SIXT Sweden (Skavsta) - Absolute Nightmare Experience best to avoid
Oct 11, 2015, 6:51 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: Sixt Platinum
Posts: 4
SIXT Sweden (Skavsta) - Absolute Nightmare Experience best to avoid
Hello fellow forum members,
Just wanted to write a few words about a very recent nightmare experience I have had with Sixt in Sweden. Before I being, I'd like to highlight that Sixt operates a franchise in this country - meaning that the businesses carry Sixt Branding but they're not corporate owned. In the eyes of the customer it is all the same - and this experience has been a complete let down and definitely has damaged the brand's name in my eyes. In summary:
Please read on if you're interested to know more...
On the 30th September I landed in Skavsta airport ready to pick up a FSAR (BMW 320d GT) to go on a holiday with family. There were no unpleasant surprises (nor thrills) until I got onto the car and drove it out of the parking lot - there was a big (>40 cm) crack on the windscreen on the driver side in the middle of the field of vision. Driving with an expanding crack in front of your eyes is extremely frustrating to say the least and somewhat dangerous in the worst of scenarios; thus it was my intent to exchange the car if only I could find the Sixt representative who had closed the service desk and gone to 'back office' (didn't know where that was). I had to leave in a hurry and pick some people up at Stockholm Arlanda airport and I thought I could exchange it there but that's when I was told that Sixt was a franchise and that they would rather I handled this with Skavsta.
That was fine, fortunately two days later I was headed that way and went by their branch to exchange the car for a downgrade (MB C180 Estate, Petrol). This was OK and a refund was negotiated without a heated argument; however I had returned the cracked windscreen car (BMW 320d GT) with a new scratch on the bodywork just above the rear driver side wheel and this is where the fun begins.
1. I receive an invoice yesterday mentioning I should pay the full excess 8500 SEK (~700 GBP).
2. Upon further inquiry, I find that this is based on an estimated value and not on actual costs incurred for the repair of the scratch.
3. I also find that the estimation has been made as follows: 5000 SEK for scratch repair and 3500 SEK for 'lost rental days' thus making up the full excess.
Here's what I don't understand - why would a scratch cause 'lost rental days'? Surely the car had to be repaired anyway due to the huge windscreen crack - surely this should be a cost associated with the previous renter who cracked the windscreen.
After enquiring about this, the response I get is 'If the bookings ahead allows us we always takes the car straight for repair even if its drivable so we lose 3-4 rental days on the repaircentre for this car'. So essentially the 'lost rental days' are effectively 'non rental days that the customer will pay for anyway'.
Another response which amazes me was why they thought it was sound judgement to give me a damaged car. The response was 'The rental before you cracked it and the customer is charged for that. It came back late so we didn’t have the time to change the windscreen before your arrival to Skavsta. It was also the only car we had that matched the car group that you booked so we had to take it anyway.'. I guess flexibility is not their thing... How could they have possible thought of upgrading or downgrading with refund so that all of this could've been avoided in the first place?
Just wanted to write a few words about a very recent nightmare experience I have had with Sixt in Sweden. Before I being, I'd like to highlight that Sixt operates a franchise in this country - meaning that the businesses carry Sixt Branding but they're not corporate owned. In the eyes of the customer it is all the same - and this experience has been a complete let down and definitely has damaged the brand's name in my eyes. In summary:
- Was handed a car with a 40 cm expanding crack on the windscreen and was told that it was no big deal
- Got a downgrade when I said I was unhappy with the safety and condition that the car was given to me
- Caused minor aesthetic damage to the car, and was made to pay for 'lost rental days' which in fact turned out to be days in which the car was not being rented and could be repaired...
Please read on if you're interested to know more...
On the 30th September I landed in Skavsta airport ready to pick up a FSAR (BMW 320d GT) to go on a holiday with family. There were no unpleasant surprises (nor thrills) until I got onto the car and drove it out of the parking lot - there was a big (>40 cm) crack on the windscreen on the driver side in the middle of the field of vision. Driving with an expanding crack in front of your eyes is extremely frustrating to say the least and somewhat dangerous in the worst of scenarios; thus it was my intent to exchange the car if only I could find the Sixt representative who had closed the service desk and gone to 'back office' (didn't know where that was). I had to leave in a hurry and pick some people up at Stockholm Arlanda airport and I thought I could exchange it there but that's when I was told that Sixt was a franchise and that they would rather I handled this with Skavsta.
That was fine, fortunately two days later I was headed that way and went by their branch to exchange the car for a downgrade (MB C180 Estate, Petrol). This was OK and a refund was negotiated without a heated argument; however I had returned the cracked windscreen car (BMW 320d GT) with a new scratch on the bodywork just above the rear driver side wheel and this is where the fun begins.
1. I receive an invoice yesterday mentioning I should pay the full excess 8500 SEK (~700 GBP).
2. Upon further inquiry, I find that this is based on an estimated value and not on actual costs incurred for the repair of the scratch.
3. I also find that the estimation has been made as follows: 5000 SEK for scratch repair and 3500 SEK for 'lost rental days' thus making up the full excess.
Here's what I don't understand - why would a scratch cause 'lost rental days'? Surely the car had to be repaired anyway due to the huge windscreen crack - surely this should be a cost associated with the previous renter who cracked the windscreen.
After enquiring about this, the response I get is 'If the bookings ahead allows us we always takes the car straight for repair even if its drivable so we lose 3-4 rental days on the repaircentre for this car'. So essentially the 'lost rental days' are effectively 'non rental days that the customer will pay for anyway'.
Another response which amazes me was why they thought it was sound judgement to give me a damaged car. The response was 'The rental before you cracked it and the customer is charged for that. It came back late so we didn’t have the time to change the windscreen before your arrival to Skavsta. It was also the only car we had that matched the car group that you booked so we had to take it anyway.'. I guess flexibility is not their thing... How could they have possible thought of upgrading or downgrading with refund so that all of this could've been avoided in the first place?
Oct 11, 2015, 12:12 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SFO/DTW
Programs: DL PM 0.5MM, Hyatt Globalist, HHonors Gold, SPG Plat, Marriott Gold, Avis PC, National EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,988
Hello fellow forum members,
Just wanted to write a few words about a very recent nightmare experience I have had with Sixt in Sweden. Before I being, I'd like to highlight that Sixt operates a franchise in this country - meaning that the businesses carry Sixt Branding but they're not corporate owned. In the eyes of the customer it is all the same - and this experience has been a complete let down and definitely has damaged the brand's name in my eyes. In summary:
Please read on if you're interested to know more...
On the 30th September I landed in Skavsta airport ready to pick up a FSAR (BMW 320d GT) to go on a holiday with family. There were no unpleasant surprises (nor thrills) until I got onto the car and drove it out of the parking lot - there was a big (>40 cm) crack on the windscreen on the driver side in the middle of the field of vision. Driving with an expanding crack in front of your eyes is extremely frustrating to say the least and somewhat dangerous in the worst of scenarios; thus it was my intent to exchange the car if only I could find the Sixt representative who had closed the service desk and gone to 'back office' (didn't know where that was). I had to leave in a hurry and pick some people up at Stockholm Arlanda airport and I thought I could exchange it there but that's when I was told that Sixt was a franchise and that they would rather I handled this with Skavsta.
That was fine, fortunately two days later I was headed that way and went by their branch to exchange the car for a downgrade (MB C180 Estate, Petrol). This was OK and a refund was negotiated without a heated argument; however I had returned the cracked windscreen car (BMW 320d GT) with a new scratch on the bodywork just above the rear driver side wheel and this is where the fun begins.
1. I receive an invoice yesterday mentioning I should pay the full excess 8500 SEK (~700 GBP).
2. Upon further inquiry, I find that this is based on an estimated value and not on actual costs incurred for the repair of the scratch.
3. I also find that the estimation has been made as follows: 5000 SEK for scratch repair and 3500 SEK for 'lost rental days' thus making up the full excess.
Here's what I don't understand - why would a scratch cause 'lost rental days'? Surely the car had to be repaired anyway due to the huge windscreen crack - surely this should be a cost associated with the previous renter who cracked the windscreen.
After enquiring about this, the response I get is 'If the bookings ahead allows us we always takes the car straight for repair even if its drivable so we lose 3-4 rental days on the repaircentre for this car'. So essentially the 'lost rental days' are effectively 'non rental days that the customer will pay for anyway'.
Another response which amazes me was why they thought it was sound judgement to give me a damaged car. The response was 'The rental before you cracked it and the customer is charged for that. It came back late so we didn’t have the time to change the windscreen before your arrival to Skavsta. It was also the only car we had that matched the car group that you booked so we had to take it anyway.'. I guess flexibility is not their thing... How could they have possible thought of upgrading or downgrading with refund so that all of this could've been avoided in the first place?
Just wanted to write a few words about a very recent nightmare experience I have had with Sixt in Sweden. Before I being, I'd like to highlight that Sixt operates a franchise in this country - meaning that the businesses carry Sixt Branding but they're not corporate owned. In the eyes of the customer it is all the same - and this experience has been a complete let down and definitely has damaged the brand's name in my eyes. In summary:
- Was handed a car with a 40 cm expanding crack on the windscreen and was told that it was no big deal
- Got a downgrade when I said I was unhappy with the safety and condition that the car was given to me
- Caused minor aesthetic damage to the car, and was made to pay for 'lost rental days' which in fact turned out to be days in which the car was not being rented and could be repaired...
Please read on if you're interested to know more...
On the 30th September I landed in Skavsta airport ready to pick up a FSAR (BMW 320d GT) to go on a holiday with family. There were no unpleasant surprises (nor thrills) until I got onto the car and drove it out of the parking lot - there was a big (>40 cm) crack on the windscreen on the driver side in the middle of the field of vision. Driving with an expanding crack in front of your eyes is extremely frustrating to say the least and somewhat dangerous in the worst of scenarios; thus it was my intent to exchange the car if only I could find the Sixt representative who had closed the service desk and gone to 'back office' (didn't know where that was). I had to leave in a hurry and pick some people up at Stockholm Arlanda airport and I thought I could exchange it there but that's when I was told that Sixt was a franchise and that they would rather I handled this with Skavsta.
That was fine, fortunately two days later I was headed that way and went by their branch to exchange the car for a downgrade (MB C180 Estate, Petrol). This was OK and a refund was negotiated without a heated argument; however I had returned the cracked windscreen car (BMW 320d GT) with a new scratch on the bodywork just above the rear driver side wheel and this is where the fun begins.
1. I receive an invoice yesterday mentioning I should pay the full excess 8500 SEK (~700 GBP).
2. Upon further inquiry, I find that this is based on an estimated value and not on actual costs incurred for the repair of the scratch.
3. I also find that the estimation has been made as follows: 5000 SEK for scratch repair and 3500 SEK for 'lost rental days' thus making up the full excess.
Here's what I don't understand - why would a scratch cause 'lost rental days'? Surely the car had to be repaired anyway due to the huge windscreen crack - surely this should be a cost associated with the previous renter who cracked the windscreen.
After enquiring about this, the response I get is 'If the bookings ahead allows us we always takes the car straight for repair even if its drivable so we lose 3-4 rental days on the repaircentre for this car'. So essentially the 'lost rental days' are effectively 'non rental days that the customer will pay for anyway'.
Another response which amazes me was why they thought it was sound judgement to give me a damaged car. The response was 'The rental before you cracked it and the customer is charged for that. It came back late so we didn’t have the time to change the windscreen before your arrival to Skavsta. It was also the only car we had that matched the car group that you booked so we had to take it anyway.'. I guess flexibility is not their thing... How could they have possible thought of upgrading or downgrading with refund so that all of this could've been avoided in the first place?
About your damage issue, contact Sixt customer service and check other rental car threads. Others have been in similar issues with other companies.
Oct 11, 2015, 12:57 pm
#3
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 201
I do sympathise. In my experience, Sixt are more likely to downgrade you, or give you an estate/people carrier and call both some kind of upgrade.
I would like to take the opportunity to remind everyone that hiring a car involves giving a company your credit details and full permission to charge almost what they like to it, in a wide range of scenarios.
The contracts, while boring to read, do more-or-less state that. These days, I see car hire as a risk over anything else (e.g. convenience, fun), and avoid it whenever possible.
I would like to take the opportunity to remind everyone that hiring a car involves giving a company your credit details and full permission to charge almost what they like to it, in a wide range of scenarios.
The contracts, while boring to read, do more-or-less state that. These days, I see car hire as a risk over anything else (e.g. convenience, fun), and avoid it whenever possible.
Oct 12, 2015, 8:16 am
#4
Company Representative, Sixt Customer Service
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 469
Hello fellow forum members,
Just wanted to write a few words about a very recent nightmare experience I have had with Sixt in Sweden. Before I being, I'd like to highlight that Sixt operates a franchise in this country - meaning that the businesses carry Sixt Branding but they're not corporate owned. In the eyes of the customer it is all the same - and this experience has been a complete let down and definitely has damaged the brand's name in my eyes. In summary:
Please read on if you're interested to know more...
On the 30th September I landed in Skavsta airport ready to pick up a FSAR (BMW 320d GT) to go on a holiday with family. There were no unpleasant surprises (nor thrills) until I got onto the car and drove it out of the parking lot - there was a big (>40 cm) crack on the windscreen on the driver side in the middle of the field of vision. Driving with an expanding crack in front of your eyes is extremely frustrating to say the least and somewhat dangerous in the worst of scenarios; thus it was my intent to exchange the car if only I could find the Sixt representative who had closed the service desk and gone to 'back office' (didn't know where that was). I had to leave in a hurry and pick some people up at Stockholm Arlanda airport and I thought I could exchange it there but that's when I was told that Sixt was a franchise and that they would rather I handled this with Skavsta.
That was fine, fortunately two days later I was headed that way and went by their branch to exchange the car for a downgrade (MB C180 Estate, Petrol). This was OK and a refund was negotiated without a heated argument; however I had returned the cracked windscreen car (BMW 320d GT) with a new scratch on the bodywork just above the rear driver side wheel and this is where the fun begins.
1. I receive an invoice yesterday mentioning I should pay the full excess 8500 SEK (~700 GBP).
2. Upon further inquiry, I find that this is based on an estimated value and not on actual costs incurred for the repair of the scratch.
3. I also find that the estimation has been made as follows: 5000 SEK for scratch repair and 3500 SEK for 'lost rental days' thus making up the full excess.
Here's what I don't understand - why would a scratch cause 'lost rental days'? Surely the car had to be repaired anyway due to the huge windscreen crack - surely this should be a cost associated with the previous renter who cracked the windscreen.
After enquiring about this, the response I get is 'If the bookings ahead allows us we always takes the car straight for repair even if its drivable so we lose 3-4 rental days on the repaircentre for this car'. So essentially the 'lost rental days' are effectively 'non rental days that the customer will pay for anyway'.
Another response which amazes me was why they thought it was sound judgement to give me a damaged car. The response was 'The rental before you cracked it and the customer is charged for that. It came back late so we didn’t have the time to change the windscreen before your arrival to Skavsta. It was also the only car we had that matched the car group that you booked so we had to take it anyway.'. I guess flexibility is not their thing... How could they have possible thought of upgrading or downgrading with refund so that all of this could've been avoided in the first place?
Just wanted to write a few words about a very recent nightmare experience I have had with Sixt in Sweden. Before I being, I'd like to highlight that Sixt operates a franchise in this country - meaning that the businesses carry Sixt Branding but they're not corporate owned. In the eyes of the customer it is all the same - and this experience has been a complete let down and definitely has damaged the brand's name in my eyes. In summary:
- Was handed a car with a 40 cm expanding crack on the windscreen and was told that it was no big deal
- Got a downgrade when I said I was unhappy with the safety and condition that the car was given to me
- Caused minor aesthetic damage to the car, and was made to pay for 'lost rental days' which in fact turned out to be days in which the car was not being rented and could be repaired...
Please read on if you're interested to know more...
On the 30th September I landed in Skavsta airport ready to pick up a FSAR (BMW 320d GT) to go on a holiday with family. There were no unpleasant surprises (nor thrills) until I got onto the car and drove it out of the parking lot - there was a big (>40 cm) crack on the windscreen on the driver side in the middle of the field of vision. Driving with an expanding crack in front of your eyes is extremely frustrating to say the least and somewhat dangerous in the worst of scenarios; thus it was my intent to exchange the car if only I could find the Sixt representative who had closed the service desk and gone to 'back office' (didn't know where that was). I had to leave in a hurry and pick some people up at Stockholm Arlanda airport and I thought I could exchange it there but that's when I was told that Sixt was a franchise and that they would rather I handled this with Skavsta.
That was fine, fortunately two days later I was headed that way and went by their branch to exchange the car for a downgrade (MB C180 Estate, Petrol). This was OK and a refund was negotiated without a heated argument; however I had returned the cracked windscreen car (BMW 320d GT) with a new scratch on the bodywork just above the rear driver side wheel and this is where the fun begins.
1. I receive an invoice yesterday mentioning I should pay the full excess 8500 SEK (~700 GBP).
2. Upon further inquiry, I find that this is based on an estimated value and not on actual costs incurred for the repair of the scratch.
3. I also find that the estimation has been made as follows: 5000 SEK for scratch repair and 3500 SEK for 'lost rental days' thus making up the full excess.
Here's what I don't understand - why would a scratch cause 'lost rental days'? Surely the car had to be repaired anyway due to the huge windscreen crack - surely this should be a cost associated with the previous renter who cracked the windscreen.
After enquiring about this, the response I get is 'If the bookings ahead allows us we always takes the car straight for repair even if its drivable so we lose 3-4 rental days on the repaircentre for this car'. So essentially the 'lost rental days' are effectively 'non rental days that the customer will pay for anyway'.
Another response which amazes me was why they thought it was sound judgement to give me a damaged car. The response was 'The rental before you cracked it and the customer is charged for that. It came back late so we didn’t have the time to change the windscreen before your arrival to Skavsta. It was also the only car we had that matched the car group that you booked so we had to take it anyway.'. I guess flexibility is not their thing... How could they have possible thought of upgrading or downgrading with refund so that all of this could've been avoided in the first place?
Please send me a PM with your reservation number & I will assist where I can.
Best regards,
Emily