Question 1

What is WRDO?

Accepted Answer

WRDO is a helper you chat with on WhatsApp. Tell WRDO what needs doing — a garden, a leaking tap, a haircut, maths lessons, a car service, catering — and WRDO finds people close to you who do that work and whom your neighbours already vouch for. You pick, WRDO sets up the booking. No app, no forms: you just say hey. WRDO is built and run by WRDO (Pty) Ltd in Paarl, South Africa.

Question 2

Is WRDO an app?

Accepted Answer

No. WRDO lives inside WhatsApp, so it works on any phone that runs WhatsApp and stays light on data. Save the number +27 72 110 4651, send “Hey WRDO”, and you are in.

Question 3

Where does WRDO work?

Accepted Answer

WRDO starts in Paarl and the Cape Winelands — Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Wellington, Somerset West and the towns between — and is registering people across Cape Town too. Bookings open area by area, as soon as an area has enough people asking and enough people doing the work. Tell WRDO your area and it will let you know the moment yours opens.

Question 4

Which languages does WRDO speak?

Accepted Answer

English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa and isiZulu. Write to WRDO in the language you think in and it answers in the same one.

Question 5

Is WRDO a person or a computer?

Accepted Answer

WRDO is an AI you chat with, and a real person can step in whenever you want. Say “I need a human” in the chat, or email hello@wrdo.co.za. WRDO tells you when it is not sure about something rather than guessing.

Question 6

Who is behind WRDO?

Accepted Answer

WRDO the character is a 27 000-year-old caveman who walked out of the Stone Age, put on sneakers and settled in Paarl, with a silent quagga named echo at his side. The company behind him is WRDO (Pty) Ltd, a South African company based in Paarl, founded by Alwyn Beetge.

Question 7

How do I get someone to help me?

Accepted Answer

Message WRDO on WhatsApp and say what needs doing and where. WRDO comes back with a few people nearby who do that work, with their vouches, ratings and verification badges. You choose one, agree the price and time in the chat, and WRDO confirms the booking with both of you.

Question 8

What does it cost to use WRDO?

Accepted Answer

Nothing. There is no fee to ask, no fee to book and no fee to cancel with fair notice. You pay the person who does the work, at the price you agreed before they arrive.

Question 9

How do I pay?

Accepted Answer

Cash in hand, or online through the payment options WRDO shows you at booking. WRDO never holds your money and never takes a cut of it.

Question 10

Are the people checked?

Accepted Answer

Everyone who does work through WRDO has verified their identity with an ID document and a selfie before their first job. Many also opt in to deeper checks — criminal, background and business — which show as a badge on their profile. On top of that you see vouches and ratings from other people in your area. You still use your own judgement, as you would with anyone you let onto your property.

Question 11

What if something goes wrong?

Accepted Answer

Tell WRDO first. WRDO helps sort it out in good faith. A confirmed booking is a commitment both ways: if either side cancels at the gate, it costs the person who cancelled, not the one who kept their word.

Question 12

How do I get work through WRDO?

Accepted Answer

Register on WhatsApp. It takes a few minutes: your name, a selfie, the area you work in and what you do. You get a free profile and WRDO does the advertising, the admin and the tech. When someone near you needs what you do, WRDO sends the job to you.

Question 13

Does WRDO take a cut?

Accepted Answer

No. WRDO takes 0% commission. Every cent a customer pays for your work goes to you — not now, not at scale, not ever. The basics are free; optional extras such as cover are priced upfront so you always know before you say yes.

Question 14

What is “cover”?

Accepted Answer

Optional protection you can switch on from about R10 a workday, arranged through third-party cover providers. If you get hurt on a job or something breaks, you are not on your own. The provider’s policy terms govern any claim.

Question 15

Do I need a fancy phone or lots of data?

Accepted Answer

You need a phone that runs WhatsApp. That is all. WRDO keeps messages short and does not send you big files, so it works on an entry-level phone and a small data bundle.

Question 16

Can I bring my team?

Accepted Answer

Yes. One pair of hands can become a crew: assign jobs to your people and let WRDO split payouts automatically.

Question 17

Does WRDO report my earnings to SARS?

Accepted Answer

No. Booking a job through WRDO is not a tax filing, and WRDO does not send your earnings or your details to SARS or any other authority unless a court or the law compels us — and if that ever happens, we tell you, unless the law forbids it. Our Privacy Notice explains exactly what we keep and why.

Question 18

Can a business be on WRDO?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Register as “I run a business” and you get a free profile, bookings through WhatsApp and a business verification badge once your company details check out. WRDO handles the enquiries; you handle the work.

Question 19

Does WRDO connect to the tools I already use?

Accepted Answer

That is the plan: sync bookings, payments and invoices to the Google, Microsoft, Xero and Sage tools you already run. We are wiring these now and building the most-asked-for ones first, so tell WRDO which tools you use — that is how the order gets decided.

Question 20

What does WRDO keep about me?

Accepted Answer

Your phone number, your name, the language you prefer, your area, and the messages you send WRDO. If you pay through WRDO, the transaction details too. Nothing more than it needs, and it never sells any of it. The plain-language version is our POPI Notice; the full version is our Privacy Notice.

Question 21

How do I see, fix or delete my information?

Accepted Answer

Message WRDO: “What do you know about me?” shows you everything, “That’s wrong” fixes it, and “Forget me” deletes your account and your information. You can also email hello@wrdo.co.za or use our PAIA Manual for a formal access request.

Question 22

Is WRDO safe to use?

Accepted Answer

WRDO shows you who you are dealing with before you commit: verified identity, optional deeper checks, vouches from neighbours and ratings from real bookings. Your money never sits with WRDO. And you can leave, and be forgotten, whenever you choose.

Question 23

What is the Founding Draw?

Accepted Answer

A launch competition with 21 Nettleton in Clifton: register with WRDO, opt in to updates, and you are in the draw for a three-night stay for two. Referring friends and following WRDO earns extra entries. Free to enter, open to South Africans aged 18 or older, closing 1 December 2026. The details are on the competition page and the full rules are in the competition terms.

Talk to WRDO. Or to a human.