Sixt Failed to Provide My Paid Rental Car in Los Angeles

Before leaving Türkiye, I rented a BMW X5 through Sixt’s website from the Los Angeles Downtown location for the period of September 23, 2026, through October 11, 2026. I paid approximately $1,078 for the rental, and my bank charged me approximately $1,104 in total. On September 23, my family and I traveled from Los Angeles Airport to the Downtown location with our luggage, paying $65 for a taxi. When we arrived at the branch, we were told that the BMW X5 I had rented was defective and could not be provided, but that they could give us another vehicle if I paid an additional $340. Because of my family’s situation and the amount of luggage we had, I had no choice but to accept this offer as well. My goal was simply to receive the vehicle I had already paid for as soon as possible and continue my vacation without any problems.

I provided the employees with my ID, my driver’s license, and my spouse’s driver’s license, and while we were waiting for the paperwork to be completed, an employee told us that our driver’s licenses were blocked and that they could therefore not release the vehicle to us. We were extremely surprised by this and asked why the payment had been taken from my bank if there was a problem preventing the rental. Instead of resolving an issue that should have been handled by the branch itself, they told us, “You should call Sixt,” effectively putting the responsibility on us. During our conversation with Sixt, we were clearly told that no block appeared on our licenses. Despite this, the branch ignored that information, left us waiting for hours, and refused to provide the vehicle we had already paid for.

Toward the end of business hours, at 5:00 PM Los Angeles time, the employees simply told us that their shift was over and said, “Come back tomorrow, maybe we can resolve it.” They left us without a vehicle and effectively sent us out of the branch. Exhausted from jet lag and lack of sleep, carrying our luggage, and having difficulty even finding a taxi because some drivers did not want to pick us up, we had to take another taxi and pay an additional $40 to return to our hotel in miserable conditions. Despite everything we had paid, I never received the vehicle even once; the rental effectively never began.

I was also unable to receive a proper response from Sixt Türkiye because of the time difference and the email correspondence. I absolutely cannot accept that a company promising customers in Türkiye that they can pay in advance and pick up their vehicle in Los Angeles would take my money but then fail to provide the vehicle and leave my entire family stranded.

I believe that a Germany-based company like Sixt, operating within a framework of international agreements and mutual trust between countries, should not subject customers anywhere in the world to this level of inconvenience. The company should properly supervise its employees at international locations and ensure that vehicles customers have paid for in advance are provided completely and on time. If I am still unable to receive the vehicle I paid for, this is not only a serious problem for me but also raises concerns about the experience of customers using the company’s services around the world. Many people in Türkiye are still renting vehicles through this company, and I want the necessary steps to be taken to prevent other customers from experiencing similar problems.

My primary request from Sixt is that a vehicle from a higher segment than the one we originally agreed upon be provided to me immediately at the Los Angeles Downtown location, at no additional charge, because I was improperly asked to pay a price difference at the branch and accepted it under the circumstances. In addition, I expect all of the inconvenience I have experienced to be addressed and to receive the full value of the amount I paid in the form of the service promised to me. Since this situation is still ongoing and I am currently abroad trying to resolve the issue with limited communication options, including the fact that my phone can currently only be used through WhatsApp, I request that my complaint be treated as an urgent matter and resolved as quickly as possible. If this cannot be provided, I ask that the company stop arranging rentals in Türkiye that could leave customers stranded abroad in this manner and take steps to ensure that other Turkish customers do not experience the same situation.