Has anyone had any problems from a car rental company regarding potential damage?

[Guest]

Two months after we returned home from Europe Sixith is claiming we dented the car & wants to charge us $1000. We have disputed this but they have given us a date to pay. Not sure what our options are?

We did not do any damage whatsoever.

[MJ~]

Did you take pictures or video yourself with the car before returning the vehicle? This is one sure way of disputing any charges.

[Kathy]

Yes, we had this in Spain. Barcelona. Fortunately, my son had taken pictures when he dropped the car off so they were dated and time stamped and we had gotten the insurance. It ended up okay but not until he had a conversation with the international corporate office. Big hassle. In Italy I had numerous administration fees for having to pay “ tickets” . added to my charge card. I never received a ticket at all and always parked legally and paid tolls at the time I went through. A real disappointment in the international car rental system.

[Jackie]

Always take pics when u get the car and when u drop it off.

[Chad]

I believe if you report your credit card lost/stolen, so that they issue you a new one, with a new number, Sixt can't charge you. They also really don't have any means to collect from a US national in the US. If you legitimately didn't damage the vehicle, after you've gotten your credit card number changed that you used with them, you can pretty much tell them to go to hell.

[Liv]

We did have that problem in Faroe Islands a few years back. Luckily, we took pictures when we picked up the car, so we had proof of that little dent were already there. Sent them pictures and they backed off. Not sure if they would've without our pictures.

[Alison]

I had this with Budget in Prague. On inspection they showed me a scratch on the inside of the door. I objected to them saying I caused the scratch. I wrote an email to Budget before I left Prague to dispute their claim. When I returned home they charged my credit card $600 for repairs. My credit card insurance ended up reimbursing me, months later.

[Lisa]

We had a bad experience in the UK. We disputed the charge through our credit card and it was reversed. Now upon pickup and drop off, we video the full vehicle to have proof of condition.

[Pankaj]

Sixt is a big scam. We rented in Barcelona and they wanted to charge us a thousands of euros for a shattered back window 3 days after I returned the car. Fortunately I had taken a video of the whole car when i returned it. Even then they tried to charge assuming I would give up and my insurance would cover it. But out of principle I fought it. Posted my experience all over social media and finally corporate stepped in and dismissed it.

[Marty]

Have them send you a picture of the damage. If you know for a fact that you didn't cause the damage, I would report my card stolen asap. I always take video of the car when I drop it off. I also use my AmEx or Amazon Chase Visa card which both have rental coverage so long as I use the card to pay for the rental.

[Alasa]

Yeah this happened to us except they tried to charge us $4000. Luckily my SIL took pics of the car when we dropped it off. She reached out on their social media and called them, holding her ground and continuing to escalate until she got high enough that they could remove the charges. She did have those pics she sent them that proved there was no damage.

[Karen]

We always go over potential damage when returning.

When they take the car you should be off the hook.

They saw this ! It’s on them.