By Christopher Elliott | Travel Troubleshooter
Q: I rented a car from Sixt in Texas recently. While driving in Big Bend National Park, I got two flat tires and had to replace them.
Sixt told me they would reimburse me $385 for the new tires. I sent them receipts and my bank information. They emailed back saying the wire transfer had been processed and I should receive the money in 3 to 15 business days.
More than a month later, I still hadn’t received my refund, so I emailed them again. They sent another email saying the refund was being processed. Weeks went by, and still no refund. I emailed and called repeatedly, and each time, they asked for my bank information again. Then they asked for my credit card number. I even provided the details for a second bank account.
My bank confirmed my account information was correct, but the money never arrived. I filed a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but they didn’t take any action. I’m at my wits’ end. Can you help me get my $385 back? – Ray Cook, Invercargill, New Zealand
A: This is a classic case of a company giving a customer the runaround. Sixt made a promise to refund you, a promise it should have honored.
Before we figure out what happened to your refund, let’s rewind to the national park where you had your flat tires. You called Sixt, which couldn’t switch out your vehicle because of your location. Big Bend is beautiful, but it’s in the middle of nowhere.
The next best option was to get you to repair the tires and to send Sixt the bill. So that’s what Sixt asked you to do. It promised you a refund in writing, and to your credit, you kept the email. Nice work!
What went wrong? As I read between the lines, here’s what I think might have happened. You were renting a car from a German rental company in the United States, but you’re based in New Zealand. Somewhere along the way, Sixt might have confused some of your banking codes. It probably should have just credited the money back to your card instead of trying to do a bank transfer.
If you ever run into a problem with Sixt again, you can also escalate your case to a manager. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the Sixt customer service executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.
I contacted Sixt on your behalf. A representative said they would review the case. A few weeks later, you received an email from Sixt, and finally, after eight months, Sixt refunded your $385.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him on his site.