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Feels like Southwest Stole From Me

mariogodinez
Explorer C

It seems like Southwest puts rules in place to take your money and run. 

I bought a ticket more then a year ago for a relative. They had a family emergency and could not fly. I called before the one year mark and was told I couldn't get my money (voucher) back till after a year from day the flight was supposed to be. I called after the year and was informed I would receive a credit voucher and that they would be keeping $100 for Admin fees. I never received anything, I called again and was told it had been more than a year and six months and that I was out of luck and they would keep all my money. I know I wont get cash all I wanted was a credit voucher but they said NO. Now I am out $300.00 and they just made money for ZERO services provided. I'm an A-list member and always fly. This is theft the way i look at it. looks like ill have to take my business somewhere else. 

10 REPLIES 10

Re: Feels like Southwest Stole From Me

chgoflyer
Aviator A
Solution

As an A-Lister, I'm sure you're familiar with the various types of tickets Southwest sells. It sounds like you purchased a non-refundable ticket for your relative. Non-refundable tickets aren't refundable. But Southwest does allow use of the associated funds for travel for up to one year from the date of purchase, without additional fee (unlike "everywhere else"). If your relative was unable to use their ticket once the family emergency was over, Southwest may also allow those funds to be reissued as a voucher, usable by anyone, for a fee of $100. That request must be made within 6 months of the funds' expiration.

 

Since you say you made the request, you might want to double-check your email, including junk folders, for the voucher message. You might also want to contact Customer Relations via Twitter or the dedicated A-List phone line (not the "regular" number) to see if they can help.

 

In the future, here are some things that might help:

 

  • Purchase fully-refundable tickets. Cancellation will result in a full refund.
  • Use points to purchase tickets for others. When you cancel the points are redeposited into your account.
  • Follow up within 6 months if you request a voucher and do not receive it.
  • Be aware of your ticket's expiration date (generally one year from the date of purchase, if no previous funds were applied). This date is shown on every confirmation email you receive from Southwest when you book, revise or cancel a flight.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

Re: Feels like Southwest Stole From Me

jksobonya
Aviator A

" I couldn't get my money (voucher) back till after a year from day the flight was supposed to be."

 

I don't know who told you that, but this is inaccurate.  Your travel funds are valid 1 year from the date you purchased your ticket. A year after the day of the flight is way too late to use the travel funds. 

 

Assuming you cancelled your flight, ordinarily you should have those funds available for future use. The funds are available under your reservation number. However, if you booked a flight more than a year in advance (and as an aside, I'm not sure how you even did that, as Southwest flight bookings rarely go out more than a year that I've seen - currently they go out to April 2020, barely 6 months from now), wouldn't the travel funds be invalid since it's more than 12 months from the date of booking? But I also suppose, like @chgoflyer also mentioned, if the funds did expire before you were able to use them, you could have them reissued for a fee.

 

That is why the Southwest rep mentioned they were keeping $100. If you don't use the funds a year after you make your initial purchase, they expire. However, they can be reissued for a $100 fee, and it sounds like that is what they did. 

 

--Jessica

Re: Feels like Southwest Stole From Me

chgoflyer
Aviator A

Note that travel funds are only valid for the originally named passenger. (The OP had booked a flight for a relative, not themselves.)

 

[edited to add]: You do make a good point regarding expiration dates. I've updated my post above.

Re: Feels like Southwest Stole From Me

egabanuz68
Explorer C

Southwest stole my 750 dollars unable to travel due to pandemic. It feels awful for a hard worked money. I know the feeling. 

Re: Feels like Southwest Stole From Me

mariogodinez
Explorer C

I did call A-list number and checked my email and mail(all my mail is scanned to me as well) and i never received anything.  It is sad that a company will take your money for a service they never provided you. Even tough you called followed there procedures and they have the records that you called and they will not give you at least partial credit. Guess some companies do not believe in being moral and/or honest.

Re: Feels like Southwest Stole From Me

bwallet
Frequent Flyer A

@mariogodinez I guess that I'm very confused by this. If you are an A-Lister, how could you not manage to use a couple of vouchers in a year period? I must have cycled through a couple of dozen of them last year.

Re: Feels like Southwest Stole From Me

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@bwallet wrote:

@mariogodinez I guess that I'm very confused by this. If you are an A-Lister, how could you not manage to use a couple of vouchers in a year period? I must have cycled through a couple of dozen of them last year.


The travel fund was in the relative's name unfortunately.

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: Feels like Southwest Stole From Me

dfwskier
Aviator A

@mariogodinez wrote:

It seems like Southwest puts rules in place to take your money and run. 

I bought a ticket more then a year ago for a relative. They had a family emergency and could not fly. I called before the one year mark and was told I couldn't get my money (voucher) back till after a year from day the flight was supposed to be. I called after the year and was informed I would receive a credit voucher and that they would be keeping $100 for Admin fees. I never received anything,  .....   I'm an A-list member and always fly. This is theft the way i look at it. looks like ill have to take my business somewhere else. 


Well first of all, since you bought a ticket for a relative, then any travel funds would have been in your relative's  name, and the confirmation number would have been  sent to your relatives e-mail account as a cancelled flight notice. . Likewise, I suspect that any voucher would also have been sent to your relative. at his/her e-mail address.

 

You might want to ask that person about it. If that person claims non receipt of the vouchure, you (your relative?) could appeal to customer relations due to "non receipt" of vouchure.

 

edit add: When you did not receive a vouchure, why didn't you just call to inquire  about it instead of waiting for months and months?

Re: Feels like Southwest Stole From Me

egabanuz68
Explorer C

Does not justify to take/stealing your money! 

I wonder how would you feel is this happens to you. Southwest practices and policies regarding reimbursement is disastrous for consumer. A truly sour taste in your mouth is left when a rep tells she can do anything, it is policy, we will reimburse you a 140 dollars out the 750 we own you. Tickets put on hold because of the pandemic. Bad practices by this airlines.