Firstly, apologies for a long post but I have quite a lot to say about US Car Hire's new rental partner SIXT at Miami Airport.
As many members will know, last month it became possible to rent a number of vehicles not available through the usual rental firms like Alamo and Dollar. For me, it was an attractive proposition because not only were the vehicles a bit different but US Car Hire rates were very competitive and far better than any I could find elsewhere. Add to that the consistently high service quality through this site and it looked a winner for me. I booked a Luxury car for a week and made a request through here for a Mercedes E Class which is 1 of the options in that category along with the BMW 5 series and Cadillac STS.
Before proceeding I would like to make it clear that US Car Hire have been exemplary in their handling of the booking and the negatives I will outline are in no way their doing.
I arrived in Miami yesterday afternoon but due to my flight being re-routed at the last minute, instead of getting to SIXT at 7.00 pm I was early and got there around 4.30 pm. The SIXT desks were very quiet and there was no queue so I went ahead and asked if I could take the car early and was told "no problem". The paperwork took a little longer than usual and it looked to me that the agent wasn't used to handling vouchers issued through 3rd parties such as US Car Hire. On 2 occasions she went to whom I took to be the supervisor to seek advice. Anyway, after around 15 minutes, everything appeared to be sorted and I was handed the keys to the car. From this point it all goes a bit pear-shaped.
The Good
I was allocated a gleaming white Mercedes E350 BlueTec saloon with 12k miles on the clock and obviously no more than a few weeks old. It is by some way the best rental car I have ever had and is fitted with just about every conceivable extra including a state of the art SatNav system which guided me out of Miami and across to the Gulf Coast quickly and luxuriously. I have to say that I absolutely love the car.
The Bad
From the moment I arrived at the desk there was something very unprofessional about the place and staff at SIXT. Apart from the uncertainty I mentioned above, the agent didn't want to communicate with me and all my questions met with a sort of mumbled non-committal response. When she finally handed the keys to me I asked if everything was in place and confirmed that I had an all inclusive package and she again just nodded. The reasons later became all too apparent.
I asked where I collected the car and her reply was like this - "You go the third floor, take a right and then another right and you'll see our cars in the garage. if you click you key fob there, you'll see which is your car because the hazard lights will flash". It seemed very odd but I followed her instructions and came to an area with cars parked in no particular order at the end of a larger garage. The was a small cardboard sign with "SIXT" on it stuck to the wall. I clicked the fob and the E Class hazards lit up and I loaded up and drove away. There were no members of staff in the area nor any exit gate to check everything was in order. It was daylight at that time but at night that location isn't somewhere I'd want to be alone, especially in Miami.
The Ugly
Very oddly, you don't see the agreement and make just 1 signature on an electronic screen on the counter. There's no information on the screen, just a box where you sign for the car and agree to the terms and conditions. I wasn't comfortable with that but, as I have said, was assured that all was in order so I signed. I agreed to taking a SunPass at $6.99 a day and that was to be taken from the credit card I handed to the agent on arrival. I was then handed what looks like a long till receipt which printed out after I signed.
I have since had chance to view that receipt in full and am horrified at what I have been charged.
Firstly, because I arrived a couple of hours early, I have been charged a full day extra rental for that period and the return time and date is as before.
I have also been charged a week plus the extra day Personal Accident cover. I wasn't asked if I wanted that and was assured everything was already taken care of through the voucher.
I have also been charged 8 days Roadside Recovery. As I had already taken that out with US Car Hire in advance I didn't want or need that and wasn't asked about it.
With taxes these 'extras' come to $161.
Finally, a sum of $2,499 has been blocked on my credit card as a security deposit. To be fair, I was aware that SIXT did hold larger amounts because I looked them up before renting but I never expected such a high and odd amount.
As things stand, I have had some pretty forthright dialogue with SIXT Customer Services about all this. They have assured me that they will look into it. I'm now waiting for a full response. Roulla at US Car Hire has very kindly offered to speak to the supplier if my own efforts don't resolve it. I'm grateful for that but hope I don't have to trouble her with it all.
I think it goes without saying that I'm very unhappy about this, particularly as the car is everything I had hoped for. I'll have to see how things work out.
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