Consumer complaint received 2021-06-12 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — International money transfer
Issue: Money was not available when promised — 
Company: MONEYGRAM PAYMENT SYSTEMS WORLDWIDE INC
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
I sent money from illinois to XXXX XXXX for my mother. When my mom went to pick the money from the designated place, they said they dont have cash so come some other day. She went back after a day and they told her that the pickup location is not mentioned. So they dont see the money coming to their store. My mom went home the second time and called and told me to add the Location so she can pick the money. I checked the receipt and clearly saw that the location and State/province was mentioned in there. Knowing that the money gram can not process if there is no mention of place where it is going. 
Anyways I took a couple of pictures of the receipt and sent them to my mom. Even after doing so much they didnot get the money. Then I called money gram customer service. The lady who talked to me told me that she will send the money to nearest XXXX and I can pick from that location. She didnot give me the reference number needed to pick the money. At XXXX I was asked the reference number and since I didnot have it, they were not able to do anything about it and advised me to go back to the place where the transaction was initiated. So after making an unpleasant trip to XXXX I went to CVS pharmacy and requested a refund. They asked me for a reference number which I didnot have. I called customer service and the rep. said there whole system wprld wide is down so call back some other day and time. I came home after wasting almost all my day off in resolving this issue. 
The following day I called money gram and the rep. said to go to XXXX and then call them from there. I did and hold the phone for about an hour before a rep. came and told me that the cashiar from XXXX have to call them from their work phone line so they can give them the information for money return. At first XXXX XXXX hesitated then called his XXXX. She said right away that it is not their place to do anything with the return since it wasnot from their store. She was nice and agreed later to call the moneygram number, waited for a long time on the phone and then was given a number that was only 5 digit long that didnot even work. XXXX manager advised me to go to CVS, they can help me. After being on the phone for about 2 hours at XXXX I came back to CVS. They were not able to do anything. I called the customer service again. They put me on hold for a very long period of time, even then they didnot have any answer for me. I requested to talk to the manager, they connected me to their supervisor who put me on hold for another 45 minutes. Then he came back online and told me that the money has been returned already and I need to go back to XXXX and let the cashier call them from work number and they will give the reference number to them. I asked him why can't I get the reference number. He kept on insisting that I go back and let the cashier call them back for reference number or some directions. 
They kept on sending me to a goose chase and be ridiculed at both stores. 
This morning I called them again, she told me the same thing and hung up the phone on me when I asked questions. It's like they want me to be fed up going back and forth in stores and asking for my money and then ultimately give up. While in their records they have the information that money had been returned. In one of my conversations with the managers. I asked who picked the money without the reference number and what time of the day it happened and he told me the return time when that location of XXXX is closed

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief