Sixt review: Scam

To whom it may concern,

This complaint concerns Sixt Rent a Car Reservation #[protected].

I believe that I am a recent victim of a clear case of “bait-and-switch” fraud perpetrated by the Sixt Rent a Car location at the Baltimore Washington International (BWI) Airport.

In the early morning hours of October 1, 2023, I arrived to the Sixt Rent a Car counter at BWI and was informed by the attending associate that the Economy Compact Vehicle that was advertised and booked via Priceline earlier that evening, was unavailable.

I was further told that I could either wait an additional 45 minutes in the hopes that an Economy Class vehicle would be returned within that timeframe or I could upgrade to the next available vehicle class, at my own expense. At no point did the associate volunteer that this situation should warrant a free upgrade, per business agreement between Priceline and Sixt Rent a Car. After having traveled for nearly 25 hours, I capitulated and agreed to upgrade to a BMW 3 series sedan. I was also told by the associate that as I only possessed liability insurance to the rental vehicle (again pre-purchased via Priceline), I would also be required to purchase additional coverage against bodily injury.

For a nine-day rental, I was charged that morning $277.83 (vehicle upgrade) and $152.91 (additional liability insurance coverage) for a total of $462.69. This amount was in addition to the $566.09 that I had already paid to Priceline.

I was subsequently informed by Priceline that for me to resolve my dispute, I needed to directly contact the Billing Call Center for Sixt Rent a Car.

In my brief but frustrating conversation with a customer service representative, I was repeatedly told that as I had signed the rental agreement for the upgrade on that early morning, I had no standing to dispute the additional charges. When I asked the representative to speak to his manager, he flippantly replied that his manager’s response would the same as his.