Vallance v. DHL Express (Canada) Ltd. (dba DHL Canada) and DHL Express (USA), Inc.

Current Status

The Notice of Civil Claim initiating this proposed class action was filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia on April 9, 2021.

An Amended Notice of Civil Claim was filed on September 14, 2021.

Please continue to check back here for updates.

What is this claim about?

Murphy Battista LLP has filed a proposed national class action against DHL Express (Canada) Ltd. and DHL Express (USA), Inc. (collectively, “DHL”) concerning false, misleading, and deceptive representations made by DHL with respect to fees it charges customers on shipments arriving from outside of Canada (from the United States, or internationally).

This proposed class action alleges that DHL required class members (defined below) to make payments to DHL on shipments arriving from outside of Canada for import duties and/or taxes before releasing said shipments to class members. The proposed class action alleges that this payment for import duties and/or taxes included a fee called a “processing fee”, which was charged and retained by DHL, rather than by the Canada Border Services Agency (“Canada Customs”). The action alleges that at no time prior to payment did DHL disclose to class members that the payment included a DHL processing fee, and that DHL instead represented to class members that the payments being made by them to DHL were for import duties and/or taxes charged by Canada Customs.

This proposed class action alleges that DHL’s representations and conduct were in breach of the Competition Act, RSC 1985, c C-34 and constituted an unfair business practice contrary to provincial consumer protection legislation. The proposed class action alleges that DHL was unjustly enriched by its conduct and that its conduct constituted the tort of deceit.

This proposed class action seeks to recover damages for class members, including the monies paid by class members to DHL for DHL’s processing fee, and to compensate class members who have suffered stress and anxiety as a result of DHL’s conduct and as a result of the time they have spent investigating the fees charged by DHL, communicating with DHL about the fees charged, and reporting DHL’s unlawful conduct to the Better Business Bureau and other consumer protection organizations.

Who does this class action affect?

You are a class member in this proposed class action if you are a Canadian resident and you have had a package shipped to you from outside of Canada by DHL with respect to which you have paid fees to DHL, including a “processing fee” and/or a “brokerage fee”.

Who are the lawyers?

This class action is being pursued by a team of lawyers at Murphy Battista LLP, led by Scott Stanley.

What should I do if I have been impacted?

Please contact us by submitting the form below. A member of the legal team handling this action will contact you and you will be added to our database and kept apprised of developments.

Questions?

If you have questions, please email us at [email protected].

 

In the News

Murphy Battista files proposed class action against courier giant DHL over “processing fees”

April 15, 2021

Murphy Battista has filed a proposed class action against DHL, alleging the courier has profited by misrepresenting some of the fees it charges customers, in contravention of the federal Competition Act. Read the full CBC news story: Courier giant DHL padded own pockets with ‘hidden fees,’ class action alleges Learn…

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Form

DHL Processing Fees Class Action Form

Potential Class Member Questionnaire

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