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I was SO EXCITED to win these Southwest tickets last year. I’ve been dreaming of a vacation since I received them... only to find out when I finally booked it that the e-pass is worthless? Apparently the e-pass code on the paperwork doesn’t mean anything? It’s only numbers and it has to start with letters (that’s what the “e-pass specialist” said when I called to book a flight). This is really disappointing and I’m hoping someone can help.
I mean, I guess it was great PR for Southwest but it kinda sucks that it was fake...
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The picture isn't viewable yet (will need to be approved by an admin), but I think the obvious question is where did you get the e-pass? If someone other than Southwest gave it to you then it probably is a fake. There are a lot scams on social media that claim to give free airline tickets and they often claim to be from Southwest. I'm curious if your "e-pass" looks anything like a genuine Southwest e-pass.
--TheMiddleSeat
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The picture is just the announcement of me winning the sweepstakes. These media people came with a giant “Winner” sign and Southwest’s name on it and took my picture and handed me the tickets. It seemed legit, but I guess they *could* have been scamming me...
I can’t find anything on southwest’s website about what a genuine e-pass looks like. It has an e-pass number, expiration date, and about 2 pages of instructions on how to use them. ... but the e-pass number is just a number. The Southwest rep on the phone told me there should be a passcode that starts with letters.
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I've only received e-passes once (didn't use them), and the pass number started with three alpha characters. If yours didn't, it's suspicious.
That being said, having a media circus with banners and photos seems a bit much for a scam.
Did they ask for any money or personal information?
edit add: i think e-pass stands for electronic pass. I suspect there is no paper version, just the electronic version that includes the ticket number.
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Nope. It didn’t cost me a penny - though I suppose the people running the contest (a local community education foundation) could have been scammed and just passed on fake tickets unknowingly.
Sounds like I’m not gonna get that dream vacation either way. Lol. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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@christacor wrote:Nope. It didn’t cost me a penny - though I suppose the people running the contest (a local community education foundation) could have been scammed and just passed on fake tickets unknowingly.
Sounds like I’m not gonna get that dream vacation either way. Lol. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Well, I am sorry that you are being disappointed. You might want to contact the foundation to let them know about this. Maybe it made a mistake in giving you the pass number. Maybe it was duped. If so, they probably need to know it so it won't happen to anyone else.
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Sorry to hear of your experience
you could try to reach out to customer relations and maybe they could see if that number traces back to some giveaway and maybe they could help 855-234-4654 you could also try messaging Southwest on Twitter and maybe they could look in to it as well.
hope your able to use the passes
Blake
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This site has images that show what a valid Southwest e-pass looks like.
https://www.theticketflip.com/southwestguide.html
I'd start by contacting the people who gave you the e-pass.
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Let's definitely get this situation figured out for you. Please send me a private message with your contact information and I will follow up.
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I was able to hunt down the company that gave it to me. It took a long while but I found them and talked to them about it. I was just intending to warn them but it turns out, they had the three letters I needed to put in front of the ticket number to make it valid. So I was able to book my trip after all!
Now, it is beyond me why SW wouldn’t just put those letters on the ticket in the first place. I’m sure there’s some security reason for having a verbal alpha code with the printed numeric code, but wow does that create a headache!
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and help with this issue!