Kamiya Jani, Editor-in-Chief of Curly Tales, recently visited Spain with her family. There, she booked SIXT Car Rental’s service expecting quality service and a seamless travel experience. However, what she got was far from what she expected. Riddled with mishaps, her experience with SIXT was quite harrowing. The incident, which occurred at Karna Railway Station in Spain, reveals systemic failures in both vehicle maintenance and customer service protocols.
Kamiya Jani Recounts Harrowing Experience With SIXT
The company’s first misstep was the bait-and-switch tactic of replacing the booked Jeep Avenger with an Audi Sportback, charging an additional €30 (₹2,661) daily. This made their total cost go up to €771 (₹68,390), not including the €500 (₹44,352) they had already paid as a deposit. However, this pales in comparison to the grave safety concerns that followed.
“Within a few hours of driving the car, it began showing critical issues,” says Kamiya Jani. The vehicle, which presumably underwent standard safety checks, manifested critical issues within hours of hire, including engine oil warnings and steering malfunctions — defects that no reputable car hire service should ever allow to slip through their quality control.
Most concerning was the vehicle’s complete breakdown on a major motorway, leaving a family with a young child and four suitcases stranded. “The car stopped abruptly on the highway, leaving us stranded with four suitcases and a young child,” she shared.
This situation could have had far more serious consequences but SIXT’s response to this emergency was woefully inadequate. Their customer service representatives showed indifference to the family’s predicament, merely deflecting responsibility to road assistance without providing any meaningful support. This speaks volumes about their operational priorities.
“Inadequate And Disappointing Customer Service,” Says Jani
The company’s subsequent handling of the situation bordered on the farcical. Despite the family being left without transport and forced to arrange alternative accommodation, SIXT failed to provide a replacement vehicle! This is a basic expectation in such circumstances. This culminated in them missing their pre-booked accommodation in Seville for one night.
They also had to shell out an extra €350 (₹31,046) to book another cab in order to continue their journey further. They were also forced to put up in the nearby hotel as they failed to make it to their pre-booked accommodation.
Jani further added, “Despite our persistent calls and emails, no resolution was provided. Upon visiting the SIXT Madrid office on December 31, we were again told to wait for an email response.” Their suggestion that customers should simply wait for an email response whilst stranded abroad demonstrates an astonishing disconnect from the realities of holiday travel.
The offering of a mere €100 (₹8,870) voucher as compensation for an ordeal that cost the family over €1,000 in additional expenses, not to mention the loss of prepaid accommodation in Seville, reveals a troubling attitude towards customer compensation. This derisory gesture suggests either a fundamental misunderstanding of the gravity of their service failure or, more worryingly, a calculated strategy to minimise their financial liability.
SIXT Car Rental’s handling of the Verma-Jani family’s case demonstrates an alarming level of negligence and a stark disregard for customer safety and satisfaction. This incident raises serious questions about SIXT’s commitment to basic service standards and its understanding of the duty of care towards its customers. Their handling of this situation falls well below the standards one would expect from an international car hire company.
Cover Image Credits: @kamiya_jani/Instagram
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