Sixt damage claim 1 year later?
 

I rented a car from them last year. On the last day of the rental, someone backed into the car while it was parked on a shared driveway, causing minor scratches on the door. The driver of the other car admitted fault and provided me with his insurance details. When I returned the car, I explained the incident, gave them the other driver’s contact information and insurance details, and was informed that everything should be fine since the other driver admitted fault. They also told me to expect an email from them regarding the damage soon. Since the rental was paid using my Amex Platinum card, I contacted them to start a claim in case any further issues arise.

Fast forwarding more than a year without any update from Sixt, I had assumed everything was resolved. However, I recently received a claim demand email from them, stating that I am the responsible party. I’m not sure how they arrived at this conclusion, unless the other driver changed their mind. Additionally, I’m not familiar with Amex car rental insurance, so I’m not sure how it works since the original claim I filed no longer exists, I started a new one.

Usually always have a positive experience with Sixt, but is it normal to get a damage claim more than a year later?

It is not normal and you should push back on the basis that notifying you a year later is unreasonable. You should contact Amex ASAP and have them intervene on your behalf. If you opened a claim with them at the time you returned the rental, they are on the hook for it, so they should be the ones to deal with it.

Wanted to give an update. Amex approved payout, thankfully they made the process very simple. Filed the claim and was approved a few days later.

Bogus damage claims appear to be part of Sixt's business model. Why I won't rent with them anymore.

Is this delay normal? Someone hit my car while driving - I went through the entire process, frequently communicating with SIXT's damage department, and their insurance company. The car was returned for an exchange two months ago so they could repair it, but since then total silence. It can't take that long to get a repair estimate and fix what was just a dent and paint scrape. My credit card is primary insurance and they need a demand letter and invoice in order to pay the claim

Your credit card insurance company should be communicating with Sixt. You should not be stuck in the middle. They should send a letter to Sixt's damage department stating that if they do not receive a damage assessment within X days that the case will be closed. If they refuse to do it, then you should do it on their behalf. Use ChatGPT or a similar AI chatbot to help you draft a letter if needed. You need to put the pressure on them to provide the necessary documentation or they will not get paid. End of story.

I don't want the credit card company communicating directly with Sixt because I want to maintain control over the conversations - I don't know what Sixt will be telling them. I will reach out to damage claims again this week to see what's going on. I was considering just ignoring it and see if they would ever send me a demand letter, but since I found this thread, it looks like it could happen at any time.

Even if the credit card company closes the file, and even if I give Sixt a deadline to provide a demand letter, they could still ignore me, send it months from now or even in a year, and then come after me if the credit card company refuses to pay because it's past their 12 month limit.

Your card issuer is not involved, as they don't handle claims. The insurer that your issuer has contracted with (typically an AIG affiliate) will handle the claim.

Understood - I meant the insurance company contracted with Chase.

This was the first time it had happened to me, so I'm not rally sure. Your credit card company or their insurance should be able to follow with Sixt on whatever documents they need. I filed a claim with Amex and sent over whatever documents I had and they handled everything else.