Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hiua25]

Am I gutted or what?

So I had prepared all my documents to send to Korea to get my E2 visa. The courier arrived checked inside my envelope and told me he needed to open the envelope containing my transcripts to check it for 'security reasons'. I told him I couldn't because the envelope needs to be sent sealed. I showed him the university stamps on the envelope and tried to reason with him. But he refused. So I told him I couldn't send the package so he said 'right ok then' and left.

I paid by card over the phone beforehand so I don't think I got a refund. But I used Fed Ex that same day and didn't have any problems at all sending the documents.

I was pretty angry. I shall certainly never use DHL again and will ask them for a refund.

Has this ever happened to anyone else? Or was I just unlucky.

[skdragon]

I've been using DHL or FedEx often over the last 15 years or so.
Always had lots of problems with DHL, including delays and them not wanting to package goods, the delivery guys being rude and not very helpful, and whatever else.
Never had a single problem with FedEx. I tend to use Fedex about three or four times a year now, to ship anything from large packages down to single page documents ... stick with FedEx.

[Mr. Pink]

Agree with DHL = crap. I lived in an apt building in Canada. They wouldn't drop a contract off with my landlord. They said either I am home for the whole day they are delivering or I have to go pick it up at the office myself.

Pretty stupid considering the Koreans spent like 50 bux to send me the documents.

Also agree, they won't let you have sealed envelopes...um... what about SENSITIVE material? I guess DHL would rather Fed EX get their business, cause that is what is happening.

[djsmnc]

[salutkitty]

The same happened to me with DHL! I opened the transcripts up really carefully and then resealed them with tape, the stamp was still in place! It must of worked because we got our visas!!!

[Young FRANKenstein]

[agentX]

Y'know, that is really weird and very odd.
I'm not going to call you a liar or anything like that; I believe you but I don't buy the driver's excuse on this matter. Or the shopkeep.
It's documents from a civilian, not nuclear material. I think they're being overtly suspicious or being too cheap to run an x-ray on the material. If FedEx or even the Post Office don't require you to open the docs, why should DHL?
Case in point- I sent my docs to EPIK via post office/Fed Ex. Didn't have to open anything. My documents and my acceptance papers came back via DHL (the delivery driver was a REALLY hot Ethiopian chick, I think). Those documents I received from EPIK were still in the sealed envelope that came from the Korean...I think it was their post office. There was a lot of Hanguk on it.
So it's ok for people OUTSIDE the US to send unopened letters/documents in sealed envelopes but it's not ok for the OP and Young Frankenstein to send an unopened transcript in a sealed envelope?

I don't like what DHL is cookin...

[mole]

Hmm.. Not my topic, but interesting. I've used DHL a lot within Korea and FROM Korea with nary a hitch.
I use FedEx or USPS International from US, just because they're easy to find and convenient. I guess I have no reason to look up DHL here now.
Thanks for the info.

[mindmetoo]

Yeah that's insane. Surely, people want to send confidential business material. And they don't want, say, a DHL guy seeing your draft earnings report you're sending out before you announce.

[Hanson]

Hmmm, I once sent a laptop to the States through DHL for 100,000won and it got there 36 hours later. I was a very satisfied customer.

[Dome Vans]

When DHL came to pick up my documents, the guy said they'd need to open them. I told him that they couldn't. It's at the Korean end that they open them, even though it's Korean policy that they need to be sealed. The thing to say is that they can X-ray them. ANd that worked fine, so he wrote X-ray on the envelope. Did the trick.

[Netz]

This pretty much expalins why NOT to use DHL ever.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrQGNAmDDWU

[rainbowbrite]

Do I wish I'd come across this thread before this morning! The exact same thing happened me with DHL. When the girl at my local branch was having a look through the documents she ripped one of my transcripts open before I realised what she was at. I freaked and told her they couldn't be opened, but she insisted they wouldn't get on the plane without inspection and that they had opened transcripts before with no problems (complete BS cos how would she know).
I went ahead and sent them anyway seeing as she'd one already opened. But I'm really p***ed now cos this is inevitably going to cause problems with immigation and I'll more than likely have to send them again, so the whole thing is going to cost a fortune.

I saw another thread asking for a sticky to be made on this issue to warn others which is a very good idea. Don't use DHL!!

[Young FRANKenstein]

[bonniedundee]

DHL didn't open mine, although it does say on their website that they will open it. The driver just looked inside the main envelope and didn't open the transcripts envelope sealed by the uni.