Really disappointed in Sixt
Jul 20, 2014, 1:44 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 8
Really disappointed in Sixt
I am THIS close to never making a booking with Sixt again. The service is totally inconsistent and ranges from great to deplorable, the latter being a more frequent occurrence.
Example 1:
Our booking in Lyon : not only were we incorrectly overcharged for the amount of km driven for an amount close to 2000 EUR, but we also had to pay a hefty fine with the issuer of the particular card used as the charge put the card limit in overdraft. Got the 2000 Euro reimbursed, but not the fine.
Example 2:
We have just booked a car in Berlin (CPMR class) for a very good price of 105,67 Euro. We then decided to upgrade to PTMR with 216 Euro price tag and in the booking we stated that we would be traveling to Poland - the booking went through. When our travel plans changed, we needed to update the drop off location from Tegel to Schoenefeld. We presumed that there would be a fee for this and we were perfectly fine with that. However, when we called customer service, it turned out the PTMR class cars cannot be taken to Poland and we were forced to rebook the rental entirely and ended up with ECMR class (even lower than the original) and new invoice for 152 Euro!
We have contacted the customer service raising the issue of being downgraded for a higher price and the fact that the system allows booking that is against the company policy. If we had not called, would we have been informed about it only at pick up? All we got in return was 'company policy' blahblah with no real answer to the concerns and - at least - a free upgrade : with the new price of 147 Euro. Fine.
My boyfriend was picking the car up. Now, he has a Danish passport and doesn't speak a word of German, so the conversation was in English entirely. Yet, he receives the agreement printed out in German (without any car scheme with marked existing damages) and nobody checks the car with him for scratches and other issues before he drives away.
I then look at the agreement and I can see that the new total for the car rental became out of nowhere 210 Euro! The insurance which was declined by us not only when we made the bookings but also at the counter while picking the car up. Not only that, we were charged a fee for a GPS that was built in the car - the presumed FREE upgrade we had been promised.
My boyfriend returns the car and is informed that nothing can be done about this additional balance. Sixt has became yet another company that cannot provide the customer with modicum of confidence and comfort in using their services. We need to double and triple check every detail just to be sure we are not taken for a ride (pun not intended, but stays;-) ) and I am not sure we are willing and want to use our time to do this.
Why can the bookings go through when they are against company policy?
Why were we charged almost 50 Euro extra for items we did not order especially after the original price went up 50 as well for a downgrade in rented class?
Why isn't an agreement in English with clear way of describing car damages available for foreign customers?
Why aren't the cars being checked properly upon pick and delivery?
tl;dr Sixt managed to cause issues before, during and after our rentals and we are sick and tired of it. Aaaaaargh.
Example 1:
Our booking in Lyon : not only were we incorrectly overcharged for the amount of km driven for an amount close to 2000 EUR, but we also had to pay a hefty fine with the issuer of the particular card used as the charge put the card limit in overdraft. Got the 2000 Euro reimbursed, but not the fine.
Example 2:
We have just booked a car in Berlin (CPMR class) for a very good price of 105,67 Euro. We then decided to upgrade to PTMR with 216 Euro price tag and in the booking we stated that we would be traveling to Poland - the booking went through. When our travel plans changed, we needed to update the drop off location from Tegel to Schoenefeld. We presumed that there would be a fee for this and we were perfectly fine with that. However, when we called customer service, it turned out the PTMR class cars cannot be taken to Poland and we were forced to rebook the rental entirely and ended up with ECMR class (even lower than the original) and new invoice for 152 Euro!
We have contacted the customer service raising the issue of being downgraded for a higher price and the fact that the system allows booking that is against the company policy. If we had not called, would we have been informed about it only at pick up? All we got in return was 'company policy' blahblah with no real answer to the concerns and - at least - a free upgrade : with the new price of 147 Euro. Fine.
My boyfriend was picking the car up. Now, he has a Danish passport and doesn't speak a word of German, so the conversation was in English entirely. Yet, he receives the agreement printed out in German (without any car scheme with marked existing damages) and nobody checks the car with him for scratches and other issues before he drives away.
I then look at the agreement and I can see that the new total for the car rental became out of nowhere 210 Euro! The insurance which was declined by us not only when we made the bookings but also at the counter while picking the car up. Not only that, we were charged a fee for a GPS that was built in the car - the presumed FREE upgrade we had been promised.
My boyfriend returns the car and is informed that nothing can be done about this additional balance. Sixt has became yet another company that cannot provide the customer with modicum of confidence and comfort in using their services. We need to double and triple check every detail just to be sure we are not taken for a ride (pun not intended, but stays;-) ) and I am not sure we are willing and want to use our time to do this.
Why can the bookings go through when they are against company policy?
Why were we charged almost 50 Euro extra for items we did not order especially after the original price went up 50 as well for a downgrade in rented class?
Why isn't an agreement in English with clear way of describing car damages available for foreign customers?
Why aren't the cars being checked properly upon pick and delivery?
tl;dr Sixt managed to cause issues before, during and after our rentals and we are sick and tired of it. Aaaaaargh.
Jul 21, 2014, 3:02 am
#2
Company Representative, Sixt Customer Service
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 469
Hi, thank you for the message and the feedback you have provided.
Please can you send me a private message including both the rental agreement numbers for the rentals you have mentioned in your post and I'll be more than happy to take a look for you.
Many thanks, Louise.
Please can you send me a private message including both the rental agreement numbers for the rentals you have mentioned in your post and I'll be more than happy to take a look for you.
Many thanks, Louise.
I am THIS close to never making a booking with Sixt again. The service is totally inconsistent and ranges from great to deplorable, the latter being a more frequent occurrence.
Example 1:
Our booking in Lyon : not only were we incorrectly overcharged for the amount of km driven for an amount close to 2000 EUR, but we also had to pay a hefty fine with the issuer of the particular card used as the charge put the card limit in overdraft. Got the 2000 Euro reimbursed, but not the fine.
Example 2:
We have just booked a car in Berlin (CPMR class) for a very good price of 105,67 Euro. We then decided to upgrade to PTMR with 216 Euro price tag and in the booking we stated that we would be traveling to Poland - the booking went through. When our travel plans changed, we needed to update the drop off location from Tegel to Schoenefeld. We presumed that there would be a fee for this and we were perfectly fine with that. However, when we called customer service, it turned out the PTMR class cars cannot be taken to Poland and we were forced to rebook the rental entirely and ended up with ECMR class (even lower than the original) and new invoice for 152 Euro!
We have contacted the customer service raising the issue of being downgraded for a higher price and the fact that the system allows booking that is against the company policy. If we had not called, would we have been informed about it only at pick up? All we got in return was 'company policy' blahblah with no real answer to the concerns and - at least - a free upgrade : with the new price of 147 Euro. Fine.
My boyfriend was picking the car up. Now, he has a Danish passport and doesn't speak a word of German, so the conversation was in English entirely. Yet, he receives the agreement printed out in German (without any car scheme with marked existing damages) and nobody checks the car with him for scratches and other issues before he drives away.
I then look at the agreement and I can see that the new total for the car rental became out of nowhere 210 Euro! The insurance which was declined by us not only when we made the bookings but also at the counter while picking the car up. Not only that, we were charged a fee for a GPS that was built in the car - the presumed FREE upgrade we had been promised.
My boyfriend returns the car and is informed that nothing can be done about this additional balance. Sixt has became yet another company that cannot provide the customer with modicum of confidence and comfort in using their services. We need to double and triple check every detail just to be sure we are not taken for a ride (pun not intended, but stays;-) ) and I am not sure we are willing and want to use our time to do this.
Why can the bookings go through when they are against company policy?
Why were we charged almost 50 Euro extra for items we did not order especially after the original price went up 50 as well for a downgrade in rented class?
Why isn't an agreement in English with clear way of describing car damages available for foreign customers?
Why aren't the cars being checked properly upon pick and delivery?
tl;dr Sixt managed to cause issues before, during and after our rentals and we are sick and tired of it. Aaaaaargh.
Example 1:
Our booking in Lyon : not only were we incorrectly overcharged for the amount of km driven for an amount close to 2000 EUR, but we also had to pay a hefty fine with the issuer of the particular card used as the charge put the card limit in overdraft. Got the 2000 Euro reimbursed, but not the fine.
Example 2:
We have just booked a car in Berlin (CPMR class) for a very good price of 105,67 Euro. We then decided to upgrade to PTMR with 216 Euro price tag and in the booking we stated that we would be traveling to Poland - the booking went through. When our travel plans changed, we needed to update the drop off location from Tegel to Schoenefeld. We presumed that there would be a fee for this and we were perfectly fine with that. However, when we called customer service, it turned out the PTMR class cars cannot be taken to Poland and we were forced to rebook the rental entirely and ended up with ECMR class (even lower than the original) and new invoice for 152 Euro!
We have contacted the customer service raising the issue of being downgraded for a higher price and the fact that the system allows booking that is against the company policy. If we had not called, would we have been informed about it only at pick up? All we got in return was 'company policy' blahblah with no real answer to the concerns and - at least - a free upgrade : with the new price of 147 Euro. Fine.
My boyfriend was picking the car up. Now, he has a Danish passport and doesn't speak a word of German, so the conversation was in English entirely. Yet, he receives the agreement printed out in German (without any car scheme with marked existing damages) and nobody checks the car with him for scratches and other issues before he drives away.
I then look at the agreement and I can see that the new total for the car rental became out of nowhere 210 Euro! The insurance which was declined by us not only when we made the bookings but also at the counter while picking the car up. Not only that, we were charged a fee for a GPS that was built in the car - the presumed FREE upgrade we had been promised.
My boyfriend returns the car and is informed that nothing can be done about this additional balance. Sixt has became yet another company that cannot provide the customer with modicum of confidence and comfort in using their services. We need to double and triple check every detail just to be sure we are not taken for a ride (pun not intended, but stays;-) ) and I am not sure we are willing and want to use our time to do this.
Why can the bookings go through when they are against company policy?
Why were we charged almost 50 Euro extra for items we did not order especially after the original price went up 50 as well for a downgrade in rented class?
Why isn't an agreement in English with clear way of describing car damages available for foreign customers?
Why aren't the cars being checked properly upon pick and delivery?
tl;dr Sixt managed to cause issues before, during and after our rentals and we are sick and tired of it. Aaaaaargh.
Jul 23, 2014, 6:50 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 8
Thank you, Louise, much appreciated :-).
Here's hoping the posts here will cause some sort of change on a bigger scale so that your job is easier and the customers don't have to complain to be treated fairly (and logically). Thank you!
Here's hoping the posts here will cause some sort of change on a bigger scale so that your job is easier and the customers don't have to complain to be treated fairly (and logically). Thank you!
Jul 23, 2014, 7:33 pm
#5
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,636
Really disappointed in Sixt
While I'm not a big fan of Sixt, I do find some of the complaints unreasonable.
The comments on the website is for humans to read. The system does not know you are going to drive it to Poland (or for that matter drive it all the way to China if you wanted to) based on the comments section. It only goes by pickup and drop off location entered. NO car hire company has developed a website that can interpret customer intentions on the comments field. Your expectation that the website allowed such a booking against company policy is unfair.
Nothing is stopping you from driving a PTMR to Poland other than no insurance coverage should the car be lost/damaged/involved in accident.
Sixt Germany does print contracts in English. All you have to do is ask.
The comments on the website is for humans to read. The system does not know you are going to drive it to Poland (or for that matter drive it all the way to China if you wanted to) based on the comments section. It only goes by pickup and drop off location entered. NO car hire company has developed a website that can interpret customer intentions on the comments field. Your expectation that the website allowed such a booking against company policy is unfair.
Nothing is stopping you from driving a PTMR to Poland other than no insurance coverage should the car be lost/damaged/involved in accident.
Sixt Germany does print contracts in English. All you have to do is ask.
Last edited by seawolf; Jul 23, 2014 at 7:39 pm
Jul 24, 2014, 10:04 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: MCI
Programs: Delta Diamond National Executive, Avis Preferred
Posts: 5
I have only rented from SIXT in Munich and each time (about 12 times a year) it goes very smoothly with no issues in the last 5 years and over 60 rentals. I book on their website and have a SIXT membership so all my info is in their system. Now for the US not so much as they are not up to speed yet. I can go through the SIXT counter at MUC in 2 to 3 minutes, in Atlanta 15 even with everything reserved on line. SIXT is my choice in Europe, not so much in the US.
Jul 26, 2014, 2:39 am
#7
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,229
While I'm not a big fan of Sixt, I do find some of the complaints unreasonable.
The comments on the website is for humans to read. The system does not know you are going to drive it to Poland (or for that matter drive it all the way to China if you wanted to) based on the comments section. It only goes by pickup and drop off location entered. NO car hire company has developed a website that can interpret customer intentions on the comments field. Your expectation that the website allowed such a booking against company policy is unfair.
Nothing is stopping you from driving a PTMR to Poland other than no insurance coverage should the car be lost/damaged/involved in accident.
Sixt Germany does print contracts in English. All you have to do is ask.
The comments on the website is for humans to read. The system does not know you are going to drive it to Poland (or for that matter drive it all the way to China if you wanted to) based on the comments section. It only goes by pickup and drop off location entered. NO car hire company has developed a website that can interpret customer intentions on the comments field. Your expectation that the website allowed such a booking against company policy is unfair.
Nothing is stopping you from driving a PTMR to Poland other than no insurance coverage should the car be lost/damaged/involved in accident.
Sixt Germany does print contracts in English. All you have to do is ask.
normally stations do read the customer remarks when doing the fleet planning (daily routine that should be) and then call / email the customer if the request to drive certain cars to certain countries is not allowed.
Agents should be trained to print rental contracts in English or even Spanish if required. You should not have to ask for that.
The extra charges i.e. insurance, GPS etc. are often added without the customers consent. Why? Most agents are employed through 3rd party companies at a very low hourly pay. To increase that salary and increase station performance agents add these extras as a provision is paid.
In the past there were several internal investigations about agents rebooking entire reservations at the counter to get more provisions paid out.
Jul 26, 2014, 12:20 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 8
Swisscircle, thanks for your understanding on the issue and rational approach.
Seawolf, I think you might have misunderstood my complaint.
First, I did not complain about not being able to take PTMR to Poland. I was not happy with the fact that modifying our reservation from a certain class of vehicle to a lower one rose the price of the booking by 50% ( from CPMR to ECMR, from 100 EUR to 150 EUR). And no thank you, I will not break the legal agreement with SIXT and drive PTMR to a non permitted country, but that's just me.
Regarding the contract agreement, I believe a foreign customer with a non German passport and communicating in English with a German employee should not have to specifically ask for documentation in English, that's what good customer service is about. My boyfriend presumed this was simply not available and that would be my natural conclusion as well, seeing as this was not offered/suggested.
I have also not complained about the system not recognizing my intentions through comments field, that is quite absurd. But why not implement a check list in the booking where the customer marks which countries he will be driving in and if that choice does not compute with the class of the vehicle requested, a pop up window would suggest available classes. Simple, doable and time saving both for the customers and employees who do not have to spend time modifying the booking and reaching out to the customer later.
Now if you still think I was unreasonable, that is of course your right, I will however allow myself to think otherwise.
Seawolf, I think you might have misunderstood my complaint.
First, I did not complain about not being able to take PTMR to Poland. I was not happy with the fact that modifying our reservation from a certain class of vehicle to a lower one rose the price of the booking by 50% ( from CPMR to ECMR, from 100 EUR to 150 EUR). And no thank you, I will not break the legal agreement with SIXT and drive PTMR to a non permitted country, but that's just me.
Regarding the contract agreement, I believe a foreign customer with a non German passport and communicating in English with a German employee should not have to specifically ask for documentation in English, that's what good customer service is about. My boyfriend presumed this was simply not available and that would be my natural conclusion as well, seeing as this was not offered/suggested.
I have also not complained about the system not recognizing my intentions through comments field, that is quite absurd. But why not implement a check list in the booking where the customer marks which countries he will be driving in and if that choice does not compute with the class of the vehicle requested, a pop up window would suggest available classes. Simple, doable and time saving both for the customers and employees who do not have to spend time modifying the booking and reaching out to the customer later.
Now if you still think I was unreasonable, that is of course your right, I will however allow myself to think otherwise.
Jul 28, 2014, 10:05 pm
#11
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,636
I believe I understand your complaint perfectly.
The impression I got from your original post is that you looked at prices for CPMR and saw an attractive price for PTMR and put down in the comments you will be driving to Poland. At a later point in time, you decided to change the return and called Sixt. Sixt agent then read your comments about driving in Poland and informed you that PTMR can not be driven to Poland and at this point in time, the cheapest vehicle that can be driven to Poland is an ECMR which is more expensive than the initial price you saw for CPMR.
Your complaint is that had the website informed you when you initially made the booking, that a PTMR can not be driven to Poland, you would have stuck with CPMR and thus you are upset that "that the system allows booking that is against the company policy." The point I'm trying to make is that this issue is not unique to Sixt. No car rental website can understand comments made in the comments box nor has any major car rental company design their website as you suggested. You would have experience the same issue with Hertz, Avis, Europcar had you selected a car class that is prohibited from going to Poland.
As for printing out the conrtract in English, I agree with you. I've found customer service from front-line employees in Sixt Germany (Dusseldorf) to be subpar to Hertz Germany or even Sixt USA. They just don't seem to be as empowered to have any flexibility in ensuring customer satisfaction.
The impression I got from your original post is that you looked at prices for CPMR and saw an attractive price for PTMR and put down in the comments you will be driving to Poland. At a later point in time, you decided to change the return and called Sixt. Sixt agent then read your comments about driving in Poland and informed you that PTMR can not be driven to Poland and at this point in time, the cheapest vehicle that can be driven to Poland is an ECMR which is more expensive than the initial price you saw for CPMR.
Your complaint is that had the website informed you when you initially made the booking, that a PTMR can not be driven to Poland, you would have stuck with CPMR and thus you are upset that "that the system allows booking that is against the company policy." The point I'm trying to make is that this issue is not unique to Sixt. No car rental website can understand comments made in the comments box nor has any major car rental company design their website as you suggested. You would have experience the same issue with Hertz, Avis, Europcar had you selected a car class that is prohibited from going to Poland.
As for printing out the conrtract in English, I agree with you. I've found customer service from front-line employees in Sixt Germany (Dusseldorf) to be subpar to Hertz Germany or even Sixt USA. They just don't seem to be as empowered to have any flexibility in ensuring customer satisfaction.
Jul 31, 2014, 2:45 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 8
I am not sure how you got such impression, since I clearly said that we made an actual booking for CPMR, we did not 'look at prices' for it. Therefore, had the information about travel restrictions been communicated properly, we would have just kept the original 100 euro booking and not been forced to make a new, 50 euro more expensive reservation.
In my opinion, just because the issue in question is not unique to one car rental company, it does not make it acceptable nor should it stop the customers communicating that this is an inconvenience or suggesting a potential solution.
In my opinion, just because the issue in question is not unique to one car rental company, it does not make it acceptable nor should it stop the customers communicating that this is an inconvenience or suggesting a potential solution.
Jul 31, 2014, 7:24 am
#13
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,636
I am not sure how you got such impression, since I clearly said that we made an actual booking for CPMR, we did not 'look at prices' for it. Therefore, had the information about travel restrictions been communicated properly, we would have just kept the original 100 euro booking and not been forced to make a new, 50 euro more expensive reservation.
In my opinion, just because the issue in question is not unique to one car rental company, it does not make it acceptable nor should it stop the customers communicating that this is an inconvenience or suggesting a potential solution.
In my opinion, just because the issue in question is not unique to one car rental company, it does not make it acceptable nor should it stop the customers communicating that this is an inconvenience or suggesting a potential solution.
In any case, you indicated you will never book with Sixt again and I'm telling you that you will have the same issue with any other car rental agencies with this particular issue if you book via their website.
Aug 9, 2014, 3:58 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 8
Your indcated in your original post you booking is a PTMR since you saw a decent upgrade price. You indicated that the agent informed you PTMR can not be driven to Poland. You may have believed you booked CPMR and upgraded to PTMR but in reality you had a PTMR booking not CPMR.
In any case, you indicated you will never book with Sixt again and I'm telling you that you will have the same issue with any other car rental agencies with this particular issue if you book via their website.
In any case, you indicated you will never book with Sixt again and I'm telling you that you will have the same issue with any other car rental agencies with this particular issue if you book via their website.
We HAD a CPMR booking at a price of a 100 euro for over a week. If I only BELIEVED I had a booking for CPMR, then why would have Sixt sent me an email confirming I did in fact have a CPMR booking, I wonder. This actual reservation was upgraded to PTMR retaining the same res number.
And I indicated that ' I am THIS close to never making a booking'. Kindly start reading what I actually write or please stop replying to me implying things I never said. I have also said that the current status quo does not mean improvement suggestions can't be made, so I don't understand why you keep repeating the obvious, I get it. I am mentioning a potential solution for the future.
In any way, I would like to thank Sixt Customer Service for handling this for me, it is much appreciated. It is a good thing this forum exists and customers can receive help the regular customer service is not willing/able to solve.
Last edited by NATinCPH; Aug 9, 2014 at 4:04 am
Aug 10, 2014, 11:04 am
#15
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,636
Your posts have been very confusing.
In your original post, you wrote and I bolded
Before you called to change the return the car to Schoenefeld, were you booked in CPMR or PTMR? This suggest you were booked in PTMR.
Yet your last post (#14) with the email confirmation suggest you were booked in CPMR. Very confusing as to what you've actually booked to begin with.
In your original post, you wrote and I bolded
Example 2:
We have just booked a car in Berlin (CPMR class) for a very good price of 105,67 Euro. We then decided to upgrade to PTMR with 216 Euro price tag and in the booking we stated that we would be traveling to Poland - the booking went through. When our travel plans changed, we needed to update the drop off location from Tegel to Schoenefeld. We presumed that there would be a fee for this and we were perfectly fine with that. However, when we called customer service, it turned out the PTMR class cars cannot be taken to Poland and we were forced to rebook the rental entirely and ended up with ECMR class (even lower than the original) and new invoice for 152 Euro!
We have just booked a car in Berlin (CPMR class) for a very good price of 105,67 Euro. We then decided to upgrade to PTMR with 216 Euro price tag and in the booking we stated that we would be traveling to Poland - the booking went through. When our travel plans changed, we needed to update the drop off location from Tegel to Schoenefeld. We presumed that there would be a fee for this and we were perfectly fine with that. However, when we called customer service, it turned out the PTMR class cars cannot be taken to Poland and we were forced to rebook the rental entirely and ended up with ECMR class (even lower than the original) and new invoice for 152 Euro!
Yet your last post (#14) with the email confirmation suggest you were booked in CPMR. Very confusing as to what you've actually booked to begin with.