Rented through AutobyEurope a Sixth rental
car in Avignon. Have decided to stop in Paris to try to get our Pass Sanitare at a Pharmacy as only one of us has gotten our pass. Booked a TGV that will get us there at 6:19 for a 6:00 pickup and Autobyeurope is not sure they can change pickup by 30 min. Should I just call Sixth in Avignon to let them know we will be slightly late or try to redo the reservation through Autobyeurope if they can’t change the pickup by 30 min?

Nobody from Sixt will have a stop watch. A window of plus / minus 30min, 1hr or even more is not something rental car companies care about.

I thought so too. Surprised by Autobyeurope thinking it would not fly. They are apparently contacting Sixth. We are stopping in Paris on way to Avignon as only one of us has the Pass despite applying 2-3 weeks ago

I think the issue may be that the agency closes at 6 pm some days. Are you picking up the car on a weekend or a weekday? I am assuming you plan to pick up your car at the Sixt office at Avignon's TGV station. Looking at their website, they close at 6 pm on weekends, 9 pm weekdays.

Car rentals haven't exactly been going as usual this year, and I'm the worrying type. I'd either re-book the car or take an earlier train.

Think I’m gonna call Sixth in Avignon TGV.
pucking up on Monday

Good points. I missed the 6pm reference (vs am) closing time issue.

Picking up at 6pm tomorrow so not weekend. Tried calling Avignon TGV sixth but they are not taking phone calls due to Covid. Sent email vis Sixth USA

What problem are you trying to solve? Doesn't seem to be any problem here...

Car rental locations aren't concerned about exact pick up times. Think of all the variables that go into getting a car at an airport location as an example. Delayed flights, waiting for luggage, time to get off a plane, walking, stopping for a bio break. Trains are also known to be delayed from time to time.

If your not bumping up against a closing time question then my first reply stands.

I didn’t think it would a problem either but when I called Autobyeurope to let them know I might be 30 minutes late…. I was told that I would have to rebook as Sixth might not honor the voucher due to shortages of cars secondary to Covid. This sounds absurd to me as flights, trains etc
do not run on time all the time snd there has always in my opinion a very reasonable buffer.

ok, you should learn the correct name of the company, it is Sixt.

COuld be nothing, but I just wonder if it has to do with the fact that when you book through Autoeurope, you are prepaying the reservation (which is one reason it is a bad idea to deliberately plan to get there later than your reservation time). And car rental companies have rights within their contracts to cancel your booking and reservation if you don't show up, and you don't get a refund, I believe. Or else maybe there is a penalty. I don't remember as I don't do that but I remember seeing some talk of this in the past on some message boards, FOdors or others. So I suggest you review your contract with Autoeurope to see if a no show is an issue.

And yes, some companies do care about the time if you don't show up on time, they may not hold a car for you. Given the demand, it is not absurd for a car rental company nowadays to not hold cars for people who just don't show up on time. Unfortunately, you decided to book a train that doesn't even arrive until after your booked pickup time.

I think you should call Autoeurope and find out what will happen in this case, when you show up late for a prepaid reservation. I know Sixt has a prepaid cancellation fee related to the number of days rented. I thought that wasn't charged until 12 hrs late (although your car may not be there), but am not sure. I'm surprised this cannot be changed if it is far in advance, though.

These are Sixt's terms in Avignon
A défaut d'annulation, si le Client ne se présente pas pour se faire remettre le véhicule loué au tarif prépayé à la date convenue et au plus tard soixante (60) minutes après l'horaire indiqué lors de la réservation, le prix de la location déjà versé restera acquis au Loueur dans son intégralité, dans la limite de sept (7)jours de location).

They allow cancellations up to an hour in advance, I guess, but you don't want to cancel. So that says they have a 60 minute grace period before charging a fee, anyway.

I wouldn't just do nothing, if it were me. Maybe AUtoeurope knows they have been hardnosed about changing times recently, though, who knows.

"I was told that I would have to rebook as Sixth might not honor the voucher due to shortages of cars secondary to Covid."

Why don't you believe what they are clearly telling you? Whether it sounds absurd to you or not is irrelevant.

I'd contact Sixt and tell them you're going to be 30mins late, if thats an issue, let them tell you that. Since the location closes at 9pm on weekdays, I doubt it would be an issue unless you don't tell them, in which case they might think you are not turning up.

Turned out to be no problem. Don’t think the person at Autobyeurope knew what he was talking about

Good news!
I frequently use AutoEurope but 've never heard of Autobyeurope. How do they compare?

Sorry it’s auto Europe don’t know why I was calling it by

I think there is some confusion involved -- The OP has consistently used 'Autobyeurope' and 'Sixth' but he almost certainly means AutoEurope and Sixt

Thanks for letting us know how it turned out. Have a great trip!