Chris, Southwest has created their own customer service crisis with this awful new rewards program. Don't worry - your customers are leaving, and soon their customer service issues will be leaving with them,
... View more
01-17-2011
02:12 AM
2 Loves
I am second generation rapid rewards member. I have flown Southwest loyally for years. I have convinced numerous friends, relatives, and even my company, to join the rapid rewards program. In light of the new changes I am sorry that I did so.
The new point system defeats the primary purpose of having a rapid rewards account - flexibility. I no longer have the ability to schedule trips on short notice or make changes to my flights without a severe penalty.
Further, it appears to be very deceptive when Southwest says that we will "still earn rewards at the same rate." I have a SW Visa card. I fly OKC to PDX several times a year. Before, we received a travel award for every $19,200 we spent on the card. Now, with 19,200 points, I can barely get a "wanna get away" roundtrip ticket, if I'm lucky. If heaven forbid I wanted any type of flexibility in my travel, "anytime" or "business select" fares would run me close to 80,000 points (or $80k spent on my Visa card), more than FOUR TIMES the amount under the old Rapid Rewards system.
Our family has sung the praises of Southwest for years. This feels like an unwarranted betrayal. I would LOVE to meet even one customer who actually likes the new system. Sadly, Southwest has taken one more step towards becoming like all the other airlines we have grown to despise.
Please bring back the old system! All of us "old" customers will come back with it!
... View more