I booked a rental car from Sixt using Capital One Travel for about $150. When I arrived, I was told that I had been booked under the California resident rate (I don’t live in California) and they couldn’t honor the booking. It’s important to note there was no option for me to book as a California resident anyway. In the end, they rented me the same car for $370. After talking to both Capital One Travel and Sixt, I haven’t received a refund or any adjustment to either charge.
I found out that Sixt emailed Capital One Travel saying they wouldn’t refund the first charge because I was a no-show for the reservation. That’s clearly not true since I left the place with a car that same day.
I’m planning to dispute one of the charges. The $150 charge is for a service I didn’t receive at all. But if I end up paying the $370, that’s still way more than what I originally agreed to for a service. Can I successfully dispute the higher charge? Thanks for any advice.
Charlie said:
Here’s a tip: it’s better not to use portals for booking. Direct booking is usually safer.
If you’re into points, you’ll likely end up using portals.
It depends on how you choose to play this points game.
You can take the easy route and redeem your points through your credit card portal, risking issues like what the original poster is facing. Or you could transfer points to an airline or hotel and book directly.
I play the points game but have never booked a flight through a travel portal.
@Caelan
It sounds like you might have been taken advantage of by the rental agency. They were likely low on inventory, so they decided to cancel your reservation to create a new one at a much higher price.
I can’t see an airport charging differently for in-state versus out-of-state given that it is an international airport.
Dispute both charges. Dispute the $150 since you showed up, and also dispute part of the $370 charge that’s over what you booked. Just provide your initial booking as proof. Good luck with it!
Vick said:
Dispute both charges. Dispute the $150 since you showed up, and also dispute part of the $370 charge that’s over what you booked. Just provide your initial booking as proof. Good luck with it!
Thanks for the advice. I’m really curious about the chances of winning these different disputes. I’ve only done one dispute before, and that was years ago. If like disputing the higher charge has a high chance of failing, I’d rather dispute the lower charge if that makes sense.
@Caelan
I can’t say for sure. I’m currently in a dispute myself over a rental car rate that doesn’t match my reservation. They didn’t have the class I booked, downgraded me, and added fees that were quoted as $0. I’m not sure how it will turn out.
In my experience with disputes, I’ve always come out on top, so I just file disputes for the few transactions each year where there’s an issue and move on.