Never use Sixt
 

Reserved BMW X1 (or equivalents) in Munich, Germany 6weeks in advance and they gave me VW Multivan (a huge 8 seater Diesel engine) which second driver (my wife, much shorter than I) could barely operate its brake pedal. They insisted it is eqivalent of BMW X1 and that was the only car available that day and the clock was ticking. We had no choice because we had to move on to Italy that day. We requested Sixt to find a real equivalent on the way but they did not. I ended up with driving this big van with 6 vacant seats only by myself 2,200 km for 2 weeks around Alps.
I was ignorant, did not buy 8.7 euro Vignette (highway toll sticker) for Austria, and got 120 euro penalty. Sixt knew I was driving down to Italy via highway in Austria. A small piece of advice or warning would not hurt anything, would it?
Sixt easily hurt our 2 week vacation in Europe.

I don't see what the complaint is.

Your rental was larger than the one you booked. If you were looking to make some kind of image statement by trying to hire a BMW X1, you were wasting your time. After 100 plus rentals I have only ever once encountered one hire company which asset tracks vehicles and is able to allow you to reserve a specific car.

All others give you what they feel like.

We wanted a Beetle Convertible in Italy but didn't bother booking that class as the alternative was a Micra convertible. We knew that they would fob us off with the Micra.

Everybody should know that both Switzerland and Austria require a vignette for the motorways, and it is clearly indicated at the borders of these countries. I frankly do not think that Sixt is responsible for not informing you of the rules of the road.

"I frankly do not think that Sixt is responsible for not informing you of the rules of the road."

Not responsible but it WOULD be nice that a company earning money from you might treat you as well as a local FRIEND in the same situation would.

Of course it's not their FAULT.. but I would like to see more cross border advice from the agencies even written in their paper protective folders.

About the car size.. not much you can do about that as others have observed.

I know the exact car is not guaranteed, but I'd be very upset to have to drive a huge van around Europe!

Presumably the OP did not ask for a <b>smaller</b> standard sedan as an alternative.

He said it was the only available car that day.

I'm skeptical unless it was a special holiday period.

It always bothers me when I read "never use XXXX". Why not just report problems, like not being made aweare of the Austrian autobahn Vignette requirement? Let people judge whether this lack of service is enough reason not to frequent a given provider.

Why is this tagged as a Trip Report?

I agree Sixt is not responsible for renter's failure to buy the Austrian highway vignette or failure to abide any law.

However Buffs has a valid complaint about getting a big clunker van in place of the latest small sporty SUV. People may not realize that the BMW X1 costs a lot more (50% more) to rent than the VW van. I hope there was a rate reduction.

To avoid such disappointment, I always make two reservations so I can go to the next agency if I don't like the car they have available. Another method is to reserve two cars under your name and your wife's maiden name using different email addresses if there's only one rental company offering the better deal.

I am always suspicious of people who join just to complain about something, usually a car hire company, and use an imperative in their topic title.

The VW T5 costs considerably more to hire than the BMW X1 so there would be no rate reduction.

Never use Sixt / Alitalia / USA Air / Venere.com / Ryan / BOAC / Canadian Pacific / Hyatt / et cetera.

AND NEVER FLY ON THAT BIG FLYING THAT HOWARD HUGHES BUILT.

So there. You have been warned!

Dax: "I always make 2 reservations so I can go to the next agency if I don't like the car they have available".

So what do you do about the 2nd booking if the 1st agency does have an acceptable car? Not turn up? Or phone and cancel? Seems a bit late to pull out right at the last minute like that.

I once got a smaller car than I had booked and paid for in advance, but the local wholesalers representing that hire company refunded me the difference after I got back home.

Why did you take the rental in the first place?

Just say no...

100% Grudge posters are almost always responsible

for 99.99% of their own misery and then post up blaming others

An ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure

Next time consider a Renault or Pugeot lease

will dave u a tonne.

Sorry, but I'm with the poster.
Agetting car that's so different from what you ordered? No.

Sixt (we have used them and have had no problems), I believe should tell anyone using their services what is needed for the road. They know they are dealing with an international clientele. That's called customer service. (Remember that?)

I agree the OP has a valid complaint regards the vehicle, though not regards the vignette - a simple bit of research reveals the need for that.

I don't agree with them joining Fodors just to complain and then ordering the rest of us never to use Sixt based on their one unfortunate experience.

Maybe by joining Fodors before their trip they would have found out about the vignette and saved themselves a little bit of hassle ;).
Plus I think flying into Munich and then driving to Italy immediately after a (presumably) Transatlantic flight is foolish and dangerous.

No sympathy for the vignette problem - do some homework before you go. For example, if you pick up an Avis or Hertz or whatever rental car at Newark airport for a drive through the tri-state area, they're under no obligation to tell you which roads are toll roads.

However, I have complete sympathy with the OP regarding the vehicle switch. Happened to us - we reserved a small sedan and they gave us a giant people-carrier that was a huge pain to drive around the narrow country roads that were on our itinerary. I have no problem with car rental agencies giving you a car that's "similar" to what was reserved, but when it's completely out of the ballpark (as in the OP's case), then it's a significant failure in customer service and inventory management.

(Registering on Fodors just to post a "never use..." complaint is another topic. I don't like that either.)

Given that the VW van is not as sporty and fun to drive as the BMW and is larger with more capacity than needed, but huge it is not. Compared to the BMW, the VW is just 20" longer and 5" wider. Was the Beemer going to be a diesel as well? If not, the OP probably saved money on fuel.

The strange thing is VW multivan is not on the rental fleet list for Sixt in Munich at all, but I see it in their leasing fleet and their Ukraine rental fleet so they probably just want to get rid of it since the renter is going to Italy. Personally I would never accept a large delivery van in place of a sporty SUV, buffs should have tried another competitor company (which is usually in the next kiosk booth) even with a clock ticking.

A second / back up reservation would have been the ounce of prevention since all the rental companies don't guarantee the actual car that you may get. It is standard practice for hotels, car rentals and airlines to overbook, so the consumers should prepare for alternative measures.