Xoom Terrible Verification Process

“Xoom Terrible Verification Process”

Written on: 26/07/2012

I tried using Xoom for the first time to send money. I wanted to send $500 to the caretaker of my mom's home in the Philippines. Sign-up was relatively easy and sending money to my recipient seemed easy. There was a note on the confirmation web page that since I am not sending a large amount of money then the transaction would not need to go through their verification process since they already have my bank account info and credit card info as well as my address, birth date and home phone number. After a few hours, I receive an email stating to call Xoom verification service with the attached transaction number. So I call the provided number and it took me seven attempts to reach a service representative. The call would be picked up automatically and ask you to choose a number. When you make the choice it gets routed, rings once then no one picks up. There were a couple of times when someone would pick up but then all you heard was background noises of people chatting and laughing.

Anyway, I finally get connected to a representative who asked me my transaction number. I gave her the number that was emailed to me and she said that this number was invalid. I told her that it was the same number that was provided during my transaction and the email that asked me to call the verification representative. She insisted that it was invalid and that she could not help me with an invalid number. Then she said she wanted to confirm that I was who I was and started asking me all the information I provided during my sign-up which I answered correctly. The funny thing is she also wanted information on all my previous addresses that I have lived in the past 5 years. I still complied with that request and gave her the info. Then she wanted me to scan my driver's license and proof of billing from one utility company with my current address and send it to them. At this point I said I would just cancel the transaction since this is already too much info and time spent to send a measly $500. I had spent almost an hour on the phone trying to call them and speaking with them to verify my identity. It only takes me 15 minutes total to go to my bank and fill the paperwork to send several thousand dollars to the Philippines. Xoom was supposed to make it less time consuming to send money home but this was not my experience. BTW, my bank does not need me to supply them with all my previous address for the last 5 years.