"Check - Secured Express Delivery" Payment Warning ...

[catch2948]

Not sure if anyone else has experienced this (haven't read about it anywhere in these forums), but if you are one of the publishers that selected the "Check - Secured Express Delivery) as your payment option, then BEWARE!

I live in the southern U.S., and normally, I receive my Adsense checks no later than the end of the month (via regular mail) ... I started wondering if something was wrong, as I had selected the express option, and as of yesterday, I still hadn't received my check for March earnings ...

Well, earlier this morning, the DHL delivery truck pulled up to my place with a delivery from Google ... When I went to sign for the package, I was amazed that the package was sent from DUBLIN IRELAND last week ... That's right Ireland! Not only that, when I went to open the package (standard DHL plastic shipping bag), my check (with the standard printed check stub) was not in an envelope, and was wrinkled and torn ... The DHL delivery guy, who saw the package when I opened it, said that was completely against DHL instructions concerning shipping important documents, and advised me to contact the shipper (which I did right after he left) ...

A check, written in Mountainview California, sent to the Southern U.S. via Dublin Ireland, wrinkled, torn, and not even in a paper envelope inside the shipping bag (in violation of DHL's shipping instructions) ...

Is it just me, or is there something very "insecure" about this?

[hunderdown]

I'd be interested to hear what Google has to say about this.

[blairsp]

I wonder how many canned responses he gets before he gets a real answer as well. Does seem a bit strange though the process as the Dublin address is the European HQ. Wonder if the town address is somewhere famous in Europe, you know like Paris, France (Texas was NOT the first!)

[topdog]

Wow, that doesn't make any sense at all. I wonder what the thought process is behind that. If you lived in the city next to Google's HQ, would you still get a check via Dublin? Hmm..... Posts like this made me update my account to get the funds transferred electronically. Keep us posted on the reply.

[Nathan]

The problem is, if you make over a certain amount, you can't get paid via EFT. So are you stuck with secured delivery or can you just get it as a normal check like everyone else?

[Jolly_Roger]

catch2948, that mirrors my experience pretty closely. I live in the US Southeast as well, but that part may only be coincidence. My check also came from Dublin.

The flimsy plastic envelope that DHL used was shapeless and quite wrinkled upon arrival. The check itself was undamaged, other than the wrinkling, but was partially torn from the stub. The stub itself took most of the damage.

I much prefer the hard, cardboard mailers FedEx uses. I'm not sure that simply using a flexible paper envelope inside the plastic mailer would completely solve the problem though.

Why, oh why, does Google use DHL? (yeah, I'm sure the answer is 'they're cheaper'. But for $30, even if Google's overhead is half, that still leaves about enough for FedEx or UPS, doesn't it?)

If the USPS wasn't so flakey here, I'd switch back. (The Postal service delivered my September, 04 check to a neighbor!)

[topdog]

The problem is, if you make over a certain amount, you can't get paid via EFT. So are you stuck with secured delivery or can you just get it as a normal check like everyone else?

What is the max amount one can receive via EFT?

[ning]

All secured checks are DHL'ed from Dublin, Ireland, according to an email reply from Google.

[moftary]

As of other checks, not secured, are being sent now from Sweden. They are ugly green (wish if I could post a screen shot), I even wondered if my bank would accept it when it looks like a normal paper.

I for one suspected that it's a fake check

[MikeNoLastName]

We're in Southwest USA and got ours via Dublin, Ireland, LAST month, even though we were under $10K last month (over $10K in month before and after). Switched to EFT last month and had payment in account before end of April.
Never heard of any max for EFTs?