Why we send: In conversation with our customers (Part 1)

The 500 Reasons competition

Let’s start with the competition, what were you doing when you found out that you had won?

Gita

'I came home from work around 12am and I saw the post saying WorldRemit is having a competition. So I submitted my application and I went to bed - by the time I woke up, I received an email from WorldRemit! It was hard to believe. And $500! I have never won anything in my life, it was very surprising and unbelievable.'

Suraj

'When I got my 500 Australian dollar gift card, I was quite excited. During this pandemic and the lockdown, everything was shut down, the number of jobs has been falling and so have the working hours. So this [competition] has been quite beneficial for me.'

What are you planning on using the prize for?

Gita

'I often use WorldRemit to send lots of donations to help people in need in my country, Nepal. So I wanted to use it for a good cause.

What usually happens is, when someone has financial need, people from my country post it on social media, so we find out from them and can send directly to Nepal. I have sent money to help people who are suffering from cancer, some children who were not able to have nutritious food and also during this pandemic, we didn't have enough financial support to buy PPE for health care workers in Nepal. So we collected money here and sent it to them to buy PPE and swab tests, and we used WorldRemit to send the money. I don't send a lot of money for donations because I'm a student. But normally every week, I send around 30 to 40 dollars. I see people asking for help and I can't get over it if I don't send anything. WorldRemit is the best platform to send small amounts as well, because the charge is minimal and it goes directly to the person who needs it. And it's very convenient - we can rely on it.

'Nepal is a small country and we are very kind, we can't see anyone suffering. So it's not a registered group or anything. If, say, one of my friends’ mothers is suffering from something, my friend will start collecting the money to send to my friend's mum. Until I know it's genuine, nobody sends the money, we make sure it's genuine. Then we start collecting the money and send it back to Nepal.'

Suraj

'I can use it for purchasing some of the daily necessities, including some groceries and some other items. It’s helped me and my family to make some savings, with the little hours that I'm working right now. Due to the pandemic, my income has drastically fallen down to like half of what I had been earning earlier. So that has compensated for me at least one or two weeks.

I just recently finished my studies. I was supposed to find better work at better places, after I completed my degree. Due to the pandemic, everything has been totally changed and we can't apply (for as many jobs), so I had to take some odd jobs. Currently, I'm working as a personal shopper.

I was studying for a Masters of Business Administration. Before the pandemic, the college had announced that we would be doing some internships with one of the renowned banks. But due to the pandemic, the study has been shifted to the online platform and we were no longer able to visit for on site studies. And all of these [on-site] activities have been cancelled, so everything has to be at home. The college normally hosts some interviews from different organizations but that has also been cancelled for the moment. So it has drastically affected our lives, you know?'

Sending money home and using WorldRemit

How long have you been using WorldRemit? What do you think of it?

Gita

'I think I started using WorldRemit at the beginning of 2020. The first transaction I made was $20 because I wasn't sure whether it was reliable or not, so I thought let's try twenty dollars. I sent it to my mom's account and it said it was delivered within three minutes, so I asked my mom whether it had been delivered and she said it had. I started sending the referral codes to my friends. It is very reliable. You can like, you can sleep, you know?

When you use other sources of transferring money like Hundi, you can't sleep not knowing whether your money will be deposited or not. So it was reliable and less risky - or no risk I would say. It will be delivered. Even if you have any technical issues like you put the wrong details of the receiver, you can get technical support from the WorldRemit customer services. So ten out of ten.

Suraj

'Well, I have been using WorldRemit for over one and a half years. And before that, I didn't know much about it. I stumbled on the ad on Facebook, I think, so I thought maybe I should give it a try. And when I tried it for the first time, I liked it. I like the service, I like how fast the money goes through and the transparency of the transaction. And since then I haven't made any switch to platforms for sending money.'

When you send money back to Nepal, who are you sending to?

Gita

'To be honest, it's basically going home for my family to support my mom back home. On top of that, I use it to send gifts to my friends when they have birthdays or weddings. And I use it for recharging my uncle's phone and paying the internet bills for my cousins. I also use it for sending small amounts to the people who need it, really.'

Suraj

'Well, I'm always sending money back to Nepal because my parents and my family are over there. I usually send money at least once a month, but sometimes it would be four or five times a month. It's for general support. Due to the fact that the world is going through serious economic stress, the market is very bad. Making a living just by having a normal income is quite difficult now back in our country, so I really need to support them.'

When you send money from Australia to Nepal, how much more of an impact does it have? How far does the money go?

Gita

'The money we send from Australia to Nepal, it's basically our investment and responsibility to our family. It's not just a ginger box and a big snack, because it makes a huge difference in my country. If I send a dollar from Australia, it will be 85 to 90 rupees in Nepal, depending on the exchange rate, so it will have a huge impact. Even if I'm sending a small amount, it will be big in my country so we can actually make a big change with the money.'

Suraj

'Well the conversion rate is one Australian dollar is around 84 rupees and it is quite a fair price. But sometimes the prices will go down, let's say, during the Australian bushfire. So, the rate has drastically fallen down to around sixty rupees, I think. Well, sometimes it has quite a great impact. But, on the whole the rate is quite fine. I'm also very satisfied with the transparency.'

Have you ever used other methods of money transfer?

Gita

'Yes, I came to Australia in 2017. Since then, I always send money home because my dad passed away, so my mom needed some financial assistance. And I used to send it from Hundi. They don't call themselves Hundi though – they have different names. And it's kind of stressful, when you send your hard-earned money and it doesn't get deposited for three to five days and they don't even respond back once the money is sent from your side. And you lose your sleep. It's distressing. And they charge more than the legal limit; they charge $10- 15 and you never know whether your money will be deposited or not. So it's a stressful and unreliable source of sending money.

'One of my friends lost $4,500 in Hundi and it hasn't been recovered yet. And you can't even do anything; you can't file a police case because it's an illegal way of transferring money. No one can take care of it. You have to do it on your own. You can't cancel the transaction because it's already been sent to another account and they keep on changing their account details. Once they reach the transaction limit, they change the account and tell the customers to send to another account. So you can't fully trust them.'

Suraj

'Well, I had used other platforms like I had tried Western Union and another service long ago. And sometimes I did use Hundi as well. It is Hundi for Nepal but it's called a local remit or something else, and there was quite a difference. The money was taking one or two business days. So I was not sure whether the money was going and whether it would be received until the transaction was finished. I was always worried. Where has the money gone or how long will it take for the money to go through? And I was quite worried because with the local service or Hundi you need to make a personal call and everything. The customer service was not satisfactory and it caused quite a lot of  trouble.

'I was always checking on some of the best platforms. We want instant transactions so you don't have to worry about anything. So I just checked on Google. I found Rocket Remit which was giving instant transactions, but it was also not satisfactory. And so I tried Western Union. It was an instant transaction, but the rate is also very low so it is not like the actual market rate. I was not satisfied with that, so I was trying and trying to keep searching for a different remit. Then I stumbled upon WorldRemit; I can now totally be hassle free for every transaction. I don't need to worry about anything. I just do the transaction and I just leave it. And let's say the money doesn't go on the designated time - I just give a call to customer service and they will sort it out immediately. That's the good thing about WorldRemit.'

Experience of migrating to Australia

So how long have you lived in Australia, and what was your motivation for doing so?

Gita

'Four years. I've been here for four years.

'I came to study Accounting to experience a different country, and to know what's happening [outside of] our country now. And actually, Australia has lots of opportunities. It's a diverse country and it has a beautiful climate. That's the reason I moved to Australia.

'I've already graduated (in accounting), but I started working as an assistant nurse in a nursing home, so I'm actually planning to move to a nursing career. I like caring for people and giving care to the elder people, you know, when they appreciate the job we do. It's a beautiful feeling.'

Suraj

'It has been almost three and half years; I came in the middle of February 2018.

'It was totally for studies when I first came to this country. I've already completed my Masters and I'm still watching for the opportunities. So if I get the proper opportunities that I'm looking for, I would definitely be planning to stay here for a few years, but not to extend permanently because I want to contribute to my own country as well. My primary motivation was that I came here to study so that I can utilize that in my own country and make a contribution to my own society as well.'

Do you have a favourite thing about living in Australia?

Gita

'The welcoming culture; people are very friendly, and it has lots of good job opportunities for everyone. And the weather, and that people are outgoing. Also if you have money, you can do anything here. That's what I love about Australia.'

Suraj

'The pandemic has changed a lot, but one of the best things in Australia is personal security. During my stay here in Australia, I found it's a very secure place where no one interferes with you, your personal security is guaranteed. As well as that, the system is also good, and the people really acknowledge what they need to do as a responsible citizen.

'Let's say during the bushfire time the government has announced that you need to restrict the use of water for a longer duration, and it was not only governments who were trying to impose the law. They will act like responsible citizens in Australia. And Australia is totally made from a different, diverse community of people from different backgrounds, some from India, some from different parts of the world. So people here are living together with harmony.'

What do you miss most about Nepal?

Gita

'Everything! I miss the food, I miss family, friends, street foods... We do celebrate our festivals here, but still, it's never like celebrating in our country with relatives and family.'

Suraj

'Well, I was born there so, obviously people will be away, but they will love their birthplace, you know? And my family is still over there.

'I have spent my  whole childhood and my teenage years back in Nepal. So definitely, I'm going to miss everything about Nepal: my culture, my background, my friends, my family.

'Yes, Australia is nice. The community is nice, but it will be quite hard for me to find that same kind of feeling that I have got back in Nepal. So that's why I want to move back to Nepal. And also because Australia is already a progressive country, so my contribution to Australia won't make such a large difference. But my contribution to a developing country like Nepal will. My contribution over there will have much more of an impact. So I want to impact that society, because I feel like you have to make a contribution where it will make a difference.'

Thank you so much to Gita and Suraj for talking with us and sharing their experiences! We’ll be back soon to speak to more customers and get their thoughts on the competition, money transfers and living in Australia.