MR
Moriah Ratner
Feb 15, 2026
I had a reservation for a 10:30 AM pickup at the Sixt location in Beverly Hills for a sedan, a Volkswagen Jetta or something similar. When I arrived, Amber at the front desk informed me that the only car available was a Ford Mustang convertible with no roof, which I could not agree to take since I needed to drive the car into Joshua Tree National Park from LA. She offered the only other option on the lot, which was a minivan. The receipt noted a “smoke smell,” so I asked Amber directly whether the car smelled like smoke. She reassured me that it had been fully cleaned and did not smell. I emphasized that I could not take a car with any smoke odor. When I asked if there were truly no other cars, she mentioned a recently returned Volkswagen, but said it was reserved for someone else. I pointed out that I had also reserved a specific type of car weeks in advance, and asked why that customer’s reservation was honored but mine wasn’t. She acknowledged the discrepancy and mentioned unpredictable returns and extensions. After about 45 minutes, the minivan finally arrived, and it reeked. It smelled awful, was not in good condition, and definitely didn't seem to have been cleaned the way she claimed. I told Amber she needed to smell it herself because I could not take that vehicle. Eventually, another staff member was able to magically find a different car, a Volvo SUV that suddenly became available. At that point, I had already been there for about an hour, was running late for another commitment, and just agreed to take it so I could finally leave. Only later did I realize the car didn’t even have a full tank of gas, despite my emailed rental agreement showing that it did. I was already behind schedule, and didn't have time for an unplanned fuel stop. Overall, really poor customer service, long wait times, and misleading information.