Anyone use Western Union for payments before?

[john1]

Hey guys, I have a potential customer with a frozen food company who needs 30 sets of door decals for his trucks. Talked to him on the phone and he seems like a great guy. He is about 3-4 hours away from me and wants to send the money via Western Union.

He said he will set it up tomorrow and email me with the information and some numbers to tell a local store that cashes these payments. I told him to make it payable in my personal name so i can just show my ID and cash the funds.

I have never used Western Union before but he says he swears by it as i will have the money in minutes of him sending me the information to get the funds.

It's kind of a headache but how does it work and will i be charged anything crazy for cashing the funds? He said he is the one that would be charged but I'm not sure.

Thanks!

 

[tomence]

It's so easy a caveman can do it.

Just show them your id and confirmation number and you get the money.

Your customer pays the fees,

 

[john1]

Oh Nice, I wasn't sure so Thank You!

 

[Gino]

We've gotten one or two that way in the past and if I remember correctly, it went off like a breeze.

 

[J Hill Designs]

yeah its a rediculous fee (40% iirc) but he pays it

 

[jiarby]

I had a preacher once that wanted to use Western Union for 100 banners for a children's orphanage somewhere.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

lol Jiarby that ones a scam ..Western Union rocks if your the receiver, if your the payer it really costs, why would anyone pay bills that way now days, when he could go to a bank and just apply funds to your account.

 

[oldgoatroper]

yeah its a rediculous fee (40% iirc) but he pays it

I don't recall it ever being that high (could be that high on smaller amounts) but I know that its at least 10% paid by the sender.

Which begs the question... why would someone pay essentially a 10% surcharge on their purchases when other means of payment are much cheaper. It can't be just the "convenience" for the payee they are concerned about.

I'd be keeping a careful eye on things looking for signs of scam...

 

[Pat Whatley]

Don't know about Maryland but around here every grocery store does Western Union. It's a little inconvenient but you get paid in cash.

 

[phototec]

Bank Transfer?

yeah its a rediculous fee (40% iirc)

Why would any legitimate business use Western Union and pay those high fees, any businessman worth doing business with, knows better ways to transfer funds?

You can do bank to bank transfer for just a few $, my last customer a few hours away, just called his bank and had them transfer the funds to may bank account for a $3 fee, and I did not have to drive to a Western Union facility, the transaction took just a few minutes. Gas is $3 a gallon here, plus my time to drive to WU.

If you don't want to give him you bank account number, just have him use PayPal, again the fee is only a few $.

30 years ago before electronic banking and the Internet, there was a need for Western Union, now days, it's like using a horse and buggy.

 

[J Hill Designs]

looked it up, and @ $2k its 8%

edit: agreed fully phototec...its still way too high...maybe he has stock in WU rofl

 

[john1]

As long as i don't have to pay it lol

The customer said he pays his employees that drive trucks for his frozen food company this way and that's how he wanted to pay this time. It's a decent amount so i'm glad i don't have to pay the fees.

Thanks guys

 

[txsurfer]

I hope the Door Decals don't say "Feed The Children"? just sayin! not many legit businesses use Western Union, I have been in Business for 20 years and yet to receive a payment this way?

 

[phototec]

Cash in Hand

I hope the Door Decals don't say "Feed The Children"? just sayin! not many legit businesses use Western Union, I have been in Business for 20 years and yet to receive a payment this way?

That was my point also, every time I see PAYMENT by Western Union, it's usually associated with some type of scam!

Again, just my 2 cents worth, please let us know how it works out and for heaven sakes, don't do anything until you have the $800 cash in hand!

 

[oldgoatroper]

As long as i don't have to pay it lol

The customer said he pays his employees that drive trucks for his frozen food company this way and that's how he wanted to pay this time. It's about $800 of product so very excited i don't have to pay any fees.

Thanks guys

Why would anyone deliberately add at least 10% to their operating costs like that? Either the guy is an idiot or he's just feeding you a line in prep for some scam...

My bullshit meter is ticking up on this...

 

[john1]

That was my point also, every time I see PAYMENT by Western Union, it's usually associated with some type of scam!

Again, just my 2 cents worth, please let us know how it works out and for heaven sakes, don't do anything until you have the $800 cash in hand!

Of course, The guy actually has talked to me on the phone 2 times in the past 48 hours, He called me wanting my services since i sent out a email from my mailing list off my website.

I'm 99% sure it's legit but of course i will not print anything until i have the cash in hand. I'll keep everyone updated.

 

[phototec]

The customer said he pays his employees that drive trucks for his frozen food company this way

Just went to the WU website and got an estimate for sending $800.00, the fees ranges from $44 sending the funds to a bank or $66 for instant payment, see screen shot below.

And this guy does they every week to pay pay his drivers, doesn't make any good business sense to me, for 10 drivers he could be paying about $500 a week in fees to Western Union.

I have never heard of anything like this, sounds like S C A M to me.

 

[Gino]

Just went to the WU website and got an estimate for sending $800.00, the fees ranges from $44 sending the funds to a bank or $66 for instant payment, see screen shot below.

And this guy does they every week to pay pay his drivers, doesn't make any good business sense to me, for 10 drivers he could be paying about $500 a week in fees to Western Union.

I have never heard of anything like this, sounds like S C A M to me.

If he needs graphics for 30 vehicles, I would imagine he has them all out on the road and unless they're doubling up...... that amount times 30 is more like ahhhhh.. $1,500 smackeroos. Yowsa, that's a lota moolah for such an outfit.

Maybe he knows that guy from the other day that was selling decals back to himself for his car washes.
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[phototec]

$1,500 smackeroos in WU fees?

If he needs graphics for 30 vehicles, I would imagine he has them all out on the road and unless they're doubling up...... that amount times 30 is more like ahhhhh.. $1,500 smackeroos. Yowsa, that's a lota moolah for such an outfit..

Gino, you are correct, that doesn't make any smart business sense to me at all.

$1,500 smackeroos in WU fees every payday, c'mon who in their right mind would operate a business like that?

 

[john1]

Gino, you are correct, that doesn't make any smart business sense to me at all.

$1,500 smackeroos in WU fees every payday, c'mon who in their right mind would operate a business like that?

I don't care, as long as i get my money lol