Preview Review

Next Review

Western Union Consumer Reviews

Most Popular | Newest | More Options >
More filter options:
Scam
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

EDMONTON -- DON'T USE IT. I've sent money to my father on 28-4-2017 - location Egypt. On the 30th-04-2017 my father went to get the money from Western Union location and agent told my dad that transaction doesn't exist, asked my dad to contact me "the sender" and confirm the transaction number. My father showed him the receipt pic that I sent to him on WhatsApp as a proof of it's the correct transaction number but still Agent couldn't find transaction number and called WU and opened a none paid transaction claim. Since then I called WU more than 5 times to follow up and every time different agent, different BS!!

First call agent asked for 10 days to get a resolution "ID **", second agent asked for 20 days "ID **." Third agent asked for 30 days, called in between and chatted with different agents on Facebook to know status of my claim, Claims #**, #**, #**, last agent I talked to on 17-07-2017 asked for 90 DAYS! Are you kidding me! 90 days? What kind of company needs 90 days to send money back to the customer! Should I wait for couple of years to get my money back. Talked to a supervisor and she wanted to open a third claim.

Funny part, Western Union agent in Egypt confirm that transaction doesn't exist, my father never received the money, agents couldn't find that transaction in the system until after I opened the first claim and the system says it's been "picked by the receiver." How my father picked the money if the agent didn't find the transaction on his end. Company never called or follow up, horrible customer service, until this moment I never received my money back.

I have 4 records of conversation with different agents from Western Union, chat pics as well, all that I'm going to share online and with also CTV news in Edmonton so people can see how bad Western Union became and how easy to lose money. Irresponsible unreliable company.

Replies
Inappropriate customer service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

FLORIDA -- So I usually don't complain about any businesses whether the service is shitty or not but this time I think Westen Union got people fuqed up....ive been on maternity leaf since I moved out to Florida and my husband has been assisting me with my bills by sending the money through western union as it has been proven to be more convenient since I moved out here.I've been late on my rent on this month as life is life and people do go through hard times we're all human.

So my husband was not able to send me the full amount of the rent all at once but definitely promised he would have it all in by the end of the day. Mind you my rent is $1475 so he send $700 in the morning so I can work something out with the landlord before receiving the rest. Then he sent $900 later in the evening as promised. WESTERN UNION without any proper fuqin reason than being nosey block the money and stated that the receiver needed to call in order for the money to be released.

So my husband did just that only to be criminalize with fucking questions. "How do you know the receiver"? "How long have you and your wife been together? "When last have you seen your wife?" "Do you live with your wife and if not how do you spend time together"?

I'm trying to understand first of all what is a lot of money when half the fuqin economy is shattered and your wage can't match the cost of living cause everything then keeps going up.Then when you're busting yah ass to do a 9-5 the same services that's supposed to help with convience to make life a lil easier persecute you as a criminal for helping each other out. These questions were so fuqin inappropriate, idk which one was worst the company as a whole or the person behind the phone that didn't see nothing wrong with asking another human being their business with the perception to feel lower than what their going through just to offer their service.

All these systems that think you have so much power over another human beings life....you're all gonna crash systematically cause only love can save this world.Peace Love and Light!!!!

Replies
Horrible Experience
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

I tried using Western Union to send money online and I got a call from their "digital review" personnel in Costa Rica who "interviewed" me "for my own protection against fraud" and the guy determined that I should be denied and so he cancelled my transaction. The "interview" about me, my personal background, my reasons for sending the money, etc. were all asked under the guise of protecting me, so he said. In reality, he was not a personable person and wielded around his power over whether he would allow me to send money. He asked very "leading" questions and made several false assumptions. He also refused to tell me why he was rejecting my transaction.

I ended up speaking to his manager who was as incompetent as he was, as well as two others in their "customer service" department in the Philippines who were nice enough people but said that there was nothing that could be done since the original idiot had already cancelled the transaction – they said I would need to go back online and start over by making a new transaction. As if I'm going to bother with that!

It's little wonder this is a dying business which deserves to die a slow agonizing death. Good riddance! If you try looking for their financial performance as a company good luck. They buried it in their 2016 annual report on page 158! No wonder, as they've had declining revenue and income since 2012.

Replies
Agents Do Not Honor Contract
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

PLAINVIEW, IOWA -- I had a rather large sum of money transferred to myself from my bank. Was given 3 nearby locations to receive transfer. None of the locations provided would give me the transferred amount even though customer service rep. said that two were able. After making dozens of calls to Western Union and given the same information, asked for supervisor.

The supervisor repeated information like a computer. There were no attempts to rectify issue. Not one went out of their way to help beyond what their computers said. The information it provided was not updated. Wrong addresses given or agent no longer existed, no information upfront about limits of agencies. Would recommend to whomever is reading this to find another way to transfer funds. Will never use them again.

Replies
Advertisement
Misleading Information in Purchase Info
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

I purchased the card to buy a bus ticket, WU decided it could not verify who I was without me sending a copy of all of my legal documents and a copy of a bill from my current address. The ticket I wished to purchase had to be purchased a week out for me to afford it. I am stuck in a homeless shelter trying to make it to my spouse, every day counts.

I had to take the card I purchased, find a WalMart, pay an additional fee for a WalMart Visa and a transaction fee, spending an additional $14 which I do not have. Luckily I was able to get the bus ticket with the much less restrictive gift card for the same day. If you are trying to use your own cash to purchase something online, do yourself a favor, skip the bs and buy yourself a gift card.

Replies
WU Prepaid NetSpend Card
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

I originally had a Western Union card, this card is being phased out. So, I switched to the NetSpend prepaid card after being told about it by the phone representative at Western Union. My sister sent $100 via Western Union to me. I was not able to load the funds onto the card by my computer, no explanation was given by customer service at NetSpend, and I got tired of being transferred around. I went to a location and had it done there.

The biggest problem that I have, for EVERY TRANSACTION THERE IS A FEE OF $1.00 UP TO 3.00! What fool would give their money away like that? This is a stupid card and I am canceling and having them to send a check for my remaining money. Dumb!

Update 01/13/2015:

Follow up: Found out to get a check issued, you have to PAY $6.! smh

Replies
Western union fails their responsibility
By -

Western Union is being totally irresponsible and almost complicit in the abuses of online crime, by allowing online scammers to collect money at Western Union offices, without Western Union agents taking ANY reasonable measures to get proper identification and protect their client (the person who sent the money), or help track down the scammers and put this practice to an end.

Millions of US dollars would be saved if WU would only step up and do the right thing, and turn over money only to people who show that the transaction is legit. WU knows how to spot shady deals, and is very aware that the online scam problem exists and that the scam exploits the laxness of WU. And WU knows that the solution is an easy one. Major online sellers such as Amazon, eBay and AutoTrader have asked Western Union to simply take some reasonable and inexpensive steps, because the laxness of WU hurts buyers and all those sellers and other businesses that transfer money electronically.

But Western Union ignores them because the consumer protection laws have been made so weak over the past 10 years, so WU can ignore senders who complain that the money sent was released far too easily to criminals that could easily be deterred or caught if Western Union would only require better identification. Folks, Western Union is providing the way for terrorists, criminals, tax evaders and other bad guys to get away with transferring money to do bad things.

Moreover, WU exploits the fact that senders are usually under heavy stress to complete electronic transfers, and offers a "Money In Minutes" premium service--implying that WU will provide extra service and / or actually deliver the money to the receiver. But they don't do anything for that extra charge. They just take advantage of the fact that you are under pressure and they take your money to "guarantee" something they should do on a regular basis: Give your money to somebody else.

Furthermore, when we asked for information on the receiver, WU refused to give the information EVEN THOUGH WU is more than happy to sell MY financial information and information about who I am, and where I did the transaction to retailers, marketers, credit card companies and financial institutions and any other Western Union "partners" who have NO RIGHT to know anything about the transaction or see ANY of my confidential information. This is the same company that charged me and then denied me the right to see the name of the person who took MY money. They claimed that they have a "duty to protect the privacy of all our customers". What bull!

They do whatever is cheapest and best for Western Union, and the buyer be damned. Thousands of people have been scammed this way, but the consumer protection laws have been re-written lately to the advantage of outfits like WU so we all need to call our state's attorney general office and ask them to force WU to operate to a higher, yet reasonable standard and put a stop to this kind of abuse.

Replies
Western Union Asked Me to Solve Their Own Problems in China
By -

I used Western Union to transfer USD500 to a friend on vacation in GuangDong Province in China who was in dire need for some cash. I tried their online payment transfer using my credit card but was declined for some reason (which they would never tell me despite asking them over the phone and emailing them). OK, so I went to the nearest Western Union physical location near my home to pay in cash. I got their so-called Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) and they told me all that is needed by my friend halfway around the world would be to quote this number and prove his identity, then she could collect the cash within the next 30 minutes.

DON'T ANYONE EVER BELIEVE WHAT WESTERN UNION TOLD YOU!!! I did and it was miserable! My friend tried collecting the money from a designated Western Union location in China, a branch of China Agricultural Bank, and was given a few pages of forms to fill. The forms?? They are to apply for a local bank card. The reason?? The bank there said that she will have to apply for a local bank card in order to claim any Western Union money from the bank. How in the world can a visitor to a small town fill up a local bank card with a valid local address I wondered...

Next after those forms being filled, on the next day she returned to the bank, she was told that the MTCN number did not show any fund availability. She tried another location there, the China Post Office and again was told that the MTCN number showed empty!

She got back to the hotel and contacted me and I called up Western Union's customer service... And this is where I got the greatest shock about WESTERN UNION'S SERVICE WHICH THEY CHARGE USD14 FOR NEVER MIND THE PROFITS THEY GOT FROM AN UNREASONABLE FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATE!

The customer service officer repeated again and again that the money was available in their system. I said that the China system did not show that to be the case at two separate locations. He replied that if there was a problem, the recipient could call an international help line - some 732 area code number which is clearly a USA number. Asking someone in dire need of fund stranded in an international location to call back to USA on a paying phone? And this is an "international help line"?? This is baffling!

And to add, this number is voice prompted in English. My recipient did not know a word of English... I then asked if anything could be done for Western Union in USA to prompt the disbursing locations in China to quickly release the funds. Nothing! Nothing could be done. We are at the mercy of the Western Union's "world-class" network and their screwed up partnerships with the locations there! The customer service person even asked me to tell my friend that she should tell the bank that the money was there! How naive of any customer service representative to even say this when the foreign bank did not see it in their system.

Apparently Western Union customer service officer can only think that anyone can just walk into a bank or anywhere and claim that his or her money is available and should be withdrawn then and there without valid proof! Such is the stupidity of Western Union customer service! I was furious and demanded that they should solve their own problems, and not expect customers to do so. This was when the customer service guy hanged up abruptly refusing to help any further.... I paid Western Union a service fee plus money they make from foreign currency exchange - and this is all I got! Screw them! I am not going to use Western Union anymore!

Replies
Advertisement
Fear and Loathing at Western Union
By -

If I had known what minefield, what destruction, what mayhem was in store for me when I asked my mom to wire me $200.00 because I was stranded in St. Louis (due to Greyhound) I would have run for the hills. A phone call from a man who clearly was in India said, "Come pick up your money, here's your control number etc." Standard procedure.

I walk 9 miles to a grocery store and I am denied because my license expired a month ago. I offer to produce any variety of seemingly acceptable documents, but the woman is nothing but cold. It's over. A driver's license, expired or not, proves who somebody is when you punch in the DL#. End of story. I don't drive a car.

I call Western Union and navigate their idiotic voice recognition system by saying "operator, operator, operator, operator". Another Indian man tells me (I have no problem with India, but it's clear to me they've outsourced all of their support services) tells me that I must call my sender, mom, and have her add a "security question". It is my mom's wedding day and I am trying to receive this money to get thirty miles south to the wedding. Little did I know I would never make the wedding. I would never receive the money and I would end up that night sleeping in the grass by a college campus and have my laptop stolen.

I called Western Union again and after some severe resistance, managed to reach a supervisor, whose coldness was more pronounced and defiant than the underlings. She told me that not only was there no conceivable way to collect the money with my expired license. The sender would not be able to add a security question and all there was to do was to refund the money back to the sender, minus the $30.00 fee. I said, "So that's the solution, everybody loses?" "Yes," She said. And this is how Western Union makes their money.

The wedding was already taking place by this time and I called my mom to tell her the tale of woe, and it caused her great distress. I tried to stay awake wandering around St. Louis with no money with 4 large bags and eventually I crashed by a tree near a technical school. When I awoke my laptop bag was gone and someone had opened my gym bag but didn't find anything useful.

I awoke in the morning and began to wonder what sort of hell I had plunged into. I began at this point to know very terrible thoughts. I began thinking of nothing but revenge against Western Union, and how I could make them suffer and pay for ruining everything. I called them again and demanded that when my mom call them to get her refund, that the $30.00 fee be included. The man agreed and said it would be done. My mom called the next day, during her honeymoon and was not only hassled with a million confirmation questions, but DENIED THE TRANSFER FEE as part of the refund.

At this point my mom became so agitated she refused to speak to me, and refused to send any money by any other means. She simply didn't know whom to blame. My anger at this point reached terrible heights. I wanted to knock someone's teeth out. Unfortunately, Western Union seems to have no accountable persons anywhere in physical form. This time, I told the person on the phone that they were to call my mother and refund her the $30.00 per a previous conversation, and no other option would be acceptable. The person seemed amused by this audacity.

When they would not connect me to a supervisor and kept repeating a denial phrase I asked them where the nearest Western Union administrative office was, because I was going to go there. And I was going to take more than my money back. This call eventually culminated in me absolutely shredding this person on the phone to pieces. I felt bad about it for a minute, but then I realized there are reasons why explosions happen, because change is needed.

Of all the companies that have screwed me over time, this one really hit home. The frustration and violent rage and powerlessness and resulting damage and endangerment and loss of seeing my mom's wedding and now she won't speak to me have caused me to designate Western Union as an Enemy of the People. Their cold, pathetic, paranoid protectionism to cover their own selves at the expense of their own customers lives makes them a cold, heartless, inflexible company. Do not let anyone you know and love ever, for any reason, use Western Union.

Replies
Top of Page | Next Page >

Western Union Rating:
Star Empty star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.0 out of 5, based on 16 ratings and
30 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
Western Union
12500 E Belford Ave
Englewood, CO 80112
1-800-325-6000 (ph)
www.westernunion.com
Compare Financial Services