Booking and invoicing differ -- SIXT

[G_K]

I booked a rental car through the portal. The booking confirmation shows a price of €56.12. The invoice, however, shows €91.82 due to an additional "out-of-hours fee" that was not previously stated. How and where can this discrepancy between the booking and the invoice be resolved?

[KevinD]

@G_K if you were charged EUR91.82 and you feel you shouldn't have been charged the out of hours fee, then you need to dispute that with Sixt. 

Was this paid for on a company credit card and is that card transaction in your Available Expenses? I'm asking because the booking price is an estimate only. Once you match the booking item to the credit card charge, the amount of the card charge will override the booking amount. Meaning to say, it is okay if the booking price and invoice don't match.

If you are going to dispute the out of hours fee, then let the current item sit there until the dispute is completed. If you will be getting a refund, you should see that appear in your Available Expenses. I don't know the timeframe as it will depend on the rental car agency. 

If this rental car wasn't paid for on a company card, then I would still recommend waiting until the dispute is complete to see what your final total will be so you can submit that amount. 

Let me know if this helps or you have further questions.

[G_K]

Hello @KevinD ,

thank you for your feedback and for clarifying that the booking price is only a estimation.

Yes, the booking was made through Concur and paid with my company AMEX card. And yes, the booking started at 5:00 AM, so I can understand that Sixt's out-of-hours fee is justified.

However, my problem remains. I entered the rental period in Concur and received a estimate price, which I used as the basis for the booking. The estimate price is noted in the Concur confirmation. The additional fee only became visible on the rental day, when Sixt contacted me directly. The booking was therefore active.

My company bookings must be made through Concur. I don't understand why I now have to deal with Sixt directly.

I was not informed in a timely manner about the discrepancy in the expected costs.

How can I avoid these kinds of surprises in the future?

Thank you,

Gerry

[KevinD]

@G_K I don't have an answer on how to avoid this in the future as this was a charge by Sixt. Concur Travel is simply a booking tool. Concur has no control over charges to credit cards or what vendors may charge you for. Concur Travel can only estimate the total based on price per day and number of days. We don't have any way of knowing the additional taxes and fees. This is all done by the vendor.

[G_K]

Hello @KevinD ,

thank you for your response. Unfortunately, I cannot understand or accept it as it stands.

I am required to book all business travel through Concur. This means that the price shown in the booking tool is absolutely decisive for me when choosing which kind of transport to use. If additional fees appear after the booking (without any prior notification) resulting in an increase of around +64% in my case, this is neither predictable nor reasonable.

If I, as a user, have no way to foresee or prevent such additional charges, I honestly do not know how I am supposed to make reliable booking decisions in the future.
To give a comparison: It’s like booking a flight for €100, only to discover once I am already onboard that my credit card has suddenly been charged €164 and there is nothing I can do about it. Such cost uncertainty is very difficult to justify in a business context.

Since I am required to use the system and cannot book through any alternative channels, I kindly request clear guidance on:

Who can I contact if this issue cannot be resolved here in the forum?
I need a responsible contact who can ensure that such price discrepancies are avoided in the future, or that at least the actual price including all fees  is displayed transparently before completing a booking.

Thank you in advance for your further support.

Gerry 

[KevinD]

@G_K So, I went in and did a rental car search and selected Sixt. The screenshot below shows what is included in the booking. I then skimmed the Rate rules and Restrictions which states that all federal and state taxes are not part of the net amount you see listed. Since state taxes vary so much and can change from county to county, my guess is rental car agencies cannot provide an exact tax amount, so that is why you will see a difference between what you see when you book and what you see when you pay. Since the fees/taxes are not listed, you will not be able to see an exact total at the time of booking.

In your case, you said you were charged an out of hours fee. The car agency doesn't have any way of knowing this will happen until you actually return the car. You did say you understood why your total was a higher amount due to this fee. 

SAP Concur provides the details of your rental that are provided by the car agency. If they don't publish exact fees and taxes, we have no way of passing that on to you when you book. 

Maybe contact your travel agency and see if they can provide any further details and whether there is an option for you to see the exact amount. When it comes to booking issues/questions, the travel agency is usually the best place to start. 

[G_K]

Hello @KevinD ,

thank you for your reply.
However, I am a bit confused as to why taxes are being discussed. Taxes were never the issue in my case.

To clarify with concrete numbers:

• I booked the rental car for €47.16 net. (as in attached pic)
• With VAT, this results in a total of €56.12, which matches exactly what Concur displayed and what I expected to pay.
• This part was completely correct and transparent.

The problem only occurred afterwards, when Sixt added an additional €30 “out-of-hours service fee” plus VAT on the final invoice.

Importantly:
I did specify the rental period in advance from 05:00 in the morning until 23:00 in the evening.
This information was part of the booking, and the system calculated the price based on exactly that time frame.
So the early pick‑up at 05:00 was not unexpected or new. It was fully known at the moment of booking.

Therefore, this surcharge was not an unpredictable tax variation; it was a fixed service fee that should be known by the vendor and ideally be displayed by the booking system.

You mentioned I could contact my travel agency.

If you have an alternative contact for such booking‑related issues or if you can connect me to the appropriate travel agency responsible for Sixt bookings in our Concur setup, I would appreciate receiving the contact details.

Since I am required to book through this system, I need to understand who can help ensure that all relevant fees (especially predictable ones) are visible before booking.

Thank you again,

Gerry

[KevinD]

@G_K since your company is so large, it looks like your company might use multiple travel agencies. I'm going to send you a private message here on the Community with the name of someone who works for your company that is also a Community member. He does live in the U.S., but should be able to help you out.