The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
This is an eye opening thread and it sounds like a Chase card or travel insurance is a must when booking one of these low fares. I have flown both Frontier and Spirit a total of 6 round trips and never had a problem. Except once on a Spirit flight from Vegas to Philly there was an equipment change and my $30 exit row seat didn't exist, so I was put in the second or third aisle that had plenty of leg room (not a big seat). I asked for and received a $30 refund because I didn't get the exit row. With luggage and a perfect itinerary, I saved about $200.
Like Mike Tyson said: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.