Sixt Stands for Six Times as Expensive as Everyone Else

Sixt Car Rentals Will Rip You Off.

You know how they say you don't need to be there during regular hours when you return your rental car? Don't fall for it. You need to see a copy of your bill when you rent a car to Sixt. You will be surprised. You will be unpleasantly surprised.

Yesterday, I got a copy of my bill for renting a car from Sixt. 

The total came to $185/day for a Renault Clio!

Did you get that?

Sixt charged me ONE HUNDRED and EIGHTY FIVE dollars a day!

We were in Strasbourg. It was hot. We were tired. When the woman behind the desk at Sixt said the car would cost about $100/day, it sounded exorbitant, but I figured stuff costs more in Europe. Two other rental car companies had told us they didn't have any cars left. So, when the woman behind the desk quoted $100/day, my sister and I decided to go for it, exorbitant or not. We were willing to pay the $100/day. It was crazy expensive, but we figured that's what people paid to rent cars in Europe.

Just now, I looked it up. I saw a quote for renting a car at $25/day in Strasbourg. We shouldn't have agreed to pay $100/day for a tiny little Renault Clio. It's not like it's a luxury car or anything.

When we called about returning the car, the person we spoke to said we didn't need to arrive during business hours to return the car as long as we returned it by 5:00pm. The office closed at 3:00. We drove in just before 5:00pm and dropped the keys into the key box. So, I didn't think anything about this car rental. It was a big expense, but we agreed to $100/day.

Yesterday, I got the bill.

Sixt charged me $185/day and when I called, they said they couldn't adjust the charges in any way. I talked to my credit card company. They said that since the numbers add up correctly, there isn't anything they can do.

My mistake is that I don't have any paperwork that says $100/day. I looked. I remember signing papers. I remember it adding up to about $100/day. I remember wondering if I should pay that high a price or walk away. I remember looking at my sister, who hoped to get to a small town a hundred miles away in Germany by morning. I remember looking at my niece who looked limp with heat. It was 90 degrees out that day. I turned back to the desk and said yes to being ripped off at $100/day for a subcompact car with standard transmission.

I didn't think it could get any worse that that.

It did.

I heard a story of an American tourist in Italy being charged $250 for a taxi ride from the airport to a hotel. Yeah, I said, that would never happen to me. I wouldn't be conned that way. I would never fall for crap like that.

I just did.

Remember that name - Sixt. They will take a month's rent away from you in extra charges. They won't do a thing about it when you complain.

And this company had the gall to send me a rewards card with this perky little letter about all the benefits of having a 'streamlined car rental experience.' They tell me that they look forward to providing me with excellent service in the future.

I don't think so.

Thank you for listening, jb