Damage to rental car after dropping off at Rome from Sixt

This is not going to help you with a past problem: I always walk around the car I am picking up and when I drop it off and take photos of the whole thing. J

Yes, we had pics at pickup but naively thought that the inspection at drop off put us in the clear.

Did an employee from Sixt give you a check-in form or any paperwork/ e-mail at the time you returned the car acknowledging its return? Because if Sixt acknowledged that the car was returned and did not raise any damage issues with you then in real time— they legally cannot later assert any right to recover any losses they claim occurred. That’s the whole point of the check-in process. If they didn’t look the car over — it’s their loss and they know it.
After all, for all you know after you left. one of their employees scraped the paint job or caused other damage while re-parking it in their lot.
Once the car is checked in, you should be clear of any liability.
Here’s how to turn the tables on the scam:
Ask Sixt for time-stamped photos they took immediately after you dropped the car off showing the damage they claim occurred.
Also ask Sixt for all rental records of the car showing when it was rented out to other customers for 60 days after you returned it. Check the rental history to the date they “finally got around to “ documenting the damage in their files. Was it 10 days after you returned the car and on a date after two other drivers had rented it?

The reason the amount is less than $1,000 is that they know that is most likely the deductible amount of any insurance you might carry. Thus, the scam can be done without involving a third party such as your insurance company or bank offering CDW coverage.

Are you positive the email was actually from Sixt? Isn't the reason the rental company puts a hold on your credit card is to be able to just charge for damage?

Did you have insurance to cover any damage?

Which credit card did you use to make this booking? CHeck to see if the bank provides insurance. Quite a number of car rental agencies in Europe are notorious for this dirty trick.

We used Chase and have written documentation of rental car insurance in Italy.
No, we did not receive any paperwork from Sixt when the car was returned but received an email 2 days later stating "time out time in".
We also asked Sixt to provide photos/evidence of the damage but their reply was that they didn't need time stamped photos because the date of the car return was their "time stamp".

Interestingly, the email we received today had the proverbial link to provide payment - no charge to the credit card.
The initial email with damage claim certainly looks to be from Sixt, has the rental contract number, etc.

We plan to contact Chase on Monday to see if they are familiar with this scam.
We are hopeful that Chase will assist us since the claim would be to their insurance coverage.

And thanks everyone for your help and great advice.
My worry is that this will drag on but I hope that ultimately Sixt will give up.
Just wondered if anyone else got so lucky :)

I hope things go your way, but if you have not been careful about details, I would not get my hopes up that Chase is going to step in and intervene on your behalf. The details matter.

First, "Chase" is the name of a bank, not a credit card. Chase (the company) does issues issue many dozens of different credit cards. Most Chase cards do not provide any car insurance, some do, and it completely depends on the specific kind of card you used. Even for those cards that do provide coverage, there are specific conditions which must be met for the insurance to be valid (eg: you have to decline any other insurance offered at the counter). Chase (or any other potential insurer), being a for-profit business, is probably going to follow the rules to the letter. So, sure, give it a try, but don't expect too much from them if you don't qualify for the insurance coverage. Hopefully the specific card you used does provide coverage, and you met all the requirements, so your coverage should be valid. If that's the case, you're golden, work with Chase and you should be made whole.

Remember: If you take photos of the car's condition BEFORE you use it, that's good, but it's probably only half of the task you need to complete to protect yourself: you also need to take pictures of the car showing its condition AFTER you return it. Yes, that's inconvenient (takes a few minutes, you have a flight to catch, etc.). But it's necessary if you want to be able to prove any damage was not done by you. Something to remember for next time. (FWIW I always do this even though I have the full insurance coverage provided by my credit card...having everything well-documented seems to discourage the agency from trying to take advantage of you).

At a minimum, you can dispute what the agency is saying - if you believe there was no damage when you returned the car, tell them that (important: dispute this with the rental agency, not your credit card company - either you had coverage or you didn't, if you did, then you're good; if you didn't...then you're not).

Best of luck.

My brother had a very negative experience with this car agency in Portugal. I avoid Sixt at all costs.

If you have Chase Sapphire Reserve, then you have good auto insurance coverage for rental cars, but only if you decline every coverage offered by the rental agency.

Would love to hear how this is eventually resolved. I’m learning a few tips from such posts as I rarely ever rent cars. I think I’ve only done it once or twice in my entire life!

When I rent a car in Europe, I always rent from a US company like Budget instead of a local company or even Europcar.

I had one bad experience with Europcar. Never a problem with a US company.

Still, it is a good idea to have insurance, I usually get it from AmEx and use AmEx when renting the car.

Also, taking photos before and after is good, as well as documenting any marks or dents on the vehicle prior to accepting it.

Thanks again everyone for your help.
But to date, no charge has been made to the credit card.
They sent an email with a demand for payment.
My guess is that Sixt knows a charge to the credit card will be denied - they have obviously had LOTS of practice with this scam.
We have filed a claim with Chase, provided all the required paperwork, and are now waiting to hear from an adjuster.
My worry is that Chase will deem this fraudulent, which it is, and deny any coverage.
Sooooo then what happens?
Will Sixt give up or continue to harass us?
Does anyone know what happens if a claim for damage isn't paid?
What could Sixt try to do to us?

Would love to hear how this is eventually resolved. I’m learning a few tips from such posts as I rarely ever rent cars. I think I’ve only done it once or twice in my entire life!

I'm interested, too.

In a case similar to yours, a car rental agency informed a customer four days after returning a car that the agency noticed damage and wanted the customer to pay up. The savvy customer asked if the car rental parking lot had a camera filming the rental cars as they entered or exited the parking lot.
Turns out —as often is the case and most likely is the case at Rome’s airport—there WAS a camera filming the cars as they exited and entered through the security gate.
The film showed that damage to the car was already present at the time the PREVIOUS RENTER was returning it to the rental parking lot. The car rental agency dropped their claim and even issued a letter of apology to the customer wrongly accused of damaging the car.
Anyone can accuse anyone of anything. It would seem that Sixt would be legally required to provide time-stamped photographs or film to prove who actually is responsible for the damage they claim occurred.

The question is, what recourse does Sixt in Italy actually have if they are unable to provide any time-stamped photographic proof, which they have already said they do not have?
Stand firm and you will prevail.
Let us know how things turn out.

Since the demand letter is nearly identical to what someone else experienced, down to the amount ($700— really—- why not in €€?) it could be a scam by an outsider who hacked into Sixt’s system. The request for a credit car payment to a link they provided is highly suspect, as is their failure to provide a photo of the car you rented with the damage.

It will be interesting to see what your credit card provided says.

Since the demand letter is nearly identical to what someone else experienced, down to the amount ($700— really—- why not in €€?) it could be a scam by an outsider who hacked into Sixt’s system. The request for a credit car payment to a link they provided is highly suspect, as is their failure to provide a photo of the car you rented with the damage.

I agree. Instead of responding to the email, I would contact Sixt directly. It sounds like a scam to me, but not necessarily by Sixt.

AMAZING...after 5 months I think this has a happy ending!!

We were just notified by Chase that the claim was settled and payment was made directly to Sixt Rental from the insurance coverage provided by Chase Visa.
None of this was easy but Chase absolutely came through with their auto rental collision damage waiver benefit provided for rentals in Italy.
Many lessons learned:
-always take pics before leaving with a rental car and most definitely take pics before dropping off or even while the car is being inspected
-do not assume that an all clear from the rental agent at drop off means that surprise damage claims won't surface later
-always buy the insurance when renting in Italy
-most importantly, do NOT rent from Sixt
Thanks again everyone for your responses and suggestions!

Oh my…thank you for the update. Sixt was the only option for us (through Autoeurope) for our trip in May…we’ll be picking up in Florence and dropping off at the Rome airport. We’ve used Autoeurope on previous trips, using Hertz, and have been very happy with their customer service, but is such a good reminder to cover all of our bases….especially with Sixt. Glad it all worked out for you!

Sixt is actually a great company (the oldest car rental company in the world in fact) and my wife and I use it in the US as well, when available (mostly at US airports). It’s not a local outfit, it’s a German based multinational with a big presence worldwide including the US. The trick of trying to get you for small damages, even just scratches, is not limited to Sixt, but it’s common with many other entities (including US based companies). Also be aware that many of these rental agencies are independent franchises, so when you rent from Herz in Italy or elsewhere you are not necessarily renting from the Hertz corporation based in the US but a local franchise that has e termed a franchise agreement with Hertz (or Budget or whatever). Since they often manage to find small scratches (that’s extra cash for the agencies) that maybe were there since the start, I rent through AutoEurope but also purchase the no deductible coverage through AutoEurope (no matter which company I use). I returned my car with small scratches and dents (once with Hertz) but since I had that full coverage the Hertz guy pointed out the damage to me but told me I don’t have to worry about it since I had the no deductible coverage. Be aware that deductibles are at least 1000€ so if you don’t purchase the no deductible plan be sure that your credit card covers it, because your US based car insurance probably doesn’t cover you internationally.

Roberto..thank you. We always purchase the no deductible, and I think that’s because of your great advice years ago when we first rented in Florence, including the best locations to rent from.

Also, be very careful of declining all coverage when renting a car in Italy and expecting the credit card company will cover you. Our Delta SkyMiles gold Amex specifically says rentals in Italy are not covered.