I rented a car from Sixt in the Azores last May. Drove it for 10 days, zero issues. On the very last day, leaving an underground garage, the electronic parking brake wouldn’t release in reverse. I had to pop the clutch a couple times to get it to disengage. Dropped the car at the airport 10 minutes later.
At return, they claimed they “smelled something,” said it was probably a burned clutch, and made me sign that it would go for inspection. No visible damage, no photos, no report. A couple weeks later they just charged my card €2,373 with no explanation.
I disputed it with my credit card and won. Case closed in my favor.
Fast forward to December, I get a letter by regular mail from a German debt collection company saying I now owe €3,062 and threatening legal action, wage garnishment, etc. No breakdown, no evidence, just “pay by wire transfer.”
To make it even more absurd, I got a local mechanic in São Miguel to quote the job and he said even a full clutch replacement would be around €500 total.
At this point I don’t know what the smart move is. Ignore it? Push back again? Lawyer? BBB/FTC even though it happened in Portugal? Has anyone dealt with Sixt or European rental agencies escalating like this after a chargeback?
Any advice appreciated.
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