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Hi! Help needed please.
In 2021 UK resident hired a car online with SIXT for use in Spain for a holiday. Paid booking fee, on arrival paid for hire and excess on Mastercard. Heard nothing more.
In Dec 2023 received email from debt collection agency RIVERTY (Germany) chasing debt for car hire. Following a long and painful email exchanges with Sixt they finally admitted it was their error and they had refunded the hire cost and the excess charge (not just excess) due to a 'technical error'. However they never communicated this to the customer and customer did not notice. Only invoices that were sent stated 'payment taken, no payment is required, this is an invoice only'. Eventually SIXT agreed to cease the action with RIVERTY in Dec 2023.
Then 12 June 24 customer received email from PARIS CONTENTIEUX (in French) stating that payment must be made by 20/06/24. Oddly no amount payable on the demand. Only stating "Should you fail to regularize your situation, I can also confirm that my client is requesting the return of the documents in our possession in order to send them to the lawyer for the balance. Only I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the costs associated with this new procedure will be borne entirely by you and will only aggravate your situation."
Again contacted SIXT immediately to be told that debt is outstanding and has increased with lots of additional debt charges that will only increase. Tried to pay SIXT the original fee, but they won't tell customer how to pay. Now ignoring all emails and numerous telephone calls have been pointless, with advisors just telling customer to go to court.
This is causing an elderly couple much distress and they are wanting to pay and make this all go away.
Are these debt collections agencies just trying to scare them into paying up, and collect all the significant extra fees they've added? Or would it actually go to a FRENCH Court from a GERMAN Debt Recovery firm, for a car hired in SPAIN, by a UK customer?
Any advice gratefully received.
In 2021 UK resident hired a car online with SIXT for use in Spain for a holiday. Paid booking fee, on arrival paid for hire and excess on Mastercard. Heard nothing more.
In Dec 2023 received email from debt collection agency RIVERTY (Germany) chasing debt for car hire. Following a long and painful email exchanges with Sixt they finally admitted it was their error and they had refunded the hire cost and the excess charge (not just excess) due to a 'technical error'. However they never communicated this to the customer and customer did not notice. Only invoices that were sent stated 'payment taken, no payment is required, this is an invoice only'. Eventually SIXT agreed to cease the action with RIVERTY in Dec 2023.
Then 12 June 24 customer received email from PARIS CONTENTIEUX (in French) stating that payment must be made by 20/06/24. Oddly no amount payable on the demand. Only stating "Should you fail to regularize your situation, I can also confirm that my client is requesting the return of the documents in our possession in order to send them to the lawyer for the balance. Only I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the costs associated with this new procedure will be borne entirely by you and will only aggravate your situation."
Again contacted SIXT immediately to be told that debt is outstanding and has increased with lots of additional debt charges that will only increase. Tried to pay SIXT the original fee, but they won't tell customer how to pay. Now ignoring all emails and numerous telephone calls have been pointless, with advisors just telling customer to go to court.
This is causing an elderly couple much distress and they are wanting to pay and make this all go away.
Are these debt collections agencies just trying to scare them into paying up, and collect all the significant extra fees they've added? Or would it actually go to a FRENCH Court from a GERMAN Debt Recovery firm, for a car hired in SPAIN, by a UK customer?
Any advice gratefully received.
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