stefang

I got scammed by the Sixt staff upon returning a rental car at Amman airport.

The Sixt employee who inspected the car told me there was a new scratch on the car. Whether or not I caused this scratch is irrelevant to the story (I may or may not have, but in full transparency I have attached a photo below).

The Sixt employee told me I would be charged 30 JOD for the damage, or alternatively he could personally take the car to his friend's garage and fix it for 10 JOD. Although it sounded sketchy to me, I could not deny there was a scratch, so I told him I'll pay him the 10 JOD.

Once I got my wallet, I realized I only had 6 JOD left, so I told him I will go to the ATM inside the terminal, but he rather nervously said "It's ok, just give me the 6, but don't tell anyone about this". This raised many additional red flags. If 10 JOD is what it costs to get the scratch removed, the Sixt employee would not have agreed to 6.

I decided not to make a big deal out of it, (1) Because I was in a foreign country, and (2) The loss of 6 JOD is tolerable.

Finally, when walking towards the airport, I noticed the Sixt employee merely drove the car in a circle on the parking lot (to make me think he is going to the garage), parked it in the rental car pickup-spot, and went back inside the terminal to the Six counter. This is when I was sure I was scammed. The car was ready to be given to the next customer, proving that the scratch was not significant enough to be considered damage.

Sixt should be aware and take appropriate action to prevent their employees from scamming their customers.

Vinotraveller

Clearly you were scammed - I don't think the paint chip is big enough to be considered damage in the first place. If you have his details it would be a good idea to report the whole incident to Sixt.

MTTN

I think the car is next in line for a thorough cleanup

Rexy52

In my experience, car rental companies are collectively the biggest bunch of scammers I come across when I travel. Counter-intuitively, the major names (or rather their franchisees) are the worst offenders, while their smaller local counterparts tend to be much more honest.

Samarkand

Google Goldcar in Spain and Portugal. I think they might have been part of the Sixt, but far from certain. Anyway, this scam of paint chips and damage is legendary. Reports of staff getting under the car with flashlights or finding dents around the inside rim of the trunk, etc. And phenomenal refueling charges.

But the damage - and payment - via the tiniest chip or scratch seems to be quite common especially if you go off-reservation, so to speak and chose the cheapest company (usually a local) rather the recognized leaders in the field.

The search will lead to many, many threads and articles and if, like me, you find these tales both hugely fascinating and outrageous, you might be in for a long night.

picturegal

Prevent scams or honest mistakes by: 1). Insisting on making note on the paperwork of any scratch no matter how small before you leave and 2.) taking dated photos of the car in the parking lot when you return it. I returned an Enterprise car in Edinburgh at the airport before hours and used the key drop. The next day they called to ask when the car would be returned. Two days later they still had not found the car. I sent them a dated photo showing the car in the lot, with their sign clearly showing and the license plate of the car showing. They sent me a closed out invoice the next day. (I still don't know if they ever found the car.)

VeroKili

I also got scammed by Sixt rental car in Orly Paris. My husband and I visited France in August 2018 and rented a car at Sixt company then we returned the car, there was no problem. Three months later we got a letter telling us that we had damaged the car but we knew if was false. They sent us a picture which did not even show any damage to the car but they told us they was a 10cm scratch on the car and wanted us to pay for it. We replied that we didn't do it and that the technician told us everything was fine and that we could just go when we returned the car. A week later they send me a reply with a document where they tried to forge my signature on it, making believe that I actually signed that paper. Though I could see right away it was not my signature, just an attempt of my signature. I can easily prove it is not my signature.THOSE PEOPLE ARE CRIMINAL AND THIEVES.

shutterbugguy

I had a rental from the same company in Zurich, and they billed an extra 150 euros (the office uses quick drop off at the airport, and emails the final rental bill). I had taken photographs of the car, and emailed the manager, and the charge was returned.

I plan to avoid this company in the future.

arcticflier

flyairhost

Mine was from Budget in LAX. While it is the different company, it is to show how important it is to do a thorough walk through before leaving the lot and ensuring the paperwork shows any and all damage, noted and signed. I noted a pretty big dent in the front of a convertible we rented in LAX (we were doing the Pacific Coast Highway trip and wanted a nice car). I took a pic, noted it in the paperwork, the security guard saw it and signed it off too before we left the lot. A few weeks after my return home, I get a pic and letter stating we were being charged for the damage. I always keep all of my car rental paperwork for at least a year before throwing it away. Luckily I had all my documents on this one. Long story short, the lady on the phone made me prove it wasn't me (even though I told her they they need to have copies of the same forms as I do as the guard at the LAX lot also took a copy of it). After I submitted all of the paperwork (guilty until proven innocent) never heard a peep from anyone. Now, the agents when I rent a car, I mark and write EVERYTHING inclusive of little dents outside of the car and any damage to the inside as well (spots in carpets, scratched to the panel, etc). The agents always say "oh no worry... it is just wear and tear) to which I always reply, "I feel more comfortable with all of these issues noted before I leave. I do not want to deal with any of these after the car return." They know what I mean and let me do it and grudgingly sign it after I am finished. LMFAO!

flyairhost

Also another issue about car rentals that gets me every time is how pushy the car rental agents get with the insurance add-ons. I have a very good credit card that covers everything in the car. I always call the cc company to check if any of the insurance clauses have changed before I rent the car. I also check with my own home and auto insurance. We all know that those 'add-ons' are the biggest scam ever! And every agent also gets a 'cut' for every 'add-on sale' they make. I had an issue in Puerto Rico where the agent kept trying to sell me those insurances. I kept saying no to every single line item. People in line behind me could hear everything a it was a small waiting room area. We could all tell that the agent was getting frustrated with me as I kept saying no to every single one. The last one was the "tow assistance program". I said no and she replied quite loudly, "well, if something happens to your car and you need to be towed, then you will be responsible for every cost!" To which I reply: "No. It is your car and it is your responsibility. I told you 10 times that I am covered through my credit card, home and auto insurance. If I call your assistance number and you refuse to help me because I did not buy your insurance, I will lock the car wherever it is with the keys inside, file a police report and leave it there until you decide to take care of it. You well know you are responsible to assist me. Stop trying to sell me your add-ons for a commission and I am ready to take my car keys now." You could hear a pin drop in the room. Her tune changed and I left the location with a customer at the end of the line telling me "I am calling my credit card company now!" We both chuckled!

SWCPHX

File a police report about what? There's no crime.

Redwood839

I had posted a similar thing when I went to Amman, where I read through Google reviews and they were horrible and I felt like I would get scammed. I ended up going with Monte Carlo rent a car.

Sorry you had to go through this but the reviews did say it. At least it was only 8 bucks.

stefang

You're right, the loss of $8 is very tolerable, and the lesson I learned is to look at reviews beforehand.

FYI, I did file a complaint with Sixt, and the local manager seems to have taken the incident serious.