Western Union is a financial service company founded in Colorado, United States in 1851. Its major services include money transfer and money orders. The company’s revenues have been impressive. According to a financial report, Western Union has annual revenue of $5.2 billion in 2010.
Despite Western Union being the leader of money transfer service for many decades now, the reputable company is facing onslaught of complaints as a result of poor customer service and lack of security. The following are top reasons why people should avoid using Western Union.
1. Western Union has poor security measures. It is widely reported that Western Union has been engaged with scams and fraudulent acts, although the company has denied it and they strongly claimed that they are not directly involved in any fraud attempts.
2. There are experience of racial discrimination among Western Union agents. There are unverified reports that agents didn’t process money transactions if the recipient of the money has Arab-sounding identity or name.
3. When purchasing products online, do not use Western Union’s money transfer service. There are many instances when the money gets stolen and the ordered items not being seen.
4. Western Union permits anyone to receive the money wired just by merely presenting the control number. This can be an issue in security when anyone else who has knowledge about the control number collects the money inadvisedly.
5. Besides lack of security, Western Union is also known for poor, bad customer service. They let customers wait for hours and sometimes, tend to delay transactions. In addition to that, their toll free customer service is not manned all time, so it will go on ringing for hours without attending to customers inquiries.
6. Western Union’s website sometimes has errors in currency exchange. Many have noticed several erroneous statistical reports and mixing up currencies which should not be the case for a company that deals with money transfers.
Choosing the Best Money Transfer Service for Filipinos
The good news is, there are still other money transfer service companies that Filipinos can choose from other than the bad service of Western Union. It is worthy to mention here that money transfer service should be extremely convenient and a less expensive option compared to bank transfers. The following are other essential reminders when choosing a money transfer service.
- Only choose a reputable money transfer service company. MoneyGram, Cebuana Lhullier and Xoom are trustworthy and consumer-friendly companies.
- Find out all the hidden charges and compare fees. Xoom is extremely expensive and they cover a lot of hidden costs. Notwithstanding, Xoom customer services are exceptional.
- Find a money transfer company with a friendly and customer-oriented service division. This is a very crucial element most especially when some urgent matters of customers need to be addressed. Make sure the toll free customer service is functioning.
- Consider online money transactions. This is the best option for transfers that only involve small amounts of money. Online money transfer is the most convenient and easiest option in this case.
To end, there are good reasons why Filipinos should steer clear from using Western Union as a money transfer service. The company is rife with complaints and negative reviews from its customer. Consider other options like LBC, Xoom and many others since there are many of them in the market.
Thank you for the post. Could you provide any source for your statements about Western Union? It is the largest provider for OFWs from USA to Philippines in a highly competitive field, so it is a bit suprising to read that they might be so much worse than other providers.
For more in-depth analysis on OFWs sending money from USA to Philippines, read: https://www.saveonsend.com/blog/money-transfer-philippines/
To learn more about Western Union, read this article: https://www.saveonsend.com/blog/western-union-money-transfer/
Western union OK naman matagal na ako nagpa2dala jan
Bad experience with Moneygram; 1. Ask relationship with rcvr. 2. Ask what’s the purpose of the money. 3. Too many questions irelevant to security I think, maybe I’m wrong!!!
Just recently, we were scammed to send our money remittance to Vietnam via Western Union. But due to smart security measures of Westrn Union, we were able to get back our money in full..Good job Western Union!!!!
Just the control number? I don’t think so. They will ask you to write the control number, the sender, amount, your name and your ID. They are strict even with names.
for almost 10 years Western Union helps me alot remitting money to my families in the Philippines.they charge u fair enough from us @ take only small amount of tax back home.no hassles unless receivers ID’s got a problem.thank u WESTERN UNION, ur the best…
I have been using Western Union for sending money to my family in the Philippines for 6 years now and I haven’t had any bad experince with their service. Although the service fee is a bit high compared to the other money transer service, I’m satisfied with Western Union.
Pati ba naman sa remitance company e may siraan hahahahaha!
I started using Western Union now and I noticed that some WU are asking for documents fee but some are not?
My experience with Western Union for decades are excellent and that’s all I can say.