JJ804

My mom fell and fractured her back and pelvis. She had a reservation for about a month later to fly Southwest. The funds were only good for about two and a half months after her injury (due to a previous rebooking), and she was not going to be able to fly by then. I called and was told to email a particular department (perhaps customer care) through a form on the website. I included my mom's hospital paperwork and asked for a refund of the fare and EarlyBird, as she was physically unable to fly.

Unbelievably, I received basically a form letter in return, denying the request. This seems cruel and egregious by Southwest.

Does anyone have suggestions for who I can contact and through what means (phone, email, Twitter) to escalate this situation? Thanks in advance.

m907

I would try the BBB and/or Twitter DM next.

mykidissmarterthanyou

They will only issue as travel funds usually, not a full refund. I have a kid with a lot of medical issues and we have cancelled flights frequently over the years. You can reissue the travel funds if they expired for $100 fee if you call.

mdurette

Assuming you didn't purchae a refundable fare. I would start out by asking for an extension to the flight cost, a refund is unlikely.
Another thought, by chance did you pay for any of the flights with a credit card that has travel insurance as a benefit? Maybe you could look into that route.

ulmguy

Dramatic much? You took a risk buying a non-refundable fare with expiring funds then have the chutzpah to demand a refund. Southwest stuck by its policy and the contract you agreed to and that makes them cruel?

Your best case scenario is to get an extension of the expiration date, but by starting out with an unreasonable demand for a refund you may wind up paying $100 for it.

ulmguy

And complain about what? Southwest refuses to refund a nonrefundable fare?

Bogwoppit

Claim on her travel insurance, that is what it is for.

NoStressHere

When an airline sells a non refundable fare, it means just that. Non-refunable.

People get sick. People move away. People run out of money. People no longer have a reason to fly.

None of these matter. You made a contract to fly and then broke that contract. plain and simple. The airline is not some social service agency. Some people buy travel insurance that covers some or all of these reasons.

I apologize if this seems crass, mean or difficult. Just pointing out the facts.

nineworldseries

Why would you go to the BBB for this? It's not like WN has violated any kind of contract of carriage or even any of their own internal policies.

Also, color me shocked that people buy cheap WN WGA fares and then expect this airline to bend over backwards for all of their needs. Does their "LUV" marketing just cause entitled people to think WN is actually friendly and looking out for you, so they'll just love and take care of you and do whatever you want?

Beltway2A

There's nothing stopping OP from going to the BBB, they're no different than companies like Yelp and TripAdvisor except that the BBB doesn't rely on the internet to function. But it's not going to achieve anything for OP.

smmrfld

Why waste the time? WN has done nothing wrong. Not a BBB issue.

Beltway2A

I could not tell you why people go to the BBB, post on Yelp, yell at clouds, or do any number of unproductive things that are never going to resolve their issue.

When you say "Not a BBB issue" you imply that there's something that "is a BBB issue." But there's not. It's just a company for people who feel aggrieved to complain.

thatmikereed

Why?

azepine00

Try to contact executive office - they are most likely to help. Essentially you are asking for goodwill exception and i think you have a decent chance to get it under the circumstances.

nsx

If I recall correctly, Delta will accommodate these requests if the passenger was hospitalized and you can prove it.