Consumer complaint received 2025-06-25 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — International money transfer
Issue: Other transaction problem — 
Company: WESTERN UNION COMPANY, THE
State: WI

Complaint narrative:
I had to use Western Union to pay for 2 XXXX  while I was in an international country. I only had access to a phone and their mobile website. After adding my checking account information to make the transfer, the mobile website kept taking me to the home page to start all over. It kept asking me to add checking account information. Their mobile website was defective. I was stressing out because this was on the day of my XXXX and I needed the payment to go through. I kept trying over and over again but I could not use my checking account to make payment because the website was not working properly. I tried using a debit card to pay since my debit card is linked to my checking account. I added my debit card to Western Union. After submitting the information to make the transfer, I would get a page stating " We're sorry, we couldn't complete your transfer at this moment. Please contact our Customer Care using Reference Code XXXX so we can help '' I called customer service and it was a pain to even get someone on the phone because of their AI automated system. I was told to contact my bank. I called my bank and they said nothing is wrong with my card and they saw no restrictions. I tried using my card for the money transfer again. I received the same error code. I called customer service again and was told the same information. Then I was told to try a different card. That was not possible as the money was in my checking account to pay for the surgeries. I asked if I could make a transfer over the phone. Every time I tried that, customer service told me that I had to listen to a consent on an automated line, but then I was always transferred to the beginning of the phone call and had to start the call all over again. That automated consent line did not work every time. That method could not work. I called my bank and spoke to multiple people who stated the problem is not with my card or checking account. The problem is with Western Union and to call them. Western Union just kept telling me the same information- call my bank or try a different payment method. I finally tried using a computer browser to try to use my checking account to make the transfer. I received the same error message and code XXXX. Customer service could not tell me anymore information other than what they were telling me. I tried making another account to make payment. I received the same error message. I also received error message, " We're sorry, we couldn't complete your transfer. We recommend contacting your bank to let them know you'd like to send money with Western Union or trying with a different payment method. Reference code : XXXX '' I tried having someone else make an account and use my debit card to pay. This person was located in the United States. This person also received error message and code XXXX. I kept trying and trying over and over again to use my debit card and checking account for hours. It was not working ... but finally after I stopped trying for a while it worked! I was able to pay for my first XXXX and then the second XXXX I needed to pay for was not working. I was dealing with the same thing all over again making tons of phone calls and dealing with customer service and trying to process the payment over and over again. Nothing was working. I then tried all of my credit cards and my other debit card. Nothing worked. Finally, the last call I made to Western Union customer service told me that my location in XXXX was preventing me from making the transfer. I was never told this before. Everyone was telling me something different. I don't even know if what she told me is true or if she was making it up. It does not make sense to me that my transfer could not go through just because my location was showing in XXXX. I don't even know how they could see my location. Also, why wouldn't the transaction my friend tried to make in the United States with my information work? I felt like I was being lied to and I still don't know why my transfer could not go through. I feel like they blocked my account from making any transfers since I tried many credit cards, debit cards, and my checking account. I even tried making another account. All this was going down while the XXXX room was waiting for me. My XXXX was cancelled. There was no other way for me to pay. They only accepted Western Union or cash but I didn't bring cash with me to XXXX. This was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. I will never trust Western Union again. I hope that writing this creates positive change because this might happen to someone else that is trying to pay for XXXX in an international country and it might have happened to others. I repeat, MY XXXX WAS CANCELLED after flying all the way to XXXX all because Western Union failed me. 

To add, there is another experience with Western Union that upset me. Someone sent me a payment transfer. When I went to go look for cash pick up places on the mobile website, the page stated it could not be found. I used my desktop and I was able to use the page but when I submitted the information to find cash pick up places near me, it stated the information could not be found. Although when I called customer service, they were able to find the information. There must be something wrong with the website. This is super frustrating. Western Union needs to get their sh! t together!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation