As mentioned before, it is still deemed very rare for Chinese companies to accept Paypal or other secure means as T/T and Western Union are still their choice when it comes to receiving payments.
I've done a number of transactions through Western Union before and I received my orders without any hiccups. The name that is found under their website details or the contact person is generally different from what you'll be given when you're asked to transact through WU. From my understanding, there is only one person (or perhaps a few people) who is authorized to handle the accounts or any transfer of cash, therefore all transactions will have to be made payable to his account. As such, the mismatched of names is likely due to the fact that the person that you're contacting with, is not empowered to receive payments.
In theory, there can be another reason to this. You see, the Chinese like to adopt an English name so that Western clients will be able to remember/pronounce their names with ease and convenience. The person that you're contacting might introduced himself as Alan Wong but in actual fact, his real name is Wong Fat Choy. Let's say he requests that you transact payment through WU to a Wong Fat Choy, I'd suggest you don't really have to worry that much as you are actually transferring cash to the same guy. Notice that he's surname; Wong, is still the same. It's just that he has to give you his Chinese name so that there will be no problems during the transfer process.
This is just an explanation to help you out on understanding the part where there is a difference in names. Of course, you always have to do your due dilligence on the company before proceeding with any payments. But I'd say, if you've done your homework, please do not be afraid to plunge. The first step is always the hardest one to take and business requires a certain degree of risks. Have some faith.
Good luck with your business!
Linear Mode
December 2008
