Bought a Ticket for $199, Received Confirmation, Couldn't Check In, Charged Me $350 at Counter

[mmanoukian]

I bought a ticket from CMH to DCA on Friday 6\18. It showed as $199. I filled out all the details, and clicked Purchase. I received the following error ...

Did a hard refresh of the browser, backed out and tried again. Same result two more times.

Then I notice that the ticket shows up in my SW mobile app with a confirmation code. So, I've got a ticket. I buy my return ticket.

I try to check in from the mobile app. It replies "Check in at a kiosk or the counter".

I go to the airport. I check in at the kiosk. No dice.

I check in at the counter. The guy tells me, "Your payment didn't go through. You have a confirmation code? That's crazy. I've never seen it give someone a ticket if the payment didn't go through. You owe $350 or your not getting on this plane. I can't do anything other than take payment for $350, and tell you to call customer service." 

I don't want to call customer service again. I called them earlier on Friday, before I bought the ticket, when I was having trouble with the website, and got in the queue where it automatically calls me back. Of course, Verizon automatically filtered the return call as spam so I didn't receive the call. It shows it in the phone logs. I didn't mark that number as spam, Verizon did. I reported to Verizon as "not spam".

Anyway, I call SW customer service back again, and wait in the queue for an hour. When they picked up the customer service rep says, "That flight to DCA shows as sold out on my system, but I see it in the web page, oh now it's back in my system, etc., etc. at $350." I can't pay $350.

I was still looking around for flights when it popped back up on SW website at $199. Oh, happy day. So, I hit "purchase" it at that price, and it sent me a confirmation code. Yes, it produced an error with the message to call customer service, but that would be the third time that day. Who's that much time to call SW customer service? I've got a ticket.

Very frustrating. I hope someone at SW can give me a credit for the difference, that I don't have to spend a whole bunch of time with customer service again. I'll fly SW again.

I took a whole bunch of screenshots too.

Thanks

Mark

[strgth]

Ahhh... someone after my own heart...my desktop is full of after-purchase screenshots. I need proof before receiving (or possibly not receiving) that confirmation email! I hope you get it settled.

[dfwskier]

I think I know what might have happened.

Southwest has a limited number of seats at a given price point. When those seats are sold, then the price point increases to a higher level. Occasionally, the system shows a lower price point than is really available. The booking system and the selling system sometimes get out of whack. So it loos like your getting a ticket at a given price point, but when you actually try to buy it, that price point is not available

Don't bother with customer service. Get hold of customer relations instead -- and use one of the non phone options.

https://community.southwest.com/t5/Knowledge-Base/Contact-Customer-Relations/ta-p/108355