Allegiant Denied boarding from Knoxville, Tennessee to Ft.Laurderdale, Florida Las Vegas, Nevada

My flight wasn't suppose to leave until 5:45pm on April 2nd.  Around 1pm I went online and checked
in and paid $13.00 for a carry on in advance.  When I was finished, I printed out my boarding passes for my daughter and I and also the baggage slips.  I drove to the airport and arrived around 4:30pm.  I went to their service counter, but no one was there, so I proceeded to go to the TSA security check.  After waiting in line there, the TSA officer told me that I had to
go check my bags in at the service counter.  I told him there was no one there.  Could I gate check my luggage since I already had the tickets and paperwork?  He said no, they screened the bags down there and I would have to check the luggage in there.  I walked back down to the service counter and no one was there.  I asked the TSA people that screened the luggage if
anyone was around.  They told me there were in the back loading the plane.  I asked if they could contact them so they could check me in.  One of the guys went back and came late came back and said they will be up here in a moment.  I waited about 10 minutes for someone to come up and by this time it was 5:25pm.  The attendant (or a lack of) came up and was really sarcastic and said he wasn't going to check my luggage in and that I would have to wait until the next flight on Thursday.  And that I they wouldn't refund any of my monies.  I asked for a supervisor and he gave me a 702
area code number to call.  I called them, they told me the same thing and when I asked for a supervisor, she said she would have one call me back 24-48 later.  

When I got off the phone, the attendant had called the police.  I walked over and explained the situation to the police.  The officer informed me there wasn't anything he could do to help me.  He told me though, "But I will tell you this isn't the first time this has happened.  I asked him to make sure he documented the time to show that I was there in time to board and that the attendant wasn't there when we first walked in.  There was also 2 other gentleman this happened to as well that were there when we were.  This service counter needs to manned to take in luggage.  I think they only have 3 people working the whole place... doing boarding, luggage and other things.  They are probably understaffed and this is why they weren't at the counter both times. 

 As a customer, I shouldn't have to pay for something like this because a company is too cheap to hire enough people to do the job.  The police officer told me that the few people that worked there at the airlines in Knoxville, only worked 3 hours.  I was floored!  They wouldn't even refund they money they charged me to check in my bags.....  I called my hotel that I had reservations at and I lost the money I paid to reserve my room.  I had a return flight scheduled with them from Orlando to Knoxville.  We didn't have any trouble going home other than they couldn't get one of the engines started (notice other postings of engine or plane trouble, makes me wonder why FAA isn't on them?), so we had to go back to the gate, unload and get on a different jet to take us to Knoxville, TN.  

When we arrived in Knoxville, TN, there was an Allegiant Air Jet parked off to the side.  I heard a buzz around the airport that that jet took off the night before heading to FL and while in the air.... It blew one of the motors and they had to turn around and make a emergency landing back in Knoxville.   It is scary that this stuff happens, but the general public never hears anything about it and we put our life's in the hands of some cheap-o- seat airline! 
 
In Closing I would like to mention that on the way home there was a flight that was suppose to leave at 8am.  I was told by the airline that they had to close gate doors 20 minutes before departure.  I saw a family of 5 people loading a plane to Bangor, ME at 7:57 and just a few minutes later I saw a older couple boarding the plane.  Funny how they can change the rules when they need to.  Don't get me wrong... I am glad the family and older couple were able to get on the plane.  The last thing I would like to see if the airline keeping their money as well!