Sixt Italy Offices "closed" at lunchtime scam
Mar 21, 2013, 12:20 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 3
Sixt Italy Offices "closed" at lunchtime scam
A warning to anyone using Sixt in Italy.
I picked up a car at Pescara Airport as normal. Staff were very helpful.
When I got home, my card was hit for 45 euros "out-of-hours fee". Now, Pescara it a small airport with only 1 or 2 flights a day. The office just happens to be "closed" at lunchtime when one of the only flights arrives.
I complained to Sixt Italy thinking it was an error. No, this is their normal practice, and didn't see why I was making a fuss.
If I'd known the office was "closed", I'd have waited the 1/2 an hour until was "open" again.
If my plane had been late, and some guy waited late in to the night, that would be understandable, but this is a 90 min lunch break just as a plane arrives.
Their small print also has a 45 euro fee for using the key dropbox.
Sixt in Italy also have a very large excess - up to 5,000 euros (depends on car and location) - with their standard Collision Damage Waiver insurance. Their Super CDW costs about 30 euro PER DAY and still has many exclusions. Make sure you get Car hire excess insurance before you leave home - its much cheaper.
I picked up a car at Pescara Airport as normal. Staff were very helpful.
When I got home, my card was hit for 45 euros "out-of-hours fee". Now, Pescara it a small airport with only 1 or 2 flights a day. The office just happens to be "closed" at lunchtime when one of the only flights arrives.
I complained to Sixt Italy thinking it was an error. No, this is their normal practice, and didn't see why I was making a fuss.
If I'd known the office was "closed", I'd have waited the 1/2 an hour until was "open" again.
If my plane had been late, and some guy waited late in to the night, that would be understandable, but this is a 90 min lunch break just as a plane arrives.
Their small print also has a 45 euro fee for using the key dropbox.
Sixt in Italy also have a very large excess - up to 5,000 euros (depends on car and location) - with their standard Collision Damage Waiver insurance. Their Super CDW costs about 30 euro PER DAY and still has many exclusions. Make sure you get Car hire excess insurance before you leave home - its much cheaper.
Last edited by aavmurphy; Mar 21, 2013 at 12:23 pm Reason: typo
Mar 21, 2013, 4:36 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: AGR, PC, HH no status as I stopped paying for travel
Posts: 1,454
Did you try contacting Gary Coughlin of SIXT who has a presence here or did you just post your complaint?
My suggestion is to private mail him for help.
And the office is closed from 1300 - 1430 what time is your flight scheduled to arrive?
And siince it is posted on the SIXT website that the office is closed those hours how can it be a scam?
My suggestion is to private mail him for help.
And the office is closed from 1300 - 1430 what time is your flight scheduled to arrive?
And siince it is posted on the SIXT website that the office is closed those hours how can it be a scam?
Mar 22, 2013, 4:34 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 3
I contacted Sixt Italy customer services who took 2 months to reply. They said its normal practise.
Flight was on time at 12:55. Pescara is a small airport with just 1 or 2 arrivals (of large aircraft) a day. They close for lunch 5 mins after the Ryanair flight arrives at 1300. That is the scam.
But when the desk is closed, it looks "open" as normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. No sign.
If they'd said "wait 90 mins or pay 45 euro", you could at least choose.
Just picked the car up as normal. No one mentioned this extra charge. Then got the surprise bill when I got home.
Flight was on time at 12:55. Pescara is a small airport with just 1 or 2 arrivals (of large aircraft) a day. They close for lunch 5 mins after the Ryanair flight arrives at 1300. That is the scam.
But when the desk is closed, it looks "open" as normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. No sign.
If they'd said "wait 90 mins or pay 45 euro", you could at least choose.
Just picked the car up as normal. No one mentioned this extra charge. Then got the surprise bill when I got home.
Mar 22, 2013, 11:09 am
#5
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: AGR, PC, HH no status as I stopped paying for travel
Posts: 1,454
I contacted Sixt Italy customer services who took 2 months to reply. They said its normal practise.
Flight was on time at 12:55. Pescara is a small airport with just 1 or 2 arrivals (of large aircraft) a day. They close for lunch 5 mins after the Ryanair flight arrives at 1300. That is the scam.
But when the desk is closed, it looks "open" as normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. No sign.
If they'd said "wait 90 mins or pay 45 euro", you could at least choose.
Just picked the car up as normal. No one mentioned this extra charge. Then got the surprise bill when I got home.
Flight was on time at 12:55. Pescara is a small airport with just 1 or 2 arrivals (of large aircraft) a day. They close for lunch 5 mins after the Ryanair flight arrives at 1300. That is the scam.
But when the desk is closed, it looks "open" as normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. No sign.
If they'd said "wait 90 mins or pay 45 euro", you could at least choose.
Just picked the car up as normal. No one mentioned this extra charge. Then got the surprise bill when I got home.
Mar 29, 2013, 9:55 am
#6
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,641
However, I wouldn't call it a scam if they list their operating hours which they do. Ryanair and Sixt are separate companies so Sixt closing 5 minutes after the Ryanair arrives really have nothing to do with anything.
Mar 29, 2013, 1:16 pm
#7
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 4,843
I have to agree with the OP here. Rental agencies operating out of airports usually time their operations to coincide with flight times. It's normal for many airport agencies to stay open until an hour after the last arrival.
In this case, the Sixt location appears to time its "break" so that it can extract an extra 45 euro from people on that flight. Maybe not a complete scam, but it's at least terrible form. It's practices like this that happen at far afield locations that end up alienating customers.
Had they told me to wait 90 minutes or pay an extra 45 euro, the choice would have been simple - I would have walked over to another agency.
In this case, the Sixt location appears to time its "break" so that it can extract an extra 45 euro from people on that flight. Maybe not a complete scam, but it's at least terrible form. It's practices like this that happen at far afield locations that end up alienating customers.
Had they told me to wait 90 minutes or pay an extra 45 euro, the choice would have been simple - I would have walked over to another agency.
Mar 29, 2013, 1:39 pm
#8
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: AGR, PC, HH no status as I stopped paying for travel
Posts: 1,454
I have to agree with the OP here. Rental agencies operating out of airports usually time their operations to coincide with flight times. It's normal for many airport agencies to stay open until an hour after the last arrival.
In this case, the Sixt location appears to time its "break" so that it can extract an extra 45 euro from people on that flight. Maybe not a complete scam, but it's at least terrible form. It's practices like this that happen at far afield locations that end up alienating customers.
Had they told me to wait 90 minutes or pay an extra 45 euro, the choice would have been simple - I would have walked over to another agency.
In this case, the Sixt location appears to time its "break" so that it can extract an extra 45 euro from people on that flight. Maybe not a complete scam, but it's at least terrible form. It's practices like this that happen at far afield locations that end up alienating customers.
Had they told me to wait 90 minutes or pay an extra 45 euro, the choice would have been simple - I would have walked over to another agency.
So until he pursues it further nothing will happen either for him or for the rest of the public.
This may well be a franchise office and SIXT may have no direct control of the lunch times but by working with corporate it may well be brought up at franchise renewal time.
Mar 29, 2013, 6:18 pm
#9
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: London
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Plt
Posts: 2,607
I agree w/ the OP this is a total scam. Clearly a fee harvesting scenario. Typical of Italy really - I had a 8pm arrival once and paid a similar fee. At least in that case, you can make the case he had to stay late. This is a total scam though - where else in the world is a fee assessed for a mid-day arrival because of lunch?!
Mar 29, 2013, 6:24 pm
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Atherton, CA
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Owner, Green Bay Packers
Posts: 21,690
What kind of drugs are you on? How can you possibly blame the customer for being angry about an obvious scam. If the office is "closed", they should have the door locked, not sneak in a 45 euro charge for walking in.
This sounds like a calculated scam.
This sounds like a calculated scam.
Mar 30, 2013, 1:43 am
#11
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,641
I have to agree with the OP here. Rental agencies operating out of airports usually time their operations to coincide with flight times. It's normal for many airport agencies to stay open until an hour after the last arrival.
In this case, the Sixt location appears to time its "break" so that it can extract an extra 45 euro from people on that flight. Maybe not a complete scam, but it's at least terrible form. It's practices like this that happen at far afield locations that end up alienating customers.
Had they told me to wait 90 minutes or pay an extra 45 euro, the choice would have been simple - I would have walked over to another agency.
In this case, the Sixt location appears to time its "break" so that it can extract an extra 45 euro from people on that flight. Maybe not a complete scam, but it's at least terrible form. It's practices like this that happen at far afield locations that end up alienating customers.
Had they told me to wait 90 minutes or pay an extra 45 euro, the choice would have been simple - I would have walked over to another agency.
I agree w/ the OP this is a total scam. Clearly a fee harvesting scenario. Typical of Italy really - I had a 8pm arrival once and paid a similar fee. At least in that case, you can make the case he had to stay late. This is a total scam though - where else in the world is a fee assessed for a mid-day arrival because of lunch?!
This is Italy. It is not uncommon to close for siesta. If they want to take siesta, they are not going to "coordinate" with Ryanair on scheduling.
OP indicated had he known he would have waited the half hour. Seems to me he picked up at 1400 despite the flight landing at 1255.
I like to know what time he reserved for. If he reserved on website, a 1330 or 1400 pickup would have triggered a warning that this is outside operating hours.
