Originally Posted by
uastarflyer
Re-usable, but not all are refundable (in the case of fares). Taxes and 9/11 fees are refundable (money back) on any airline I've flown.
You're correct; I was loose with the "refundable" word. What I really meant was, "reusable without penalty," which, as much as I fly WN is practically the same thing. Reusable would be good enough for me.
Originally Posted by
Sofakingcane
This may sound foolish, but rather than commit early to EBCI, do it just a couple days before (at least reducing chances of changes/cancellations), and while you might get bumped down from A20's to A40's, you'll still be better off than those within the 24 hour check-in
What you say makes sense, but my reaction to this will be simply to do without EB until it's at least reusable in case of cancellation.
Originally Posted by
SWABrian
Well I am honored (I think) that my name takes top billing on a complaint. I certainly understand your frustration, and to be honest I think the non-refundability isssue has more to do with a systems restriction (EBCI is not a fare type but an add-on specific to a single pnr) than an attempt to "gouge" any Customer. There is currently no way (or a reliable way)to move the EBCI money to another record or to refund it through the online system. I know that we are working to clear up some of the drawbacks on this product. I am so sorry for your disappointment, and I will share your and the other's thoughts on how to make the advisory more prominent.
Brian
LOL... well, honestly, you should take it as a compliment. I felt you'd do your best to help, even if you can't directly resolve the issue.
If it's not just an IT issue, and WN really wants to make EBCI non-refundable (which makes sense since they'd always be attached to non-refundable fares), here is my suggestion:
Sell EBCI as a non-refundable e-certificate (much like a RR award certificate) with its own ID # that can automatically be associated with a RR account and automatically attached to the PNR. In case of cancellation, the certificate would be deposited back into the RR account. So the pax retains use of the EBCI certificate, WN retains the $10-20, and everyone is more or less happy.
It would make more sense, and be much more consistent with the spirit of everything else WN does.
And for what it's worth, I don't think it's an attempt to gouge; we all pretty much agree EBCI is somewhat half-baked (sorry), and this is probably just another piece of evidence. You guys have always been the best at not risking bad feelings from customers over pennies, so I don't think they're deliberately trying to screw anyone over.
Thanks for your time in responding.