I’ve written many times about issues with car rentals. Here’s another incident. Through Expedia, I booked a car rental from Sixt. My original reservation was for pickup on a Sunday at 5 PM with return on Friday at 2 PM, a 5-day rental. Due to a change in travel plans, I wanted to move the pickup to Monday at 9 PM while keeping the same Friday return, making it a 4-day rental.
I first tried calling Sixt and was able to speak to a live representative. I was told that because my booking was made through Expedia, they were unable to alter my reservation, although the representative left a note on my reservation that I had requested a pickup date on Monday instead of Sunday. I was instructed to call Expedia and ask to speak to their “Sixt internal account manager” who could make the change and also tell me if there was any price difference.
I then attempted to contact Expedia, but nowhere could I find a phone number to call. The only option I found was to invoke their Virtual Agent via chat. We sent messages back and forth about my request to change my pickup date from Sunday to Monday. It felt to me that the agent was assigned to chats with multiple customers simultaneously based on the time delays in the agent’s responses. In any case, I was eventually told that my only options were to keep the Sunday pickup or to cancel my non-refundable reservation which I had already paid in full. I already knew that my reservation was non-refundable, but I wasn't trying to cancel it. Furthermore, I did not see any language during booking or on my booking confirmation that no changes could be made. I was willing to pay the full amount I had already paid for five days even though I would only be renting the car for four, and I wasn’t asking Expedia to refund the unused day.
Sensing an unwillingness to help me, I asked the Expedia virtual agent to connect me with their “Sixt internal account manager” by typing into the chat the exact language used by the Sixt representative. The virtual agent eventually agreed to do so. After a long wait, I was told by the Expedia virtual agent that he was unable to reach the Sixt internal account manager or a Sixt representative and that he would have to send an email to Sixt. He told me to expect an email reply from Expedia in 48-72 hours. Right on cue about 2-3 days later, I received the following email from Expedia:
To: (me)
Date: Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 09:45 PM PDT
Subject: Update on Your Refund Request with Sixt – Itinerary #xxxxxxxxxx
Hello Victor,
We’re following up regarding your request to cancel your booking and request a refund from Sixt.
Request type: Refund
Itinerary number: xxxxxxxxxx
Property name: Sixt
We spoke with Sixt to advocate for your refund request. Unfortunately, they have advised that the reservation was booked under a non-refundable rate, and they are unable to make an exception to their cancellation policy. As a result, no changes can be done for this booking.
Additionally, Sixt has informed us that the main driver named on the reservation must contact Sixt directly regarding any requested modifications to reservation xxxxxxxxxx.
We understand this is disappointing. We always strive to advocate for our travelers; however, Sixt has elected to uphold the terms and conditions associated with the reservation, and we are unable to override their decision.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reply to this email. We're here to help.
Regards,
Ipsita
Expedia US Travel Team
I can’t say for sure, but the response from Expedia felt inaccurate and potentially dishonest to me. The inaccuracy is that I never asked for a cancellation or refund. I had only asked to pick up my car a day later than originally scheduled. The potential dishonesty is that when I spoke to the Sixt representative, they seemed willing to allow the change and even left a note on my reservation stating that I had desired to pick up the car a day later. So it felt to me, based on my interactions with Sixt and Expedia, that Expedia was the one refusing to make the change, and they blamed Sixt. Lastly, Expedia wrote, “Sixt has informed us that the main driver named on the reservation must contact Sixt directly…” when in fact I had already contacted Sixt directly prior to engaging with the Expedia virtual agent. It seemed to me that Expedia may not have even contacted Sixt and simply gave me a boilerplate denial. Besides, how would the virtual agent know that emailing Sixt, receiving a reply, and responding to me would take 48-72 hours? I do not have definitive evidence for this, but my observations suggest to me that Expedia refused to accommodate a change and blamed their business partner for their decision.
I kept my existing reservation for a Sunday 5 PM pickup. I showed up to Sixt on Monday at 9 PM, and I asked if they would accommodate my rental. They did in fact give me the car, with a caveat. They explained that if a customer does not pick up their vehicle within 8 hours of their scheduled pickup time, they release the reservation. However, without much hassle, they did note that I had already paid in full, and the agent said he did his best to give me a new 4-day rental and credit me for the amount that I already paid. The best deal he could find for a similar vehicle type was about $73 more than I had already paid, and I thought that was a fair price given the situation.
In summary, Sixt seemed willing to accommodate my change when I called them on the phone, and they accommodated my change when I showed up in person. On the other hand, Expedia was uncooperative at best, contrary to their claim that they “always strive to advocate for our travelers”. It also felt to me that Expedia couldn’t get its facts straight and was possibly dishonest to me, as well as bordering on slanderous to Sixt. This experience has eroded my trust in Expedia.
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