Western Union Reviews

Western Union is not the fastest way to send money!!!!! I have been waiting on money for days now and still yet to receive it. It was sent to my bank account and told that it was guaranteed to be there by the next day. This did not happen and still have not happened. If you need money in a hurry, I advise do not use Western Union you would be better off using the Postal Service, FedEx, or even UPS. Dissatisfied Customer, Mobile, Alabama.

Western Union took 1,095 dollars out of my account after I had cancelled the transfer. It has now been 13 days later. Every day they tell me another lie of why of the money isn't there and that they're getting it there that it will be there and its just lie after lie after lie. The Bottom line is they have stolen 1095 dollars from my account.

I have tried so many times to send money online with western union but it just never works. I called them, I was told they can do it over the phone but was required to pay triple the online transfer fee. I refused and then call customer to try and fix this issue but again the same error: "We're sorry, but we can't process this transaction." You can always send cash at a Western Union agent location. Now there are people like me who don't have time to go to a location. It seems these guys have failed to provide a sound service to its customers. I am disappointed that in time and era, western union can do online transactions. What a bitter disappointment... let me try someone else and if I find one buy western union useless. These guys should be checked.

I have transferred money to Pakistan and receive (my father) received money after 2 months. Second time when I have send money to Pakistan receiver (my brother) received money after few weeks. Third time when I have send money to Pakistan it's a week now and my brother is going to Western union offices everyday and all different offices giving the same answer as usual "SENDER BLOCK THE MONEY." Last time I had to send emails and contact western union over telephone. I got all recorded conversation via emails.

On Jan. 12, 2015 I went to Walgreens on the El Camino in Santa Clara and sat at the computer and filled out the form to send my brother who is sick with cancer, 40 dollars to help him through until his disability came. As I was filling out the form, it asked for my name, my father's name, and my mother's name. I thought this was weird but I just filled it in. Finished up and went home and I called my brother and told him to go and pick up the money.

I accidentally tore up the money orders. I subsequently found the pieces, taped and submitted them for refund along with payment by check for processing and all other documents. It is now nearly 4 weeks later, my processing checks have been cashed, but I have no status in their records. They tell me they are behind. I asked to speak to a supervisor, but after 11 minutes on hold, I hung up. LOUSY service all the way around, but they made sure to cash my checks for their processing fees. WHAT PROCESSING???

I sent money thru western union, February 4,2015. The money I sent is for my brother's medical care. He needs money on the same day to buy his medications. I was told by the agent that if I pay extra $1.00 he will be able to get the money in few minutes. My brother's caregiver went 4x to claim the money, unfortunately they were told that the money was already given to the receiver (luisa **). They have not receive the money. They have to loan money from someone to cover for his needs.

On February 4 I visited a WU office in the Philippines and sent 3,000 Pesos from the Philippines to a friend in Nigeria. This amount is about $75 US. In completing the paperwork, I gave a test question and answer that was confidential to my friend and me. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in the spelling of her first name. I returned a couple hours later and corrected the mistake.

I have referred couple of friends. I called support for n times, they don't keep of track of anything. I had to explain every time everything. They did not resolve my problem at all. There is benefit of calling or chatting with these. Totally scrap.

I have spent 3 hours trying to send money to Zambia to help pay college tuition. 1st person said everything fine, but the recipient can't pick it up. They need a 10 digit number and I was only given a 9 digit number (I confirmed several times on the phone). When I called to find out what happened, they said they cancelled the transaction because my phone number which I gave many times and confirmed was wrong. I asked if we could fix it, they said no.

My uncle send me money for paying my rent which due already, and I had an car accident. I need to pay for the fixing my car and paying other bills and I went to store Western Union. And they said to call Western Union customer services and I call them. They said "let the sender call us". I called my uncle and he called them and they ask him about the money and about me, and he send his ID to them. But still the money on-hold and I need the money before they kick us from the apartment. And I need to pay my rent and bills on time, and that we will affect my credit and my life, and know I'm in danger to be homeless with my wife and 2 kids because of Western Union hold my money.

I've sent some money to a friend, and I had some problem with the transaction. (I had to change the receiver and the country). I went to the local office which is a Fry's store and after 1 hour on the phone with them they told me that I will receive a refund because the transaction cannot be changed, the destination country should be the same.

I was set to travel out of state when my ex closed an account of ours. So I got a check and signed it over to a friend who banks at the same bank I opened a new account with. The problem was that I would not have a check/ATM card in time for my travel so we figured he could send the money via Western Union.. Attempt 1 said the transaction went through, two hours later he got a call informing him that it did not go through because the amount was too high and that he would have to go in person to transfer the funds. Attempt 2, friend went into the store to transfer the funds, they refused unless he had cash (we bank at US Bank that offers Western Union through our bank accounts but limits how much we can send), he offered to let them use his bank card.

A money order ($900) was stolen from my car on a Friday. I immediately called Western Union and asked to cancel the money order. I was told that I'd need to send an email, letter or fax and the money order would be cancelled in 30 days (if it wasn't already cashed). Needless to say - the money order was cashed (despite my name being on it) under a week later.

On 1/15/15 I sent money to my wife. She went to a western union location to get the money 3 times and they wouldn't give her the money. I called a supervisor, he put me on hold and never came back to the phone. I called back, I got a transaction # for a refund. I did this 4 times because each # they gave me didn't work. Finally they told me I had to pick it up in TX where I live. I sent it from IN. I was in Arkansas when they told me that they give me a new number. I got to tx and went to a western losers location and that # still didn't work, so for like the 100th time I called back for the final transaction #. It finally worked.

First off the website never worked. I emailed and called half a dozen times and they always told me the same thing. Clear your cache. That did nothing. So you go to an agent which is inconvenient and they tell you your transaction will not go through. It says you can send up 3600 hundred at one time but good luck with that. So I had to go every day to send a couple hundred at a time. Why? So they could make a higher fee. The fee for 1900 was only 125 dollars, but to send a couple hundred at a time the fee is 45 dollars. What a SCAM! I hate western union!

Did transaction for small amount to start with to send money to India. It's been 4-5 days and still money has not reached. Whenever I call to customer service different call centre people comes online and gives excuses. No refund nor compensation.

I went to a local Winn Dixie Western Union right before they closed to pay my credit card thru quick collect. I gave her the correct information but when I got in the car I realized she sent it to the wrong credit card company! So I called Western Union 5 mins after leaving and she said that it would take 24 to 48 hours to get my refund back. I checked the transaction online and it said "Contact the inmate that the money was sent to"....

Hello everyone. Please, if you don't want to get frustrated do not use Western Union services. My experience. About two days ago I sent some money to a friend of mine to Madrid, Spain. I sent exactly 478.50 dollars. Plus the transfer fee 43 more. The money was put on hold cause my friend didn't get the "two" ID's required to the transaction, plus they made a mistake in the transaction adding that my friend was an American citizen when he is Spanish citizen. I called the phone number I received and the first time I wanted to free the money and they say they needed the "two" ID's. I called my friend, he took them to the western Union office and couldn't get the money.

Just like every month I send my mother few hundred dollars. I usually do it online via my bank account... Instead I went in and did it in cash via my bank. I received an email saying they need info to validate my identity. I sent a copy of my license along with my MTCN #. I called and called. They said they are checking it... 2 days now and still... can't cancel it or refund it until the processing is finished - it's ridiculous.

I have a small business and one of my customers TRIED THREE TIMES to send me money over Western Union in a 24 hour period from Ontario Canada to Springfield TN. One time they said it was because the persons name (Sue) was not SUSAN, and the last time they asked information about me like I was a terrorist!!! BOTH of us had been on and off the phone with (HORRIBLE) customer service, but each time you called in it was a different operator, and had to start all over again EVEN though we had the MTCN number. I got THREE different MTCN numbers as EACH time the money had to be refunded and paperwork all re-written.

On December 18th I had sent a western union to my children for their christmas gifts: $200.00 + $10 fee and later that night I received a surprise from them making it to me for the holidays. I then called western union about 12am on the 19th of December and req for them to cancel the transaction which by the way the rep said that my funds would be deposited back to my acct within 24 to 48 hrs.....LIE..... On December 23rd I then received a email stating that the funds were successfully refunded and that I should have it available back to me in 3 to 5 business days. I called numerous times to check with my bank...monitored my acct and nothing...I also called various times to western union where they stated that they would three way my bank in which we did and my bank told them over and over and over there was no refund...In fact operator 513 is what he gave me stating that he was a supervisor in customer service was the most NASTY unpleasant person....was in fact trying to tell my bank to agree with what he was saying and my bank was not following that lead...They simply kept repeating that the refund was never done.

After a lot of follow up, they finally sent my $20 Gift Card.

Went to send my boyfriend money in Chicago. He had no ID so I put a test question. He called and said He didn't get it. They refunded money back. Tried again once again refunded. Was told I could never Send or Receive. I'm like "What? Why?" I've never done anything wrong. To top it off I work for a place where you have to have a DOJ Clearance. These people I don't know Use A Green Dot Or PayPal. You're better off.

I made a payment through WU and an hour later found from receiver when phoned that destination account I had send the money to had been closed. Because I chose instant transfer, the money were sent almost instantly into their Switzerland bank. Then I realized I did a mistake and made a second payment which went well and later was confirmed by the receiver. Problem started when after 7 days, I called customer support and asked for the money from first transaction. They said it takes up to 7 working days and there were only 5. I knew for sure the money were held with them, due to fact that the destination account didn't even exist anymore and therefore transaction was rejected immediately. When I said it's unfair for them to hold my money for so long considering the situation, they hung up. Great support!

Western Union is the WORST service ever! I truly believe Western Union uses fraudulent practices to STEAL customers money. I strongly believe this because I have called 7 times (2 of which were escalated supervisor calls) to attempt to get my lost money order resolved and this is AFTER paying WU through their required submitted form. After all that and speaking to ignorant (can't even understand these agents from another country) agents, they sound like a broken record every single time I called. Using the exact same verbiage and the exact same lines that ends with "call us back in 24-48 hours." Never once did they promote their so called Fraud Dept, not even after I told WU someone stole my money.

I sent money to my family for their Christmas Day groceries. I paid for the 15 minutes service. Money was sent on the 23rd at 7am. At 11am the money hadn't been released despite promises. I asked to speak to a supervisor who asked me to send a bank statement to prove the money had left my bank. I did that. At 3am I received an email saying they have located my funds and my transfer would be made available in a few hours. 2 days later money is still not available. My family's Christmas ruined by WU. Definitely won't be using WU, never.

Sent money from my bank without issues. Sent a second time using the "profile" that was in my bank system. WU put "VALUED CUSTOMER" as the sender. This was their mistake. I called to correct it and was told that the bank teller that did the transaction had to call. I want to my bank and they called. WU failed to handle this at all. We verified everything (ssn, names, bank, teller ID, my driver’s license #). They would not change. Nor offer to refund so that I could resend. I was forced to demand a refund. WU happily took my money in minutes, but I am still (hours later) waiting for the refund. My complaint is that if WU is going to do this business, they should be validating identities BEFORE accepting transactions. And providing very strong methods to prove identities for the sender and recipient of money. And they should have a simple redress for misspellings and mistakes on transactions. I guess when you have the monopoly, you do not have to actually care.

Yesterday I opened a new Western Union account and sent USD$340.00 plus $34.00 in fees and received a verification phone call to confirm everything from your office. Anna was to receive 254.90 Euros and I was told yesterday by your office on the phone that the funds would be available for collection in 5 minutes in the Francavilla Al Mare, 66023 CH, Italy area. This morning Anne walked to the closest Western Union agent who told her he has no funds to pay her and she should call him tomorrow and he will let her know if he has funds available. She then walked 5 kilometers as getting the money today was urgent to the second and only other Western Union agent in Francavilla Al Mare, 66023 CH, Italy area who told her the same thing!!!!

I have for many years been using Western Union - online every month, transferring money to family and friends without any real incidents. Sure the exchange rates weren't the best and the charges were on the high side, but generally I was happy with their service. Then about a month ago on 27/11/2014 I attempted to send money (10000 peso) to the Philippines to my wife's brother in the lead up to the typhoon. Instead of receiving an MCTN as is normal at the completion of the transaction, I was asked to call a number to complete the transaction. As I was waiting I received an email telling me the transaction was denied and that monies had not been deducted from my account. While still waiting on the phone I checked online banking and found that money had been deducted from my account counter to what was stated in WU's email. When I finally got through to the WU operator, I was advised the transaction had been cancelled, not declined. When I queried why the money was taken from my account I was told this happened before I cancelled the transaction. I advised I did not cancel the transaction, but WU declined the transaction.

Like Joseph of Watervliet, (NY on Nov. 13, 2014) I was suddenly contacted just as explained. I was given a case number and phone number to call back. I have been a customer for over 6+ years. I send money for fiancee to live and save up for moving here. Because I was able to send twice as much money for one or two months, they wanted to verify my relationship with my fiancee. They wanted both of our bank statements for previous two months, living expenses (receipts), my passport (U.S. Citizen here) showing my travel history, my W-2 Tax return to prove my income. When I asked for governing information to verify that this is indeed information that regulatory bodies needed I was being interrupted with statements that she (also barely speaking English) "...had already given you the reasons why..." - we went around-and-'round where I could verify that Western Union did, indeed, need that information.

I have used WU for at least 3 yrs. All of a sudden when sending a transaction, I received an email stating that my charge had been charge, but to call WU. When called I was asked before they could approve my transaction, I had to be interviewed. I was told that they left me 2 voicemail requesting an interview in Nov & Dec. After questioning me about my own personal info. then about my recipients, their age, why was I sending them money, in different parts of the world, even some here in the US. I was told that my account was close as suspension of fraud. Asking me my yearly salary, my job, have I met the recipients before, how long I had known them? For all the personal info, they themselves could commit fraud, I don't know them to ask me who, what, when & why. People give me money to send to help other as well. I have sent to 6 or 7 different people. If I have proved that I am who I say I am, what difference does it make who or why I send money to? I work for my salary; it is mine to do whatever I please. I told the rep that they are making money from my transactions, so what do they care? I am sane, know my people, I am not being scammed or being fraud.

I attempted a transfer on 12/12/2014 of a small sum of money to a colleague overseas. I was happy to receive a phone call shortly after I initiated the transaction to I assume verify my identity. I was happy to verify my identity for my protection. When my colleague hadn't received the money 2 hours later, I contacted him and realized Western Union hadn't sent the money. I then contacted WU and got absolutely no valid or clear answer as to why my transaction was declined. They mentioned something about a "verification process" but could provide no details. I was willing to upload anything they needed to validate my identity but they really didn't seem interested in helping me.

I sent two sums of money totaling six hundred pounds to the Philippines using Western Union. They paid the money to a complete stranger. I asked how this could happen and was told that someone phoned and changed the receiver's name. Now they will not talk to me. They are not answering my emails and hang up when I phone. I am totally frustrated.

Yesterday 8th December, I am going to a bank near my office to receive on behalf of my mom and I bring my mom NRC card who is receiver, and I have MTCN no. Also other require data, the first name and last name of the sender and the receiver and the amount. All information for receiving was I have. When I arrive the agent bank, I'm waiting for them over 45 minutes for the process and finally they said "You cannot received this money on behalf of your mom." And they ask me to call my mom to the bank to get her signature. That is really upset and bad procedure. Why the Western Union Agent are?

I made a Western Union transaction of $950.00 on November 26, 2014, the day before Thanksgiving. This transaction was made about 10:00 AM. I canceled the transaction about 15 minutes later when I realized I did not get a MTCN #. After successfully canceling the transaction, a rep told me my money would be refunded in 3-5 business days. Ha! It's day # 11 and I am still searching for my funds. I have been given the run-around for the past two weeks and I am still being ran around. I have called Western Union faithfully since the mark of day 3. On day 5, Western Union tells me they are sorry about the inconvenience but a CSR canceled the whole transaction. Really WTF, okay. "Be patient, will have these fund returned ASAP." Patient I was. Still no funds.

I don't even know where to start. Let me start off with this. I have been barred for LIFE of using Western Union. So I had somebody else send a wire for me. This money I sent is for a person hanging on for dear life in a hospital in NIGERIA. This friend of mine sent the wire to a contact in Nigeria so as to get help to her, or to BRIBE the doctors down in Nigeria to help this young lady because that's what medicine is down there. So with that truth being said, I tried to send 1,700 dollars to the contact. Once the wire was sent, it was of course immediately put on HOLD by WU, and the clerk at the WU office said I had to contact the customer service.

DO NOT USE WESTERN UNION SERVICE. 3 members of my family sent a big amount of money to our home country to repay our debt through Western Union online. All three transfers were confirmed by Western Union as ready for receiver to pick up. But one day later we all received an email said that we have already canceled our transfers (WE DID NOT) and the sent money will be refunded but not the fee paid. We tried to call WU customer supports but all we got is that he did not know anything about why the transfers are canceled. I searched webs and painfully know that many people were in the same situation like our and some time the money will never come back to the senders or reach the receivers.

Western Union has an obligation to refund funds received where such funds were not sent to the recipient for whatever reason. Am I wrong? If someone gives me money to give to someone else, but I can't find that someone else does that mean that the money is now mine forever? I have transactions going back to October 2011 and full proof that WU keeps funds and doesn't return the funds back to the sender if there is some issue. I am contacting my local Senator and Congressman about this issue, and also pointing out this site to them so that they can see this is an ongoing issue. I can only hope there is some Federal investigation that takes place due to their unethical business practices.

I have used Western Union for years. I have a 501c3 in the United States, an NGO in Peru. In Peru we have 3 employees, partner organizations and multiple properties, boats and equipment. That said, transferring money between our US bank account and our Peruvian Account is expensive for small amounts, Western Union is cheaper. Last spring we purchased a house in Peru and put on a leadership conference at the same time in Peru. Well Western Union did not like the multiple transfers and a woman from New Delhi called me and asked for more information that the government wants when we report for our 501c3. It came to a point I said stop. That's when I got barred for life. You can't call them, all calls go to a call center and no one is allowed to think on the other end of the phone.

On Dec.20, 2013, I filed a verbal complaint with Western Union and was promised a follow-up. Then phone calls were made in January, March. At this point, the WU representative advised me to formulate a written complaint to their WU - Correspondence Desk. Colorado, USA. My complaint was forwarded by mail and fax. To date, I have not received any acknowledgement.

My roommate’s friend in California sent 4500 through the service. When we went to pick it up. We were told there might be a hold on it. When we called a while later, they told us there was a 24 hour hold on it. The next day, we were told there was still a hold. I'm in Colorado. They told us on Thursday it would be released on Friday and on Friday it was still on hold. We were told 2 P.M. central time and then at 2:30, we called and they told us 5:30. They have given us the runaround consistently and I question the legality of what they do. DO NOT use the service. I have never had a problem with Moneygram but I always have issues with Western Union.

Western Union been holding my money for 3 days now. Every time I go to try to pick it up, the check cashing place say the number won't work then I call customer service and they say the number does work. They keep having me and my sender call them to confirm the account. My sender has confirmed it 3 times now and with his bank also and western Union check cashing places are still saying the same thing. Now this is really pissing me off cause y'all getting in the way of my bills, it should never take me 3 days to pick up 1 transaction. If I don't get my money soon I do plan on taking this to court cause y'all have no right to take somebody else money.

I wanted to send money from canada to germany. Am no resident of canada and told the office I am travelling further south. Western union apparently canceled the transaction without informing me. The recipient in germany spent several hours in their office and received no help. So I got in touch with the so-called service line in canada. After few more days, I was provided with a new code and the answer that the recipient in germany could now pick up the money. Again, fail. Calling again did not work. Email = no reply. Filing a complaint through their website (does not work when using a mobile or ipad!) I finally got contacted. Well, several emails later, I was now told the original transaction was canceled.

I have sent money to myself on Western Union. I sent it by Bank transfer to Western union and then intended to Collect in cash. Western Union's partner demanded a photocopy of my passport. This is not a condition on the western union website. To cut a long story short western union's partner, Indomarat said they would not process the order because they did not trust me. I had the correct MTCN and a valid passport with a valid visa. Customer service were worse than useless. 4 phone calls advise that related to a week day not a weekend. They did not realize the time difference. All in all useless. FYI we tried 8 Indomarats all with western union signs all advertised on the website. None of the others were prepared to process the transaction. In addition we found the "trust" person on the 6th phone call. Take care in using the fast service, when it goes wrong they don't help. Tomorrow the banks open and all will be resolved, but the big company bad luck mate attitude is all you get.

Used Western Union to send money to in-laws for a medical emergency. Recipient did not receive the funds. They were told that there was no such MTCN. Shortly after I received a phone text that I was the receiver of the funds. Contacted Western Union to be advised that I had been barred??? I insisted that I speak to a supervisor. I was advised that the money would be returned in 7 days. With a bit of insistence, the funds were returned same day/evening. I inquired as to why I had been barred. The supervisor and another supervisor could not provide a reason. Second supervisor said that an email with a form would be sent immediately for me to complete. No such form has been sent. The supervisor also provided me with another phone number but this number did not exist. This supervisor advised me that I have been barred for life. I had to travel to another city to find an outlet open on Saturday to collect my transfer. I also sent an email to Western Union, but have yet to receive a response. I used another service and the money was transferred within 1 hour. I advise all never to use Western Union.

I have a fiancee in Colombia and I send him money for his family every two weeks. I have never had a problem with this service. I received a message on my phone one day from someone claiming to be an WU agent, who said I should call a number if I wanted to continue using their service. I called the number and to my surprise, AT&T answered and they had no idea what I was talking about. Wary of internet scams, I ignored the next 3 messages from this "agent". I tried to send my scheduled transfer and was refused. They offered no explanation but I called and was referred to a "verification specialist". This woman, who barely spoke english, wanted my tax return, my bank account records, my social security info. I refused.

I have had the same experiences as other people. Western union customer relations sucks. One they put you on hold for ten minutes, cut you off and give you five other numbers to call. If only they could speak english. Their so called questions as to why, where and when their little investigation Sucks. They make you feel like a criminal. I do not recommend western union and the unjustified services they offer. Bunch of criminals themselves. I hope their company can go under. Authorities need to investigate the practices there. One very upset customer here. I had my last dealings with them today. They are out to make money. Why put us thru the ringer. Really they don't need to know our whole personal life history. Yes I totally understand too well about scams. Your company is a scam in itself. Next they will want us to tell them when we take a **.

First I need to say another company needs to open up, worldwide and put these scammers out of business. Second I'm disgusted by the government regulations of Western Union. They have governments running this company that has personally denied me my right of sending money online, telling me I have to go to a branch to do it. Then I even tried the WU Pay to send a female some money, and their government presence of destroying my relationship with the female was so obvious, and they ended up refunding the money to my bank account. Crooked murdering scam artist. Nothing professional about this company. They are international, and have many countries governments on their team, to help them murder anyone they want and get away with it. Ain't no sense of contacting any attorney about it because they are so well connected - only attorney that would contact me would be one on their payroll, to cause more problems and attack on my life.

Western Union subjected me to an extensive phone interview in which they asked detailed personal financial questions. When I refused to answer, they blocked me. When I tried to get reinstated, they sent a form requesting additional confidential financial information. I provided some information, then they did not get back to me. They said it would take up to 10 business days for a decision, but they never got back to me. Two months later, I called, and they told me my information was not sufficient, and they refused to unblock me until I provided even more. However, they could not answer basic questions about the security of my financial information, or provide a privacy policy. I believe they may be handing confidential financial data over to the federal govt. without authorization. Have you had this experience too?

I was being wired $300 by my friend in France to help pay for our mutually-owned car, and couldn't receive the money. I had the correct transmission number, because all the information showing addresses, etc., was complete and correct when I went to receive the money at the counter. But although I tried 3 times to get the transaction to go through, it was denied each time. I wasted almost an hour of my time, and didn't get money that I very much need to pay for my car, and I know my friend has used Western Union to send money before, and knows how to do this process. This was the fault of Western Union, and all I can say is they better become a better business fast, or they will be out of business. Interestingly, I asked 3 people in my tiny town in VT if they had ever used Western Union to send or receive money, and 2 people never had, and the last person hadn't used them in 20 years. I think I know why.

Twice I send $ 100.00 dollars to a lady in Argentina that won a poetry contest using Western Union and Twice the transaction was rejected, but a pop up came up telling me that I was able to resolve the issue by using the bill pay feature from my bank, meaning that I can authorize my bank to send them the money electronically and so I did twice and twice I got an email from Western Union telling me that my money had been refunded to my bank account and that it will take seven days for my money to show up in my account.

I sent money to Dominican Republic for a sick relative and they were denied the money. Turns out, they needed a photo ID from me, the sender, in order for the receiver to collect the money WTF!!!. NO ONE FROM WESTERN UNION TRIED TO CONTACT ME THROUGH PHONE OR EMAIL ABOUT THIS!!! The only email I received from them was to inform me the process was complete and that the money was ready for pick up. If I did not call a week later to inquire why my relative was refused to collect the money, I still wouldn't have known!!! DO NOT USE WESTERN UNION! THE SERVICE SUCKS FROM THESE SCAMMERS!!

I am amazed how many complaints Western Union received here. But unfortunately I have not done my homework and researched ahead about the validity of their business practices. I proceeding and trusted the established brand but have to say that Western Union is a major scam. I sent $500 online to my friend in India who needed the money asap. I paid $8.99 extra for the 'in minutes' service, the money was instantly taken from my account. 24 hours later I received a call to confirm the transaction for security reason. "Ok," I confirmed. They said that they are going to process the transfer. 4 days later, my friend still did not receive the funds and no communication from Western Union. I called to follow up and found out that they cancelled the transfer due to "business decision" and that they refunded my money.

For some reason, Western Union has stopped me from sending money. I have used the service for four years without a problem and the middle of September 2014 I was told that I no longer could use the service. As of today, Oct. 29th, I have not been given a reason why I can't send money. I send money to people for rent, food, hospital bills and each person does have an up-to-date ID. I simply would like to know what has happened. Most transactions I use a debit card and once in a while I will use cash if the agent does not accept debit cards.

I have used WU three times and each time the office in South Africa or "agent" as they call them held back or possibly pocketed more and more money during the transaction. WU is supposed to charge a flat fee for a transfer to an office anywhere in the world. That fee is $25. What is hidden or possibly a theft at the local level is that the agent made up a conversion rate that was not the legally published rate each time the recipient picked up the money. Each time I lost over $50 due to a false exchange or conversion rate. I complained each time to the "online" customer service complaint area and each time I received a form letter that stated I was wrong and the country had acted properly... with no recourse. Beware of using Western Union in South Africa.

As a first time user of Western Union and a UK resident I sent £188 to a friend in Canada by the online service. A week later it still has not been paid out. I have now started on the WU complaints process, but after having read some of these comments I am not very optimistic. I then used MoneyGram... without any problems at all.

As seen on their system, referred couple of friends. Even after 4 weeks they did not send any referral benefit. Even on contacting their customer care, they did not help. Tried emailing them, no one responded. Very very poor service. Please do not use this service.

Like a lot of people, I have successfully used WU in the past, including their website interface, for creating money transfer transactions. Not anymore. Whatever their "review" consists of... I don't know, but it apparently results in transactions being flagged and denied for inexplicable reasons. My last was "in country”, from one individual in one state to another individual in another state. Canceled or denied three times, and after the 3rd I gave up. Frustrated with their stupid out-of-country non-English speaking screeners (and their invasive questions... like "what is the purpose of your wire transfer?" I said "It's personal." I guess I should have said, "It's for legal narcotics," eh? Think I would have fared better with that one?)

I made a transaction online of £409.90p to a lawyer in Lagos and informed him of the code and the MTCN reference number, in less than 3 hours between notifying him, the money was collected by somebody else. This is now over 2 months since that day, however, been informed by WU the agent paid out in accordance to their standard procedure. They refuse to share the agent's details with me, due to their claim of privacy laws. They refuse to refund the payment. I have reported to our police, Action Fraud UK, both these agencies cannot assist without manpower. I do know the reason they ask victims to share their pain, without any investigation to find the crooks. Meanwhile, received an email, showing Western Union as sender, but asking me to activate my account with WU. The email shows an email account with Freeserve!? The police do not want it nor Action Fraud UK. If you have similar experience with WU, contact me with your circumstances and if you prosecuted WU? Thanks.

I was working for Western Union for some time on the German-Speaking line (we still used most of the programs that our colleagues in other countries do), but quit for various reasons. I would like to share my experience with other people. First of all, Western Union needs an "update". Some of the programs that me and my co-workers had to use were sluggish at best. Every day was a struggle which included crashes, slow response from the system and a very slow WU website. To make matters worse, we actually had to make screenshots of errors/crashes as proof for our slow handle time or otherwise we would had pay deducts during call evaluations.

Having read many many complaints here about WU, I wish to confirm the greed and graft of this Company... After sending more than 800,000USD over more than a dozen years, the majority for Church matters, international mission work primarily, to more than a dozen companies in Africa plus the Philippines, I was abruptly Cancelled last June. MOREOVER, I then tried to use MG and XE Transfer, and after several sending, each of those companies cancelled me, also without explanation. MOREOVER, when I had other members of my Church and/or Family send to the same receivers, whether with my credit card for payment or with cold cash, each of them was subsequently *cancelled*, put on Hold or Suspended.

I sent $2000 to my attorney to pay him for some fees. This was the second payment - the first payment went through with no problems. But when I sent the second payment a letter was left out of his last name - only the letter "i" was left out. When my attorney went to the Western Union office there where he lives the agent refused to give my Attorney - the recipient - his money because the last name did not match (the "i" had been left out of his name) by a Western Union Agent I might mention so the error is Western Union and NOT anyone else's! Western Union still refuses to give out the money to my attorney even though he (being an attorney had complete LEGAL PROOF of who he is!).

Do not use Western Union, they are fascist **. I have been out of work, living in Florida and my own father has been helping me by sending money until Western Union gestapo police called and wanted to know why. Where was the money coming from and what was I spending it on. Really?! Does Western Union really have that right? They even demanded bank account info and paid bills and invoices. Thank you dad for helping me, screw you Western Union. PS, Hire Americans for your call center, NOT Indians (the kind from India).

I use Western Union for one year online with no trouble. Then it was updated. Now I cannot send money online to my future wife. It does not like my payment method. I used my bank card and bank routing number will not work, have to go to their store in person. I have called them - no help at all. Called my bank, there is no trouble with my card. I send money to Jane, my future wife every week in Philippines, Manila. I canceled my WU account, started new one - did not fix it. Got new email account - no help. Got new bank card - no help. Deleted card, put it back in on my WU account - no help. Call customer service - no help, email WU care web - no help. I will have right foot surgery next week. Have a leg case on for three months. Cannot drive car for this time so I have to send my 77 year old mother to WU store - hate that. All because WU will not fix my bank card or account online. THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING.

I have used Western Union for years because I didn't know of any other services. I dealt with their poor service but have had enough. Calling customers service just puts you on with Filipinos that don't care about your problem and their website often doesn't work. Don't deal with Western Union. They are a headache.

Western Union will not refund $1000 cash or complete transaction. Western Union accepted $1000 in cash money, and intends to hold these funds. There is no clear policy or stated intention as to how and when Western Union will return these funds to the sender of record. Errors made on the part of a Western Union employee are the cause of the problems with this transaction. Letters and documentation have been sent to the Attorney General, Department of Consumer Affairs, Division of Banking and Finance to the states of Tennessee and Georgia.

My only interaction with Western Union in 74 years occurred two days ago. Please understand that a 74-year old man has problems hearing, understanding today's technology, and communicating with diverse cultures. Having admitted this, my attempts to send myself some money using Western Union may be the most frustrating three hours of my life - seriously! I do not leave negative feedback on eBay. I do not write hate letters to utility companies. But Western Union is so difficult to deal with, I have to write this review.

We went in person to a WU branch office. They took our money, and said the money would be available to a person in the U.S. the next day. We're only sending money across the state of CA. The next day, the MTCN number was relayed to the recipient who couldn't get it at his WU branch office. Calling customer number for WU had me giving my wife giving all details of her relationship with her uncle, her DL#, her SS#, and it was STILL declined! We ended getting a refund and mailing a check at the post office. Ridiculous and stupid! Neither she nor her uncle are on any declined or red-flagged lists. Where does Western Union get off judging people based on their names? We need this inferior company to step aside and allow a real money exchange service to take its place. Pissed Off in California.

I have used WU twice now, to send money from my sister's bank account to her while she is in India. Both times have been utterly ridiculous in terms of running around and trying to sort things out. The first time the agent in India said an Australian can't send money to an India, WU rules (I sent it to her partner first, because he's the one with the home address). Then WU changed the receiver name for no identifiable reason, so the ID didn't match. I'm not talking a transposed letter either, they completely changed the first name, and when I rang them AGAIN about it they said that 'sometimes it happens'. Changed it to my sister's name, and she was finally able to pick it up.

I recently sent some funds from a Western Union Office in Jubail, Saudi Arabia run by Samba to a receiver in Brazil. I got the receiver's name wrong. So the same day I went back to the office to correct the name. At the office, a Saudi employee told me that Western Union no longer allows receiver names to be changed. This was unbelievable because web sites are dedicated to how to change a receiver name. The employee told me I could only get a refund of my remittance but I would lose the fee I paid. I don't know if this kind of uninformed nonsense is only true of Western Union in Saudi Arabia or Western Union in general.

Some months ago I tried to send $1800 at one time to my fiance, to assist him with buying a vehicle. My fiance is a Nigerian man, living in Lagos (We have known each other for 4 years and talk daily on the phone. I have been to Nigeria and spent time with him). I had sent many transactions to my fiance via Western Union in the past, I assumed this time would be no different. One hour after sending my transfer, I received a phone call from a USA office (I live in Australia) saying my transfer of $1800 was not being processed and my money was being returned, and to return their call.

At Ronnie of Wahiawa, HI. Your experience describes mine, almost word-for-word, including the country you were trying to transfer funds to: Philippines. I'd been using all of their services since about 2002: online, branches and like you was (well, at least incorrectly believed), I was an esteemed Gold customer, until October last year. They also refunded all of my attempts to send money online and after 4 consecutive failed ONLINE attempts that all appeared to be in order, including the SMS code Credit Card verification, were all stopped - declined - refused. Normally with an ONLINE transfer I saw a confirmation screen with the MTCN and that it was successfully transferred, with STATUS: 'ready for pick-up by the recipient'...

As a receiver, I do not suppose to pay for western union service. I have never received the correct amount of money, which has been sent to me. Always around 10% to 15% less. When Western Union branch representative tried to verify what is the problem, and call their tracking and transferring money representative,. he got different amount of money than myself. Western Union was never accurate, how much money I should receive. Western Union is unethical, which mean: cheating, lying, and stealing company. ALL MY FRIENDS ARE INFORMED, AND WE WILL NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THE WESTERN UNION AGAIN.

I initiated the transaction, transferred funds to Western Union but got a call from them saying that the transaction was on hold because they needed the recipient's date of birth. As I didn't have it, I asked them to cancel the transaction. After about a week I noticed that my transaction was still pending. I called their toll-free help line (twice) and was told that they cannot cancel the transaction unless I provide them the recipient's date of birth. I cannot fathom absurdity of their argument. I initiated the transaction which they won't fulfill but they would not cancel it either unless I provide them date of birth of the person to whom money will not be going. This defies logic but it's Western Union.

I have used WU for over a year to send my husband money to Mexico without any problems until yesterday. I did my transaction as always but didn't think to change the city and state my husband would be receiving it in because he had traveled. Needless to say they would not give him his money until this change was made. Ok, no problem. I proceeded to call customer service to make the change. The agent told me that the city I needed it to go to was not available in their system so he picked one and that was that. My husband went again and said that I had to change the city to where he was and that he checked to make sure that the city was available in the system.

I have been sending money using WU Pay a few months now. Recently they just declined the same transaction without giving any Reason. They just said it is a "Business Decision". They sent me a refund saying it will be in my bank in 3-5 days. It has been more than a week and I still have not received the money. I spent a week on bank-WU-bank transfers without any result. And they have no responsibility for the "service". They are probably use my money for their own good. I keep waiting .. hopefully I get my money soon.

I'm a Western Union customer for many many years. I sent money to my family in Ghana and when the recipient was trying to pick up the money, they said the MTN was not valid. I got a confirmation that it was picked up already even though the recipient haven't picked up yet. I filed a complaint to WU and they said it will take 48 hrs. 3 days passed and I didn't hear from WU. I called them and spoke to the supervisor (ADAM operator **) told me it will take up to 90 days for international investigation. I'm very disappointed, unhappy, unsatisfied about their service. That money is for medication, my family could be dying because of them. I will never use WU ever again. Very poor service.

I'm a western union customer for almost 6 years and a gold card member. Unfortunately, I forgot the email and the password since I haven't used it for so long time. When I was trying to reset it on their webpage this is what it gave it to me. (Don't remember the email address you registered with? Call customer service at 1-877-989-3268.) Assuming that they would help me, the lady at the customer service repeatedly asking me what was my email. Are you serious? I was trying to explain her what happen and how I got to their customer service. All she was saying "oh we need your email address?" I'm never ever using this company.

WU just quietly sent my money back to my bank, instead of transferring them to my family to another country. Nobody in the company gives me an answer, why did they decline to provide the service. So, consider 50/50 chance to transfer money with them online. I spent a week on bank-WU-bank transfers without any result. And they have no responsibility for the "service".

I was trying to Send the money to Afghanistan to my aunt's husband and apparently his ID was expired and could not access the money. He's a retired man who has no work or income and is in need of money urgent because he's sick. Now the money is stuck in some security department and they won't respond. I have given all the details and info about the transaction yet they have no answers when I can get my refund back. It has been 3 weeks now and yet no reply. I dunno how long they will take to answer or refund my money. I'm really disappointed. The least they can do for us is to provide with accurate information to the customers. :(

There was a time a couple of months ago when my transactions to Ukraine during the Euromaidan protests were cancelled by your company...a time when our Ukrainian brothers and sisters needed international help the most. At one point you had blocked all transactions to Ukraine, which really shows which side of justice your were on. I tried once again to do two more transactions today. Everything was fine once I left your office and I thought that perhaps, I would be able to put the past behind us. One of your Customer Service agents has just called me and informed me that since Western Union is a private company, you have decided to cancel the transactions and refund me my money. When I had asked why you were doing this, your representative said that they don't need to give me a reason at which point the person acted rudely and was in a rush to get off the phone with me.

I was using WU for past 1 year. I got call from WU saying that I need to provide details and reason why I am sending how they are spending that. I provide the required document what I have with me. After 2 days they said that I no longer able to use Western Union. I asked for the reason for terminating my service. Response: "The reasons why a customer is not authorized to use the services of WU can't be disclosed." I don't recommend Western Union for anyone. No proper customer service.

My transfer request was originally accepted. Then a half hour later, I received a second notice saying the request had been turned down. This is the fifth time I have had problems with Western Union. Their consumer complaint desk was unable to give a specific reason for the rejections. They suggested that, instead of transferring the money online, that I go to one of their branch offices. I did this, they accepted the money, but the next day they called to say that they were unable to effect the transfer and returned the money and fees.

Been using Western Union online a few years. Earlier this year couldn't send online. Had to go to local market to send to Philippines. All of a sudden Western Union will not accept my money saying I'm banned from using their service. Wth!? No reason given at all. Oh well, they just lost a great customer and will tell all my friends and family about this experience. Bye bye.

Someone told me that he want to use my address to receive money from his wife but when the money was sent to Nigeria, I went to the bank to collect the money, the MTCN number was not found. I tried series of time and went back home and explained to the friend that sent me. He had to call his wife in Germany and told her that he can't withdraw the money. She went to the Western Union and they said someone has picked the money and of which we never did here - 2000 euros in sum. She requested for search of the person who picked it up and till date, Western Union can't provide the person's details nor want to refund the money.

I transferred money through Western Union from US to Indian bank for the first time thinking that they are established worldwide and provide better currency exchange. Now it's being more than a month and my money has not yet reached my bank. I tried to contact customer care several times and also shared emails with them, but still the issue remains unresolved. Now customer care representatives are not responding to my emails. I am highly disappointed with the service provided by them.

If you want to help your friends or family in Ukraine and you decide to send money via Western Union, DO NOT DO IT, if you want to send more than $300.00. If you try to do it online, most likely you would get a denial with the similar explanations like belong due to security reasons without detailed explanation. IF YOU GET A DENIAL YOU CAN CALL THEM AND REQUEST A DISCOUNT CODE 50% TO SEND THE MONEY VIA CASH AT THE AGENT LOCATION. If you decide after the denial to go to agent location and send money to Ukraine, first everything seems to be ok. When your transaction is almost complete you will be prompted to call Western Union for some additional information.

Never to use their place no more because half of the people I was sending to was fake people and they was not going to send because half of them did not have the right photos or ID cards on them. The people was not able to pick money for this reason with Western Union. Thank you for hearing this out from a person that is mad at them now.

I did several attempts to make a transfer from U.S. to China to a long time friend of mine. The transaction was declined each time, and the customer service always said that the "validation department" found some inaccuracy in the information, but they never told me what it was. After my last attempt, the customer service lady told me that my debit card was blacklisted by WU, and it won't work no matter what. I did get refunded, though, after about 12 hours.

Recently I tried to transfer money online using Western Union. All seemed to go through smoothly and I contacted the recipient, a partially blind student who had to walk a distance to reach a WU dealer, that his money for his school fees, meals and boarding was ready to pick up. When he went to the store he was told he must have the wrong MTCN number as the store could not trace the payment.

My daughter was the victim of a robbery in Ho Chi Minh City on 20.8.2014. She was flying out of Vietnam that morning to spend some time in the USA, but was left without a phone, bank cards or any money at all. As it was 5 a.m. in the morning in Vietnam and she was very upset at the end of the phone, I felt the only way to resolve her situation was to use Western Union to transfer cash to her so that she could catch her flight and have some cash for accommodation, food and other necessities. First of all opened an account, set a password and tried to access my account -- nothing! Tried again and it would not recognise the password, so my husband created an account--success.

Only tried to use WU one time to send money to a friend in another country. Got message "your transaction could not be completed". Called on the phone and representative was very hard to understand. Yes, she was speaking "English" but with heavy accent. Eventually I understood this mean to "try another web browser". It gets even worse. The other browser did work. In a few minutes WU phoned me to "verify" the transaction. Again very hard to understand this person as well. Next comes an email that says "we regret we are unable to process your transaction at this time." What does that mean? Try again later? Something special about the time?

I want to commend all the individuals who have taken the time to write about their horrific experiences with Western Union. This company is bordering on all kinds of unfair and deceptive business practices. I recommend those interested look up the Class Action Lawsuit Settlement of Tennille vs Western Union and Smet vs Western Union. The latter stemmed from WU blocking a $50 transfer destined for a young girl in a Vietnam hospital. The transfer was blocked and notification never provided. Outrageous. Fortunately, the sender (**) did not give up on this injustice. $180,000,000 later, Western Union settled a Class Action Lawsuit they were destined to lose.

I tried to send money to India from USA using online website but it failed. Customer care people suggested me send at agent location and I went there transfer my money to India. After transfer my money I checked the exchange rate online at western union and it is different from the value they paid to me. I called customer care and they told price varies every time. But how can they show different exchange rate at online and at agent location. It's not about 30$ but the credibility of their service is damaged. If you trying to transfer money at agent location keep updated about exchange rate online and ask the agent for the specific rate before transaction is done.

My family has being using Western Union (WU) since I was a kid (a long time ago). My grandmother swore by them and her only complaint were high fees. That was then. I tried to send money to a relative in Florida and the money never went through. The agent didn't know why she couldn't locate the control number. Frustrated, I call the 1-800 number and to my dismay, WU had placed a hold on the transfer pending an interview with me. I was pissed to say the least. Had I known this up front, I would have another service. I initially agreed to the questions thinking they were just identity verifying questions. But when they wanted to know who and why I was sending the money, I terminated the interview. I told the Rep. that I wanted a refund and she issued a number for me to get my money back. My family was shocked when I told them since we were all taught that WU was the most reliable way to send money. No more! Goodbye WU, you've lost a family of customers.

I have been using their services since I came over this country 15 years ago. In the light of recent treatment, I am no longer using Western Union. Never again I was trying to send money to my sister in another country. The transaction was first put on hold. Then I called the number given in the email. They took my good hour and a half to tell me that I have to do "interview" with the other number, and I call them up, and they ask me all these weird questions like "why do you send money to your family". I respond to that question "well, I support my family financially", and the lady asks again "why do you support your family" and what your family spend the money for? These questions are ridiculous, offensive, and invasion on my privacy.

I transferred funds to my son in Washington. He has no ID. He knows the question & amount he will receive. The western union station withholds funds. He is homeless. The store tells him it is a western union issue. He calls me, I call them (western union). They say it's the store. Do you know how hard it is to navigate when homeless. He tries two more stores - same results. I have the money refunded, try again, same results - they blame store. The store manager in Florida said the same thing happened here an hour ago. The customer knew info & question, they withheld funds. He called Western union, they put the blame on the store. He was kind enough to give the young guy his money. My son not so lucky.

My exp with W/U is just like that of so many others. I wanted to send $50 to a Chinese woman in Dubai, UAE. There were language and other problems so the woman asked me to send it to her friend, a young Arab man named Mohammed ** (if I remember), and that's where the trouble started. His apparently very common Arab name apparently appears on a security list of forbidden receivers, thus W/U wanted a whole list of info re: the man I couldn't possibly provide (language, etc.) I got angry, gave W/U the woman's cell # and told them to call her themselves, which they ignored. I subsequently tried myself with no luck.

In May 2014, I purchased a Western Union money order at a local grocery store. I then made the mistake of writing the wrong name on the money order! I try to cancel the money order right then and there, but was told it was now a third party check! The cashier proceeds to tell me, "You have to contact Western Union for the refund." So, I download the refund form from intranet and send all documents, i.e., original money order receipt and 15.00 non-refundable check needed by Western Union to refund my money back to me. Now, it has been 30 days since Western Union received my request. How do I know this? Well, I sent the mail certified and return receipt mail. So, I know when Western Union signed for my mail. I then proceed to call Western Union and I get people from the Philippines trying to help me?

I need to transfer money to my parents in China for emergency. My mother won’t call me if it’s not, so I need this money to be in China asap. After comparing the wire transfer in Chase and money transfer in Western Union, I decided to go with the later one because it’s faster (claimed to be transferred in minutes), and cheaper ($32 for $10,000 compared with $45 in Chase Bank wire transfer). What a terrible decision it was!!!

They are worst... no system. They cut money... then cancel the transfer. Customer care don't have any knowledge. Don't use this website at all.

Both times I've used Western Union, they've accepted with the exception that the transaction was under review. Then they've sent an email rejecting the transaction, within a half hour. Only the second time they did this, they withdrew the money from my checking account prior to rejecting the transaction. When I called to ask why and ask for money to be refunded, they said it was rejected for security purposes... no further details than that. They said my money would be refunded within 5 business days (It hasn't been 5 days yet so I can report if I received it or not). I asked why is it that they can take the money from my checking within a matter of seconds but it always takes several days to weeks to give it back?

I was contacted twice via phone message from the same woman saying it was regarding my financial practices, leaving contact number and reference number. The first callback I spoke with a gentlemen who said I need to complete a compliance interview about my money practices to continue using Western Union services (I never send only receive). To conduct the interview he asked for my address and dob which I provided but then felt uncomfortable because he said my information didn't match the information he had. Receiving funds I fill out the same information every time and provide my driver's license, my social security number when asked, and even my passport. He told me he couldn't speak with me because the information didn't match. It was baffling. I asked to speak with a supervisor and he hung up. Then I felt that the call was a phishing scam and I felt duped.

I sent $2999 to my family in India for medical emergency and they haven't received it even after 10 days. All of a sudden, I received an email that my transaction has been cancelled and that money will be refunded to my account. What an atrocity???? Still I haven't received the refund and who is going to pay the interest for 10 days???

Declined by my bank because typed my name incorrectly but Western Union UK took my money anyway from my debit card, even the operation was not accepted by my bank!!!!

I am surprised Western Union is in business. Nobody knows anything from their call center in Philippines to their corporate in Englewood, CO. Their website is a joke. I provide everything that is required from my name, address to bank info and get a rejection. The reason is not known for reasons of consumer protection. I do feel sorry for their customer representatives because all they do is apologize. I spent significant amount of time on the phone to resolve problems with no solution. I will not reward this undeserving company with my hard-earned money ever again.

I have been customer with Western Union for over 20 years, sending money to help my family in the Philippines. I have been working hard for 30 years in this country sending small amounts at a time while investing and making my money grow so I could send larger amounts home. In the past two years or so, I have been sending larger amounts to help my son build a house for his large family. I also have several family members that I have sent money to in the past for birthdays and holidays, but I send the most amounts of money and the most frequently to my son, Michael.

I have a vendor in China who requested a measly $300, said Western Union is the easiest. Their website is hopelessly riddled with bugs and problems and error messages. But after spending 20 minutes futzing around with all the errors I got it to complete. Got not one, but two confirmation messages that the transaction had gone thru. Then I got one more. That's it, no contact info, no nothing. What a total waste of my time. There is a pending charge on my credit card. No doubt they'll require a dispute to take care of it.

Did 2 transfers to my family overseas and was later received a call from Western Union saying my transfer has been refused and to return and pick up my refund. I called their compliance dept. to find out what is the reason and how can I correct this issue. I was told there is no way to correct this and the operator hung up.

I am at a loss of words to describe my disappointment and frustration with trying to use your service over the last few months. The amount of pain, suffering and grief it has caused me is something I wouldn't even wish upon my enemies, let alone paying customers would have been using your service for last 6 years. The idea of even documenting chain of events to even make my case seems hopeless. However, I beg you to consider policies and processes around the following -

I went to send money to my husband through Western Union. I thought everything was fine because I have sent it to him a couple of times before. He called me and said he could not get it because our information didn't match. He had recently changed his address so I first thought that I needed to change his address before sending it again. The lady at the counter told me that they do not ask for the address of the receiver so that should not stop the transaction. So I sent it again. I called to find out they cancelled the transaction again. When I called to ask why I was told that I was more than welcome to use their service but I could no longer send money to him, they said they couldn't tell me anything other than it was a business decision. I think that this is discrimination and poor service on their behalf. He was also drilled by them when he tried to pick the money up. They were asking information that you only need when you send a transfer and then cancelled because he did not tell them. It was no reason to.

I had made a money transfer online on the 21st of June. I was then told that the receiving bank had denied my transfer and the money will be debited back to my account in 5 business days. I waited for 5 business days to find out that the money was not there. I then called customer service and was told that the money had already been refunded (nothing in my account) and ask to check with the bank. Went to the bank and they said the money was not refunded by Western Union. I called in again and the operator said that they will look into it further (like usual). I waited another 5 business days and still nothing appeared in my account. I then opted to send an email explaining my situation and received an email saying that someone will ring me back or get in touch with me in 24 hours. Guess what? No one contacted me.

I left work early so I could get to my bank and draw cash and get to Western Union. Having got to money mart I had to wait about 30 mins to see the cashier so that he could do the transaction to send the money to Toronto. He was a very pleasant chap, asking me a few questions as to where I worked and what country I originated from. He then charged me $83.95, printed off my receipt and told me the money was on its way. At no time did he tell me that this transaction may be refused by the company!!

I sent money to Mom like I have been doing for two years. I received my confirmation and left the store just to get a call from someone pretending to be from Western blah, blah with the thickest accent, sounds like an Indian accent. He wants my MTN numbers. I asked him to identify himself and he failed to do so. The caller ID did not show WU so I thought he was a scammer and asked him to "Go learn some English and call back, or have someone fluent in the language call me back." The bestrode turned out to be from WU Gestapo Operation called "security department" and he declined my transaction.

I have been using Western Union in Poland for 3 years with no problem, only using agent face to face services. On July 4th I decided to use http://www.westernunion.pl web site and my maestro debit card from a bank in Poland, European Union. July 4th, 11:25 I sent $400 to China. The http://www.westernunion.pl website worked fine, generated MTCN and also I noticed that $400 was blocked on my bank account as "card payment for Western Union" I was still logged into http://www.westernunion.pl and seeing correct MTCN generated I told my friend in China: money sent, here is MTCN. We both were really happy.

I set up a money transfer to Brazil 2 days ago. The transfer was accepted and I received confirmation by email. A little while later I received an email that the transfer was declined but no reason was given. I emailed customer service immediately but still hadn't heard a response. So I contacted their online chat. Rhea asked me for the Tracking number (MTCN), Sender's name, Receiver's name, and Amount of transfer, which I provided. Then she asked, "Are you currently in the United States?" which I'm not. And that was followed with: "Thank you. We are very sorry, but your transaction was declined. If your receiver needs money today, another option is to send it in person from a Western Union agent location where you may use cash." I asked, "Please tell me why my transfer was declined." She responded, "To protect our customers we have strict security measures in place for online payments. There are many factors that can affect our decision to approve a money transfer, but I don't have access to that information. Is there anything else I can assist you with today?"

Well I tried to send money to someone several times and I used their cards and it would say it a success then two minutes later it says transaction failed and I'm so TICKED off as h*ll because I've been doing this for almost 3 weeks and my boyfriend and his kid trying to see me but he can't because of all this crap. I would recommend Money Gram but that not much better online (in person not so bad but I don't drive). I would recommend not to use Western Union again and I lost a lot of money because of this crap and I want my money back! This is not fair at all. I am not doing this crap ever again!

I am an IT professional. I called their website tech support line to report a problem with 2nd step in the sending money process... They DO NOT HAVE a website tech support team. It is just an agent who insisted that it was my computer. I asked for a supervisor and got another agent. I asked for a manager and got a supervisor. All of them were incompetent. They always have so many issues with their website and could care less for their customers. Anyway, took advice of another review and am happy as a bee... USE MONEYGRAM! It is seamless, easy, and very professional.

Just got a phone call from Western Union. They told me I can no longer use them to transfer money. No reason given other than that I probably told them to stick it in a way. I was sending money to several people in the Philippines - keeping two girls in school and helping a RN that was unemployed. They put a hold on my last transfer and then asked all kinds of questions about my transactions. More or less where my money comes from, what the money was being used for there, and stuff that was really none of their damn business. I told them more than I should have and then I got the call. Someone should look into their operation and someone should sue the ** out of them. If you don't need to I would stay away for them and hopefully if they lose enough business they will become more customer friendly. They are sure not that way now.

I have used their service without problem since 2011. But not now. Here's my problem: On 6/24 at about 9 at night I tried to send money to Texas. That failed. The error message says that the transfer couldn't go through using my means of payment (debit card). I tried four times, with no success. So I called up WU. The first person at first wouldn't transfer me to a supervisor but finally she did. However the phone just rang and rang for about 15 minutes. I called back and got another supervisor who said she thought it was due to a database update.

WHY WHEN I'M SENDING WITH MY CREDIT CARD ONLINE USING WESTERN UNION THE TRANSFER MONEY NEVER PASS? I see the same error below: Getting this error when trying to send money online. Anyone else experience this issue... We're sorry. This money transfer couldn't be completed. Your transaction couldn't be completed. We couldn't complete your money transfer with the payment method you chose, but you can always send cash at a Western Union agent location. Need help? Call Customer Care at 1-877-989-3268. You can still use Western Union to send money by going to a nearby agent location. I see this error message every time when I try sending money online with my credit card only.

Two times I initiated online transactions with WU. Both times the funds were locked at my bank, and WU subsequently declined the transaction. The funds remained on hold for three days at my bank. Western Union's actions constitute a clear case of consumer deception. A class action suit is in order in my opinion.

So I tried sending some emergency money to my girlfriend overseas in China. I sent 300 dollars and she wasn't allowed to pick it up due to a small error with her name which was my fault. So I went in to Western Union to see if I could fix my tiny error and she could get the money. Nope. Can't change it but they will refund it and I can try again. Ok so I get my 300 refunded minus the $14 spent to send the money the first time and I go to fill out a new form when I'm informed I'm not allowed to use Western Union anymore. Yup, I'm not allowed to send it to her or anyone else or they will freeze and red flag my transfer. Why I'm not allowed - I don't know. I wasn't given an explanation even though I asked for one. So now I can't send emergency money or use Western Union again which may turn out to be a good thing. So from me and every other review I've seen on here let me tell you Western Union ** you.

I have just had the worst experience ever with Western Union. I have never even written a review for anything before, and that's how awful this has been and how strongly I feel. The first week of April, I purchased a Western Union paper money order from Kroger to pay my electric bill. The day after I dropped it in the mail, our electricity was turned off, the money order hadn't made it in time. So I called the Western Union number and had them hold payment. Then we took funds borrowed from the in-laws and had our electric turned back on. On the Western Union help number, they state when you request a refund, it will be a $15 charge either by check or to be taken out of the original money order. I opted for the latter, big mistake. Weeks went by and nothing, so I called again and spoke with multiple representatives that made it very clear by the way they acted that I was one of many calling, and that customer service might not be their strong point.

Every time I send money to my husband, they give me a hard time. Then when I call them they give me different answers. Now I can't send anymore by them. I am so mad.

Western Union Demanded MY Medical Records, Medical Conditions from SOMEONE SENDING ME MONEY, WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE or PERMISSION, and claims they can legally demand someone's medical history from another person who isn't the Patient, without the person's knowledge or permission, from someone in another state, not married too, or living with, or legal guardian, just my friend!!!! I got told by 3 employees they exceed the laws and rights I have as an individual.

I should have read the reviews first :( I tried sending funds from Australia to NZ using their online facility,. Western Union cancelled the transaction AFTER the funds had been deducted and are refusing to credit the funds back to my credit card for 5-7 working days! Unacceptable disgusting business practices!!

I have my Social Security money going directly into a Moneywise Western Union card. I check the balance of the card every day online. One particular morning, I check my card to find out that $337.00 had been transferred out of my card without my authorization. After countless call to several different Western Union numbers to report the illegal activity, I accomplished nothing. I have continually been sending email to customer service at western Union but they promise to call but never do. They do not even seem to care in the least bit and that brings me to thinking that maybe it is a INSIDE job. I have complained and complain to them both by telephone and by email and they will do nothing, not even agreeing to give me back the money that was obviously skimmed from my card. Most of Western Union employees on the telephone just barely have passable or use understandable English.

I made a transfer using Western Union earlier today, and used my ATM card. Received an email back from Western Union several hours after I made the online transfer, and was told that the transfer didn't go through. However, the money has been taken from my bank account, and they said I wouldn't have access again to that money until 48 hours from now, even though I paid THEM $65 extra to get that money expedited to the receiver. I don't understand how they can take money from my account and NOT transfer the money, and THEN keep my money for 48 hours?

I will SUE Western Union for what they did, I felt mistreated. I can't even get any explanation at all. I was BANNED from all their services online or in person. WHY?! Because THEY SAY SO. Isn't it enough that they make money off of me? NO because they think I'm doing something illegal. Well take note I will do something legally against them.

Before you ever use the bank account method of transferring money, just realize they have a different method of counting to 3. I initiated a transfer on a Friday using the 3-day option paying $25.00 for that option. And that would be 3 business days in case you didn't read the "fine" print if it even exists. My transfer wasn't authorized until the following Thursday. How that is 3 days still mystifies me, but after many conversations with many managers, I finally called the fraud department to file a complaint against WU itself. My transfer appeared within the hour. Lesson learned: USE A CREDIT CARD. I've done many transfers with a credit card for lesser amounts without a problem.

I try to send money to my friend out of country for his birthday online. They took $210 out of my account, put my money on hold for five days. The transaction got cancel and I only got $200 back and they did not have explanation for it after being on hold for 1 hour. They are big thief. I would never recommend them to anyone not even my enemy. Worst freaking customer service ever.

My sister traveled to England yesterday (5/8/14) for a two-week vacation. While paying for the Tube, etc. in London, she lost her debit card. Her bank released her money to me (her family member) and told me to take it to Western Union. After filling out a lengthy form and waiting around for 45 minutes, the transaction was declined because of suspected fraud. I answered all questions correctly--after all, she's my sister. Surely this issue (losing a debit card overseas, needing a large sum [$2500] of money) happens on a weekly if not daily basis?

I have the biggest UPS Store in downtown Montreal. Do not send money with Western Union till they change their new policy. They are asking customers personal information even if they send $50!! They are asking where they're born, what nationality, where they work! I am encouraging my clients not to send and they are all finding other alternatives. We should work with the people for the people not these big corporations! In the end they will all bail you out.

Western Union continues to hold our money sent to us on several occasions. The reason for this robbery is beginning to look like, in my opinion, a bankruptcy being exposed. For example, Western Union is supposed to take the money of customer A and give it to customer B receiving it. Because they do not have enough money to do so on the other end, they appear to hold other people's money. They give excuses that make no sense. I hope Western Union is really being investigated, because so many people have been in need with an emergency, only to not receive their money in time. They are THIEVES.

So I sent money by transfer, from my bank account. $$ came out of my account. The wait time was 3 days. Person went to pick up on the other end the day it was in. When he got to Western Union, they said the transaction could not be completed and he could not get the money. He called me, I called Western Union. The answer I got was, "We have no idea why it did not work properly." I explained to person money came out of my account. They said they could see that and they had the money, but could not explain why transaction failed. I asked to speak to a supervisor. They called me back. I asked why this transaction did not go through. The answer I got was we have no idea why the money came out of my account and the person on the other end could not pick up. They said they would send me back the money.

I sent money for lodging in another country, a deposit and received a tracking number. I received confirmation of money being sent and a confirmation of when it was picked up. Good thing I took screen shot of everything from my cell phone. The website nor customer service does not have any record of my transaction and the hotel states that they have not been paid. I phoned Western Union and they are "investigating" the matter and I will receive a reply back in 7-10 business days. I will be out of the country and be in need of that hotel that I put a deposit on at that time. Horrible, horrible customer service. They speak broken English and I'm hoping that they understood what I needed. I requested a supervisor multiple times and was told each time that she was busy.

While supporting my partner in Ireland and on rare occasions helping friends in the Philippines, I have used Western Union and other services. Today my attempts to pay to either the Philippines or to Australia with Western Union failed with the error: "Were sorry, this money transfer couldn't be completed. We've received your order, however, we regret we're unable to process your transaction at this time. You may still visit Western Union agent location to send money in person." Western Union is only really handy in semi-emergency situations due to their ability to send cash for a fee.

We run a business and usually sources all our goods from overseas. I can only travel with certain amount of cash and we usually get my wife to send the funds once overseas. Today like always, she sent me a transfer of $5000 and everything went well. She got the usual MTCN and sent it to me. Only have 2 days left here and had to pay all the goods I have bought and head back. I go to the office in Istanbul. They said my MTCN was not valid. My wife calls WU. They say there was a suspicion of fraud! (She paid all the money from our business debit account!) She asks what could be wrong. After more than 45 minutes on the phone, the rep told her she needs to go pick up the money as the transfer was canceled and no further info could be given and no other person can be spoken to at WU? This is so frustrating as I only have a 1 day left here! Ridiculous Western Union and needless to say, they have lost my business for life.

Omg! I will NEVER use them again!! My grandson had an emergency situation. He said that a Western Union was right across the street in the town where he was visiting. So, at 8:30AM, I rushed online to send the money. Everything seemed fine at first. Then the email response said that my transaction was canceled. So, of course I called them. They said they couldn't expose WHY it was canceled, just rest assure that it was not due to my credit rating. I'm disabled so I haven't worked in years, nor do I have any credit, unfortunately. Anyway I checked my online banking and BAM! There was a $400 WU pending debit on my account! I usually use MoneyGram, so I wanted to use them. The bank said they could not remove WU's pending debit until they got a faxed confirmation from them.

My wife sent money to her elderly parents in China, and had to answer a whole slew of questions from Western Union's security department. She was told the funds are released and can now be collected. Her parents live a VERY long way from the nearest Western Union and have no car. They spent a considerable amount of time and money to travel to the Western Union location. When they get there, they are told the funds are not released. We call Western Union and once again are transferred to their security dept and told her father's name closely resembles someone on their watch list and they can only give us a refund and we can try to resend it later. The operator Joel was also very curt with us and rude! A refund is NOT acceptable and in my view, they owe us the money spent for this terrible ordeal. Help put this company out of business and DO NOT USE THEM EVER AGAIN.

I have a Western Union money order payable to me. I have been to five locations trying to cash it. Winn Dixie, Kangaroo(s), Harvey's, Publix, etc. All will sell you a money order. NONE WILL CASH YOUR MONEY ORDER! I phoned Western Union's 800 number and was told my only option is to go to a check cashing place that charge LARGE FEES. If you are trying to send money to a loved one, DO NOT USE WESTERN UNION, as they cannot cash it for the full amount you sent if they can even locate a check cashing store.

Used Western Union online in an attempt to send $400 to a friend of mine in CA. The form was filled out completely & accurately. It stated that since it was a transfer from my bank acct to her, it stated it would be ready in 3 days. On the 4th day, she went to get the funds and was told that they were sent to a NM agent but that I could call customer service and get that fixed so she could collect it from a CA agent.

I attempted to place a money transfer with Western Union to an online retailer in China. I was called and left a message by WU Customer Service to confirm and complete the transfer within 48 hours or the transfer would be cancelled. I decided not to call and give permission for the WU money transfer and made payment through alternative method. I checked my bank account and WU withdrew the money from my account. I called them to see when my refund would be credited and they told me that the money transfer that I never confirmed or completed was on hold because the person who I was sending the money to has a name that sounds like someone on the Government's watch list.

Tried to wire money to our nephew. Money was supposed to arrive in 15 minutes for him.... ends up going to be at least 7 days. They lied. There is nothing in the written information that says will take 7 days. Nothing that says that it will be held. They just keep the money even after taken from our account. So will NEVER use Western Union again EVER. Will go back to what we have been using before with my daughter, 15 minutes and she has her money.... simple easy and honest unlike Western Union.... liars and could care less about customer service.

This is my worst experience today, April 04, 2014. I was supposed to collect my money at Western Union but unfortunately the teller told me that I already claim my money yesterday so I was shocked. How could that happen. It's 5 separate transactions 5 MTCNs. How could they get my money. How?????? Even my husband's money is already claimed. I have different control #. How can they get my money. I have this $1,891, $265 , $264, $753 , $264.75 total of $3,437. And 50,000 pesos for my husband's money. Somebody, please help me...

Western Union received a paper check from my bank through WU Pay, cashed it and then canceled my funds transfer request two days later. The inept customer service associate says she doesn't know why. Her manager later explained that she cannot tell me why and that it is a fraud issue with no explanation of how to resolve it, yet she invited me to do the same transaction again (why!?). The first agent insisted the money never came out of my account. Then after I finally had to raise my voice to her, she "did a thorough review of my account" and found that the check WAS cashed. This is one way to tie up otherwise useful funds in a myriad of useless red tape. Thank you, WU Pay.

About a month ago I have made a transaction with Western Union. I would never do it again. I needed to have the money sent to me from my friend as a proof of funds for my future landlord. It seemed a bit suspicious to me so just to make sure I checked Western Union website to see what receiver needs to provide when withdrawing the money. It clearly said an ID and filling out the receiver form with the name and address of sender and receiver so I decided to do it since only me and my friend who would be sending my money to me would have these information. All that was provided for the landlord was MTCN number. To my surprise the money has been withdrawn by somebody the next day.

Found lost 70 dollar money order, it is two years old now. Put it in my bank and Western Union bounced it. They state it has depreciated and is only worth 58 dollars. My bank charged me 12 dollars for a bounced check. How can a money order depreciate?

Several months ago, Western Union online started an upgraded web design that does not work well at all. I send money to my fiancee' in the Philippines and now when I use this new site, over half the time it does not work and gives me an error message stating "the site is having technical difficulties, please try again later." I never had this problem before with the old site and this new one will go for several days before it will let me send money. I can go to an agent and send it with no problems, so why should their online site be the same way. I have complained to Western Union and their only reply was that I can only send one time in a 24 period. I can go 3-4 days without sending and I still get this same message from them about half the time when I try to send.

Western Union refused to send the funds twice because it "fit their profile for possible consumer fraud". I spoke with an agent and their supervisor and they continued to refuse to send my money where I wanted it to go because they felt I may be being taken advantage of. I assured them that I had already verified everything and it was all legitimate but they wouldn't listen and took it upon themselves to refuse to send it. I thought Western Union was created so that money can be wired. I want to know why they feel they have the right to stop you from sending your money to where you want it sent!! As far as I'm concerned Western Union is guilty of false advertisement. They send your money if they feel like it.

I have had a smooth running Western Union account for four years now up until very recently. This is my Western Union story to tell. Around November last year (2013) I was keenly interested and trusted the exciting advertising of a person called Roger ** through AutoBinarySignals.com

I tried in the past two weeks unsuccessfully sending money to my friends either in person or online. They give me no reason as to why not and when I insist on an explanation, they connect me to a mysterious "Security" office who is of no help either. Finally today, after bugging them again they sent me a questionnaire with all kind of intrusive personal information requests, which no one in his right mind would answer. You get the feeling that you are dealing with the former KGB. Sad to say that my friend lost her housing, because I could not help her and she is homeless now. I find it very strange when an institution who makes money with money transfers, refuses to do so. I informed my State Senator here in new Jersey and called my lawyer, as well. WU should be investigated.

For many years I have been several the people I know in the Philippines. I always send to the same people. Every month, I send multiple money transfers to these people. On February 4, 2014, Western Union cancelled all of these money transfers. I was told that I should only send no more than two money transfers per day. Now I have to wait until Western Union refunds my money so I can try to find another way to help my friends. I been sending multiple money transfers on one day for several years and to the same people and I do not understand why this is happening. Nobody will tell me anything at Western Union.

I was not able to send money online or by telephone as well. Western Union's reason is that my identity could not be verified. They refused to give me a reason. I am able to do the transaction at a center in person and use the same debit card and never had an issue. I buy products online all the time and never have an issue. I only have an issue with Western Union. It is now several years and Western Union has not been able to resolve this and they won't even give me an answer.

I have sent money on 14/01/2014 to bank transfer, was told after 3 days that money is there just need been accepted by bank, spoke to bank they did not had any money, so went back to WU again. Told me the same story, told me to wait, I did. After few day, again the same story, so now they told me they will investigate. After few day again I called again, the same story, they investigating, then I was told the bank refuse the money. The bank said they never received any money, so I was told that the money be refunded 1 to 5 working days. I asked the agent that I need this money asap so I can send. He asked me if I get fax no. of my bank billing site then can fax it and I will get it asap so I did that. When I called back to give the fax no. I was told again I was given the wrong information and they don't do anything like this so I ask for manager was so unhelpful and just said sorry but did say that she can make sure that the refund can be faster.

I have had money sent to me on several occasions and the only problem I had was with the attitude of the person behind the desk at Publix. I have sent money and it was received. I trust Western Union.

Attempted to setup a WU online account and it only took one week for their malfunctioning webpage to actually email me the pin to finish setting up my account. Next, I attempted to send a WU money transfer to family in China and I doubled checked and triple checked everything prior to completing my transfer. Within minutes I received two confirmations stating that my transfer was complete and I thought everything was a go with my transfer.

I have sent a payment to China on 2nd of December (2013) through my Wells Fargo bank online through "pay the bill" to WU PAY (3-5 business days to receive the payment). Payment was sent to WU PAY, transaction declined by my bank, is okay, I called them up and told them that it was me who's sending the money to CHINA. (2999$) After payment has been cleared, Western Union kept saying they never received any payments from my BANK, which is straight out lie, because online it showed payment cleared and delivered plus I called my bank to verify this information. After 10 phone calls to WU, they told me they don't know why they can't release payment and let my mother-in-law to pick up the payment, which is BOGUS. Wasted 3 weeks of my time!!!

I was trying to send money to China but I accidentally send it to my place which is California. The problem is I only want them to change the money destination but they can't even do it. They asked me so many questions until I had enough and told them to cancel everything. After 2 days they refunded me my money, but they only gave me $285 without the transfer fee which is $25. What kind of service is that? They don't want to give my transfer fee back and the transaction only happened 30 minutes ago. All I was asking them is to change the destination, THAT WAS IT! They did not do anything and they have the right to keep my $25???? That is pure **!!!!!! I WILL NEVER EVER SEND MONEY USING WESTERN UNION EVER AGAIN!! PERIOD. I hope karma will get them very soon!!

Their online account registering system is a disaster. I spent over an hour just trying to get it to accept a password even though their own system kept telling me that the passwords that I tried were acceptable and met all requirements. Then it would just turn around and reject them. Makes no sense. I followed their instruction right to the letter. Not worth the effort.

I am working in Michigan for the winter and live in Oklahoma. I have been mailing my checks from Michigan to my bank in Oklahoma. I made the mistake of not mailing it certified and it was lost. So I needed money in my account ASAP to pay bills. I called around and WU told me for a charge of $15 they could wire the money to my account in 15min-1hour, for a fee of about $15. When I arrived, the fee was now $121. This was on Dec. 23rd. I arrived in Oklahoma today to visitor for the holiday. It is now the end of Dec. 26th. I have an electric cut off notice and my car payment has a late fee. I still have not recovered my money. They refunded me my $121 fee today after around 3 hours on the phone being transferred from one person to the next and then being told I could pick it up if I went to a location. The people at the location of course couldn't pull up my transaction.

Dec. 19, I've sent money to a friend from Pampanga, she didn't even know that I am sending her money because I've never told anyone about it. The next day I'm receiving a text message that's saying she already received the money and when I confirmed it with her she told me she didn't even know about that I am sending her the money. I called Western Union customer support and my money was given to someone from other place miles away from where I live. I never gave anyone the receiver's name and the MTCN number, still someone managed to steal my money... Employees of Western UNION could only be the one to access my Data. I know they took my money. All I want is my money back, I've worked hard for it. Play fair, Western UNION!!!

Worthless company, absolutely WORTHLESS. Supposedly all they are in business for is to wire money to great distances yet they can't even do that! How these people are still in business is a total mystery to me. Customer NO service was absolutely no help whatsoever: "We cant tell you why we refuse to process your order, I can't tell" on and on and on. Reading off fake apologies from some sheet posted in some mud hut in some country that I probably never heard of. Wasted an entire day of my time AN ENTIRE DAY!!! I will NEVER and I mean NEVER EVER use this worthless, ungodly expensive service as long as I can help it. I am so mad I feel like suing them for false advertisement, because CLEARLY "We can send money to any place in the world" is a bold faced, out and out. 100% LIE!!! Just a complete and total lie, how they can get away with this is beyond me.

In October 2013, I sent money to China to buy a natural product. My sender (company that is sending the merchandise to me) told me the money has some restriction and not able to get it. I call Western Union to see what happened with my money and they say that the government of the United States has some restriction on my name or someone who has the same name as me and in order to release that money they need my ID to be faxed to them and if they don't receive that ID, they were not going to give me my money back. I went to I.R.S and let them know what they said. I.R.S said they don't have any right to hold your money after I send my ID 2 months after they charged me $14.00 without giving me any service. This company has the worst service ever. Could you imagine this happening to me because my name is Roberto **? how many Roberto ** there are in the whole world and they decide to make me have this horrible moment because of my name and charge me for nothing. Good job Western Union, make money on my $109.00 on interest for keeping my money for 2 months and charge me 14 dollars for no service at all. But it's fine, I work with people every day and they will know "how good you are" yea right!!

I have sent money $150.00 USD, to my mom in Guamuchil, Sinaloa Mexico, on 08/05/2013 she couldn't get the money, the office there wouldn't find the transfer in the system, so I tried to get the money back from here Burbank, CA, and after many trips to the office where I sent the money from, they told me the wire was claimed in Mexico City, totally different city. So, from there went to an investigation, this would take up to 3 months, already been 3 months, so I start going to the office again to find out what's going on. Today I personally called to Western Union, and I've been told that the investigation was closed on such day, and that the money was paid to the right person.

At the end of August I sent money to the Philippines. When it failed to arrive, the Customer service department of Western Union just wanted to fob me off with niceties and did precisely nothing to solve the problem. In order to meet the deadline, I sent off money a second time. That also failed to arrive until too late - it was supposed to be a ten minute cash transfer but the next morning the local western union agent was saying there was no record of the money. Once again customer service did damn all and couldn't care less. Finally the second lot of money arrived. Regards the first transaction I wrote to the chief executive of western union who just passed the complaint on to customer service. Over three months later I am still waiting for my money back plus my expenses in getting it back plus the fee charged. Western union just ignore me now - it has been about a month since western union bothered to reply to my correspondence. They obviously hope I will just write the money off so they can keep it.

Western Union Did not process my online nor on phone transaction although was approved by my bank, which WU ordered amount $475.00+ WU fee=$502.00 to be held despite WU refusal to process transaction. I attempted several times for over 3 hours to find the reason through their USELESS Customer Service Dept... I was told by a WU CS Rep that WU reserved the right to authorize a transaction. NOWHERE ON THEIR SITE DOES THIS APPEAR, not to mention the information in my personal profile had no such clause! Plus they did block my account used for the amount NOT transferred or processed (Fraud?)

Today, I went to the office where I try to send 200£ to South Africa to my son for his Birthday and unfortunately he never receive it. I give information (personal) about myself when I send the money and they told me that my wife is not going to have any problems to receiving the money. BUT when she went to the office at Thabazimbi, South Africa (closest to her), they give her form to fill with asking her all the specifics and questions about me (the same questions that they already asked me)... including questions about my RESIDENTIAL STATUS in UK?!?!?

Sending £200 to my 5-years old son's birthday and my wife received lot of difficulties to get the money from WESTERN UNION... AND MY MONEY ARE STILL WITH WESTERN UNION INSTEAD FOR GIFT FOR MY BOY!?!?!

I am completely pissed off by Western Union... They suddenly blocked my long time receiver from picking up money. To make matters worse, I had to ring Western Union... from Australia, to their New Jersey quarters. I spent all my load and in the end they would not give me an answer as to why the receiver was blocked. I started imagining all sorts of things!! I am completely disappointed!!! My receiver went hungry all because of Western Union!! Thanks A lot. FOR DAMN NOTHING!!!!

I attempt to create a transaction to send money to someone in need. It gets rejected. Mind you, I have repeated transactions with this same person without issue. After the transaction failed, I call Western Union. As usual, they are difficult to understand with broken English yet they do try. They gave me absolutely no reason why they rejected the transaction. In fact, they said it had nothing to do with me. In poking and prodding for answers, they would only say that it had nothing to do with me and they would not be able to fulfill the transaction. Obviously, this is highly annoying to me. First of all, you don't reject a transaction without giving a clear reason. Secondly, is this person I am sending money to on some kind of fraud list? How about letting me know instead of forcing me to fill in the blanks? I was getting nowhere with Western Union so I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau where they have a considerably high score.

I send money to my brother, and I misspelled his name. So I called the Western Union customer service to help me make a change and they just told me they can't change because I used my husband's phone # on the contact information, when I send the money and my husband was at work and I used my phone to call them and the customer rep told me, "Oh, we can't make the ** change because you didn't use your husband's phone to call us..." And why the ** is it even matter... I gave her all the most important information when I sent the ** money. They ** care about the phone #???? Give me a ** break, Western ** Union... My family needs that money in Leyte as if everyone knows in the world that they just get hit by a ** typhoon and and the ** Western Union cares about phone ** number... DON'T SEND MONEY (!!!) In WESTERN UNION, THEY DO A PISS POOR JOB... SEND YOUR MONEY TO XOOM.COM.

Be careful with Western Union. They have their own policy and can refuse you sending money without giving any explanation. Yes you save points for reducing the sending cost but what can you do with it when your transaction is refused? The cost that they count is much higher than for e.g. Moneygram. Western Union is acting as the biggest company for sending money but in reality they are arrogant they do not react on mails. In my opinion big company who gets arrogant like hell. But we all know what will happen with this kind of attitude. I advise take Moneygram - lower cost and better rates.

My wife answered an ad in Kijiji looking for secret shoppers to buy products and evaluate their service. My wife contacted them and was hired by them. She was sent by UPS a package containing instructions and two cheques, each for $995.72 Canadian and to phone the number provided to activate the cheques. She phoned the number and was told to deposit one of the cheques and to withdraw 40 dollars. She was then asked to go to a local Safeway to buy anything she wanted from the store and to phone back with her comments about their service. She was played like this again at Walmart. Now the scam began in earnest, they asked her to go back to the first Safeway, go to customer service, and send a money transfer through their Western Union franchise to a person in Baltimore MD for $800.00 Canadian and asked to observe things like, did they ask for ID, etc. just to make them look legit.

I sent money to Philippines twice a month for three years to my wife and her family. Never had problem. I woke up to check email on PC and to my surprise, my wife was waiting for me. She said she went to Western Union to pick up money and agent said it was picked up by some other person living in Manila but my wife lives in Caloocan City. Was $300.00 so I call Western Union to alert them that there was money given to someone else. Told them it was stealing and they said it takes 90 days to get refund. Western Union has changed applicant when sending money. They ask for password, they change password to ID to me. It's Western Union's fault and I'm trying to get $300.00 plus damages asking $1000. Be careful with this new form.

Between August 2-4, 2013, Hillview Woods Apartment complex was one of several hit in Louisville, KY. Thieves used a device to go into the rental drop box and "fish" money orders & checks from the "secure" box. They immediately cleaned the money orders and they were sent out of state. Some cashed in FL, some in TX.

I sent 3000 dollars to Nicaragua and the receiver haven't been able to pick up the money because they say they don't have that much. The receiver have been to like 10 different places to get the money but they don't have that much. Last time I sent money, Western Union in Nicaragua were charging an amount that wasn't supposed to be charged. I will try MoneyGram from now on!!!!!

I attempted to send a small sum of USD 42.99 and found out the receiver was flagged with a security block. I spoke with a Western Union representative and asked why the block was in place. I was told there were many possible reasons, including fraudulent business practices. I asked how Western Union decides who should be blocked and where they get the information they use. The representative did not know the answers.

I purchased some money orders to handle refunds for my check/cash/money order customers that don't use PayPal. A customer who received several WU Money Orders as part of a refund and exchange had them bounce with the customer's bank account and they were charged over $40 in bank fees and received none of the money. Now I have to refund her fees and the original amount in order to maintain my business reputation.

I think Western Union should go out of business. No grocery store and majority of check cashing place will cash in a Western Union money order. They have no problem collecting money to do a transfer but they won't cash them. And when you call the number in the back of the check you are greeted by an automated system that states agents will not have any further information about how to cash your money order. I left my house at 10am and didn't find a place till almost 12pm. I went to Giants. I went to Walmart, Kmart. I went to Family Dollar as well as a check cashing place that deals with Western Union. I then had to go home and get on the internet and start calling different places like a mad women to see if they would cash it 1 out of about 10 places said yes. Never ever again will I deal with Western Union. Horrible and not worth anyone's service....

I sent money to a friend to Uganda. The money was paid out to a con person before my friend went to collect it. My friend informed the police and was told we are not the only victims of such case. WU started an investigation and after three weeks sent me an e-mail with a print-out from their system claiming that's the evidence the money was paid out correctly. At least they finally told me in which agent the money was collected. I passed the information to the police in Uganda who checked the CCTV from the bank. It shows the person who collected the money (obviously not my friend). I phoned the Western Union, again gave them all the info and they keep on claiming the money was paid out correctly to a person with a valid government-issued ID (btw after sending the money, my friend - the receiver - told me she only has a student ID so according to the WU procedures she would not be able to collect the money anyway and I would have to change the receiver). Please tell me how I can get my money back (over £400).

I had purchased 2 money orders from Western Union, one in the amount of $500.00 and the other for $154.00. I filled out both money orders completely to be paid to my sister who lives in Georgia. I mailed the money orders off at the mail drop box... And long story short someone who I don't know and got into the box or someone who has access to the mail stole both money orders because my sister never received them. I immediately contacted Western Union after tracking the money orders because I had both original receipts, discovered that they had been cashed but not by the intended person who is my sister. Unfortunately, Western Union will not refund the money to the purchaser (myself) because it had been cashed.

I have had a serious complaint outstanding with Western Union for many months, and emails sent even to the CEO, Mr Ersek, are ignored!!!! No wonder there are so many complaints regarding Western Union. They only appear to send money for drug trafficking or worse. USE MONEYGRAM, much better service, and English speaking staff, and cheaper.

I have a prepaid MasterCard account with Western Union. Around Labor Day my card was suspended by the company. When I called in I was told it was because a refund had been posted to my account and there was no record of the original purchase being made from the account. I was then told that I needed to send in an explanation of why I chose to make a return to the Western Union account when it was purchased with another card. I also was told to send in a copy of the receipt for the transactions. I sent all that in around the 3rd of September. I was initially told that it would take 24-48 hours for the bank to review my documents and unlock account.

Placed an online transfer to relatives in Pakistan. Western Union blocked my transfer without informing me. Only when relative told me did I find out. Now the nightmare had started. Dealing with these clowns over the phone was beyond a joke. Had to jump over multiple loops and transfers - repeating myself many times. Threatened by one of these so-called reps that they will put the phone down on me. Still waiting for my money to clear!!?? NEVER USING THIS LOT AGAIN! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

I have a sister and nephew in Jamaica. Every so often I'll send what I can for birthdays, Christmas and recently following my uncle's death. My nephew's birthday was coming up so I sent a small amount using the same details online as always. I then had an email to call this morning to confirm giving the same details they already had, then got transferred to another department to yet again give them the same info they already had before they would release GBP30.00, not exactly money laundering amounts!! 15 pointless minutes of my time wasted. I WONT BE USING THEM AGAIN!!! I'll find another less convenient way of sending money to my family that doesn't cost me even more money in call charges repeating information which means Western Union gets to hold onto my money just that little bit longer!

I sent money using Western Union ONLINE service and selected the option to have the funds delivered via the receiver's mobile number in Kenya. Western Union sent me a notification email shortly after claiming the funds were delivered. Come to find out from my intended receiver, the funds were NEVER delivered. I called W.U who stated otherwise, the funds had been received by the MOBILE NETWORK (a third party they use to deliver funds to recipients) BUT, we not delivered to my intended receiver. Western Union was crazy enough to tell me to call the third party company and follow up on the money myself. Why would I do this? I don’t know that company and did not get into a deal with them and now I have to chance them?

I recently chatted with one of WU representatives about my recent use of Western Union. I sent $500 to my brother in the Philippines and I was PROMISED that the receiver will get it in minutes. As soon as I made the transaction, I was told to call an 800#. I was then transferred to a Compliance Dept and that Dept was busy and asked me to leave a voicemail message. When I tried to leave a voicemail, it says that it could no longer take new voicemail messages. I called a couple more times stressed out (between 12:30pm and 10:00pm) and was told, each time, that I will get a call back within 1 hour. I never did.

Last year I tried to send my mom money to her bank account in Indonesia from UK where I live. In the end of transaction I was asked to call WU and provide my ID. I called them and gave my passport details. In the end my transaction was rejected. Today I tried to send money again and again I was asked to call them with my ID. This time I provided them my UK provisional driving license but my transaction was rejected again. What is wrong with my ID? How do they check whether my ID is acceptable or not, valid or not etc, etc? They really have made me so upset. I didn’t send a lot of money anyway. And I wouldn’t recommend this anyone after what happened.

Western Union is a company that does not even work. Their employees know nothing and the company does not respect its customers, treat their customers like idiots and underestimate our intelligence. Not send my money and not sent me back the shipping charge that was never sent.

Western Union had been a fairly reliable method to wire funds to website developers and those we aided in the poor areas of Pakistan and India. However, recently, three wires sent at same time totaling $3,400 was rejected for no reason given. Compliance called and left a message to return their call. At same time, recipients emailed asking why the provided MTCN number did not work. Western Union has decided to block any transactions to India and Pakistan, for an undisclosed reason.

This was the second time in 2 months that I sent my son money and the transaction did not go through. They took my money out of my account and will not refund it for up to 48 hours. I would not recommend using Western Union at all for online transfers. I now use MoneyGram and it works great. Their customer service people could use some lessons in being polite and informative also.

Three days ago, I made two separate sending money transactions (similar amount of cash) to the same destination in Asia and same recipient on a WESTERN UNION agent location, with complete sending receipts. Both transactions were on hold from the beginning without my knowledge. I only found out when the recipient complained the money was not there. I made four trips to the agent's location from 8:00am in the morning to 10:30pm at night, and begged them to tell me what the reasons are for holding. They told me on the phone (always made me wait for 25 minutes or more on the phone) they cannot disclose the reasons. Finally after one day, they let one transaction go through, but still stalled the second transaction.

Someone managed to hack into one of my friends' email accounts. They presented false information that they were on vacation and that they were robbed at gunpoint of all of their belongings (cell phones, ID and money). They however did still have their passports. Obviously, this happened to be a case of identity fraud. I, on the other hand, at the moment was not sure. I asked the scammer some security questions to see if they could be answered correctly as I wanted to help my friend (who at the time I thought it was). I asked what hand do I use in tennis and what was the location of the first tennis lesson. The scammer somehow got the answer correct. At the moment, being one in the morning, I could not think of anyway someone else could magically know the answer. However, in hindsight, they had access to the individual's emails which consist of pictures from my flier advertisements. So I sent money to help and the next day, received information that the family was fine and that they were not overseas.

I was attempting to pay with a credit card on the Western Union website and have the money transferred to a bank account. It kept giving me an Error message so I called. First person I talked to said she doesn't know why it's not working, no explanation at all. All she knows is that it's not a problem on their end. She tells me I can go into any location and bring my credit card to make a payment. She will even give me a discount code to get 50% off. So I agreed, wrote the code down and headed to a store.

On the 28th of May 2013, I had just arrived in Stratonsburg, North Carolina. This is a small town of approximately 70,000 people. Therefore, it has one stoplight and only a few stores available, and is apart of The City of Wilson, North Carolina, located about 15 miles away. My brother resides in Statonsburg with his wife.

I live in Mexico. For many years, I was able to write a check to a Casa de Cambio for the amount of my Social Security check. Then suddenly, the Mexican government stopped the Cambios from cashing check. My next option was Western Union. For a few years, my brother was able to wire me my money through Western Union and all went smoothly. Then suddenly this month, out of the blue and with no advance notice, Western Union refused to allow my brother to wire me the money! I panicked because I was down to almost no money and had utility bills due immediately. My poor brother spent the better part of a day going from one Western Union office to another, five in all, and none would wire me the money.

I needed to send some money to my niece in Germany, so I tried Western Union online - the first time I have used online money transfer. I got through the process only to have my CC company deny the payment, which was curious since I have perfect credit and no payments. I called the CC company and found out that they are suspicious about money transfers as there has been some scams, so I verified what I wanted to do. They cleared Western Union and they stayed on the line while I resent the transaction. I got a successful message from Western and a note that they would send a confirming notice to my email. The CC company told me they saw the transaction come through online.