Our experience with Cal Van Lines has been a nightmare. They moved our stuff and it arrived damaged, crushed, and with 2 boxes missing. I asked for discounts and they repeatedly told me no and they do not care. Our moving company, Colonial, contracted the job to them. On the phone, we were quoted 5-10 days to move our belongings from Houston to California. We paid the $1600 deposit. On January 2nd, 2022 our movers showed up. They told us an 18 wheeler couldn't fit there and they need a special shuttle to get our belongings for about $400 extra even though our previous company used an 18 wheeler and just parked it on the street. Then, when they showed up we realized the job had been contracted out to a small mom and pop mover called Cal Van Lines (we were not given a heads up about this). AFTER loading our stuff that day they told us our stuff would arrive in 10 days because they had to go to Florida first. (Houston- florida-california???). On January 18th we got multiple calls from Colonial saying our stuff would arrive that day. I reserved the freight elevator but never got a call. I called Cal Van Lines directly and they told me that was completely false, that the van was currently in North Carolina, the driver had covid, the route had been impacted by winter storms AND the driver would be making a stop in New York before going to california. ??? I just got a call from them extending my delivery date for a FOURTH time. It is currently February 2nd, 2022. This marks one full month sleeping on the floor or an air mattress. I have had to repurchase my bed, pillows, pots and pans, utensils, clothes, and everything I need for a working setup from home (chairs, everything). Thank god I do not have kids that I would have to put through sleeping on the floor, and that we are young and healthy, but imagine another customer with a disability, or who is elderly, getting this kind of service from Cal Van Lines. Please do not use their service. They have an F rating with the better business bureau and the representative I spoke to said he is well aware of that and not trying to change it. read more

See all

GARBAGE COMPANY. They don't care about their customers at all. Moving window isn't real - specifically asked for earlier move to avoid xmas and now my stuff is being moved the day before xmas (supposedly). They have my passport and I am going on international travel on the 26th. I need to move all of my flights around now to account for their inability to deliver on what was promised. Update 4:47 PM - they are now delivering my things ON xmas eve. read more

MAYBE this company would do better with a local move, but they were subcontracted by Colonial Van Lines ( see my review) and actually impressed the heck out of me from when I signed a contract until they picked up my items. Frequent emails and phone calls regarding my impending pick up, and that's where it ended. After not hearing from them for over a week, I started calling wanting to know when my cross-country move would be completed. My items were held somewhere until they could be weighed and the final cost could be determined. Then apparently after the items were placed in a truck and started their drive cross country, my rep ALEXIA could not , would not give me any possible date/ time frame as to when the delivery would occur.... I had to call them every day, and was told I would be updated every other day regarding timeframe etc. Finally, my items were delivered three days after the very last possible day in the range given which was just shy of FOUR weeks after pick up. Then the driver calls me 3 hours before delivery After the company called me the day before saying the driver would be there late afternoon or the following day. Luckily, I was able to be there. There was a leak in the truck big enough to damage several boxes, including two that needed to be replaced by the mover with new ones.Several items were ruined, including irreplaceable artwork from my children. Two weeks later, the company has not appeared to make any attempt to locate my six missing boxes, including the most important one which contains irreplaceable photos of my deceased parents, and childhood photos of mine and photos of my children from birth on ....UNACCEPTABLE. Use another company that cares....They would rather try to pay me off with a "resolution specialist" that look for my missing items read more

See all

Fraudulent company. Colonial Van Lines contracts them to conduct the move. Please run if you hear mention of Cal Van Lines or Colonial Van Lines. Where can I begin ... I unpacked wardrobe boxes that were basically empty, boxes upon boxes filled with paper ... anything they could do to add to my weight. Price more than DOUBLED the estimate and the insisted on my paying CASH on delivery. $11k for a one bedroom apartment of a single woman (and I am not a hoarder). Please, please do not use either of these companies. Contact me if this has happened to you. Thank you for reading. read more

As with many other reviews, Colonial contracted the job to Cal Van Lines. When I got a call from customer service to confirm my delivery date and time, it was scheduled for when I very clearly told them several times my building doesn't allow Sunday move ins or ours, and the office was closed for Presidents' Day. When the office is closed, the service elevator can't be used. The service elevator is what is used for move ins and outs. When I got the initial call to confirm the day and time, I was told to have extra cash on hand for fees to be determined at delivery. Luckily no additional fees were charged (hence the extra star). The idea of undisclosed fees is outrageous. We were able to schedule for Tuesday 2/22. The movers were an hour and a half late beyond the delivery window. I had to call customer service to make sure I was still on the schedule. My items arrived mostly damaged and two boxes were missing. Overall, the whole process was very disappointing, along with thousands of dollars in damages. read more

This company was contracted by Colonial Van Lines to move us. We were never told by Colonial that they were actually going to broker our business out to another company. We found out the day of our move, when Cal Van Lines showed up. This is tantamount to fraud, as we were not given the details of the contract between Colonial Van Lines and Cal Van Lines as it pertained to our move. In fact, we learned later from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, that Colonial Van Lines may only provide an estimate on behalf Cal Van Lines, if it has a written agreement with Cal Van Lines, and if they (Colonial Van Lines) do provide an estimate for Cal Van Lines (We paid Cal Van lines, not Colonial), they must use Cal Van lines published Tarriff. This was not what they did, as we were handed paperwork from Colonial Van Lines, yet when it came time to pay, we paid Cal Van lines. So in essence, Colonial gets a cut for giving Cal Van Lines our business, and they don't even follow the law and provide us with their written agreement. I suspect that there is no written agreement, since Cal Van Lines was using Colonial Van Lines Bill of Lading/Tarriff. Shady dealings, indeed. How are they in business still, when they can't even comply with the law? When we asked for a copy of the agreement between Cal Van lines and Colonial Van Lines, they refer us back to Colonial Van Lines, instead of providing us with what we're entitled to. When I did call Colonial to ask for the contract between them and Cal Van Lines, they send us a copy of our bill of Lading, which we have already, and when I reiterate that I'm asking for the contract between Cal Van Lines, and Colonial Van Lines to move OUR belongings from California to North Carolina, they ignore me entirely. Cal refers me to Colonial, and Colonial ignores my request. They cover each other by being equally evasive, and withholding information. They showed up with a truck that was already too full to actually carry all of our belongings, which resulted in our having to choose to leave some of our things behind. Our pets had been picked up the same day by animal transporters, and we could not postpone or wait, and so we felt forced to let go of certain items. I listened to the mover call the office and complain that they left the truck too full, and he argued with the person that he spoke with, telling them "no, it's not my problem". This was beyond stressful for us, and they take no responsibility. Instead, they want to talk about weight, which wasn't what we had issue with at all. Our issue is that we hired a moving company to move a 2 bedroom house from one state to another, and this didn't happen. If all of our belongings were loaded on that truck, I would have no problems, but the fact is, we paid for a service, to move ALL of our belongings, and that's not what happened. We paid full price, but had to pick and choose items to leave behind. Thus, the service was incomplete, even though the payment was complete. We didn't get what we paid for, not at all. They keep talking about weight, yet it's the volume inside of the truck that was inadequate. We have the original quote, and the list of belongings, and all of the larger items, were taken off, yet they still didn't have enough room in their truck. We were never told that our belongings would be mingling with other peoples belongings. In these times, of the CORONA VIRUS, & because according to the CDC, the virus lives on surfaces, how can Cal Van Lines protect people from exposure to the virus if their movers are handling belongings from more than one household in the same truck, & without sanitizing all the surfaces???? Businesses everywhere are being affected, yet all these guys have to do is wear a mask? Without any knowledge of the health of the people inside the homes that they are moving, they don't even take measures to sanitize or separate the different households belongings? We didn't expect things to go this way, especially considering we can't even stand closer than 6 feet to strangers, or sing in Church, or visit our elderly relatives!!! But personal belongings, touched, & breathed upon by strangers, & movers, can mingle, in the truck, in the warehouse (where our things were stored before being dropped off), & it's just business as usual. They lost a wicker chair, 2 of my husbands boxes of clothes, & an antique ceramic elephant that was once my mothers was damaged. Not only did they NOT move all of our belongings, they lost and damaged our stuff!!! They only communicate with you when they want payment, otherwise, our emailed questions were ignored entirely, and that's email, it's an actual 'paper trail', that shows our questions, and their non response. It seems to me that they don't care, not one bit, about your belongings, about your move, or about the law. They only care about taking your hard earned money. Save yourself the stressful nightmare, don't hire them. read more

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!! A crooked company that will try to cheat you at every turn. Holds your goods hostage until you pay a fictitious amount for moving your goods. read more

Do not use their services! Repeat, do not use! There is no other word to describe this company than corrupt. I'm in the middle of a financial crisis with them and I'll probably have to get an attorney involved. They claimed I signed a contract that I never did and are trying to charge me more money before they'll deliver my furniture. They still think they can argue even though I have legal documentation. I hope this company goes out of business sooner than later. I hope future customers don't get taken advantage at this place. I could have written a book about this experience, but I wanted to make sure to highlight the most critical detail. Fraud! There are many other companies you can use. I made a Yelp account just to review this company... that hopefully shows just how bad it is. I hope potential customers read Yelp first. read more

I moved from Boston to California at the beginning of the month. I made the mistake of hiring Colonial Van Lines who then outsourced the job to Cal Van Lines. Every piece of furniture is damaged and I now have damages totaling close to $1000. I am also missing some items and have been playing phone tag with Cal Van Lines for over a week. The customer service representatives are unreliable. read more

This is a disgrace of a company. My sister is using them from back east. And they originally quoted her 1354 for the move now they have asked her for 1000 more so we go get a money order for that then they ask her yesterday for 700 so we unwillingly go get that today they ask for 63 more today. What in the hell is this? Originally they would be there by today? Now maybe by Sunday. The entire operation sounds ridiculous to me. I wouldn't have anyone use them. How horrible to use someone's belongings as ransom. Shameful. And Ryan will NOT return her calls. read more

Working with the company was a horrific experience. The first tactic in business is threats. They delayed the loading date (two days before move) after dates agreed by contract which was impossible since I was leaving the country the next day. It took documentation as well as too many phone conversations for me to insist that they adhere to the contract. The person managing my move, Alexander was rude, abusive, threatening and unprofessional although I was the person adhering to the contract. I will be reporting this company. They were also dishonest with me. I kept all phone records as well as emails to prove the dishonesty. I would give them a zero with the exception that the actual moving fellows were helpful. I have moved many time and never had such a dreadful experience. read more

They partner with Colonial van lines. Steal and break your personal belongings all while adding fire additional charges to your already paid contract with colonial van lines. Then hold your belongings hostage until you be pay all these additional charges. Delivery late as they store your stuff in warehouse in Torrance for weeks while they pick through what yo steal. read more

Cal Van Lines was subcontracted by American Van Lines. The movers showed up with a truck that was nearly 75% full, and they couldn't fit all my items. They had to send another truck several weeks later. By the time my move was complete, over 4 months elapsed. Also, they broke my TV. read more

Cal Van Lines - Movers Near Me - Gardena, California

I feel like these guys deserve a better rating just because the guys were friendly and very efficient. To begin with, if you hired a broker and never dealt with movers, which lead you to these guys, a word of advice, ask the for the delivery time and get it in writing on their form. Why? Because the brokers tell you what "they think" will be the estimated time, and really they don't know what they are talking about. The movers should know more than the broker considering they're the ones moving your things within their available truck and timeframe. For us, it took three weeks to get our things moved from California to Colorado when Budget Van Lines told us it would take 5-7 business days max. Of course, in the broker's agreement, it protects them from upholding any responsibility or negative repercussions if it is much later than expected. Read the fine writing. The communication with Cal Van Lines during the process was very good. They kept us informed throughout the process. In terms of the quote we got from Budget Van Lines, it was off. We got charged a little over, but it wasn't much more than we were originally quoted. Again, don't trust the broker's estimate because it is just their estimated quote. They don't actually weigh your items beforehand. So, it's based on whatever Budget Van Lines "thinks" it should way. That's probably how they offer such a cheap quote and reel you in. Cal Val Lines will give you their own quote upon arrival. Our quote from Cal Van Lines was initially quoted much higher, but it was reduced once they got the accurate weight at the weighing station. Still wasn't the same quote as Budget Van Lines originally proposed. Upon delivery, we received all of our things. Nothing was missing. The only disappointing factor was that some things were dinged up. They didn't necessarily wrap it up with the best protection. They used thin blankets and tape. But then again, you get what you pay for. We did hire cheap movers because we were on a budget. Despite that one flaw, whether it be major or minor for some, the movers did a good job. They were friendly, efficient with the materials they had, and hardworking during pick up and delivery. Cal Val Lines, I know wrapping material is expensive, but if you could figure out a way to wrap things up in a more protective method, I bet you would do better in business. If I had to do it all again, I would use Cal Van Lines again. Maybe I would just invest in my own materials and wrap the furniture myself this time unless Cal Van Lines decides to offer better packing services. However, I wouldn't use a broker. The broker was just a waste of money. Why use a broker, when you can use Google or Yelp to find movers. read more

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!! READ THE REVIEWS!!! This is by far the worst moving company I have EVER used. This is coming from a Navy baby turned travel nurse. I have been moving my entire life and I cannot believe these people are still in business. They picked up our belongings on June 29th, it is July 31st and we still do not have our belongings. Our move started off with a lie. We made it clear that we wanted a full move (packing and transport). The guys that showed up to pack up our home told us packing wasn't included and we needed to pay them $100 cash each or they wouldn't pack up our home for the move. Seriously, what are we supposed to do at this point, we needed our stuff packed. So we paid them $200 to do this. It was obvious they were lying, because they brought packing supplies (how convenient), but we were at their mercy. Our window was July 1st to July 17th. Lets just say tomorrow is August and they have not arrived with our stuff. There is a very rude man named Solomon that actually told me "your stuff will get there when it gets there." WOW!!! As of now, the truck that our belongings are on is "broken down" in a small town a few hours away from us. How convenient that their trucks keep breaking down when there are delays (I read other reviews just now and see that is one of their most used excuses). We have had to go ahead and purchase a new bed, television, kitchen supplies (i.e. pots and pans), and dining room table set just to get by while waiting on our furniture. I have cried, yelled, panicked, and screamed. My husband and I have fought about this move on several occasions because I just don't understand why he didn't read the reviews or wait on me to book a reputable company. How dare you rob us Cal Van Lines, I can tell from other reviews that when my stuff finally arrives, some things will be missing and some will be damaged. Anytime we called, we got the run around, no one knew the status of our belongings, we kept getting a sorry we can't do anything about this. I don't think this kind of service warrants the $3,400 we are required to pay upon arrival of our belongings. So for almost 5K, they screwed us over and are still taking their sweet time with our items. All in all, life lesson learned.....NEVER let my husband book the move because he doesn't read reviews. After reading all of the reviews and seeing the pictures, I am nervous for our belongings to actually arrive. Shame on you Cal Van Lines for treating people this way!!! read more

Please save yourself the trouble. My belongings have been loaded for over 3 weeks now and still have not even left the original destination they where loaded from. Excuse after excuse. Poor service ( they told us to unload our storage ourselves) where told they only had to load the truck. Getting weight recipes was like pulling teeth got them also three weeks after being told my belongings would be close to 3,500 lbs they ended up being only 1,900. BE WARE. Please choose someone else don't be fooled by the low price you will pay for it in the end. I personally did not pick this company but was assigned to them via sub contract from all state van lines. read more

First I've moved over 10 times in my life and this by far is the worse experience. First, they call to show up at 7-9am and after claims of traffic and flat tire they say they will arrive at 7pm. I tell them it is too late to start move and come back next am, so they arrive the next day at 9am. It was a small 2 bedroom move with no clothing and it took them 8 hours. (weight was under 4,000 lbs) ALso, they didn't take flat screen TV's since the were still on wall mounts. Really, who doesn't have TV's on wall mounts these days! So I have over $2k of TV's still at the house an no way to get them out. All other movers have taken wall mount TV off the brackets. Finally, the estimated arrival date was July 19 - 31. Know it is Aug 4 to 6 and believe 6 is best case. I'm sure stuff will be lost or broken. Never use these guys, I complained, but they don't care. Bad movers and horrible customer service! read more

This has to have been the worst experience I have ever gone through in my entire life. DO NOT USE EITHER OF THESE COMPANIES! All State was so eager for my business and arrange for a truck to show up on May 4th in CA. I used All State Van Lines Relocation Services and they sent Cal Van Lines to pack up and move my goods. I flew back to CA to make sure all my furnishing were loaded, unfortunately all but a glass top was overlooked. I was told my furnishings would arrive somewhere between May 10 and 18th in GA. That seemed reasonable. However I later found out there were two other deliveries to be made prior to mine (in TX) my goods were to be delivered in GA and it delayed my furnishings arriving within the window given. I was not informed of this at the time. It turns out my furnishings did not arrive until May 20th. Once movers began unloading it appears that not all boxes were present (this was checked against the list and I was missing 15 boxes! Including the pieces to assemble my bed as well as all my good china and every day dishes and glassware no where to be found. Missing umbrella stand, damaged dining room chair, missing legs to accent chairs and damaged wooden silver chest and chest of drawers completely destroyed as well as mirror (which the mover felt compelled to leave simply on a sofa chair in pieces). Several pieces of crystal destroyed. I paid a lot to have what I thought was a reputable company handle my move. The most stressful and depressing experience. Losing some items that were of sentimental value has been the most disappointng and upsetting feeling. Do yourself a favor don't use either of these companies!!! read more

I recently moved from Memphis to California. I am a father of three and this whole process was very stressful They explained a lot in the beginning and the movers did take care of my shipment. I did read some of the bad reviews, but none of it matched the service I received so I just wanted to put my review in as well. None of my items went missing and there were no damages. It was important to mention to pack the boxes to the top so that the items do not get crushed. will be using them again if I plan to move again. read more

Cal Van lines moved my household goods, approximately 3000 pounds, from Sacramento California to Colorado springs Colorado. The crew was on time and did an excellent job in my opinion. They were very courteous. They packaged and, when needed, disassembled our furniture expertly. They worked efficiently and finished the job in a reasonable time compared to the size of the move. At the end, they assisted me in escorting them to the waystation where I was presented with both the prior and heavy weights. Again, throughout they were very courteous and expert in their work. I would recommend this moving company to my friends and family based on their performance during pick up. With regard to their performance after pick up, the dispatcher provided timely updates. I was disappointed that our delivery was delayed three different times. However, their delivery did finally take place within the window of the contract. read more

They are awful. If I could I would give them Zero star. I moved from Arizona to Southern California and I found them through a broker ( long distance movers Inc) which was worse than Cal Van Lines. Both of them are not responsible for anything. They moved around my stuff in a truck for more than 10 days and when they were delivered, they were all broken!!! They even lost one of my dinning table chairs!!! I can't say enough here that how they are awful. Don't move your stuff with them if you still want to use them! read more

RUN! stay away from this company! if youre looking for a sign THIS IS IT. I usually go with UPack to move my belongings but I decided to go through a third party moving company Colonial who uses Cal Van Lines to do the job. Where do I start...... 1. they arrived 3 hours late without a phone call. which is fine, I can get over that. 2. they arrived with a total of two movers. One which pretty much did all of the work and the other who decided to sit at my counter top and facetime his 2 year old son as well as his mothers child for almost 30 minutes just chit chatting away. it took them 7 hours to move us out of a 2 bedroom apartment. and trust me when I tell you we didn't have that much. it was mainly boxes rather than furniture. they took cigarette breaks more than I can count. Im a smoker myself so Im not being judgmental, but when you have a job to do you do the damn job. 3. one of the movers (his name is andre 3237385782) the one who was on the phone the entire time and taking smoke breaks, mentioned that he loves playing xbox and was chit chatting with my son about how much he plays and how he doesn't have a headset. (this Is important ....). anyway, the total count of boxes ended up being 12 boxes over the amount we originally thought we would have. I was quoted 3200 dollars for a move from NY to TX. Andre got irritated that there were more boxes, disappeared to his truck for almost an hour to phone the company who hired them and came back quoting me 5600! I told him that was ridiculous over just boxes. then he proceeded to tell me that it likely wouldn't cost that much because they were only boxes and that it all depended on the total weight of the items. I signed the document that said I could potentially be charged that much depending on the weight. it was only boxes of toys and clothes so I took his word for it and wasn't too worried. 4. fast forward, I was due to meet the movers in texas but was told they would call 1 day prior to arriving to make plans to meet at a specified time. andre decided to call me as he was pulling up to the storage unit (which I had not arrived at) and never called me the day before. when I told him I wasn't in town he tisk tisk tisked me as if I was a child and proceeded to be irritated and said I may be charged if I cant be there right away. I called the company and explained the situation and they said it was the drivers fault for not communicating. fine....moving along now. 5. the day arrives when my belongings get to the storage unit and I meet andre and now 2 other gentlemen which they picked up along the way to help unload. the truck didn't fit directly in front of the storage unit so they parked a little further away (200 feet to be specific). then proceeded to inform me that they had to charge me $1 per foot that they had to walk my things. oh and its cash only. and also, everything was weighed on the way to texas and my bill was 5600. 6. I wish I was done..finally I run to the atm, I give them my cash and they proceed to move the items. they give me the move/inventory sheet and tell me that they are going to shout the numbers of the boxes and it was my job to check them off as they go. several numbers were repeated, some were not relayed and at one point they almost put an entire different customers box in my storage because they mixed them up. no thought was put into how they unloaded or stored the items they just threw everything in there. as im seeing the items there are scratches and dents in a bunch of my furniture. one item was completely ruined and they offered to trash it themselves for me. when I asked what I do about the damaged items they said well just call colonial and let them know and we'll mark it on the form. nothing was ever marked. the box numbers that were not marked on the form because they never called it out were checked off anyways by andre as he said, im sure I called that number you just didn't hear it. then he assured me that if any boxes were found on the truck that were mine that they would mail them to me at a later date. this is my first time dealing with this company or movers like this in general. (upack allows you to load and unload your own things they only deliver the items). I filed a claim and was offered 140.00 for all the damages and told that the missing box cannot be claimed because there is no documentation on the inventory sheet that andre had. ohhh....and get this....the box that is missing.....is full of my gaming and electronic equipment which includes an xbox headset and brand new controllers. when I texted andre about this he stopped responding to my calls and texts. I went through cal van lines and they assured this would be looked into. every time I called and spoke to someone I had to repeat the entire story again and they acted like they had no idea what was going on. this is a very discouraging situation that has really left a bad taste in my mouth for moving companies. they are lying lazy thieves! read more

I would give them zero stars except for the team who picked up our household goods. They were decent and did a good job. From there, it fell apart. Cal Van Lines took everything to their warehouse and disassembled everything they could, including an antique drafting table they were asked to not take apart. The paperwork, however, stated it was packed by owner which means they would not re-assemble it on delivery! Additionally, they did not use a shelf in their truck which means our boxes were stacked 6-8 high for a cross-country move causing damage to several boxes/belongings. The delivery end was completely negligent and uncoordinated. They gave us a 2-day window. By 10 am on the second day, we still had not heard when they would arrive. They driver finally showed up at 1:30 pm with only one other person to help unload everything. They finished unloading about 9:30 pm and would not re-assemble anything because it was too late and the paperwork said they did not disassemble it even though they did at their warehouse. Finally, make sure you witness weighing the truck both before and after they load or unload it. Make sure you follow them to/from the scales too. They weighed the truck empty before picking up our household goods and then again afterwards to get the final weight. The numbers did not make sense to us so we made them re-do the weights on delivery. We got quite a different answer with significantly less weight. It took them about a month to refund the difference. read more

THE WORST. They were unprepared, did not have enough materials, and lost and damaged our things. We paid for them to pack and I was told that they were only wrapping big items, anything fragile I would have to wrap myself. They also made lewd and suggestive comments to me about my goods, cursed and smoked in front of my children, and bullied me into signing paperwork even though my needs were not met. If I could afford it I would sue them. I tried multiple times to resolve the issue, even writing to their customer service. They never apologized or made anything right. Their complimentary insurance only covers 60 cents per pound of your article. They lost collectors coins and because they don't weigh anything we will not be reimbursed. This company should not be able to be in business. read more

IF YOU WANT STRESS USE THESE GUYS! We hired Allstate Van Lines and Relocation who subcontracted our move move out to Cal Van Lines, for our relocation from California to Texas. We were hoping that hiring a company would help the move be less stressful. It has been anything but, in fact, it has been one of the most horrendous experiences myself and my husband have gone through...and it is still not done! Moving companies were just on the news for scams, well, here is theirs. They came to pick-up our household items on 10/9/14. I met them at the scale to get the pre weight (30 minute drive). I questioned whether or not the truck would be big enough, as I was expecting an 18 wheeler. When the mover's arrived, Junior and Adrian a walk through and an inventory was done. He said he had to "revise the estimate" adding an additional 3000lbs. As it turns out not all of our things fit. Mover's Junior and Adrian said they could not fit any more and we had "overflow." They said they could pick up the reset in a week...we were leaving for Texas the next day so had to make accommodations for the rest of our things till then. When we returned to the scale for a post weight, which was under the initial estimate. On my way home I received a call from Allstate stating they could pick up my dog kennels (which were important so I could keep my animals safe and not have to purchase new ones) the next day. The representative, Bianca, made it seem like they were doing such a great thing. She stated that the movers were going to stay in a hotel for the night and "rearrange" the truck to fit my kennels. She asked if I was near the hotel and if I could pay $200 to help pay for the mover's stay (which would be applied towards the overall move). I was no longer their and said no. The next morning they MIRACULOUSLY had made room for my 2 6x12 kennels. My BIG mistake was in not being at the weigh scale for this as they are now claiming my kennels were an additional 1660lbs. I called the manufacturer and he said 700lbs tops, my guess was 500lbs as I can move the panels around. See my review on All State for other details. When Junior and Adrian returned for the "overflow" on 10/16/14 in California, Junior stated that there was more than they had thought and complained of what it weighed. He made comments like "this is going to cost them." He became rude and belligerent with my Mom and my friend to the point my Mom threatened to contact the police. Kai, their dispatcher called me in Texas and asked me to "calm my mom down." I stated that Junior's appearance alone may be threatening or intimidating to some and add inappropriate conduct...I told Kai that if his employee's behavior was such that my mom felt threatened she had every right to contact the police as they were in an area where there is not a lot of people. They left without picking up our belongings. Another crew came to pick it up. It was not a lot, but enough of heavy and bulky items and my friend went to the initial and post weight, which was 1920lbs. As of today 10/28/14 we do not have our belongings and Allstate now wants to charge us a $1900 "redelivery" fee. We have incurred a few thousand dollars extra in debt due to needing a bed and a refrigerator to name a few essentials. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!!!! IT WILL ONLY CAUSE YOU STRESS, TIME AND MONEY!!!! read more

The worst company I have worked with. NEVER use them And NEVER use ALLSTATE VAN lines. Allstate van lines hired this fraudulent company to outsource my cross country move. My arrival date was supposed to be 2 weeks ago, now they are telling me it will be 2 more weeks. And they are saying they will not compensation me more than $200 for being 1 month late. Not only that, but they will not call me back or communicate with me. I am wondering if my stuff will even arrive or if they have also committed theft. Not acceptable. I've never written a single poor review in my life, I like to see the best in people and companies. But I want the entire world to know that this company is a fraud. They need to change the way they treat customers or be put out of business. I am working with an attorney now to file for loss of income due to my business materials being stuck on that truck and for compensation for hotel and food, due to not furniture, cookware or clothing. Shame on you Cal Van Lines and Shame on you Allstate Van Lines for outsourcing to them. How do you think doing business this way is okay? read more

Finally got my stuff on 07/22/2015 around 8:30 AM EST. The driver never called to notify of the delivery, just showed up. The truck was packed to the MAX! So far one of my couches is bent (Arizona Leather couch worth $1700) not sure about the other couch as of yet, my LCD TV frame is broken, my surround sound system hangers are broken, dinning room table is broken, office leather chair is missing a piece so it's useless, my road bike was a mess (brake cables out of place), Bed frame rail metal piece was bent, I had to use a blowtorch and a ballpoint hammer to fix that so I can put the bed together and go to sleep. If you're going to use these guys (which hopefully you won't), make sure you buy additional insurance via a third party (not these guys and not All State Van Lines) and be very specific when describing your items. read more

Horrific company doesn't even describe them. I went through Colonial Van Lines and ended up with them. Do yourself a favor and avoid them at all cost. They changed the pick up date several times, left some of my items behind because there wasn't room on the truck then offered such small compensation it didn't begin to cover the cost of replacement. That's not even the worst of it. Meg insisted the truck wouldn't be able to fit safely into the drop-off location and demanded I pay an extra $200 for shuttle service despite the fact Colonial verified the truck would have no problem with the drop off location. I gave them my credit card and said I would dispute that charge then some guy named Alex demanded I pay the balance in cash once I mentioned the word dispute. So my furniture was held hostage until I came up with over $1000 in cash. Colonial was unable to intervene with their cash decision. Did I mention they were argumentative and rude? It wasn't until I threatened to go to the BBB that they finally refunded the shuttle fee. Hard to believe with such unethical behavior they are still in business. The drivers were the nicest guys ever, I hope they find a better company to work for. read more

warning!!!!!!! stop!!!!!!!! think twice!!!!!!! don't get sucked into their scam!!!!! do not use colonial movers or cal van lines for your move!!! please save yourself from the nightmare from these scumbags!!!!! as colonial van lines and thier sub cal van lines (the banged up junk truck that shows up for the pick up) see's it, your stuff is just another marble in the bag of marbles they load and off load ur stuff all day or all month long. maximizing their profit in every state, and customer be damned. these are bait and switch movers! once they have your stuff, well picture jim carey in ace ventura where he is a delivery man. god forbid you are moving from coast to coast! finally, your contact price when they pick up your stuff, forget that price, by the time they get to your destination count on $1,000.00 to $1,500.00 more! oh, and all the missing and broken stuff, well, let's hope you took out their insurance policy, you're going to need it. go with pod if you can, it will be thousands less and you pack it, you lock it up and you unlock it when your stuff arrives. read more

01/04/19- I was an unwilling customer of Cal Van Lines, in that my contracted moving company (American Van Lines) informed me two days before a cross country move, that their local truck was down and they subcontracted to Cal to pick up my house. Of course I was very hesitant, especially after checking reviews on line. I felt a little better after verifying they had an active MC#. But either way at this point I had no choice. However, and I say this in all honesty, I was very very pleased with the gentlemen from Cal Van Lines who picked up my 2 Bdrm house. They were on time, courteous, professional and took great care with my belongings. My Wife and I pre packed everything ourselves, but they added extra protection to our fragile and important items without prompting. They provided materials when we realized we forgot to pack a few things and they were very fast at loading everything up. They were very personable and friendly. The truck was clean and neat. They took an itemized accounting of our goods and were very accurate (we counted our items beforehand). This would have been a five star rating, if not for the fact that since Cal was a third party in my move, our house has to now be transferred to another truck for the cross country trip, which obviously makes me nervous because it provides another moving part and opportunity for items to be damaged or lost. But otherwise and so far-- as far as the pickup/first part of our move is concerned, Cal Van Lines was outstanding and I appreciate their efforts. So far my experience with Cal Van Lines has been a great one. read more

See all

These are the biggest scumbags in the world. I could write pages and pages as to why this "company" is 100% fraud, but I'll keep it to the bullet points (aka red flags). Yes we should have done better homework before going with them but oh well. Now we know, so you should learn from our experience. -They ask for a hefty deposit up front -They are a broker company (middle man). They don't a single thing with the actual move. They take your deposit and set you up with a customer care "specialist" who is worthless. -Read their extensive contract as it essentially covers their end down to the period, so you are assuming 100% of the risk. -Their delivery date is 100% guess-timate, they don't guarantee any time on when they will deliver unless you pay for their guaranteed delivery. -They broker is to a contractor who in this case was Cal Van Lines (another fraud company), who has a "legit" site and give you the same excuses with delivery dates as colonial. -They will promise you one price and when the actual company shows up they essentially force you to sign a new contract that dissolves the old one and mysteriously jacks up the price. And they won't move anything for you until you sign. Oh btw, that contract is the same as the other one, you assume all of their risk. After four weeks of waiting I flew to LA, rented a UHaul and found Cal Van Lines' "office" (a derelict chained off compound in the middle of Gardena, CA). I paid them their fee to release our stuff (oh, if you actually end up getting your stuff delivered, they won't un-pack your things unless you pay them the full new amount in cash only...hmm shady?). I was polite to them when I picked up my stuff (oh btw, they couldn't move it from their warehouse to my uhaul because of liability reasons...yea right), the guys who are in charge are not bad guys when speaking to them, but they have to know what they are doing is not right. It was cheaper to eat the cost of their fee and Colonials deposit and do it myself...with a one way ticket/hotels/gas/etc. For your wallet/savings sake, don't use these guys. It's disgusting that they do this to people. All of the positive reviews have got to be fake. read more

I choose Colonial Van Lines who sub contracted the move to Cal Van Lines. They are liars and thieves and delivered my stuff one month late and over charged me $1600. If you did not choose them but now having to deal with them because they were sub contracted by your moving company; here are my take aways 1. They will constantly lie about when the stuff will get to you. Be put your life on hold for 4-6 weeks at least. We ended up buying picnic tables and folding chairs; used an air mattress. Spent over $300 buying basic essentials. 2. They will claim emails dont work, people are out at lunch etc. Keep calling and write down one person name and extension. I spoke to Kai everyday and the operations guy is Billy. Billy probably controls logistics since my driver called him first. Speak to Him! 3. Be prepared to be overcharged. They go by gross weight which means they load the truck, add fuel and then weigh the truck. You will be overcharged. 4. Be prepared to be called on the day before your stuff gets to you and a lady called Toya will claim that they have to process payments that day. IF not, they will not deliver your stuff. You just want to get it over with so you end up paying. 5. They are a bunch of low lifes who do not care about you or if your family has to sleep on the floor or if you have to spend Christmas without toys or gifts for your 5 year old. If you are reading this before you have picked your moving company, Please be glad you do not have to deal with Colonial or Cal Van Lines. read more

I hired Colonial Van Lines (which I thought was a mover but is a broker) and they subcontracted through Cal Van Lines. It is so hard to tel where colonial ends and Cal VAn Lines begins...but. *First don't use Colonial VAn Lines because you won't know who they sub contract too and you could end up with a mover like Cal Van Lines or Relo They showed up to move my mother and actually had the shuttle truck I booked ($300 + each end) from CA to TX. My estimate was for 4466 lbs for 74 items (including 37 boxes and some minor packing)-I thought that was extremely high and a lot of weight considering she had a 1100 square foot home, got rid of 1/2 her furniture, had one bedroom set, one love seat, no coffee table, 1 set of dishes, 3 pots and pans, etc. Literally had plenty of room in her small 2 bedroom apartment in TX. When they showed up they did an okay job. However, they did not pad some older furniture very well and did not stick any padding inside boxes that held items they packed. Upon pickup Cal Van movers told my mother they had a hitch problem (this was Thursday 2/23/17) and that it would take 3 days to fix. The estimate time line for delivery was March 1-8. Mind you I did this exact move 5 years prior and know how long it takes/cost. I did not receive an email until after the Estimate March 1-8 timeline to get a delivery date (March 13th). Since the email and delivery notification came from Cal Van Lines it was up to them to get within the estimate...but mind you if they are over you will have no recourse-you will just keep paying for a place to stay while you wait for them to show up. Somewhere along the way I received a phone call with a new estimate from Colonial that Cal Van had weighed my mother's belongings and now her stuff weight was somewhere in the 6200 lbs (yes that is a full ton more than the estimate). I wigged out since it did not seem possible. Cal Van Lines did not provide me a weight ticket showing me this new "weight" and upon delivery I had to pay whatever they stated or they would hold my goods. which was about $1600 more than the original estimate. I have been requesting weight tickets but no proof-so they will hold your goods hostage unless you pay whatever they state when you get them. I had paid my deposit up front (Don't be an idiot like me never do this) and used a credit card. I called Colonial (again no contact info for Cal VAns) to update them of a new credit card number 2 weeks prior to delivery. When Cal Van Lines showed up in Texas they wanted cash and were very very annoyed that I wanted to use a credit card. It took an additional hour to get this worked out upon delivery. Delivery Disaster. The Cal Vans semi pulled into the apartment complex. There are no Semi's allowed and I had booked a shuttle in advance. First the lead mover told me he didn't know about a shuttle (it was on his paper work), then he said he would have to try and find one but it would take time (I said ok!), and lastly he said he was trying to save me time and money by not having a shuttle. SOOOO he just drove his semi into the complex, hit a tree, a fire hydrant, and ran over the water main causing the entire complex to lose water until that night. He was angry and said he should have gotten a shuttle (duh) and this was going to cost him $1000 extra (not my problem). It took about 2.5-3 hours from time of pulling in to them starting to deliver. They had to pull out nearly all goods from the entire semi (yes two other families were mixed in). I asked why were all the goods mixed up (he brought in other peoples items into our home) and he said that our goods had been loaded on at least 4 trucks. When I asked how they calculated weight he said Colonial Van Lines would have to give that to me (Still waiting for either vendor to produce). The lead mover tried to lie to the property manager that they didn't hit the hydrant/main/tree....but she was taking photos the entire time. He was angry at this point and not gentle with my items at all. At one point I was looking for a glass top to a table and he said it was packed. The inventory number was on the inside of the packing and I was checking off goods. He said if I wanted to check a number that he could find it but would charge me to unpack! Also, a lamp shade was broken and packed in a box with no stuffing-he said he couldn't but stuffing/bubble wrap in a box because it would hurt the shade? Really? My grandmother's antique table had cracked in th move and he broke it in half when looking for the inventory number and laughed. Bad delivery time frame, I am still waiting to see how they figured out how they charged me, and terrible attitude and customer service. Find someone better! read more

ZERO STARS!!!!!! THEY LOST ALMOST ALL OF MY STUFF!! I had Four Extra Large Boxes and Two Large Suitcases shipped with this company from California to Texas. I only received TWO ITEMS OUT OF SIX ITEMS!! They LOST 3 extra large boxes and 1 large suitcase. I had my ENTIRE LIFE (paperwork, documents, certificates, wedding dress, 99% of my clothes -for the wedding and for regular wear and A LOT MORE) in those boxes. The movers were absolutely horrible. Three movers came, one of them stole something from my storage room and ran away. The others said they didn't know him. The company did nothing regarding the stolen item or the person who stole it. From the items I did receive, things were missing since I organized everything and knew what was in which box. THESE PEOPLE ARE THEAVES, NOT MOVERS. I paid them over $2,000 to steal my stuff????? DONT USE CAL VAL LINES! read more

Cal Van Lines always keep me in the loop for my household goods from start to finish. Their credit card payment method is my choice to pay because I don't carry a large amount of cash. The people who come and pack my things are the coolest. They do all the heavy lifting. I recommend this moving company for anyone and would call upon for future move. read more

do not use these people. all your stuff will be broken, stolen or damaged. i could write a book. junior should be arrested for his behavior. they took apart every single thing we owned and then didn't put but half of it together, 40% was damaged, 15% missing, demanded cash, stated our weight was 3000 lbs over what another professional mover who examined everything quoted us, and then arrived two days late, late in the date, i had to call the police, as they drove off without replacing the door they had taken off the hinges. they are nothing short of criminals, thugs, rip-off artists, liars and thieves. do not use!!!!!!!! read more

IF YOU WANT STRESS USE THESE GUYS! We hired Allstate Van Lines and Relocation who subcontracted our move move out to Cal Van Lines, for our relocation from California to Texas. We were hoping that hiring a company would help the move be less stressful. It has been anything but, in fact, it has been one of the most horrendous experiences myself and my husband have gone through...and it is still not done! Moving companies were just on the news for scams, well, here is theirs. They came to pick-up our household items on 10/9/14. I met them at the scale to get the pre weight (30 minute drive). I questioned whether or not the truck would be big enough, as I was expecting an 18 wheeler. When the mover's arrived, Junior and Adrian a walk through and an inventory was done. He said he had to "revise the estimate" adding an additional 3000lbs. As it turns out not all of our things fit. Mover's Junior and Adrian said they could not fit any more and we had "overflow." They said they could pick up the reset in a week...we were leaving for Texas the next day so had to make accommodations for the rest of our things till then. When we returned to the scale for a post weight, which was under the initial estimate. On my way home I received a call from Allstate stating they could pick up my dog kennels (which were important so I could keep my animals safe and not have to purchase new ones) the next day. The representative, Bianca, made it seem like they were doing such a great thing. She stated that the movers were going to stay in a hotel for the night and "rearrange" the truck to fit my kennels. She asked if I was near the hotel and if I could pay $200 to help pay for the mover's stay (which would be applied towards the overall move). I was no longer their and said no. The next morning they MIRACULOUSLY had made room for my 2 6x12 kennels. My BIG mistake was in not being at the weigh scale for this as they are now claiming my kennels were an additional 1660lbs. I called the manufacturer and he said 700lbs tops, my guess was 500lbs as I can move the panels around. See my review on All State for other details. When Junior and Adrian returned for the "overflow" on 10/16/14 in California, Junior stated that there was more than they had thought and complained of what it weighed. He made comments like "this is going to cost them." He became rude and belligerent with my Mom and my friend to the point my Mom threatened to contact the police. Kai, their dispatcher called me in Texas and asked me to "calm my mom down." I stated that Junior's appearance alone may be threatening or intimidating to some and add inappropriate conduct...I told Kai that if his employee's behavior was such that my mom felt threatened she had every right to contact the police as they were in an area where there is not a lot of people. They left without picking up our belongings. Another crew came to pick it up. It was not a lot, but enough of heavy and bulky items and my friend went to the initial and post weight, which was 1920lbs. As of today 10/28/14 we do not have our belongings and Allstate now wants to charge us a $1900 "redelivery" fee. We have incurred a few thousand dollars extra in debt due to needing a bed and a refrigerator to name a few essentials. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!!!! IT WILL ONLY CAUSE YOU STRESS, TIME AND MONEY!!!! read more

First of all - I hired Colonial Van Lines, which is a broker - they outsource the heavy lifting to Cal Van Lines. I moved from CO to NYC the end of August. I was missing 17 boxes, as well as my mother's wheelchair, a mountain bike, a table, and a Dyson vacuum. I was also told that 3 other people in my same truck were missing their items as well. They left the paperwork at my house for the girl that they moved right before me, I called and asked her experience - she said they were bringing furniture and boxes into her home that were not hers. I also have 4 large boxes that belong to other people en route. They are meticulous about doing their inventory and putting stickers on each item - and everyone in the truck has different numbered stickers - so they can definitely see which items belong to a client and remedy the situation if they want to. They just don't want to - they tell you to fill out the liability insurance form - which in no way covers the value of your items. They are incredibly good at the beginning and at collecting your money, but if there is a problem - things go down the drain real fast. I've been in constant contact with both Colonial and Cal Van Lines for over a month now, and I still don't have my mother's wheelchair, or any of my other items for that matter - which are high value items. I'm trying to be patient as they say it, "takes time" to remedy all of this - in the meantime, my mother suffers everyday, and they continue to let these guys accept other jobs so they keep driving across country instead of being able to correct their mistakes. I was unaware that when hiring Colonial Van Lines, that my job would be outsourced to Cal Van Lines - if you are planning on moving across country, make sure to ask a lot of questions and identify your belongings in a way that you and the movers can see exactly what is yours - also - double check that inventory list! You never know what's missing. read more

This is absolutely the WORST moving company I have ever associated with. They picked up my household goods on the 31st of March (2 days late) and as of today May 8th I still do not have them. They have given bad information twice on the status of the load and I cannot trust anything they say. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY TO DO YOUR MOVE. read more

We used All State Relocation Services and they sent Cal Van Lines. Semi and Jorge showed up on time, each with their own truck, which was perfect because I was not sure an 18 wheeler would have been able to get close enough to our house. These guys were the best. I walked through our house with Semi explaining everything that they were going to handle, Semi asked questions and actually listened to my answers. Jorge was the truck loader, he is a "Master Puzzle Expert" the way he carefully loaded each truck. We had over 350 boxes, furniture, 220 pieces of artwork, a total of 22,000 pounds of belongings and not one thing arrived damaged. Well, one wheel did break off of one of those plastic rolling drawer units, which is understandable. They were hard but careful workers, and kept their sense of humor throughout the whole process. It took them two days to load and the next day to unload. Semi and Jorge were so wonderful I think they should open their own Moving Company. I would recommend Cal Van Lines if Semi and Jorge are your movers. read more