DHL's day light robbery

This is as much as a rant post as it contains a lot of information about how exactly are people are getting looted by logistics companies.

My very first experience with DHL turned out to be a nightmare. Far from the kind of image they project in their ads.

I had bought a TLV Hino Tractor Head weighing at 0.4 kg from Japan to India. The total shipped cost of the model was 61$ US on eBay. I was surprised that there was no option to pick the career through which I can get it shipped, but I went ahead and placed the order anyway, as it just mentioned free shipping. 61$ US was the best price I could find on eBay, or so I thought.

Two days after I had finished the purchase, I woke up to find a message from DHL stating that a package is going to be dispatched from Japan. I got alarmed as I never had routed any package through any private carrier. I immediately wrote to the seller asking them to ship through SAL, for which I got a reply telling that SAL is unable to deliver to my address.

Wait. What?! Why would a government run Japan Post be unable to deliver to my address?!

I was not excited to get such a response from the sender. Sure normal postal service takes time, but they sure do make it to my address every-single-time!

A day later, I got another message from the seller that they have shipped my package. Little did I know that this would turn out to be a very stressful experience.

Two days later, on 14th March 2018, I got a call from DHL's KYC team in Bangalore informing me that they needed me to submit some documents that would verify my ID as well as address proof. This was literally my first time that I heard such a weird request, as I never had to furnish any details when shipping through SAL.

Alright, I complied and provided them my PAN card image and electricity bill image that contains the address of my home. I honestly thought that was all that I needed to do, as both the documents very clearly showed the required details for DHL.

But every 4 hours until 10 PM in evening starting from 14th March evening until 17th March evening, I kept getting calls from DHL asking me to provide correct details. I was constantly contacted. Every 4 hours. The reason? The address proof that I had provided was invalid.

Seriously. How in the world can I provide an invalid address as 'proof' when I am living at that very address?!

After numerous attempts and after numerous phone calls from the so called DHL KYC team, they suddenly stopped calling. When I checked their web site, they had simply accepted the address proof that I had uploaded.

On 21st March I got a call, when I was in my office, from DHL stating that I need to pay up ~3100 INR for my shipment to get delivered, and that my shipment is going to be dispatched from Bangalore. When I asked for the reason as to why I am being charged, I was simply told that these charges were import duty, processing fee and holding charges for DHL!

I do understand that I would have to pay import duty for any items that I import, but what exactly was this guy talking about when he said 'processing fee' and 'holding charges'?

Once I got back home, I called up DHL customer care and asked them about as to why I am being charged additional charges apart from import duty of 1600 INR. I was given a flat answer that these charges are by DHL and no further explanation. Only after I started protesting that I am being charged without reason and that I want to register a complaint with DHL higher ups, I was told the following,

1. For every package that DHL or any private logistics company carries for an individual, DHL or their respective private company will always charge a fee of 500 INR as 'processing charges'. This is charged no matter what package you are sending through them.

Now my payable total is import duty ~1600 INR + handling charges for DHL 500 INR = ~2100 INR.

2. For any package that DHL takes to the customs, the customs will always impose an import duty regardless of (total value of the shipment + freight charges = assessed value) at what ever rate that they wish to.

The total assessed value of my shipment is ~3800 INR. Since I am importing a diecast toy, the maximum import duty that the customs of India can levy on me would be 12%. I learnt this by referring the customs website. But when I asked the DHL guy over phone as to why my import duty is higher than 12% of the total assessed value for a toy, that guy simply said that Indian customs has only charged 10% of the total assessed value.

Let's do the math here. Total assessed value of the shipment is ~3800 INR. If the import duty levied by customs is 10% as per DHL guy's statement, I should not be paying any more than 380 INR. Even at 12% import duty, it wont cost me a penny more than 456 INR. But why the hell am I charged ~1600 INR as import duty?!

Indian customs is not as transparent as they claim to be. Even though they provide a written statement of duty, there is every reason to believe that Indian customs are nothing but a bunch of bureaucrats looting money from their own country men in the name of rules and laws.

3. DHL will simply charge a flat fee of 500 INR per day as holding charges from the 3rd day of shipment arrival. Why? It's because this is the most lucrative way to make money on any shipment.

I was purposely stalled by DHL stating that I didn't provide a valid address proof for 4 days. During this 4 days, my shipment used up 2 days of standard allowance of holding by DHL and took up another 2 days.

Now my payable total is import duty ~1600 INR + handling charges for DHL 500 INR + 2 days holdin charges = ~3100 INR.

I got looted. In broad daylight. By DHL. DHL and Indian customs suck! Literally!


PS: People assume that importing through DHL or through any of these private logistics company will give them peace of mind. But the reality is far from it. I request that you never trust any of your package to DHL or any private logistics company.

PPS: There are a lot more information that I am yet to add to this post. Will do so over time.

Red Line Club? Leo Club India?

It is a well known fact for years that Mattel has only been focusing US and Canada by having an exclusive Club.

In mid 1990s, Mattel partnered up with Leo Toys India to start manufacturing in India. Rumors out there say Leo was not able to produce and meet the standards that was expected by Mattel.

You know what? We Indian collectors atleast had Leo as an indigenous makers of car models that we could collect. But not any more.

Will we see a comeback of Leo Mattel? Atleast for India? I sure do hope so!