Can you pick up a Sixt rental car after the start time?
I have a rental car from Sixt booked for a day (9am–9pm) in an upcoming holiday to Greece. However my plans have changed meaning I'll pick up the car at 1pm instead of 9am. Is it typical to have some flexibility in picking up the car after the reservation start time without any problems? I don't want to have the reservation cancelled because I didn't turn up right on the start time and neither do I really want to pay the fee to change the reservation. My only experience is with short term car hire (eg Zipcar) where you can pick up a car late without a problem. I've read the rental agreement and they seem strict ("the rent already paid will be fully retained if the booked vehicle is not collected/not collected at the agreed time."). But I'll be calling their office once they open, hence I'd like to hear your experience if you have any, between now and then.
Best Answer
They will have a limit in their contract how long they wait, and afterwards they are free to give the car to someone else. When you show up after that, you are out of luck.
In practice, they might still give you a car (if they have one!), but I wouldn’t rely on that. You should simply call them and tell them you will be late - you won’t get any money back for the first hours, but your car will still be there.
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What happens if I return my rental car late SIXT?
We do allow a 30-minute grace period for your convenience at return. For example, if you picked up at noon on day one and returned at noon on day two you are within the 24-hour billing period and will be charged for one day. However, if you return your vehicle at 1:00 PM, you will be charged an additional day.Do SIXT rental cars have trackers?
This technology lets Sixt locate cars within its fleet. Here's how it looks in the fine print: You acknowledge that the Vehicle may be equipped with a telematics device, global positioning satellite (\u201cGPS\u201d) technology, electronic locator device, and/or event data recorder.How does the SIXT online check in work?
Once you've made your selection, the SIXT app directs you to your vehicle. You pass the harassed-looking travellers trying to get rental cars with an overbooked agency or in an unknown language. You arrive at your car and unlock it using your app. And just like that, you're off!On Your Side: Sixt Car Rentals
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Answer 2
I have asked this exact question to the Sixt representatives some years ago in a similar situation.
Their answer was that they will always keep your car reserved for one hour after your time. After that, unless you have paid in advance, they will try to keep it around, but if there is high demand and they run out of vehicles, they might give it to someone walking in.
Unless you notify them. If you let them know that you are coming later, or at an airport rental if they have your flight number and can see that the flight is delayed, they will also keep your car waiting for you.
tl;dr
Simply give them a heads up. It costs you one phone call and will avoid trouble.
Answer 3
In the end, I emailed to let the office know that I'd be picking up the car later in the day. There were okay with it and didn't even apply the charge for amending the reservation.
I also reread the rental agreement and found the following which I missed in earlier readings:
The requested pick up time is binding (max grace period of 60 minutes within opening hours).
This means you'd need to check the specific rental location office's terms which may modify the countrywide terms linked in @Hilmar's answer.
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