Complaint Review: WESTERN UNION

There is no honor among thieves at Western Union!

I paid $114.99 (100.00 + a 14.99 transfer fee) to send money "quick collect" which is alleged to deliver money within 15 minutes. My brother was stranded with no money for food or shelter for 5 days because he was denied access to any money from multiple Western Union locations. I had to get on a train and hand carry money to Pennsylvania because their offices would not deliver the money.

I told WU I was disappointed and upset with paying for a service fee for a service I did not receive. During a lengthy phone call I told the Customer Service call center agent Nazaha #588, and supervisor Yogesh that the Western Union offices in Philadelphia were down or closed altogether. I eventually racked up some heavy phone charges trying to get my money back and waiting on hold for long periods of time. One location, the K-Mart on Market St. said their Western Union had been down for more than a month, and some locations on the companys website did not exist. I explained to custivir sirviz of my brother's desperate situation and they robotically said "he should have called" several times. They didn't tell me how a person can call when they don't have a phone. I did have the $100.00 I tried to send refunded back to me at the location I sent it from in Virginia.

I was told Corporate Headquarters would review the case, but operators said several times that there was "no guarantee" of a transfer fee refund. It is not my fault that Western Union locations in the area were not in working order. I care if my family lives or dies, eats or goes hungry. I spoke to Lucy #0624, and was pleased that she understood my issue and cared. However, she said the financial services Corporate HQ office in St. Charles, MO had denied the request and I could write or fax them. I wrote to Western Union, who replied by sending a blank page with refund denied written on it. When I pay for a service I expect a company to honor their commitments and pony up the services I purchased. When they fail to do that I deserve to have my money refunded when they are incapable of delivering.