to reckless driving" (??), one was a drawing of the vehicle showing the window damage and one was a super informative list of facts about -- -- me.
I've since tried to follow up many times. I don't want to be placed on Sixt's DNR list, however, I can't seem to find anyone that can help me. I've called in the UK, US, and Turkey and can't seem to get connected to the right person. I've also called all 3 accident-related numbers on Sixt's UK site; all netting me no progress.
Has anyone had an "accident" with Sixt? How does one follow up? How can I insure that my claim is settled and I'm good to go with Sixt in the future?