Is Don Lee and Company Legit?

[FrustA]

Hi everyone.

I think I've been scammed. I was interviewed by Don Lee and Company (https://www.donleecompany.com/home) and they seemed very professional. I was impressed and they offered me a great rate - USD35 per session.

I started working for them and they have this strang policy that you have to reach $600 before they make a payment. You start with 1 client and work like 4 hours per month. So you can see that it will take months before you know anything is fishy. Time for my first payment came and I was paid so I thought nothing was wrong. I took on more clients and really pushed to do great work for my clients. I met with Don, the leader of the company - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachdonlee/. He made promises and broke them over a few months. Now I'm sitting owed $3600 and he is ignoring my messages and emails.

I started looking around and I founod this post on Reddit where other teachers were also complaining - https://www.reddit.com/r/OnlineESLTeach ... /?sort=new.

It seems like this company is also really bad to their clients - https://m.blog.naver.com/PostView.naver ... tionCode=1. This is an article with over 250 comments by clients who are complaining about delayed refunds and resigning teachers.

Has anyone else been affected? What can we do to get our money? I'm broken after all of the hours I put into this!!! :(

[Scammed22]

It's a SCAM.

I'm owed thousands and I know quite a few other coaches are owed thousands too.

Don Lee's biggest fear is that all this comes out in the open, so the best we can do is talk about it publicly by sharing and posting on platforms like Reddit.

There's also this: https://bewarebusinessenglishcoachingscamkorea.com/

Don Lee & Company is the most unethical company I've ever come across.

We must get the truth out.

[nikkiinf]

Hi everyone,

I'm one of the many teachers scammed. I'm pursuing legal recourse in South Korea through some of my loyal students with contacts in high places. I've also contacted the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the ILO. We'll see if anything comes from that.

These unethical practices must be stopped! I'm still measuring the adverse impacts on my own life (financial commitments compromised, wasted time, etc.). I can't imagine how much collective damage has been done.

Is anyone else taking action?

[kingadama12]

Hi everyone,

I've also been scammed and am feeling rather ridiculous about it. I've worked with students that have complained of their coaches suddenly disappearing... now it makes more sense.

Has anybody spoken with their students about this? It's a difficult one to break. I've also sunk countless hours into providing a service for students, so the realisation that it's all been for nothing is hard to take. Guess Don Lee is a real con-man.

[nikkiinf]

After months of working for free because I didn't want to get my students involved or let it impact my sessions, I announced that I was "temporarily" suspending my sessions and ended up being honest with a couple of them about why. They have tried to support me by calling Don to complain and/or ask about when the issues would be resolved, but nothing has happened. Just the same empty promises from Don. One of them is even helping me take legal action since I don't speak Korean.

[Tiger]

He has been black-listed for the last six months by CFTU and China Scam Patrol and apparently he is using aliases as well. I see a lot of people found out the hard way.

[John V55]

I sort of feel sorry for you Kingadama, but not a lot. Why do you fall for it? It’s like an endless production line of problems coming out of the private sector.

China is a developing country. There are no fantasy jobs paying fantastic rates comparable to the west. How on earth did you do $3,600 (¥23,900) worth of work before you clicked on you’ve been scammed? It beggars belief.

The good news is it’s probably now coming to an end. The scammers, the gullible, the chancers … The Government is now slowly closing the get-rich-quick private sector as even they’ve realized it’s a scam.
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=9372

[kingadama12]

Thanks for taking the time to write this, John V55 - what a way to kick somebody whilst they're down! I'm also curious as to why you've targeted me over the other posters, but I guess that's of little ultimate import.

If you'd like a serious answer, I have ADHD which often accounts for my laxity in following things up. I've also been holding down other avenues of work, so only a fraction of my working life was geared towards this particular company. There are obviously ways in which scam artists operate, although you seem to favour the view that anybody unfortunate enough to be scammed should qualify as a categorical moron. I don't like feeling attacked, so shame on you for making me feel bad about myself, however minimal it may otherwise seem.

I'm not sure if you have children, but I'd urge you to practice sympathy in the future - try it, compassion is a wonderful thing! Anyway, I'm happy with my life, and being targeted by one ugly bastard on the internet won't change that.

Peace x

[John V55]

Thanks for taking the time to write this, John V55 - what a way to kick somebody whilst they're down! I'm also curious as to why you've targeted me over the other posters, but I guess that's of little ultimate import.

If you'd like a serious answer, I have ADHD which often accounts for my laxity in following things up. I've also been holding down other avenues of work, so only a fraction of my working life was geared towards this particular company. There are obviously ways in which scam artists operate, although you seem to favour the view that anybody unfortunate enough to be scammed should qualify as a categorical moron. I don't like feeling attacked, so shame on you for making me feel bad about myself, however minimal it may otherwise seem.

I'm not sure if you have children, but I'd urge you to practice sympathy in the future - try it, compassion is a wonderful thing! Anyway, I'm happy with my life, and being targeted by one ugly bastard on the internet won't change that.

Peace x

I’m not kicking someone who is down, I’m asking a question of why did you fall for it? You’re not the only one. Although I haven’t posted for some time, I’ve been pointing out for years that the private sector is where the scams come from. Obviously, like the others before you, you thought it would never happen to you until it did.

Do you have the qualifications to teach? If you do why didn’t you go and teach in a real school instead of some shady outfit? Was it the money and the promises that you fell for like the rest of them? If you have ADHD and you have difficulty focusing (following things up) perhaps teaching isn’t your best career choice?

How many times do I have to feel compassion and sympathy for those chasing the money promised by what are in effect businesses, doing moonlight runs, working with false visas and copied certificates …? Sit down and think about this. Whose fault was it you got scammed? Let what happened be a lesson learned instead of whining about it being everybody else’s fault. You’re not the first and you won’t be the last. Grow up. :)

[John V55]

Any brand can be promoted and become recognizable and popular if the right development strategy and outsourcing company are chosen. One key factor is to focus on customer service qa basics This means ensuring that all customer interactions are handled efficiently and effectively. By outsourcing customer service to a reliable and experienced company, brands can improve their reputation and increase customer loyalty. Additionally, a well-executed marketing campaign that targets the right audience can also help boost brand awareness. Overall, a comprehensive approach that includes both customer service and marketing can lead to successful brand promotion.

SPAM!

[nikkiinf]

The recent spam post compelled me to reply to John V55. Your reply seems quite harsh. To answer some of your questions:

1. I joined this "shady outfit" because a contact recommended I take over for her.
2. As an American ESL teacher and translator working and living in Europe, I enjoyed working with people in South Korea, a country that is totally unfamiliar to me. It gave me a sense of human community, working with teachers and students from all over the world. Naively, I was in awe thinking that the time had truly come in which technology could bring us all closer together. I loved the contact with people I would never have had the opportunity to meet, much less work with, otherwise.

3. I also enjoyed the brand new challenge of teaching English to people whose native language I know nothing about (no easy translation or grammar equivalent).

4. We were barely emerging from Covid, and online lessons with anyone, anywhere in the world, were becoming the norm. So I thought, why not try this new way of doing things?

5. No one fell for the money. It was poorly paid compared to what I make in Europe. The opportunity was interesting. I didn't think to check any further, as someone else had recommended the job to me.

Don Lee's outfit wasn't a scam that stole from selfish, greedy narcissists. Come on, we're talking about teaching English as a second language! EVERYONE got swindled, including the people who interviewed me, hired me and prepped me for my first students. Unfortunately, the victims were, as far as I can tell, honest, hard-working people who fell for his claims for a variety of reasons. They deserve no blame, apart from yes, maybe we should have been more careful or done a background check. Alas, we live in a very sad world, but it is ours. I lost what is quite a sum of money for me as a linguistic provider and solo mama of two. Even 25 years into my career, I've come out all the wiser thanks to this very expensive lesson in life. But no sympathy, please.

Thanks for taking the time to write this, John V55 - what a way to kick somebody whilst they're down! I'm also curious as to why you've targeted me over the other posters, but I guess that's of little ultimate import.

If you'd like a serious answer, I have ADHD which often accounts for my laxity in following things up. I've also been holding down other avenues of work, so only a fraction of my working life was geared towards this particular company. There are obviously ways in which scam artists operate, although you seem to favour the view that anybody unfortunate enough to be scammed should qualify as a categorical moron. I don't like feeling attacked, so shame on you for making me feel bad about myself, however minimal it may otherwise seem.

I'm not sure if you have children, but I'd urge you to practice sympathy in the future - try it, compassion is a wonderful thing! Anyway, I'm happy with my life, and being targeted by one ugly bastard on the internet won't change that.

Peace x

I’m not kicking someone who is down, I’m asking a question of why did you fall for it? You’re not the only one. Although I haven’t posted for some time, I’ve been pointing out for years that the private sector is where the scams come from. Obviously, like the others before you, you thought it would never happen to you until it did.

Do you have the qualifications to teach? If you do why didn’t you go and teach in a real school instead of some shady outfit? Was it the money and the promises that you fell for like the rest of them? If you have ADHD and you have difficulty focusing (following things up) perhaps teaching isn’t your best career choice?

How many times do I have to feel compassion and sympathy for those chasing the money promised by what are in effect businesses, doing moonlight runs, working with false visas and copied certificates …? Sit down and think about this. Whose fault was it you got scammed? Let what happened be a lesson learned instead of whining about it being everybody else’s fault. You’re not the first and you won’t be the last. Grow up. :)

[Harri55]

I recently contacted Don Lee, and he says most of issues have been resolved. He also says he got significant improvements of their operarion system to prevent this kind of issue. Just wonder if those issues are gone.
Anyone know recent status?

[Danielle1204]

This is a tall tale told by Mr Don Lee to try and salvage his reputation. We are a group of around 15 teachers who Don is yet to pay since 2022. He still owes me USD 1030 since March 2022.

Check the reviews on Glassdoor and Reddit to see the extent of the damage that he has caused.