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Is DHL the Worst Int’l Shipping Service? I Think So

As an inveterate gadget-lover I am used to buying stuff from overseas sellers and paying to have it shipped. This is often the only way to get rare devices like the Kyobo Mirasol eReader, so I really don’t mind the often weeks long shipping delay. China in particular can take up to 3 weeks, so naturally I have had to learn a little patience.

But then there are the services which seem to just sit there with a thumb up their ass, and that is when my patience wears thin. To wit, DHL.

I’m now waiting on a package which was shipped via DHL. It’s an ereader which I bought from Europe, and since I don’t want to embarrass the seller I won’t say who sold it to me.

But I will say this. I’ve been tracking the package, and according to DHL it has spent the past week just sitting in some distribution center somewhere in the US. Why? I don’t know. It’s just sitting there, gathering dust.

On a related note, DHL’s tracking service sucks. I cannot track the shipment I am getting on DHL’s international website, DHL’s US website, or on any site other than DHL.de. Having multiple websites and systems which do not communicate is a design decision on par with DHL’s inability to process a shipment.

What’s more, this is not the first time that DHL ignored a package for a week. Earlier this year I bought a different ereader from that same seller, and with that shipment DHL decided to let the package sit in Germany for a week. There was no explanation for that, either.

Some might choose to defend DHL and claim that a week’s delay (even unexplained) is not bad. That would be true if not for the fact that DHL is slower than the post office. A package shipped USPS Priority Mail will make it to Germany in 9 days. I know this because I just shipped an ereader to Germany a few weeks back.

And speaking of tracking, I can use the USPS website to track shipments sent to me from Korea, China, and Europe (and probably elsewhere).  So not only is the USPS faster, it also has a better website.

Given that DHL costs more than the post office and takes longer to deliver, I have to wonder why people still use it.

Can someone explain that, please?

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Comments


Paul December 6, 2012 um 1:11 pm

Almost sounds like OfficeMac which may be regretting offering $40 off a Nook HD on cybermonday as my Nook still hasn’t shipped even though the web site says 4-7 business days if you try and buy one.


Scott Alexander December 7, 2012 um 10:42 am

The answer is simple. DHL is really the German postal service and they just don’t give a damn.

Dave K February 18, 2013 um 7:09 am

Is your blog the worst thing i’ve ever read? I think so!

Kelly September 29, 2014 um 2:22 am

Dont be an ass


LCNR December 8, 2012 um 3:50 am

"… and since I don’t want to embarrass the seller I won’t say who sold it to me."

Shucks. I was going to ask you if you plan to test the Bookeen Odyssey HD Frontlight.

"Earlier this year I bought a different ereader from that same seller, and with that shipment DHL decided to let the package sit in Germany for a week."

Ah. Then it’s probaby not the Bookeen.

So, do you?

LCNR

Nate Hoffelder December 9, 2012 um 4:30 pm

I would like to get it but their press people won’t return my emails.


ann April 22, 2013 um 12:10 am

they do suck bigtime Why does anyone use DHL FEDEX is so much much better


Sam alex October 10, 2013 um 12:46 pm

DHL is the worst service I have ever seen, in fact, HK and China post work better than them, despite the fact that DHL charge exorbitant price.

Nate Hoffelder October 10, 2013 um 1:09 pm

It is surprising how much better China Post works than DHL, yes.


Jim McCracken January 17, 2014 um 7:03 pm

I agree that DHL really suck I have used them twice and both times they have failed to deliver on time – due to the fact that an employee(s) have a shakedown scam running hoping to con money out of clients who might not know the legislation!


Chris Meadows January 17, 2014 um 7:57 pm

My Dad used to run a small business out of his rural Missouri home, and had occasion to receive shipments from a number of carriers. Out of all of them, DHL was the only one that had perpetual problems finding the house, even after he gave them directions.

Susnoduaji February 22, 2014 um 2:37 pm

That’s right DHL is the Worst courier service. It has been 2 months my DHL mail shipped from USA not arrivred yet. I called the local vendor Dhl Express and I got no any information. They told me that Dhl Express aren’t related to the Dhl Mail. Amazing… not have any ralation! Why Dhl Mail pop up menu still on Dhl Express and all Dhl website? Delete it.
I have searched for Dhl local vendor contact information and find nothing. Dhl Mail don’t has local vendor. What an unresponsibility courier.
Now I only waitting for miracles
India Post is reliable, faster, cheaper and many more.
Keep away from Dhl.


Alex March 28, 2014 um 3:15 am

This is very true. I found that regular mail is faster than DHL. I order games and accessories from China, it takes 2-3 weeks to arrive. DHL in other and takes 3 to 4 weeks. I also experienced the problem when a package just sits in a place for weeks. I often have to call them to wake them.


ehsan September 22, 2014 um 5:04 am

TNT took the half time for sending a letter from Iran to Canada.
I think the only reason that people choosing DHL is trusting their beauty advertisements.
thanks


Mark September 24, 2014 um 8:42 am

I order goods regularly from China and I am finding that DHL take a week or so just to collect packages there lately, with a delivery time totalling about two weeks to the UK.
I had three letters from DHL today. One was dated 5 days ago demanding payment of an unpaid invoice within 14 days (fair enough), one saying the same invoice had now been sent on to a debt collection agency and must be paid (with additional charges) within 7 days, not at all fair given that both letters arrived in the same post. The third letter advised me of a fairly hefty unpaid VAT invoice on a different account number (which the DHL payments site says is not valid) for one specific invoice number (which the DHL payments site says is invalid). I phoned their customer service, who also kindly told me that my account number and invoice number (taken from their letter) were invalid and assured me that there was nothing to pay. Don’t think I will count my chickens on that one yet. In my experience, DHL used to be fast and generally efficient. They now seem to be doing a good job of being slow and incompetent, in my own humble opinion.


Ebook Bargains UK September 24, 2014 um 10:59 am

No experience with the countries mentioned, but we regularly use DHL for shipments to and from US/UK/EU to several West African countries – among them some of the poorest of the Third World with almost no infrastructure – and without fail the DHL service is fast and efficient.

Furthermore, the online tracking shows clearly that, when delays have occurred, they are down to local conditions beyond any reasonable control of the company.

Kelly September 29, 2014 um 2:26 am

good for you.


Totally Agree December 2, 2014 um 3:16 am

DHL is terrible. I reside in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and ordered an item through Ebay that ships from neighboring Oman. Logically, you would think an item shipping from Oman to Saudi Arabia would be cheaper than shipping it elsewhere, but the shipper claimed it was actually more expensive. Still, the price is up to the shipper’s preference so you can’t fault DHL for that.

However, what was "surprising" is how the item actually got delivered (well, sort of delivered). You see, the item arrived from Oman to Riyadh in just 3 days or so. However, in its infinite wisdom DHL shipped the item to another city in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, for "processing". The item spent around a week there before being shipped back to Riyadh, and then I had to pick it up myself. Thanks DHL ( ?° ?? ?°)


Jeremiah February 20, 2015 um 6:39 am

DHL advised that my package will arrived within 12 days. That is total bs. Should have gone with Fedex from the very beginning. The tracking report of DHL is also mediocre at best. No estimated time whatsoever.


John March 26, 2015 um 12:31 pm

DHL is a Bunch of thieves

Every time they send something to me, I have to pay double, thirst for the company delivering the item, the DHL again when i receive the item. They call it administration fee, DHL is a Bunch of thieves, don’t use them


N Hussain May 2, 2015 um 3:18 am

DHL has not changed!! It still provides CRAP service!! They told me that an urgent parcel could be delivered on Saturday morning to an address in Vienna. I asked for confirmation of this THREE times, and the answer was the same: OF COURSE they could deliver the parcel on Saturday morning, at a cost hike of 50% over the "standard" rate. I agreed to pay this, only to find that they did NOT deliver on Saturday. The parcel was delivered on Monday morning, despite their promises!! When I wrote a complaint to their Chief Executive, the response was inane, useless and "couldn’t care less". They know about lip service and cheap words, but they do not understand "Customer Service", "Customer Relations", or any similar concept!! DO NOT USE DHL!! Let’s hope they go out of business.


Oliver May 19, 2015 um 6:29 pm

DHL left a slip in my postbox claiming they had left my parcel at a neighbor’s when in fact I had specified online (by checking a box) I wanted to have my parcel "picked up at the post office" should I not be in. When I called to inquire about it, they couldn’t tell me which neighbor they had left the parcel with. I checked al three appartments on my floor but to no avail. Then DHL sent me a bill for their service. I called back and explained I still hadn’t received the parcel and DHL couldn’t tell me where my parcel was. The lady on the phone instisted I should check with every single neighbor in the building (yeah right) and pay the bill. I never paid the bill and never found my parcel.


cc July 28, 2015 um 5:17 pm

The few times I’ve had items shipped through DHL, the shipping was not only slow as all hell, but the items (a few music CDs) came in with cracked or deeply scratched cases as well. Slow and incompetent.


ardith August 19, 2015 um 9:31 pm

Help! Stupid delivery lost my shipment from China for heaven’s sake! This was important and fragile glass and it was signed for by some stranger when I left clear delivery instructions for delivery to the business desk where I work and have not had a problem at all with Amazon or other shippers. But no, when it’s really an important delivery they LOSE IT! I am very upset and now looking to get reimbursed. Just starting out in a small business and DHL fixed me good! How can they let some stranger just sign for and take your package?


Steven September 1, 2015 um 10:14 pm

I found a great price. The best price to ship my package. I had the label made – the seller sent in my email for DHL. Then to deliver to DHL on the other side of town. They wanted me to open the package and dump it on the counter and itemize every thing and pay for it again. I went home to find a better place that picks up DHL shipments – he took it with no problem.


Salttram September 12, 2015 um 11:02 am

Maybe I’ve been lucky, but in all my years of receiving packages, the only service I’ve found to be below-par is DHL. They’ve always been slower than other services, and TWICE completely FAILED to deliver at all, which has never happened with UPS, USPS or FedEx.


Seneca September 30, 2015 um 12:41 pm

Maybe I am a lucky one, but I have had 4 or 5 things ship DHL Express from China and Amazon Japan and have gotten them from there to my door in Florida in 24 hours and no longer then in 2 days. Guess I am just lucky.


Robert October 23, 2015 um 6:59 pm

Just got bitten by DHL again. My usual supplier of things in California for some reason switched to DHL from Fedex. My first express shipment from LA to Vancouver took 4 days and an extra $34 over Fedex overnight. Bad, but../

Now in the process of tracking my second shipment. Shipped at 4 pm from LA. (With Fedex it would have been on my desk at 10am the next morning). At noon the following day it was just scanned as having arrived in Vancouver. Great I thought, it would be here that day or the next. At 6 pm that night it left Vancouver and arrived in Cinncinati the following morning. It sat there for two days and then came back to Vancouver where it sat for another two days prior to getting customs clearance. Finally this morning at 7:40 am it was out for local delivery. I need it by 4 pm today or it is useless. It is now 4 pm and now shows that it has been rescanned for customs clearance. DHL nightmare.


emeric November 6, 2015 um 5:57 pm

as a private customer, I find DHL very unflexible. last shipment was dropped in a "parcelShop" of another town, "by mistake". Nothing could be done about it and they just gave me some bad excuse for not bringing it closer.
It’s the second time this happens and since I now work full time… package went back to sender.

If you have the choice… don’t use DHL, national post will do a better job!


Josh979 November 6, 2015 um 11:17 pm

This article is hilarious. DHL is very much so, the slowest and worst shipping company ever. Thanks for the read!


LuhTonyT November 27, 2015 um 2:14 pm

Yeah DHL suck I had order Xbox360 HDD from eBay seller is in chino CA usa and I been bout an week on express shipping first let me say it sat in Compton CA dhl factory for 2 days befor it arrive to Missouri and the tracking tools seem to only update my shippment once a day then it sat in Missouri for 2 days befor USPS receive it to bring to my house. DHL Express took my shytt a week nd a day that suck for nw on DHL wuld b my last opportunity


Liraz Siri January 27, 2016 um 9:56 am

As an experienced customer that has shipped nearly 500 packages in recent years through other services I’d like to report a couple of very bad experiences with DHL. I asked around and did some research online and discovered that my experience with them (which I will describe shortly) was the norm rather than the exception, at least here in Israel.

I usually use Airmail or USPS Priority to my satisfaction. I have yet to loose a package. They arrive on time and the customs release process is straightforward.

For the rare occasions when extra documentation is required (original invoice) customs sends a notification in the mail and you can them the extra documentation by fax or email. No extra fees beyond state taxes.

This is not at all the case with DHL. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that DHL quoted 2-3 days for delivery and modestly lower shipping rate than USPS Priority. I decided to give them a shot.

Instead of good service at a good price I walked right into a trap.

First off, regarding the actual delivery time: 2-3 weeks vs 2-3 days quoted. It took 2 weeks for the first package to arrive. I’m still waiting for the second package I sent a day later, which I expect to arrive next week. By then 3 weeks will have passed.

Then there were the extra hidden fees. It turns out you basically pay DHL to hold your packages hostage. They ended up extorting over 100% of the original shipping quote in compulsory hidden extra fees for:

– storage fees
– airport/unloading services
– compulsory "help" with various bureaucratic forms (health permit) that
are usually not required
– fee for paying customs taxes
– fee for credit on customs taxes
– etc, etc.

Oh, and they claimed to be giving me a big discount on all of these goodies because I was a private customer. If this was a business delivery they would extort even higher hidden extra fees.

I still ended up paying hundreds of dollars extra for slow delivery.

Of course they won’t be getting any more of my business but I wouldn’t have fallen into this trap in the first place if vendors didn’t allow them to advertise deceptive predatory pricing and bogus delivery estimates on the site in the first place.


midix February 2, 2016 um 8:29 am

Yeah, this division between DHL Deutsche Post and DHL Express is really confusing.
I live in Europe, Latvia. Most of my Amazon orders are delivered by DHL. If I don’t choose "Expedited delivery" during checkout, then my order is delivered by DHL Deutsche Post, which means that the tracking number will be available only in DHL Germany website. Also this means that the package might be delivered by a courier directly to my address or, in case of cheaper packages, it might be passed to our local postal services and then the package will be delivered by a postman.

The "regular DHL" (Deutsche Post) is slow and my order sometimes just sits in Radefeld, Germany for days without any status updates.

But if I pick "Expedited delivery", then DHL Express is pretty good, it takes just 3-4 days to deliver from Germany to Latvia, and the tracking number can be found on their international website with lots of details (whether they are on schedule etc.).

Inga November 19, 2020 um 5:28 pm

Oh. I am so happy it is not just me doing something wrong. I am sending parcels from UK to Latvia via DHL and I have the same issue. Package sits in Radefeld for days, second time now. I think my problem is that I am sending big packages so probably someone is just lazy to pick them and put in delivery van to Lithuania as turns out they always go first to Lithuania before ending in Latvia.


carlo February 4, 2016 um 6:34 am

They’re simply a joke of a company, I had a parcel sent to me from my country (as a temporary shipment) and they cleared the item duty as a permanent import without even consult with me, first time I heard from them was by a message telling me that i should pay 250 dollars before to get my parcel, when i did contact them telling that they shouldn’t have cleared it as a permanent import their answer was that anyway they don’t do any temporary import so it will be my interest to contact and pay a custom broker whom would have to take care about they get refund the import duty them do again for me the custom clearance and then get in contact with them and only at that point i will finally get sent what is mine…..
I WISH TO THEM BECAUSE OF THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR TO LOOSE ANY DAY MORE CUSTOMERS!!!!


Johnny doe February 7, 2016 um 8:11 pm

Im waiting for this shipment from USA to Europe and the package has now been for 12 days in Usa.According to the tracking info they have been sending it back and forth inside USA and now its in the first DHL factory as on first day of tracking!
Feb 6, 2016
6:02
PM CT
Melrose Park, IL, US Processing Completed at Origin
6:02
PM CT
Melrose Park, IL, US Manifested for Outbound Transportation
Feb 5, 2016
6:37
AM LT
UNITED STATES Processed Sort Facility
Feb 4, 2016
7:11
AM CT
Chicago, IL, US Processed Through Sort Facility
7:11
AM CT
Chicago, IL, US PROCESSED THROUGH SORT FACILITY
7:11
AM LT
UNITED STATES ARRIVED AT TERMINAL LOCATION
Feb 2, 2016
12:36
AM CT
Chicago, IL, US Processed Through Sort Facility
Jan 29, 2016
12:05
PM CT
Melrose Park, IL, US Processed
10:33
AM CT
Melrose Park, IL, US Arrival DHL eCommerce Facility
Jan 28, 2016
9:43
PM GMT
En route to DHL eCommerce Distribution Center
9:33
PM GMT
Electronic Notification Received: Your order has been processed and tracking will be updated soon


Tomasz February 11, 2016 um 5:29 am

THESE FU*KERS HAVEN’T DELIVERED BDAY GIFT FOR MY WIFE!

They have delivered the package to neighbour even though my wife was at home. It was so important for me she gets the package – it were flowers for her birthday! They left it at a neighbour and left NO INFORMATION – and it’s not the first time it happened! I even once wrote an official reclamation letter and got apology back for nothing. Bunch of re*ards! Learn to fu*cking read the names on the intercom and RING THE RIGHT APARTMENT and/or LEAVE INFORMATION ABOUT DELIVERY.

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOUR WIFE GOT FLOWERS DAY AFTER BIRTHDAY?

DHL YOU RUINED MY WIFE’S BIRTHDAY!!!!!! AND IF I COULD I WOULD PERSONALLY EXPLAIN THAT TO THAT STUPID DRIVER.

You should hire people who are not lazy and can think.

Sendungnummer is: 146103462709


shujin51 February 18, 2016 um 5:27 am

DHL only seems to be good inside of German since this is the place where this company was founded. Germans are known for their picky behaviour so no1 really dares to disappoint their customers. Outside of Germany, it might be a different case. People work different and hence they might not want to push themselves as hard as German employees do.


Mudplayerx February 21, 2016 um 1:30 pm

I ordered a luxury watch and the seller charged me $38 to use DHL. I ordered an entire laboratory distillation set in the past and only had to pay $20 for China Post; so aready I was pissed about the price.

Four days have gone by and the package has had the same tracking status as day 1 (sitting in Hong Kong). I read the stories here with anxiety welling up inside of me. If they start trying to extort money from me beyond USA government taxes or customs then I am just cancelling my credit card payment for the package AND the shipping.


AK March 21, 2016 um 4:29 am

Yes. I’m an active eBayer and I say stuff delivered via DHL take a lot longer than others. They just get stuck somewhere for weeks. I emailed them once and took them a few days to reply, and the reply email was in German.


mike sadler March 24, 2016 um 4:58 am

I have had to pay DHL £23 for a delivery how do they know the duty to be paid do they ask the sender the value of all their parcells I don’t know if that would be practical. it’s a scam don’t use DHL


Pssst April 26, 2016 um 11:53 am

Your title said it all.

It does not matter who owns the company. What matters is how it compares to its competition – the USPS, UPS, FedEx.

Within an individual region the labor force and the infrastructure are an even playing field for business. When one large player in a service industry stands out because of quality of service, it is because of quality of management, not ownership.

INSIDE THE US,a package picked up in a suburb of Los Angeles by DHL was shown by DHL ecommerce tracking as "en route to distribution center" in San Francisco from Friday morning through at midday Tuesday noon. It also shows as estimated delivery on Wednesday BY USPS who has not received the package for delivery.

WTF???

The USPS would have already delivered this package if sent as a first class parcel.


Gerd April 28, 2016 um 7:55 am

DHL Germany is the worst suck service when it comes to shipping abroad.
I am in Spain. And a lousy DHL parcel from Germany to Spain takes a minimum of 2 weeks. I have even been waiting for 3 weeks at times.
On the other hand, if (small) parcels (up to 2 kg) are being shipped at international letter rate, a special service introduced by Deutsche Post (ordinary German post) – which precisely allows sending goods up to 2kg – shippng is substantially cheaper and takes a few days. With Deutsche Post I have had stuff in 3 or 4 days. With DHL – 2 to 3 weeks.
Stay away from DHL and their tracking crap.


leo June 2, 2016 um 11:02 pm

worst service i’ve ever encountered, our package is just an hour flight from hongkong yet it took a week before arrival and they say about 2-3 more days to release the package, absurd. they should remove the "express" in their company name


Dan June 26, 2016 um 4:13 pm

It took them more than a month to deliver an international shipment.

It’s really a shame that DHL sucks so bad. What a bunch of fucktards


Scott August 3, 2016 um 12:34 pm

DHL is HELL when it comes to delivering. I will never use them again and will not buy from anyone that uses them.


JRLISKE August 16, 2016 um 12:41 pm

I ordered a TRS cable for my studio monitors on July 30th from New Jersey to be shipped to Alberta, Canada. They chose DHL. They told me to expect it by August 9th. It’s now the 16th and I’ve had no word about my parcel. The last update on the tracking info was on August 3rd, telling me it reached the destination country. This is bulls***. And now that I’ve read all these complaints about extortion and bulls*** fees, I fear the worst. If they try to get ridiculous cash out of me for a $12.40 cord, I’m telling them to shove it. Worst service I’ve ever had. Like ALL time.


Sir Ships-a-lot August 24, 2016 um 5:57 pm

Basically you get what you pay for. I ship at least 200 packages a week thru DHL Express using International Priority Service and all my packages get delivered in 3-4 days sometimes next day. Bare in mind this is from Japan to The US and they have always been on time and so far has never lost a package. Sound like a lot of the complainers are shipping as cheap as possible method so of course you might be waiting a month plus if you chose that route. Also if you are not filled out your custom papers correctly then that adds extra time and fees. So like i said you get what you pay for, if you paid cheap you get cheap service. BTW I also ship 100’s of packages thru FedEx and I find them comparable to DHL.


Gerald September 10, 2016 um 8:14 pm

DHL should be shut down for just that. I have had a package sitting in their distribution centre in the US for over two weeks now, and there is absolutely no explanation for it. I feel like walking to that centre, just si I can knock on the door and demand my package and let them know how nasty their service is. I am absolutely displeased and wish that building was flat or corroded


camden crace September 15, 2016 um 7:01 pm

I just ordered a package from gearbest and the seller used dhl should I be worried.


Serge Que September 15, 2016 um 8:20 pm

So sent a package from Miami to the Dominican Republic. $183 for a small box… Mind you a plane ticket is around $200 on some sites. The package was supposed to arrive on the 5th,,, its now the 15th and its still at customs! I spent 8 phonecalls and 7 hours with DHeLL and now to return my package to me (since the person who was supposed to receive it left the country a few days ago) the are asking for full Dominican customs!!! $200 for a $250 package!!!! Otherwise they will not return it!!! Welcome to DHELL


fweh September 21, 2016 um 2:55 pm

Those who says their package had been sitting for a week or two, please. I’ve ordered one tailored shirt and pant. The pant was about $70 and I got an additional $30+ fee, wtf? okay fine, the pant arrived in two weeks, but then I started waiting for my shirt that I ordered together.

It had been TWO MONTHS!It was sitting at Montreal which is just next to Toronto for over a month, I’ve even BEEN THERE for a trip in the meanwhile. I called and the man just said oh it’s just at customs, can take up to two months. REALLY? It’s a fcking shirt not liquid or weed or chemicals!okay fine, over a month it finally arrived Toronto, then after a few days it magically start sending it back to the seller before notifying me even I’ve clicked the "notify me for status update" option. WHAT DA FCK!!!WHY?!?!I recieved no calls or emails.Website doesn’t say why it returned, WHY?!?!


Raymond Yu September 29, 2016 um 11:26 am

DHL is the worst for sure, I ill never use this company again. They are time waster. over cost and over charged.


Barb October 6, 2016 um 6:06 am

I purchased 4 items from 4 different eBay US sellers on the 29th of Sept, 2016. Only one was shipped via DHL. All of the others were shipped via USPS. I received the 3 by the 3rd of October and that included the weekend. The DHL package shipped on the 29th, (a cell phone case), is expected to arrived by the 11th. I purchased several items (23 pounds) from a different seller on Sunday, Oct the 2nd and they shipped them on Monday, the 3rd. They shipped it via Fedex from CA to Denver and the package is already tracking for delivery by the end of today, the 6th. I still won’t have the phone case until the 11th. Over the last few years, any DHL shipped packages take an average of 9 to 11 days. They are more expense than the post office and offer horrible service. Unfortunately for the eBay seller, he will get negative feedback for his decision to use the poor excuse for a shipping company.


Shane October 6, 2016 um 8:13 am

DHL Company why is that the application form to be fill up by the customers is only about your services offered?. Since this is an international cargoes shipment, we are also interested to see the fee/rate/ charges for local services within Philippines only. Some of your branches here are collecting higher fees such as pick-up services which is almost the same level in fee or higher than the fee of the international rate. Imagine a weight of .05 grams of doc within a local area would costs to a thousands of peso. the fact that the policy is per kilograms (international). Here, the DHL branch officer charge per piece of document to 550..We asks for the DHL standard fee list for international and local rate but the officer has nothing to show.

Please be informed your employees in different branches to serve honestly in their customers and to your company.


petros October 8, 2016 um 12:41 pm

idiots i have order a birthday present to my mother 10 before and they express service 2 days delivery when i sow with tracking that they cant find my home i call them have explain where i live give them my mobile number to they can call me when they come to i show where is the my home .they told me tomorow will try again before they come they call me and nthink i sow again in tracking websait that they have make delivery attempt so i call them again they told me that the delivery man didnt call me why cat speak lockal language.i told them that i can speak english .they told me tomorow again and is going like that 10 days now .i have qestions why they didnt call,why they didint give me the option to pick it up my self . is really annoid to stay home every day and wheit when that idiot come .is more bad to be not delivered until the birthday is last time that i use that dhl .Carrier: DHL, Tracking #: JJD000390006850117456


Enelram November 14, 2016 um 4:35 am

Same problem in France as Germany: DHL is really the French postal service. This means that the civil servants delivering packages can do whatever they want and never be fired, including going for coffee rather than delivering.
DHL is is the pits! This is the second time this year that a package has been sent to me in Paris, France and has not been delivered.
For the first package the tracking indicated "not home". In fact, I was home and never the doorbell did ring! The tracking for the second package indicates that I have "moved" from the home where I have been living for almost 40 years. And then, as Belkin has tried to correct the situation, they did not find better to do but send and deliver the package to an unknown address in Birmingham UK. I hope the recipient appreciates our collection of Belkin cables, but we are not about to receive them in the near future.
No, nay, never ship anything of any importance to France by DHL.


Angry November 20, 2016 um 5:30 am

Terrible DHL service from Germany to Netherlands. After 9 days still no package. Three different DHL websites with three different status. DHL claimed they only got half the postal code, no address, and only last name of the receiver. Nothing else. DHL claims they even don’t know who was the shipper from Germany While its a large on line retailer. The shipper claimed they provided everything twice to DHL. DHL is a liar or their systems sucks so much hat it does not check for complete shipping and shipper information or the peron keying in the data does this on purpose to let the package not be found so that some insider in the company can steal it. Thieves are very smart and often work together inside. Multiple emails to DHL, and they never tols me they did not have the shipper info or half the address until after several repeated emails. They did not want to tell me what information they had because I am not the shipper. Confidential. Go figure !, After sending all information of the supplier, and receiver, again no updates at all from DHL on all three websites for several days. Keep on getting UNKNOWN_STATUS_SVDEPOT_50410 and the German DHL website says to check the Dutch website which status has not changed for 9 days as well. Very very frustrated.

Other smaller forwarders suck as well,they outsource their shipment to other companies without telling you and you can’t get any tracking information or even know which forwarder shipped with to deliver it. Companies are making lot of bucks for poor service One you buy one of their "service"s they just don’t care at all.


Manuel November 24, 2016 um 5:00 pm

DHL is the ever worst company on the whole F* Universe, I just move from Venezuela to Ecuador and they screw everything with customs and never help us, it was suppose my stuff were delivery to Quito and because they don’t have facility in Quito the shipment arrive at Guayaquil, where it was retained by customs. I have had to go there 4 times to process custom clearance but they don’t told me about that logistics, they apply one thing very good, charging you before they screw things. I cannot resume all the bad work they have done but I would never ever consider using their service.


Mr. Mad December 6, 2016 um 6:08 pm

DHL is balls. I’ve been waiting over two weeks for them to get a package from tiny-ass New Jersey to the neighboring tiny-ass Delaware. The USPS could have done that in 48 hours or less with even the cheapest shipping option. Tracking shows that they actually took the item right past DE and deep into the heart of Maryland where the tracking status has stopped for days on end. They’re probably sitting around wanking off while my item sits in a warehouse collecting dust. I don’t know why an ebay seller even used DHL for such a short shipping distance, but $%#& them both!


mydixiewrecked December 14, 2016 um 5:18 pm

Purchase Item from Chicago Ill, I am in North Carolina. Item shipped from seller on 11-20. DHl website shows item has been sitting without movement in the Illinois center since 11-20. no explantation. A Christmas gift, purchased a month and five days before Christmas , is going toshow up past Christmas , if it even shows up atall. DHL is the WORST. and none of this is international , its all in continental us. so no customs issues etc. Juststraight up DHL is horrible , lazy , scumbags


DORON ZUR May 11, 2017 um 9:24 am

This is Doron Zur from The State Of Israel.
Just ordered from Thomann Germany an accordion bag.
The Accordion is very expensive so the bag actually keeps it safe from harm when travelling outside the house with the Accordion.
Thomann work closely with DHL.
DHL were supposed to ship it via air from Frankfurt, Germany to Israel. They never did that.
It is the 17th day ! that I am waiting for the item.
Thomann said: the item is in Israel. DHL delivered it to Israel !
But a chat service i had with the Israel Postal Authority just confirmed that the item-Accordion bag- never left Germany !
I conducted a very discomforting, embarassing conversation with the Thomann agent in Germany who kept apologizing and apologizing and apologizing. Suck his apologies ! I need the item not the apologies !
They are trying to figure out what ever happened to the item with Dhl
who were supposed to air ship it to Israel as I am writing this comment.
DHL sucks and sucks and sucks.
You are all so right about DHL.
Doron Zur,
The State Of Israel.


Frankie July 19, 2017 um 7:48 am

I am on this with you! DHL and Royal mail both even damaged my parcel.
Recently, I was treated rudely by a white female staff in a local post office, just because I made mistake on the receiver’s name and not allowed to pick up the parcel. I totally understand that she refused to provide me any correct information to provide the customer (who was actually me..) When I couldn’t help explaining it in English, she immediately interjected 'Sorry! I don’t speak English!', wow! that was absolutely unnecessary, outrageous and rude! Oddly, she received me the day before, and she spoke to me in English the first sentence, which was 'for you.'
I just wrote formal complain online. I couldn’t understand those people, what is the problem?
I work internationally, there’s not many occasions for me to speak German at all. We tend to think that English is widely spoken, take it for granted, but not in here in Hamburg, not in this local business.


Adela September 20, 2018 um 12:01 pm

I bought a shitload of t-shirts, and it seems like for 15 days straight it’s just been sitting at Melrose Park, Il. They then tell you to contact the merchant, but what the hell is the merchant going to say beyond; "Do your fucking job, arseholes…"?

I contacted them directly and all they gave me is some bulldust about the weather. Oh which Ilinois wasn’t in their 'affected zone', of which is over, of which the parcel was just sitting there days prior it, and I am convinced they’ve just lost it.

Guaranteed tthey’ll just pretend they shipped it somewhere when in truth some DHL worker has scored themselves some free cotton tees to flog somewhere or they have just lost it.


Tom Rose October 23, 2018 um 7:10 am

I have also had problems with DHL

Very slow delivery (parcels sit for a week or more in the German sorting centre)
Cannot track parcels when they are handed over to a service in the destination country
Support do not properly read my eMails
Offer of help to fix website problems refused (they take customer feedback ONCE A YEAR!)
Website for making labels enforces incorrect limitations on house number,postcode etc.for many countries
Parcels returned for false reasons
.
.
.

But I do not think they are the worst shipping company. Post NL, for one, is worse. I have tried a few others and they all suck, with the exception of the British Royal Mail.


Magic November 30, 2018 um 8:16 pm

I’ve had 5 packages shipped with DHL, I have never received one yet. One item they said they didn’t believe the cost declared on the package so customs held onto it and wanted proof of purchase, proof of payment, reason for purchase, and a business number.
The item was a small 1 watt laser engraver made from old blueray players. I just didn’t want to make it myself but ended up doing so.

They truly are no good as a business.


KIWI January 7, 2019 um 12:49 am

Im still waiting for my package shipped from Germany 7th DEC. Its now 7th Jan. Two days ago I received my first tracking update . DHL have some how sent it to Korea .I am in New Zealand. DHL IS SHOCKING.
Never use DHL.


Anon February 1, 2019 um 4:48 am

I’ve had several packages deivered by DHL and no problems each time (well except for 1 delivery where customs chose to hold the item for 2 weeks before deluvering – but thats just customs)

FedEx was a tiny bit faster though.


Darren Shaw February 20, 2019 um 5:04 am

When I worked in Zambia, I regularly sent papers via DHL to Head office in South Africa. I always went myself to DHL offices to dispatch, as waiting for them to collect was a No No.
I discovered that if I dispatched after Thursday 12.00 noon then the letter would sit at their office in Zambia until the following Monday before proceeding to the airport and onward to SA. It seems the German love of never working at the weekend extends to all their networks. I now live in Ireland and parts I ordered from Germany have been sitting at DHL Cologne for one week, 'being prepared for shipping', whatever that means ? Ironically when I visit shopping centre’s just over the border from Germany ( Netherlands,Belgium etc) the car parks are full (75%) of German registered cars. Seems they like shopping and expect others to work at weekends, while refusing to work at weekends themselves !


Dorothy September 23, 2019 um 6:19 pm

DHL I send a package back from Germany and when I received that half of the stuff was stolen what kind of scum bags would do that I work hard for my money I lost my husband and that’s all the money I had that I spent there for gifts for myself I just hope they enjoyed everything they stole from me


Dottie September 23, 2019 um 6:22 pm

I will make sure everyone knows that DHL do not send any packages from overseas it’s the worst mailing system I ever had to deal with they stalled everything that I sent back a box with stuff that they wouldn’t like nice people


WY October 17, 2019 um 5:11 am

Even in U.S, I got 30% packages lost and never delivered with DHL.


Pierre December 3, 2019 um 2:37 am

DHL is run by Germans what do you expect????? they have expats as managers who spend half their time shopping and are never there enjoying all the perks instead of putting their noses and manage the company. wake up DHL.

China well…..that is a different story alltogether if you are lucky to get your parcel on time at all…..


Tom April 1, 2020 um 5:39 pm

I used EMS inside of the EU and paid whopping expensive €59 to send a letter (not a parcel!!!) with just documents. 3 weeks later EMS contacts me and say: you must fly 2000 km to our DHL warehouse to pick up your stuff and we are not refunding you the €50! What!!!??? And why DHL warehouse if I used EMS? Then silence for 4 months…. No money, no delivery, no return, no refund…. Then I had a lawyer send EMS letters. Finally they agreed to return my documents letter via Sea Mail, which took 3 months to arrive back! No refuhnd of the €50 and no explanations! Crooks! Stay away from EMS ir their partner DHL! They opened my shipment, found documents inside and decided that paper was illegal to ship via EMS!!! Oh wait, DHL told them to open it. What a mess and thievery!


Bob June 16, 2022 um 9:14 am

My first encounter with DHL was in the late 90’s, it took two weeks to move a package from Ohio to Massachusetts. I never knowingly use them because I know how useless they are but sometimes a clueless vendor uses them to save a nickle on shipping, I would gladly pay extra for UPS or USPS.

I currently have been waiting over two weeks for a small package from California, the tracking is laughable – every night a random time stamped "in transit" is added to the list of lies. It amazes me they are still in business


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