One of our employees, stationed in Botswana, needed money right away. A bank transfer, touted as “money in minutes” took 5 – 7 business days to access. Instantly accessible? Not so much. Another option was Western Union. Having never sent a Western Union money transfer before, I wasn’t really sure what information was needed. Before heading to one of the offices, I called the toll free service center.

“Hi. I need to send money to someone in Botswana. I’ve never sent a Western Union money transfer before; can you tell me what information I’ll need, as well as what the recipient will need?”

There was a pregnant pause. A nasaly mid-Western voice filled the line. “Young lady, are you purchasing something off the Internet?”