BEWARE: Southwest will steal your points !
#61
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 177
In my experience, FlyerTalk is a snarky forum of know-it-alls so you won't get any sympathy here.
I would try emailing Southwest if calling didn't work. They might try to make it up to you. I had an agent refuse to help me over expiring points and she eventually just hung up the phone on me. So I got pissed, emailed Southwest and told them I had canceled my Southwest rewards card and I won't be back. I got a response reimbursing me the rewards points. Granted, in my case it was only around $100. In your case, at $3000, the bar might be higher for someone to help you and you might never get that full amount.
I would try emailing Southwest if calling didn't work. They might try to make it up to you. I had an agent refuse to help me over expiring points and she eventually just hung up the phone on me. So I got pissed, emailed Southwest and told them I had canceled my Southwest rewards card and I won't be back. I got a response reimbursing me the rewards points. Granted, in my case it was only around $100. In your case, at $3000, the bar might be higher for someone to help you and you might never get that full amount.
#63
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17,264
because along the way some useful tips were given to help others avoid what happened to the OP. Even, like your contribution, some even give suggestions for remediation.
Posters making themselves feel better by slagging someone else's mistake are simply noise.
#64
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: LAS (was CMH)
Programs: WN RR, DL SM, Hilton, Marriott, National
Posts: 45
Some people are gluttons for punishment. Like some of my family members. A couple still use F9 even after:
- One being stranded at MCO for potentially 3 days and having to rebook on DL
- One being stranded at CLE for potentially 2 days and having to rebook on AA
- One having their flight cancelled while awaiting boarding and having to rebook on WN
#65
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Peoria
Programs: Southwest, Best Western Gold, La Quinta, Dollar
Posts: 819
Just don't get me started on how everything else in the store is triple what is down the street at the regular grocery store.
#66
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,589
For what it's worth, virtually everyone here has made costly mistakes in traveling or accumulating or using miles and points. Most people learn the hard way. Some of us would prefer that everyone else suffer from their mistakes in the same way. It's a low-grade sadism of the type you see in the left lane at 55 mph.
#67
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: St. Louis, MO
Programs: Southwest Companion Pass
Posts: 790
For what it's worth, virtually everyone here has made costly mistakes in traveling or accumulating or using miles and points. Most people learn the hard way. Some of us would prefer that everyone else suffer from their mistakes in the same way. It's a low-grade sadism of the type you see in the left lane at 55 mph.
#68
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,855
Some people are gluttons for punishment. Like some of my family members. A couple still use F9 even after:
- One being stranded at MCO for potentially 3 days and having to rebook on DL
- One being stranded at CLE for potentially 2 days and having to rebook on AA
- One having their flight cancelled while awaiting boarding and having to rebook on WN
#69
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
(Way off topic): Southwest has stranded me for multiple days more than once, requiring me to book on another carrier in order to get home. Frontier hasn't. Yes, Southwest's overall cancellation numbers are better than Frontier's, but I've found specific city pairs have a huge bearing on your individual experience. And Southwest may have more flights to your destination than Frontier, but that doesn't really help much when they're all booked for days because of IROPS. I still fly Southwest. Obviously, YMMV.
#70
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: California
Posts: 1,111
Although I expect OP to get nothing, how many points did the OP help the community save as a result of this thread? Likely more than the points lost by the OP by now.
How much more money did this thread cost Southwest vs. if they just paid him off and reinstated points?
This is the reason why if Southwest were smart, they would have done the Herb-like thing and gave his points back. I don't think giving any big fish his points back is an act of generosity because this thread probably cost Southwest a lot more money and goodwill. Keeping Southwest's many customer unfriendly policies secret is much more important.
How much more money did this thread cost Southwest vs. if they just paid him off and reinstated points?
This is the reason why if Southwest were smart, they would have done the Herb-like thing and gave his points back. I don't think giving any big fish his points back is an act of generosity because this thread probably cost Southwest a lot more money and goodwill. Keeping Southwest's many customer unfriendly policies secret is much more important.
#71
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,492
This is the reason why if Southwest were smart, they would have done the Herb-like thing and gave his points back. I don't think giving any big fish his points back is an act of generosity because this thread probably cost Southwest a lot more money and goodwill. Keeping Southwest's many customer unfriendly policies secret is much more important.
.
#72
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List, CLEAR+, Covid-19
Posts: 4,956
#74
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,492
'Cause real life doesn't work that way. It's not WNs job to mollycoddle adults.
Never having your back should be a corporate adage.
#75
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,492
My state mails out a card when my drivers license is about to expire. It's in their interest to do that. Loyalty programs have more to gain keeping you in the loop.
For an airline that has a great reputation for customer servicethere is no policy for reinstating lost points. Alaska lets you re-instate all expired miles up to one year later for a very reasonable fee of $75. Southwest improbably overlooked the merits.
For an airline that has a great reputation for customer servicethere is no policy for reinstating lost points. Alaska lets you re-instate all expired miles up to one year later for a very reasonable fee of $75. Southwest improbably overlooked the merits.