DHL Reviews 

Hi,

Yesterday, 17 july, 2025, I reached out to the Portuguese Customer Support, still within the working hours as I did not receive my package in the expected day. After telling me that she was going to see what was wrong with my shipment, I receive an automatic message to return next day as the customer support has ended for the day. As you may guess, my jaw just dropped. I was not expecting this kind of work ethics from CUSTOMER SUPPORT. The worker did not even care about explaining the situation or to kindly ask me to call again next day. It was highly unprofessional.
Not sure what is the policy, if managers are competent and professionals, but I would stay away from their services, at least for those that buy things from Ebay. You will have a frustrating experience as they seem all incompetent: managers, courier drivers, customer support.

From a German company, this is quite disappointing. Worse experience ever.

I’ve never in my life encountered such an incompetent, uninterested company such as DHL. Failed dates, no communication, lack of respect, impatience, complete lack of interest in doing a good job. And they maintain these characteristics, consistently.
I always tell the seller to not ship through DHL Portugal but sometimes it happens anyway, and the experience is ALWAYS negative. It’s pretty surreal.

More than 15 days in "Customs clearence delay".
There are just way better options than DHL

It was very dissapointing and extremely bad service. I provided all the information needed asked by the lady at the counter still my parcel was held for three days and is still on hold. I called yesterday at dhl to ask what is wrong and why theu are not sending my parcel to the destination. They gave such a stupid and strange reason that I cannot believe it. They said that the recipient name is incomplete and anyone can receive my parcel so they are putting on hold. I mean this is the most idiotic and stupidest reason I ever heard. If there was some information needed why the lady at the counter collected money from me and didn't ask me to put the information? This was really urgent parcel and now it's still stuck like crazily. And im waiting. Why would somebody else receive the parcel when it's my sister's address and she is the only one to receive while her name is the same as I indicated on her ID. I called yesterday dhl and the guy said that he will forward the details and the shipment will be realeased yearerday but still it's on hold what a crap of a service. Well if dhl thinks that they are very resilient and following all the rules and regulations why they take cash only why not card payments? Logically they are stealing tax and just want to harras the customer by delaying delivery. I will never ever send any parcels in the future through dhl in lisbon.

I ordered from a store in Germany that guaranteed delivery in 3-5 business days. (12,99€)

After 17 days I decided to contact DHL, where I have been waiting on hold for over 30 minutes without being answered.

Tu, 24.06.2025, 04:13, Lahr, Germany

The international shipment has been processed in the export parcel center

Sa, 21.06.2025, 16:24, Rüdersdorf, Germany

The international shipment has been processed in the parcel center of origin

Sa, 21.06.2025, 14:55, Rüdersdorf, Germany

The shipment was prepared for onward transport.

Fr, 20.06.2025, 12:41, Germany

Pick-up was successful.

Sa, 06/14/2025, 5:07 pm

The instruction data for this shipment has been provided by the sender to DHL electronically

Absolutely horrible !!! Worst worst worst worst. Avoid avoid avoid at all cost. Will steal months from your life and your last bit of sanity

WHAT A BUNCH OF INCOMPETENT LIERS.
INCOMPETENTES E MENTIROSOS.

I made a purchase of an item on June 11th and it was delivered to DHL by the seller on the same day to be dispatched from Germany and delivered to Portugal. Today, the 21st, it is still in Germany. Lousy service must come in a horse-drawn carriage.

Wednesday
June 11, 2025
14:06 Local time
The instruction data for this shipment has been provided by the sender to DHL electronically.

Thursday
June 12, 2025
17:58 Local Time
The international shipment has been processed in the parcel center of origin
Germany

03:24 Local time
The shipment is in transit to DHL
Germany

Wednesday
June 18, 2025
19:42 local time
The international shipment is being prepared for onward transport.
Germany

Thursday
June 19, 2025
22:07 Local Time
The international shipment is being prepared for onward transport.
Germany

Friday
June 20, 2025
00:36 Local time
The international shipment has been processed in the export parcel center
Germany

you pay to have important documents sent within 24 hours, and they simply... aren't sent. when you call to ask about it, the person shrugs and dismissively says, "the driver didn't get to the flight on time. it'll arrive sometime the next day instead." no refund, no compensation, nothing. you just pay to have them completely fail to do the task you paid for, and they do nothing to help you, no matter how badly it screws you.

Planned collection missed. They said the third party they charge for picking up my package didn’t find anyone at home. I was at home all day waiting for it instead, they didn’t ring the bell nor call me at phone at all.

If I could leave zero stars then that would be too much. DHL Portugal have got to be the worst delivery service in Europe. They rarely deliver on time...and that's if you are lucky! They cannot even deliver to their own delivery points on time! 3 weeks before my holiday I ordered an item
from Amazon Germany, it was a 5 day delivery item. The delivery date came and went, Amazon said the parcel was probably lost. I contacted DHL by email and they replied offering apologies and requested more address information!!! That baffled me as I chose the pickup point from their own website!
Once that was resolved they promised delivery a few days before the start of my holiday... unsurprisingly then failed to deliver. My holiday departure date came and went and a week later they messaged me to advise the item has been delivered and will be returned to sender if not collected within 7 days....Well as I am 2000 miles from home that's not going to be possible...they already knew this and when asked they point blank refused to hold the the item for me for a few more days until my return home. So a crap carrier run by unhelpful people providing a crap customer service. What's not to like! I will NEVER EVER use DHL and now ask online suppliers who they use for deliveries. If they use DHL I tell them I will go elsewhere, to date, two suppliers have agreed to use an alternative service. Nuff said.

Its out for delivery that was yesterday, its out for delivery today, that's all the tracking gives you. I register to get mapped tracking of where the delivery driver is in real time but it does not work. So you wait wasting time. A multi billion organisation that could not care less about the recipient. Maybe it will turn up in a DHL van or maybe in the little white van with the guy from Castelo who delivers for them or has a side deal with the regular delivery guy, who knows. Professional couriers they are not. As a postscript delivered by the guy in the little white van who sat at the wheel getting impatient as I had to come up from the garden whilst his little brother got out the vehicle and handed me the parcel. DHL Professional couriers Ha Ha

This is the worst delivery service in Portugal by far. Tracking is not up to date and often worthless. The current package I am expecting has now been listed as out for delivery for 5 or more days. I waste time waiting at home for a delivery that never arrives and have no idea where, when or if it will be delivered. My past experience is they often deliver to a local store instead of to the delivery address, without letting me know. When I schedule a home pickup they don’t arrive at all. When I reschedule it, again they don’t arrive. Sometimes later they show up without notice on a day I was not expecting. I think someone would have to try very hard to be this incompetent. From now on, when I make an online purchase, I will notify the web store to cancel my order if the only way they can ship it to me is through DHL. I never ever choose DHL when I have an option. It is simply not worth the aggravation.

Delivery delayed over and over and everytime I have a DHL delivery I ask the sender to change to UPS or ANYBODY else. Do the driver even leave the vehicle or just make things up?
*Update: still no delivery, 26 days later.
Status now shows 'delivery arranged with customer' of which I have no knowledge. I have asked for a refund because this is going nowhere.

Circus of the absurd. DHL courier lost the waybill and the supplier says that he sent a scan and everything is fine. The parcel is hanging in the warehouse and has not moved for three days. With the stated delivery time of 5 days. waybill number 1957129974 Tracking Number
JJD014600012077445429

Disabled equipment. They didnt even bother trying to deliver. They just dumped it at a collection point 10km away.

This is the worst service I received in Portugal from DHL.I recommend not to use this service.Becoz On the date of delivery of courier the company driver give no update about his arrival at my address.1 day I just received a text from their company that the courier was out for delivery and after 2 hours again I received text that Courier was on the address of recepient but no one was at home..and I go out of my home and I see no one was at the door I call customer service and they said they will reschedule my delivery on next day...So 2 day again I received same text about courier is out for delivery and again I wait outside in the balcony of my house for more than 2 hours and then their DHL service truck arrived but driver even didn't come out of truck so I can stop him but I quickly run down for my parcel becoz Im staying at 3 floor so It take time to come down little few minutes and when I come outside I see again that DHL truck is gone didn't wait for the customer, even not ring a doorbell ,no call ,no text nothing just gone without delivering my 2 suitcases...so again I call customer service and then again they come to deliver my courier....So that's the worst experience I get from their service...they don't give any update about their arrival at the customer address...

At some point the status of the parcel "in region of recipient" stopped updating. After that I started writing letters to support both by email and on the website, but they have been ignoring me for 5 days. This was an urgent order

This is an ongoing problem. This is the 5th or 6th time in the last 6 months. Today is May 9th. Package was due to arrive May 6. On April 24th the package tracking said "package in region of recipient ". There have been no more updates. Today the shipper contacted DHL and was told the package was on hold at the facility near my town (no explanation). I also contacted DHL and was told they couldn't confirm the package was even in this country.

Can't meet delivery date? No problem. Let's erase a part of the address details just so they can't blame us for not meeting the deadline.

Apparently this how DHL proceeds now.