No status match, no email turning me down, no clue on the part of most of the people I spoke with on the phone. Seems rather "bait and switch" to me, and I'm kicking myself for booking with them before getting the match.
I had to email customer support twice to check on my status match request. The whole process took about 6 - 8 weeks until my status match was granted.
It isn't clear to me if there are ways to earn Spirit Qualifying Miles (SQM) other than these 3 ways: 1) Buying flight tickets 2)Buying upgrades, seats, luggage, etc. 3) Spending on a Spirit MasterCard. I think I'm going to try to earn the 1,250 SQM in 90 days, but it is going to require a big spend on my MasterCard. Having Gold status through 12/23 is a pretty good benefit if I can manage to obtain it.