1 reviews | Active since Apr 2018
Double charges
I used Western Union to send money to my son in Shanghai, China. On paying the money was told he could collect at any Western Union in Shanghai, within minutes. There are no stand alone Western Union agents in Shanghai, all working from the major banks. He tried Bank of China and was told he needed an account with them and as he is on a short term student visa, they couldn't assist. He then went to ICBC agent and was told they couldn't assist. I paid the charges on my side so he would receive the full amount I sent and he would not be required to pay on his side. As he did not manage to get the money I went back the the WU agent here for a refund. Had to wait over 3 hours and pay an additional fee. So I'm down almost R500 and the money went nowhere?! Why did I have to pay to receive my own money back especially in light of the fact that he would not have had to do the same if he'd got it right to receive the money in China?
Good day
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. An Executive Resolutions Specialist will be in contact with you shortly for additional information.
Kind regards
Western Union
Best regards,
Good day
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. An Executive Resolutions Specialist will be in contact with you shortly for additional information.
Kind regards
Western Union
Best regards,
Dear Megan Swartz,
Western Union is writing in response to the complaint we received from you dated 04/03/2018, which was addressed to HelloPeter.com. In your complaint, you indicate that you had sent a money transfer to China and your son was unable to pick up the funds due to country regulations. You indicate you had went to an agent location for a refund and had to wait over three hours and pay an additional fee. You would like a refund for the fees.
Western Union has investigated your concerns, please review our findings below:
Western Union was able to confirm with the Headquarters of the Bank of China that some branches such as the one in Shanghai have strengthened controls in accordance with local regulator’s requirements. You are still able to payout transactions under $1,000 in China without a bank account; however, it depends on the location in which your son attempts to retrieve these funds. Some branches do have stricter policies that require a bank account to pay out transactions.
Please have your son call the customer service line in China ***) which does offer English as an option, so they can indicate what locations will pay a transaction to him without a bank account.
We also investigated the refund you were provided in South Africa, in which you indicate you were not refunded the full amount. We were able to identify this was also caused by country regulations as in South Africa all transactions are to be sent under “South Africa USD” but, they will be paid in local rand (ZAR) only. This is a regulation within South Africa and is not a Western Union policy; furthermore, the exchange rate at the time could have differed and would have been the cause for not receiving the same exact amount that was sent.
Due to this inconvenience, as a onetime courtesy, Western Union has issued a Good Will concession to you in the amount of $50 USD. This concession was issued to you on 04/10/2018 and sent to your email address under separate cover.
Should you wish to send funds to your son in the future through Western Union, please have him call the phone number that was provided to you, so he can be informed of what specific locations will pay the transaction to him without a bank account.
Western Union considers this case closed. If you have you have any additional questions or concerns regarding this complaint or resolution, please email us at *** and provide the Western Union Reference #: ***6. You may also contact me directly at the email address and contact information previously provided to you, between the hours of (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM), U.S. MST, Monday through Friday.
Sincerely,
The Western Union Executive Resolutions Team
Best regards,
Dear Megan Swartz,
Western Union is writing in response to the complaint we received from you dated 04/03/2018, which was addressed to HelloPeter.com. In your complaint, you indicate that you had sent a money transfer to China and your son was unable to pick up the funds due to country regulations. You indicate you had went to an agent location for a refund and had to wait over three hours and pay an additional fee. You would like a refund for the fees.
Western Union has investigated your concerns, please review our findings below:
Western Union was able to confirm with the Headquarters of the Bank of China that some branches such as the one in Shanghai have strengthened controls in accordance with local regulator’s requirements. You are still able to payout transactions under $1,000 in China without a bank account; however, it depends on the location in which your son attempts to retrieve these funds. Some branches do have stricter policies that require a bank account to pay out transactions.
Please have your son call the customer service line in China ***) which does offer English as an option, so they can indicate what locations will pay a transaction to him without a bank account.
We also investigated the refund you were provided in South Africa, in which you indicate you were not refunded the full amount. We were able to identify this was also caused by country regulations as in South Africa all transactions are to be sent under “South Africa USD” but, they will be paid in local rand (ZAR) only. This is a regulation within South Africa and is not a Western Union policy; furthermore, the exchange rate at the time could have differed and would have been the cause for not receiving the same exact amount that was sent.
Due to this inconvenience, as a onetime courtesy, Western Union has issued a Good Will concession to you in the amount of $50 USD. This concession was issued to you on 04/10/2018 and sent to your email address under separate cover.
Should you wish to send funds to your son in the future through Western Union, please have him call the phone number that was provided to you, so he can be informed of what specific locations will pay the transaction to him without a bank account.
Western Union considers this case closed. If you have you have any additional questions or concerns regarding this complaint or resolution, please email us at *** and provide the Western Union Reference #: ***6. You may also contact me directly at the email address and contact information previously provided to you, between the hours of (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM), U.S. MST, Monday through Friday.
Sincerely,
The Western Union Executive Resolutions Team
Best regards,