Transferwise - Bad Experience

[AustinJapan]

I want to warn people here about Transferwise.
They have been recommended on this site, but their service thus far in helping me set up has been hellish.
I checked online (I should have checked before) for reviews and they are poor.
Rated 1.5/5 stars across the first set of 78 reviews.
It worries me that they are highly rated here.

Here are some nuggets of my experience thus far.

Appalling interface.


1) Choose method of payment Page,
a) Internet Banking, b) Phone Banking, c) Go to a Branch face-to-face

I do not have internet banking or phone banking for my J-Bank, nor does a face-to-face payment sound right. Something is wrong.
Call help line Helpline
Press 2 for English - the robot says call the UK
Give up
Sometimes they call back out-of-the-blue. Their cheapskate algorithim probably wakes someone up to a 'problem customer'

I get a call

I describe problem as outlined above. I point out that people I have spoken to online said that internet banking is not requisite, or telephoe, or going to a bank counter!
Answer, yes, that's right.
So what do I do then...
'oh, it doesn't matter, just choose anyone of the options, they are all the same and you will get a Furikomi"
Are you serious?
1) So their interface is crap, they are lazy AND they are fully aware AND they think it is just fine the way it is. "Just choose any option" I mean that feels really great when making first payment!

Contradictory Information
Helpline staff have said various contradictory things to me - contradicting themselves even in one conversation and contradicting information sent in mails from various randomly assigned 'support team' (you can throw in condescending but innocently, if you know what i mean), a) you can tell right away whether you have made a payment, b) can't tell because it takes an hour to go through, c) Oh..it takes several hours for it be processed, or d) Me..no i can't tell, but I'll refer it to the payment team

-two sets of different information sent regarding furikomi details. The first completely useless, no branch name just a branch number which for my ATM is useless

Randomly assigned support each time
Each time you ask or reply to a question you will get a different representative. Some will know more about your situation than others. In anycase, having a dialog is impossible or at best, a matter of luck.

Low visibility/transparency
So you do not know where you are in the flow.

I can go on..
Basically, poor interface and shocking support. Setting up is not easy at all. Even the verification process, where you upload identification, has ambiguities in it such as asking you to upload documents - the buttons are not labelled correctly and give you the impression you are fully through the process at certain points and then later, it seems you are not.

I can't understand how you vouch for them. I urge you to check online reviews.

I understand that some of you must have aced your way through - good for you - and state that the rates are better than the other mob. Well, they had better be, because my experience with Transferwise has been hideous. I attempted my first transaction again today (for the third time) and at the end of the day, nobody knows or can tell me whether or what stage it is at. The Helpline wouldn't talk to me but sent me mail saying the 'Payment Team' are checking whoever they are, probably an outsourced company with no access.

Of course I go to the webpage and it says 'Waiting to Pay' ...as if it is still waiting fpr me to confirm soemthing. Have I missed a step?
But still lest me save the PDF of my 'payment/yet to be registered payment/non--payment.

At one point I had to cancel a payment I had not even made! Before I even Activated my Account!!!

What a shocker.

Avoid Transferwise!

Transferwise sucks etc. etc..

[RetireJapan]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. I have had over a dozen good ones, sending money to people in the UK, Sweden, Singapore, and Spain. Always smooth, fast, and pain-free.

[AustinJapan]

I appreciate that once through the woods you can see the sunshine. Happy Days!

I mean, once set up it is probably a breeze, but I will get hot and sweaty if you remind how painless the setting up is. Their system is shocking, their service is appalling, but if you have no need for service, then Happy days!

Just that one Payment Method Page should tell you that. NONE of the options presented were applicable to me and yet ALL would work equally well!

You should make it clear that you have no association with them as their reputation online is appalling.

[goodandbadjapan]

I'm wondering if something has changed because I found it to be very simple to set up and use. I appreciate that that is not what you want to hear and those ratings you mentioned would appear to suggest you are not alone! But personally I have found it so much easier than any other service I have used.The only hiccup I had was trying to send money to Japan from the UK but that was because I messed up the name on the Japanese account. But Transferwised just emailed me to tell me and repaid the money immediately. I like the service a lot but I know how utterly frustrating things like this can be when they don't go smoothly - I just don't get why we should have such different experiences! Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[AustinJapan]

Goodandbad,

For a minute, a few days ago, I thought I was home and so my fussing was for nothing. But these last two days confirmed my initial hunches.

The poster OKLa?/ posted on the previous thread that they told him - he even posted a screen shot - that Transferwise STILL TODAY state they have no service in Japan. This shows how sloppy they are.

Perhaps, the reason it is so Sh567ty might be because people around here don't complain enough? Maybe. Certainly, a lack of competition helps. I used GoRemit and it was really good sans one nasty thing - calling my office to confirm I wanted to send money (and that was because my limit was too low) I asked them not to and they promised not to, and which they promised they wouldn't but just like all Call Centres nowadays, once the phone is hung up, it is as if it never existed save for changes you initiated during the call to specific data. So they called again, and again.

Anyway, Transferwise have to be accountable to their - probably faceless, outsourced - support center. They get that 1.5/5 rating from somewhere, and it sounds like somewhere bad.

I have no words for my frustration and disappointment right now. You know how it goes on a helpline when you getting generic responses.

Their work flow is just messed up.

I tried to make a payment - perhaps it will work - but nobody knows, including me.

Now you may say, 'Just go online and see' and I have and what do i see?

It says, Transfer to (My name)
Waiting for you to Pay with the amount I inputted on the webpage prior to using the ATM.

So is the payment made?

Now, the impression I got from you was that I make the payment at the ATM with the supplied Furikomi information and THEN log on and confirm that it went through.

One of the support people said, 'No, you go on line first and then specify JPY to AUD and then choose the recipient account. Then go to the ATM. And Choose any of the options for Payment method (none evidently applicable to Japan) Which I did.
Another support staff said that I am not set up correctly yet. Where was I lacking? I tried to call/ I tried to guess. Each time a different responder, a different response. Finally, I confirmed with another support staff staff and she said I am ready to go!
The last support staff i spoke to said, i would simply have to make sure the deduction was made from my source account, (which I did) and then I was all good. I said , can you stay online with me as I go through the ATM steps, she said no need, just make sure your balance was deducted.

Remembering that you said you should check after transferring online. I went back on line and the numbers and figures available to download and save suggest I have MADE a payment, which contradicts the other message I get which says, are you ready to pay? suggesting that I am only partially through the process. Once I press Details of Payment, up comes the amounts and details and then says Select a Recipient as if that is not already done and dusted. Crazy!

No where does it say 'Payment Completed' I have received no email saying 'Payment Completed' and the support staff that said so confidently that I could tell right away, then writes to me that there is no way of telling and that the Payment Center can check (What is the F4567n payment center got to do with me? Why am even speaking to her in the first place. Anyway, she said thanks for your patience. A complete mess.

Now if I just start pushing buttons willy nilly on their dodgy interface, I might initiate another payment and I might inadvertedly cancel the payment I intended to make.

It makes me feel piss-poor and dumber than I already am.

[adamu]

AustinJapan, you're venting, which is understandable, but it means it's harder to find the useful information in the rant. It might be a good idea post a concise summary (maybe editing the first post in bullet form) of what specific problems you encountered. Who knows, maybe TransferWise will even see it and try to make improvements in the future.

I've only used them once a couple of years ago. The ID verification took about a week, and the actual transfer went through in 4 days with no issues. I noticed a small bug regarding estimated dates, which I emailed them about. They said thanks for letting them know, they'll work on a fix and here's a free transfer in the meantime. It was a good experience and they still look like the best option to me for when I need another international transfer.

[AustinJapan]

Adamu,

Yes and yes and yes.

Sorry people.

Good people of Retire Japan.

But was no good, I swear.

[AustinJapan]

RJ readers,

I will try to be more concise and I apologize for my rant.

Here are some reviews,

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/finance ... rwise.html

This quote from a feedback responder is how I am really feeling right now,

"The process with TransferWise is great if everything goes seamlessly. If there is a problem of any kind, the customer is screwed."

[goodandbadjapan]

AustinJapan

Having spent part of the evening on the phone to the British pension service I understand the frustration when things aren't going as they should! It's frustrating as can be. Usually, when you have successfully started the process with Transferwise you will get an email to say 'Your money is on the way' and then another saying when it has arrived. If you didn't get the first, it probably means there has been a problem in the process. I have no idea what that might be, but they always let me know that the process has started. Sorry your experience has been so annoying.

[AustinJapan]

Thanks GBJapan,

Right now, my wallet is signicantly lighter. My money is somewhere unknown and I have no emails. I wrote to the support. Phone calls are not working. No response on the email for the last five hours.

I’ll see how things look in the morning.

I sent off the Furikomi and have the receipt, but I suspect it is sitting somewhere within TransferWise and due to some glitch or incomplete registration the whole thing has frozen. I checked three times to ensure that my recipient account details are 100% fine before sending.

Something is wrong, but if the support service cannot help, I am extremely concerned

Sorry again for the messy rant folks.