This was my second attempt at renting a car from Sixt. This time successful since they decided to have a car for me. I rented for Sixt simply because it was the one that indicated on its webpage that it would be open for rental at the time I arrived on a Sunday night. So I arrived, severely jetlagged after 23 hours of travel to find the guy with the keys had not given up five minutes before I got to the desk and was waiting there. He might have said something important about the return (a bit of foreshadowing there.) but I was trying hard to remember my name at the time. Car was nice in the interior but the outside look like it had been gently tortured. (All nicely documented on the rental agreement.) Bonus - the fuel was actually full. No need to play the "how much is half a tank game" on the return. So I proceeded to drive off mostly on the correct side of the road and only occasionally on the right. Properly indicating my turns with the windshield wipers and diming my headlights whenever the windshield got splashed with mud. After a joyous three weeks staying within a convenient stagger of a pub I returned. Now, one would think that at the airport there would be signs pointing out the car rental return. This is a common feature. Shannon Airport is no different. It has the signs. They point at a row of dark, vacant buildings with gated and empty parking lots...the only road past them leads to the parking lot where someone had erected a placard in front of the short term parking lot entrance saying " on-line booking only". Not sure what that was about but it turned out that it was right in front of the small print that said "Car rental return". Took a while to figure that out. Parked car and headed somewhat late into the terminal. This time the desk was unmanned. But the comedy gods where not finished with me yet. Sign said to return keys to drop box at end of desk. For those that have not driven a Renault the key fob is a large flat thing more like a tv remote. It does not fit in the slot at the Sixt counter. Fortunately, I noted their failure to use a secure lock so it was a simple mater to open the box, resist the temptation to borrow the BMW keys inside, place key fob in box and relock.
