Heroes can come from the unlikeliest of places, and often, it is the unsung ones that deserve the biggest rewards. Gina Coy, a 45-year-old housekeeper, is a good example. And as the five millionth customer of Home Credit Philippines, the reward she received was bigger than she could ever have imagined.
A Cebu local, Gina packed her bags eight years ago and took the chance to find work in Manila to support her four kids. She didn’t have any other plans other than going door-to-door to look for a job.
Gina shared Every week she would send money back to Cebu, leaving very little for herself. Constant communication was the only way that made her cope. Even with the distance, she kept updated with her family by calling them every day. So when her phone broke down, she had no other choice but to get a new one. The only problem was that it was way out of her budget, so she has to cut
down her personal allowance and the money she can send back to her family.
The company which reached the three million customer mark just a year ago, wanted to do something special to celebrate serving its five millionth customer. Home Credit reached out to Gina to tell her that she was chosen to be featured in one of their videos, an excuse to cover up the bigger surprise waiting for her. Gina said she would be more than happy to share her story.
An unexpected gift When the day for the interview shoot finally came, it was obvious that she was nervous but willing. She openly talked about her story, how just a day ago she had to borrow a thousand pesos because her daughter called her asking for new shoes. Hers was already splitting at the seams and Gina had to send the rest of the money she has to her family.
It was when Home Credit gently broke the news that there was more to their visit that the tears started flowing. Guided outside of her home, she soon broke down when she saw representatives from the company waiting for her in the rain. Bags of groceries were on the ground. In the hands of Home Credit’s Chief Executive Officer Annica Witschard and Chief Marketing and Product Officer Franchette Cardona was a blown up check with the words “100,000 pesos” written on it.
Gina was speechless. Neighbors flocked around her, and Witschard and Cardona offered their congratulations. “No, thank you,” Witschard said when Gina finally managed to express her gratitude. “You deserve all of these.”
She couldn’t believe her luck when she finally sat down to take everything in. When a day ago she was worried about her daughter’s torn up school shoes, she now has P100,000 pesos in cash, 10,000 worth of groceries, and the rest of her loan waived. When she shared the good news to her family using the phone she managed to afford through Home Credit, her daughter did not believe it at first as well. But her mother’s cries of joy convinced her.
Home Credit has been making things more affordable and accessible for the market since entering the Philippines five years ago. Known for their in-store loans for gadgets and other goods, Home Credit now also offers other financial products like cash loans for new customers and credit cards for existing ustomers, all while improving the ease of application to their products: two valid IDs, mobile app application, and less than one minute approval time thanks to the technology they use.
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