Consumer complaint received 2015-04-29
Product: Money transfers — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Money was not available when promised — 
Company: MONEYGRAM PAYMENT SYSTEMS WORLDWIDE INC (WV)

Below is the email complaint I submitted to MoneyGram 's Online Complaint Page ... 
Today was my XXXX and XXXX time using MoneyGram. I received the absolute worse, most harrowing service that I have ever experienced in my life. At XXXX XXXX I completed a cash transaction with MoneyGram for {$6000.00} + {$120.00} in transfer fees, and {$7.00} in transfer taxes. I was wiring money to my son 's father in South Carolina. Last XXXX, I was in a car wreck that totaled my vehicle. My son 's father was helping me with the purchase of another vehicle, so getting the money to him was urgent. Let me pause to say, I resent even having to explain why I was using your service as it is a violation of my privacy and I am paying you handsomely to provide the service. In any case, I paid for your service which promised that my receiver would be able to pick the funds up within 10 minutes. That did not happen. Instead he was told that there was a hold on the transaction and the folk at his South Carolina XXXX location told him to tell me I would have to ride back up to XXXX to resolve the issue. I returned to XXXX ( a huge inconvenience ) with all my paperwork showing that I 'd paid for the service and sent the money and it was confirmed that there was a hold. I was told I needed to speak with a MoneyGram agent who needed to ask me some questions. Needless to say, I 'm heated at this point. I 've paid for a service I did n't receive. Now, I need to be questioned about why I am sending the money, my relationship to the person to whom I am sending it, and what the money will be used for. At XXXX I refused to be forthcoming with that information as it was no one 's business. Frankly, if MoneyGram was truly concerned about these issues they would have asked these questions on the front end, before they took my cold-hard cash, processed the transaction, gave me a receipt indicating that the service I purchased would be provided. Instead, MoneyGram took the cash then proceeded to treat me like a suspect in some sort of scam operation all the while holding my funds hostage. Furthermore, every MoneyGram associate I spoke with was patronizing and condescending. XXXX so called supervisor even hung up on me! When the XXXX associate called back to advocate on my behalf the original MoneyGram agent who gave us the name XXXX ( Operator # XXXX ), hung up on her. Finally, a XXXX Manager got involved and a MoneyGram agent hung up on her too. I am absolutely appalled! The hold on my transaction was not released until an hour and a half after I had paid for the XXXX minute service. In between, I was treated horribly and inconveniently by every MoneyGram agent with whom I spoke and I PAID for YOUR SERVICE, {$120.00}. When I flat out asked the agent -- she gave the name XXXX -- if there was anything MoneyGram was willing to do to make-up for the way in which I had been treated and inconvenienced, she said, " Absolutely not, '' and ... " Yes, that 's what I 'm telling you ... '' [ In response to my question, so you all are n't going to do anything? ] I ca n't believe a company as well-known as yours treats their customers this awful. Frankly, given the humiliation I was forced to endure and the long delay ( one and a half-hour ) instead of the XXXX minutes I paid for, I feel strongly that I should be reimbursed the {$120.00}, as I did not receive the service I paid for. When I asked the agent XXXX if they do this to all of their customers he responded, " No, just when it 's suspicious. '' I 'm a XXXX woman. I was sending the money to my son 's father a XXXX XXXX with the clearly XXXX name XXXX XXXX XXXX, and I ca n't help but wonder if my own telling " XXXX XXXX accented '' XXXX and XXXX 's name were " suspicious. '' I 'm inclined to believe this may be true as I watched a XXXX gentleman next to me using MoneyGram endure the same treatment.