• About
  • Credit Card Basics
  • Mortgage Basics
  • $40K Challenge
  • Aunt Doris
  • Grandfather Says
  • Privacy
  • Archives
  • Insiders

Len Penzo dot Com

The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people.

Southwest Airlines: Website Horror Stories, Part II

By Len Penzo

Even Rod Serling couldn’t make this latest Southwest story up …

Youre traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Thats the sign post up ahead, your next stop The Personal Finance Twilight Zone.

And I thought my recent adventure with Southwest Airlines was infuriating!

While Southwest was pulling a classic bait and switch maneuver on me last week, offering two non-refundable tickets from Denver to Southern California for $114 each, only to change their mind after I tried to purchase them (and pushing much more expensive fares in their place), they were really sticking it to some of their other customers.

According to this report from a CBS television affiliate in Sacramento:

Southwest Airlines charged Romona Cobian $11,407 for a ticket to Los Angeles.

My stomach just flip flopped. I thought oh, whats going on? Theyre going to deplete my bank account.

They did, leaving Cobian with no way to pay her credit card bills, buy gas or even food. Her debit card statements show Southwest charged her 51 times the cost of the $135 airfare and then tacked on a strange additional charge of nearly $4500.

The billing issue affected customers across the country, although the airline hasnt told CBS13 how many.

Ouch.

This particular incident supposedly occurred on August 3rd.

Southwest had a rather, um, interesting explanation for what went wrong. They said they had “website performance issues.”

That’s kind of like totaling the car and telling your spouse that you had a fender bender.

But, okay; frankly, it seems to me Southwest has been having lots of, um, performance issues lately.

Normally, I’d say Southwest shouldn’t be embarrassed or hang their head in shame. After all, performance issues occasionally happen to everyone. At least that’s what I’ve been told.

But Southwest Airlines’ latest limp noodle has probably got more than a few people — besides myself — wondering if the airline is capable of consistently satisfying their customers anymore.

As for Ms. Cobian, it appears her biggest mistake was using her debit card to purchase her ticket. If she had used a credit card instead, she would have avoided having her bank account cleaned out and she could have just contested the charges.

She also wouldn’t be writing letters to the credit bureaus explaining why her resulting missed credit card payments weren’t her fault.

In the end, this is yet another example why you should almost always choose credit over debit whenever you have the chance.

I said almost.

Respectfully submitted for your consideration, by someone who’s been there before … disappointed, in the Personal Finance Twilight Zone.

Photo Credit: Meltwater

Related Posts:
  • Southwest Airlines: Great Prices, but Beware the Bait and SwitchSouthwest Airlines: Great Prices, but Beware the Bait and Switch
  • 7 Retaliatory Fees Travelers Should Be Charging the Airlines7 Retaliatory Fees Travelers Should Be Charging the Airlines
  • Bring a Companion on Every Southwest Flight for Less Than $30Bring a Companion on Every Southwest Flight for Less Than $30

19 Comments August 15, 2012

Comments

  1. 1

    William @ Drop Dead Money says

    August 15, 2012 at 3:58 am

    Wow! I’ll confess I read the earlier credit vs. debit thing and said, hmmm… I’ll think about it. Of course, as we all know, that’s code for: I’ll conveniently forget about it. 🙂

    One of those mind tricks we play on ourselves deliberately. Like the gal on a diet ordering grilled chicken and rice, and then adding, “but please bring me the lasagna by mistake.”

    This time I will get the credit card! 🙂

    Reply
    • 2

      Len Penzo says

      August 15, 2012 at 8:20 pm

      Good for you, William!

      Reply
  2. 3

    Lance @ Money Life and More says

    August 15, 2012 at 4:35 am

    I almost never use my debit card. The only thing I use it for is to take cash out of the ATM! It stinks that so many people are having bad experiences with Southwest. Our local airport only has Southwest and Delta so I have a feeling I’ll be traveling with them one day. I just hope they can get their act back together by the time I take the plunge and by a ticket!

    Reply
    • 4

      Len Penzo says

      August 15, 2012 at 8:22 pm

      Despite my ranting and their recent run of bad news, Southwest is a really good airline.

      Reply
  3. 5

    Angela says

    August 15, 2012 at 6:11 am

    Don’t tell me, let me guess. “We will reimburse the overcharge with a credit to your SouthWest account which can be applied to future fares.”

    Reply
    • 6

      Len Penzo says

      August 15, 2012 at 8:23 pm

      … and the only catch is the credits have to be used within one year. 😉

      Reply
  4. 7

    tracee says

    August 15, 2012 at 6:17 am

    holy cow!!! maybe i should get a credit card just for this reason

    Reply
    • 8

      Len Penzo says

      August 15, 2012 at 8:25 pm

      Yes, you should, tracee! Credit cards are a consumer’s best friend! (As long as they know how to use them responsibly, of course.)

      Reply
  5. 9

    mc says

    August 15, 2012 at 7:37 am

    Apparently Ms. Cobian forgot to uncheck the checkbox next to, “Charge you 51 times for this flight just to be sure, and also add $4,500 for, you know, just in case?” Boilerplate terms, really. It’s a common mistake, and now a lesson learned I guess. ;D

    Reply
    • 10

      Len Penzo says

      August 15, 2012 at 8:25 pm

      Good one, mc! 🙂

      (My readers are on a roll today!)

      Reply
  6. 11

    Debt Free Teen says

    August 15, 2012 at 7:47 am

    I’ve had problems on the Southwest site too. It doesn’t automatically update your account. You would think that such a large company would have a better user interface. But I can’t beat those cheap fares!
    Chase

    Reply
    • 12

      Len Penzo says

      August 15, 2012 at 8:27 pm

      Their employees are the best too, Chase.

      Reply
  7. 13

    Lola says

    August 15, 2012 at 8:49 am

    I’ve never actually flown Southwest, mostly because I like to be able to choose my seat. I know there are airlines that charge for this now, but I’ve yet to book with one. I would never, never, never use my debit card for that kind of purchase though! Whether “performance issues” or possible card fraud, the thought of my checking account getting drained is frightening. Over the years, I’ve had several cards get “compromised”, but thankfully the credit card companies I use have excellent fraud departments. Especially Citibank (I know people hate them, but they are VERY pro-active in their fraud protection).

    Reply
    • 14

      Len Penzo says

      August 15, 2012 at 8:30 pm

      I love my credit card companies, Lola. They have had my back on several occasions when it came to disputes with uncooperative vendors.

      The Southwest seating model isn’t so bad. I think they’ve done a great job in improving the whole process ever since they began handing out numbered tickets for boarding.

      Reply
  8. 15

    Ornella @ Moneylicious says

    August 15, 2012 at 12:41 pm

    I agree using your credit card over debit card. It can help mitigate nightmares like this.

    Reply
    • 16

      Len Penzo says

      August 15, 2012 at 8:33 pm

      I bet Ms. Cobian knows that now too!

      Reply
  9. 17

    AverageJoe says

    August 15, 2012 at 1:59 pm

    This is a warning shot for any company thinking they’ll “build a reputation” and then rely on it for customers. Your reputation takes years to build and seconds to destroy.

    Reply
  10. 18

    Len Penzo says

    August 15, 2012 at 8:32 pm

    Great point, Joe. Although Southwest has been so good over the years they had a lot of rope available to them — although they are not starting to run out of slack.

    Reply
  11. 19

    Guy says

    August 19, 2012 at 8:03 pm

    I only keep enough money in my checking accounts in case I need fast cash (I think I have 40$ in both of them). Everything else is in my savings accounts so if someone ever gets my card they can only take out up to 40 bucks. However, if I ever need more money I can just use my phone to transfer it to checking and pull it out.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Question of the Week:

What do you enjoy more?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Recent Posts

  • The 4 Best Small Business Loan Options for Female Entrepreneurs
  • Grandfather Says: Strange Dreams
  • 5 Tips Guaranteed to Help You Build Wealth After Graduation
  • How to Teach Your Kids to Be Responsible with Money
  • How Smart Menu Planning Can Reduce Your Annual Grocery Bill by $1000
  • Black Coffee: Bankers, Beggars & Big Spenders
  • Ask the Experts: Which SEO Trends Will Prove Most Important in 2019?
  • What are the Key Requirements for Securing a Startup Business Loan?
  • 100 Words On: How to Determine If You’re a True Financial Success
  • Minimizing Legal Fees with Online Legal Forms and Services

Disclaimer

This site is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and the content herein should not be mistaken for professional financial advice. This website accepts advertising in the form of monetary and other compensation; as such, topics of discussion are occasionally influenced by these advertisers. Ultimately, you and you alone are responsible for the decisions you make in life, so please contact an independent financial professional for advice regarding your unique personal situation.

Popular Now:

  1. 1. What It Really Feels Like to Be a Billionaire
  2. 2. How to Get an Instant Raise — Without Kissing Up!
  3. 3. 4 Habits and Systems That the Wealthy Follow Religiously
  4. 4. The Only New Year Resolution That Really Matters
  5. 5. Are Credit Unions Better Than Banks?
  6. 6. 10 Easy New Year Health Resolutions Guaranteed to Save You Money
  7. 7. My Margarine Taste Test: Which Brand Tastes Most Like Butter?
  8. 8. 5 Easy Ways to Increase Your Home’s Energy Efficiency This Winter
  9. 9. The High Cost of Being Poor (and How to Vanquish It)
  10. 10. Len Penzo dot Com: Celebrating 10 Years and 10 Million Page Views!

All-Time Most Popular:

  1. 1. 19 Things Your Suburban Millionaire Neighbor Won’t Tell You
  2. 2. Dear Friend: Here Are 41 Reasons Why I’m NOT Lending You the Money
  3. 3. Why Your Expensive Luxury Car Doesn’t Impress Smart People
  4. 4. If You Can’t Live on $40,000 Annually It’s Your Own Fault
  5. 5. 21 Reasons Why Corner Lots Are for Suckers
  6. 6. 18 Fast Facts About Social Security Numbers
  7. 7. My Ketchup Taste Test: Upset! Guess Which Brand Topped Heinz
  8. 8. The Great Paper Towel Test: Which Brand Is Your Best Value?
  9. 9. 12 Good Reasons Why You Should (and Should Not) Pay Off Your Mortgage Early
  10. 10. 9 Great Gifts for People Who Have Everything

 

Copyright © 2019 Len Penzo dot Com · All Rights Reserved · Designed by Nuts and Bolts Media

7ads6x98y