Travel Credit

[KrisRodden]

I purchased 4 round trip tickets last year from our family to travel to Florida.  We tend to travel at school vacation to visit my mother who now winters in Florida to escape the New England winters.  At the last minute, my son was unable to join us due to work obligations.  I called just before we traveled in February to cancel his flight.  I was told at that time that I would be able to use his flight as a credit but that it would need to be used by 10/24/17.  Since we typically only travel in February I knew this may not work for us.  I asked the SWA representative what will happen if I am unable to get him to travel by that time.  She told me that all I need to do is contact SWA Customer Relations before the 24th and that I would be given a transferable gift card for the full amount of the credit to be used later.  I was very careful to write down everything she said to me.  I repeated it back because I was thrilled with that answer.  I marked my calendar and recorded all my notes.  Today 10/19 I called to say that I am getting ready to book our next trip which will now be in March of '18.  I told the rep that I need to get a transferable gift card for the amount of the credit so that I can apply it to the travel we will be booking in the next 2 weeks once I can confirm dates.  I was told that while SWA will extend the credit, I lose $100!  When I read my notes back to the rep and explained that I was told I would get full credit she apologized for being told that, but that it wasn't true.  How do you know when you are being told the truth or not?  Why do I have to call back another day in hopes of getting a different agent that will be more helpful?  Don't get me wrong, the rep I just spoke to was polite, but the "sorry that one of our reps told you something that isn't true" doesn't work for me.  If I was told this was the deal up front, I completely get it.  To be told now that the information I was given wasn't correct, why is it my fault?  Should I have to call 10 times, get 10 different reps, and if I get the same story 8 out of 10 times then I can believe it?  The policy should be crystal clear and should be read verbatim by reps so how can I not be told the correct info from the start?  VERY FRUSTRATING!

[TheMiddleSeat]

Sorry for the frustration, but the $100 fee to extend expiration of travel funds is standard, noted on numerous posts on this site, and I would be stunned if you got an agent to waive the fee. 

[KrisRodden]

While it may be standard and it may say it on your site, I spoke to a representative on the phone that told me that I would receive 100% credit on a transferable gift card.  I was surprised and even clarified that I was understanding correctly....this was last February.  This was not something that I had to convince her to agree to....this is what she told me would happen and so I thought it was standard for SWA.  I did not think that I would need to go to the site to confirm that what I was told by a rep matched what was on the site.  As a consumer it is frustrating to be told something and then have it not be true and lose out on hard earned money.  Now it is my word against SWA that this is an accurate account of my conversation...and I lose. 

[chgoflyer]

Advice: Never trust what a rep tells you on the phone. Always verify in writing.

[TheMiddleSeat]

@KrisRodden Not my site, I was just trying to point out that the $100 fee is the answer every time this question gets asked. While losing $100 is better than losing 100% of your ticket value, I understand your frustration.