RED FLAG! STAY AWAY! I AM STILL WAITING FOR MY REFUND?!?!?! FOR FIRST AND LAST TIME WITH REMITLY!

I'll start by saying that I usually write a review because I'm thoroughly disgusted at the actions of a particular company. And this time is no exception. I live in the USA. My fiancé/girlfriend lives in the Philippines with her family. Like many others nowadays we met online and fell in love. We've been together for a year and a half. I'm planning to go there and marry her so she can get a marriage visa to come to the USA. She grew up extremely poor. I don't want her to have to work for 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, for $50, which is common there. So I fully support her whole family. I pay their rent, utilities, buy all the food, etc. I send her money every week. I've used several different money transfer services. I hadn't used Remitly yet, but thought I'd give them a try since they "appeared" to focus on the Philippine community. I figured that since they are a Philippines only transfer company they would have more concern and be more sympathetic to the Filipino people. But that is absolutely untrue! It's just the opposite. They don't give a damn about the Filipino people, consider them to be scammers, and could care less if they're starving to death. Just listen to this almost unbelievable first encounter I had with their company. My girlfriend's family had run out of food and had eaten nothing at all for 2 days due to a communication problem between us. Very mistakenly I decided to try Remitly to send her some money, only $50. I filled out the form and sent the money assuming it would get there in minutes like most other services. My girlfriend called back about an hour later to say there was no money available for that transaction number. She was weak from not eating and it was very hot and she had to ride her bike a long ways to pick up the money. In my email there was a letter from Remitly saying there would be a one hour delay while they double checked my information. I couldn't understand why they had to do that. I sent from my Visa debit card that I've used a hundred times before. All the info was correct, so what was the problem? After waiting and waiting for a few hours I suddenly get ANOTHER email from Remitly saying I need to send them a copy of a document that has my address on it. WHAT? I just wanted my girlfriend to get the money and finally have some food, so I quickly sent Remitly a government document with my name and address. Even though it was ridiculous to have to go through all that just to send $50. In all the years I've been using transfer services I've NEVER had anyone hold up my transaction and ask for proof of who I am. They acted as if I was a suspected terrorist or something. But hold on, it get's MUCH worse. So my gf rides all the way back again to pick up the money... but it's STILL not there. She has to ride all the way back to the café again to call me on the PC and tell me the bad news. She says she's getting very dizzy and feeling sick. About another hour after I send the document I get ANOTHER EMAIL AGAIN. This time Remitly is telling me that I need to call their customer service dept! So I call them and ask What is the problem NOW? The girl says Well sir, we need to ask you some questions to further verify your ID. I couldn't believe they actually still wanted more from me just to transfer a lousy 50 bucks. I asked What do you want to know? She then began asking me EXTREMELY personal questions that were none of her business. Who are you sending this money to? Are you related to them? How long have you known this person? I was getting VERY VERY pissed off at her intrusive line of questioning and wondering what in the hell did all this have to do with sending money. How is it ANY of Remitly's business who I want to send money to? I THINK I'm old enough to make that decision for myself! But I wanted this over and done with so my poor hot, weak, very tired and hungry girlfriend could finally go home and eat. I explained to her my gf and her family hadn't eaten going on 3 days. And I told her she was my fiancé who I've been with for a year and a half, etc., etc. After all that she had the nerve to ask me if I've ever met her in person! I said Of course not, I live in the USA and I'm planning to come there and marry her. But she keeps going on and says Well has she ever visited you? I had just told her I hadn't been able to be with her yet and she still asks me that. After her extremely rude Gestapo line of questioning was finally over she says I'll talk to my supervisor. She comes back after a very long wait and tells me Sir, based on the information you've given me I'm afraid Remitly will not be able to complete your money transfer. I couldn't even believe what I was hearing. I said You mean Remitly refuses to send a measly $50 just for the fact that I haven't yet personally met with my fiancé? You can't be serious. What is your reasoning behind all this ridiculous paranoia? She said A lot of people in the Philippines are known to scam people for their money. Since you haven't met her in person we don't know if she is just scamming you. I kept thinking This can't be real. I said to her So you're telling me that because of the very remote chance my fiancé has been scamming me for a whole year and a half Remitly refuses to send my money to her? I said, Who the hell is Remitly to dictate to me who I can and cannot send my own money to? I don't need Remitly to police my actions and make sure I don't make any mistakes! And even if I did choose to send money to a scammer that's NONE OF REMITLY'S BUSINESS! I can give my own money to whoever I damn well please! I'm not a little kid and Remitly is NOT my mother! She just said Well that's Remitly's policy sir, goodbye... and hung up. I just sat there numbed from what I had just been told. It was just unbelievable. How could any company be so incredibly callous and coldhearted? And actually dictate to me who I should or shouldn't send money to? How can any company make it their business to police your money? I have many Filipino friends here in the USA. I was telling one guy what happened. He said Oh I know all about it... they pulled that same exact crap on me last year, and I was only trying to send $25! That's why I will NEVER use Remitly and neither does anyone I know. Remitly suspects all Filipinos of being scammers. They totally SUCK. I told him I was in complete agreement. They treated me like I was a terrorist, then insinuated my fiancé was just a scammer. Overly suspicious isn't even the half of it. This company is straight up paranoid. In America we go by Innocent until proven guilty... But un American Remitly has made it clear they believe in just the opposite... Guilty until proven innocent. In effect, Remitly condemns the people of an entire country for the actions of a small minority. In my book, that's way too close to being prejudiced and a racist. There are plenty of other transfer services. And I most certainly will not use the one that goes against my rights as an American citizen. Anyone who supports this company is doing an injustice to their fellow Americans... and the people of the Philippines. Message to Remitly: If you intend to do business with Americans... then you'd better act like one.