I rented a car through Sixt for my honeymoon and purchased the insurance (LDW) for the car so that just in case anything happened to the car, we would be covered through Sixt's insurance. The lady at the front desk who rented us the car said that this insurance covered any and all damage to the car. Great we thought, we will be covered if anything were to happen. I signed the car rental agreement that included a portion where they covered existing damage to the vehicle which included a small chip in the windshield along with some other damage to the body of the car probably from stones on the road etc.
Everything went well during our rental period with no issues whatsoever. When we returned the car back to the Sixt rental car at the Lisbon Airport, the guy who took our return back said that we were good to go and that the car was in good condition so nothing to worry about and we did not need to sign any paperwork. We finished our honeymoon and arrived back home about a week later when I received an email from Sixt saying that there was damage to the vehicle and I was liable for about 469 Euros plus 35 euro for their assessment. I thought to myself, how could this be? I purchased the insurance that supposedly covered the whole vehicle, I returned the car and the guy who took it back said it was in good condition and I was good to go, and I barely used the vehicle besides driving from the rental location to my hotel and back and nothing went wrong.
I called Sixt and spoke with their Car Damage team and she told me that there was new damage to the vehicle. According to her, she said that there was a crack in the windshield and that the insurance that I purchased from them does not cover windshield or tire damage. What?! I could not believe my ears. The insurance that I purchased through Sixt, does not include damage to the windshield or tires?! Am I supposed to know that? Is that a standard question that I should ask when renting a car if the insurance that you are selling me includes the tires and windshield? Who in their right mind after travelling 12+ hours to get to a destination needs to even think of asking this questions?
In addition to that, I took a look at the return check-sheet that they filled out when I returned my car, you know, from that the guy who said the car was 100% in good condition filled out. First red flag, they did not give me the chance to sign this piece of paper and my signature was not even on it. Second red flag. in the EXACT SAME SPOT where there was existing damage, they claimed that is where the new damage was. How convenient. In the same exact place where the existing damage was, they marked that I caused new damage, and because my insurance did not cover windshields, I will be liable for a brand new windshield! After going back and forth several times with them, they "reassessed" the situation and decided to not proceed with the charge. I was relieved, but still in shock that this happened to me and put a very sour note on the return home from our honeymoon.
I cannot begin to imagine all of the poor people out there who have fallen victim to being charged in oversights like this and not having the courage to fight back. This is the first time I have rented through Sixt and will absolutely be the last. When you travel outside of your country, there are already many things to be cautious about, but you do not expect to be scammed by a rental car agency that I have heard good reviews about.
I never write reviews but I had a need to write this one to help protect people against this Sixt location and the types of ways that try and get more of your money. To whoever is reading this, please read contracts thoroughly, and if the mark that there is existing damage, take photos, videos, whatever you can of the car so that you can protect yourself in the event that this could happen to you too. Do yourself a favor and rental through another agency and not this Sixt. read more