Don't rent at Sixt

TL;DR: We got scammed during a rental on vacation. A lawyer told us about several similar cases and confirmed the tactics; Sixt just said, "It is what it is now."

I reserved the car in Germany with the "pay on-site" option. I had read the terms and conditions (T&Cs) at the time of reservation.

On-site, I was told in English that I absolutely had to take out the "Smart Protection" insurance. Otherwise, Sixt would charge me "€1,700 per damage." I asked several times what exactly the employee meant. Of course, I am aware that I am liable for up to €1,700 in the event of an accident. However, she insisted that Sixt reserved the right to charge €1,700 for every scratch found.

I told her several times that no other provider does this. Upon inquiry, it was also confirmed to me that the money is not used to repair the car afterwards.

When I wanted to withdraw from the contract, she pressured me again to take out the insurance, otherwise I would have to pay a "no-show" fee. The car was already reserved, she said, and therefore I would have to pay the price for it regardless.

I reported this incident to Sixt. Instead of apologizing for the inconvenience or considering any gesture of goodwill, I was informed that the contract is binding with my signature and that I had accepted the T&Cs during reservation. Huh?

Verdict: Stay away!

submitted by /u/Accomplished_Cow9000
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SIXT Car rentals in Europe - Charged for a Ticket They Never Paid — Still Fighting for a RefundCharged for a Ticket They Never Paid — Still Fighting for a Refund We rented a car from Sixt for a European road trip. The vehicle itself was great, but the post-rental experience has been extremely frustrating and remains unresolved. Here’s what happened: In May 2025, a speeding ticket was issued via traffic camera in the Netherlands while we were driving the rental car. We received no notification at the time. In October 2025, we received a letter at our home from CJIB stating the fine had not been paid and would increase if not settled within 30 days. This was surprising, as the car was a rental and we expected the rental company to either handle the fine or notify us promptly. We contacted Sixt to confirm whether the ticket was legitimate. After a long delay, they confirmed it was—but made no mention of having paid it on our behalf (which is standard practice in many cases). To avoid penalties, we paid the fine directly to CJIB ourselves. Shortly after, we discovered that Sixt had also charged our credit card for the same ticket—plus an additional processing fee. We immediately contacted them, explained that we had already paid the fine, and requested a refund. It took three weeks to receive a response, and we were told they were “looking into it.” After no resolution, we opened a dispute with our credit card company. Sixt responded by claiming the charge was contractual and initially won the dispute. We then contacted CJIB directly and confirmed that only one payment had been made—ours. Sixt never paid the ticket, despite charging us for it—months after the violation and long after we had already resolved it ourselves. We have since reopened the dispute with this evidence. At this point, the situation is unacceptable: Sixt charged us for a fine they did not pay They failed to notify us in a timely manner They appear to have shared our personal information without clear consent Their customer service has been slow, opaque, and unhelpful Their dispute response showed no real investigation—they simply resubmitted our signed contract as “proof” without reviewing the actual case history This experience has been incredibly frustrating and disappointing. What should have been a straightforward rental turned into an ongoing billing dispute that has taken months to resolve. I strongly recommend that anyone renting from Sixt carefully monitor post-rental charges and question anything that doesn’t look right. If others have experienced something similar, I would be very interested in comparing notes and especially if you got your money back! submitted by /u/PoolsideXreamer [link] [comments]

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#travel content#Sixt#rental#Smart Protection#€1,700#insurance#vacation#T&Cs#damage#contract#pay on-site#no-show fee#accident#binding#liability#withdraw#goodwill#scratches#pressure#gestures

Don't rent at Sixt

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