Colonial Van Lines
Services - Colonial Van Lines
In-state moving
Out-of-state moving
Colonial Van Lines Photos
You might also consider
Recommended Reviews - Colonial Van Lines
Start your review...
Reviews With Photos

If you're considering using Colonial Van Lines, we strongly recommend reading this first. Our experience with this company was frustrating, expensive, and deeply disappointing--and we want to help others avoid the same situation. Before we signed the initial agreement, Colonial Van Lines was in constant contact--calling often and answering quickly. But once we signed, it suddenly became incredibly difficult to reach anyone. On moving day, the final charge was way higher than expected and felt like a bait-and-switch. They had gone over everything with us on the phone and gave us an estimate, but when the movers arrived and everything was already packed, the cost nearly doubled. At that point, we had no realistic way to back out--we had already packed everything, informed our landlord we were moving out, and had travel plans like a hotel or flight lined up. Even so, we asked if we could delay the move given how drastically the price had changed. They told us that wasn't possible because they had another move scheduled immediately after ours. We felt completely cornered and had no real choice but to sign the new paperwork. They claimed the weight of our belongings was much higher than originally quoted--something we had no way of verifying. We encourage any reader to look up typical long-distance moving rates and decide for themselves whether $1.73 per pound for a move from Southern California to Chicago--especially with all packing done by us--is reasonable. They also gave us a three-day pickup window, which made planning nearly impossible. We were already into day two without knowing if they'd come the next morning or two days later. Then there was the "shuttle service"--a smaller truck used in areas where a full-size truck can't access the building. The price for this jumped from about $830 to $1,454, and when we asked why, their finance person literally said no one really understands how their system calculates those fees. As for the actual delivery: we had packed our cologne collection in a sealed plastic container. Strangely, all of the cheap colognes made it--but all the expensive ones were gone. The container arrived completely dry, with no signs of leakage or damage. We'll let the reader decide whether it's more likely that only the expensive bottles somehow broke without a trace, or if something else happened along the way. Our motorcycle was improperly secured during transport and arrived damaged. Now I'm busy filling a police report and raising a complaint with FMCSA because of the theft and gross mishandling. I've made it my mission to warn others about Colonial Van Lines. If this review helps even one person avoid what we went through, it'll have been worth it.

I hired Colonial Van Lines for an interstate move in 2023 and they put all of our belongings in storage and we pulled them out of storage in 2024. It is 2025 and I am still dealing with CVL and their lack of integrity. If you care about your stuff, definitely look elsewhere as you can learn from my experience and that of the other unhappy reviewers here. Most of our belongings have some damage memory from the move. Upon delivery of the items I realize that Colonial Van Lines had outright lied to me about storing my high-end piano properly. I had been promised the piano would be moved with a piano board, stored in a temperature controlled facility with blankets, and crated. I found out that the piano was not stored in a temperature controlled facility, or on a piano board, and had been stored on the keyboard side, slanted. I had told the company early on that I would be willing to hire somebody else that specializes in moving these types high-end musical instruments, and was told that it would be best to keep everything together. When the movers were onsite, I was told that they didn't have the materials to do the crating, or the manpower to perform it. I had to go purchase blankets myself to wrap the piano with, and they told me "don't worry, we've been doing this a long time." In the end, when we brought the piano into the house after storage was complete, there was extensive crushing damage, cracks, and numerous dents in a very high end finish. Contacted an attorney to help me with a demand letter, and Colonial Van Lines has not reimbursed me the expense of repairing the piano, to the tune now of $40,000. I am still awaiting a response from CVL counsel, and their BBB response has been that they have made an offer -- it's expired, and that it was based on 500 lbs -- when the piano weighs close to a ton. An updated offer and a response from counsel, the BBB, or the FTC is still ongoing and the next step is preparation to file suit with a local FL litigator who is ready and willing.

Do not trust this company to move you. They moved my belongings from Phoenix AZ to Tom's River NJ and multiple items were stolen and broken. They used a third party company out of Nevada to come pick our belongings up & deliver. No communication regarding a different company "shuttle". The staff called for "updates" at 6:40 when their shift ended at 7 so if you had any follow up questions they wouldn't be answered until the next day- if that! The price was okay- that's what sold me from the other companies. I should have known, as they were very unprofessional. My stolen items were irreplaceable as well as many broken antiques. If you want to move cross country do not use this company. Very disappointed. Might as well have moved myself with a Uhall - as they had to rent one for delivery anyways- charged me $875 for "shuttle" fee when a Uhall costs $200 for a 3 hr job. I hope this helps someone as I NEVER make yelp reviews etc. I was so unhappy. Waited 3 weeks for my belongings with a 1 year old. Come to find out multiple items broke, stolen, mistreated and only $30/day taken off of my move!!!! Equaling ~$360!! That doesn't even pay for the 1 pair of stolen shoes!!!
5 years ago
DO NOT USE. We paid for movers, we had a moving confirmation and the movers did not show, would not return calls, when we finally reached them Oliver in Communications said he had no idea why but we were just out for bid. After many confirmations they did not show. The escalation team did not return calls. They put us off and we missed our closing. Left to find last second movers. They took my money, did no work. They just left us hang. read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
Good morning T.J.,…
3 years ago
STAY AWAY!!! Absolutely the WORST company I've ever dealt with. Mitch was the original person who quoted my wife and I in the beginning, We stressed to Mitch that we have a quote and felt it was extremely high. When we explained the contents of our stuff being shipped and the pick up/destination, He agreed and said that was crazy, we will 100% be thousands cheaper, We trusted him, He gave us a quote $4000 cheaper than the one we had with another company. So we jumped on it, He promised us there would be ZERO surprises. Another "promise" that he made was the expectation date, We signed and paid on the 25th of june with the understanding that our stuff would arrive between the 3rd of july and absolute latest the 11th of July, He promised that it would be there between the 3rd-5th because the truck picking up our stuff doesn't have to make other stops along the way. But he has to tell us the 11th as the latest because of policy...No problem... So our first bad taste came when our stuff was picked up, A random person ( who doesn't work for Colonial Van lines, They sub contracted our move with AE moving company, which is a whole other nightmare of a company) and were told that its going to be $4000 more because of of stuff we didn't mention in the initial quote. Everything that was in the unit was 100% mentioned, I moved out of a small 1 bedroom apartment, biggest thing I had was my couch. After the back and forth they agreed back on the original price we were quoted. On the 11th of July which was the latest day we were told we would receive our stuff, We called because they had ZERO communication, The lady in Dispatching name Kiana told us "that she had no idea where the movers were at and couldn't get in touch with them" Which is the absolute worse thing you want to hear when you trust and pay a company thousands and thousands of dollars to safely transport all of your property to another state. Finally we are told that the transporters would arrive on the 14th of July, Our stuff was picked up on the 29th of June!! Extremely frustrated with this matter, I called Mitch and his response was "Damn, Let me get you over to my manager" When are stuff finally arrived 16 days after being picked up, It was 2 young kids from a totally different moving company that told us the bill was back $10,000 when we were told it was $6400. THEN, we find out our kitchen table AND dresser were both DAMAGED DURING THE MOVE!! Nothing was resolved, Nothing was offered, We were totally deceived and SCAMMED by this company. I HIGHLY recommend you to stay away from this disgrace of a moving company, As stressful as moving already is.. they will 100% make it worse for you astronomically. STAY AWAY!!!! read more
4 years ago
I had to relocate a family member from the Midwest to the Southern part of the US. They helped me coordinate everything from my home in Florida. Customer Service was really good, constant phone communication with each step in the process. When the drivers (polite, friendly, and accommodating) showed up and met me at the house in Indiana, they were on time, and handled all of my mothers possessions with great care. And delivery to her new location went very smoothly. If I'm in need of another relocation for family or myself, I will be using this company. They treated me very well. read more
6 years ago
WORST SERVICE EVER!!!! my furniture was destroyed. I had to leave my baby's crib and dresser and my bed in the trash after they "moved" my stuff from Atlanta to Miami. My glassware was shattered and my tv's have bumps all over. DO NOT HIRE THEM!!!! ZERO STARS! read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
Karem,…
5 years ago
After leaving reviews here, on consumeraffairs.com and filing a BBB complaint, I finally got a phone call from Donna, the resolutions manager. I told her everything that happened, sent pictures of damages etc. She seems like a genuine person who understood my frustrations. That being said, it is now the 22nd of August and I haven't heard anything after sending her all the information she needed. The last email I got was on the 11th of August. A ton of my things are still in Maryland. I am probably going to have to spend even MORE money to get someone else to get it out here. As it is, I am again, STILL paying for storage and have had to replace things like silverware, vacuum cleaners, medication...the list is endless as to what this is REALLY going to end up costing me. I will keep updating, but as of now...radio silence. Not happy. AT ALL. 8/22/21 - 4:30pm PST update. The Plot Thickens. Our mover, Darrell, just had the audacity to show up unannounced at our front door. We told them months ago, that one box we had received was not ours. (Mr. Gartner if you are out there, we would be happy to get your globe to you.) Darrell said he would be by that afternoon (IN JUNE) to pick it up. He never came by. After speaking with Donna she told me that she would be sending a UPS call tag for that box. Since that was the last information I received from the company's representative I did not give him that box. I don't trust him, I don't know why he thought he could just show up here, but he isn't a UPS call tag so NO. I did however, text him a picture of the box as he requested, because I told him I would. Unlike Colonial, who tells you they are going to do all kinds of things, things you are PAYING THEM FOR and then they don't do them..at all. Unbelievable. Don't send anyone to my door, unannounced. We will not be nearly as pleasant next time. read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
Kari,…
6 years ago
I will attempt to keep all emotional value from this review forthcoming and if I could I would actually give them the largest negative rating possible. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. My move was simple, 2000lb minimum, 977 miles from Chicago to Dallas. Move date March 27-28 with two windows each day for the truck to arrive, I negotiated a rate and a late rate per day for every day they would arrive late, this was done a month in advance. I also in the negotiation made clear and got in writing their employees would be moving me and that I would not be "farmed" out a third party. I negotiated all of this with the claimed "owner" Collette, who was called in the close the deal. I signed and gave my deposit. Then everything went to S***, both in the world and with this company I know Covid -19 changed things but not interstate transit and I offered in writing and on the phone twice to amend the deal or allow them to cancel, but they were stern with their word that they could honor my contract I was required to give them two days to choose from as long as they gave me back 48 hours' notice on which date they would be using. This didn't happen... The first opportunity to keep to the contract was an epic fail. I got a call from "Best Price Moving" a local Chicago mover who told me at 3 PM they would arrive the next day at 11 AM, less than 24 hours notice and far less than the negotiated 48-hour minimum notice. Nancy who represents the "3rd Party" mover they hired to pick me up said oh we never offer 48 hours notice, and when pressed on the issue about dissatisfaction with Colonial Van Lines and my contract, the response was "we don't work for them, we are a different company they hire us", strike two. The pick up from "Best Price" was on time but came with issues like a separate long-form contract that does not match the contract signed with Colonial and would then potentially void the original contract signed. The terms took an hour to work out over the phone the company would not communicate via email and or in writing so I GPS tagged a few boxes and sent them with the outsourced mover. I made my way to Dallas, then noticed a week later the load had not moved from Chicago, it just sat. Due on the 8th of April by the 5th, I knew it would be late, and I had negotiated late fee by day regarding this. The load finally left on the 6th after multiple calls informing them I was tracking with my Samsung GPS trackers. It finally arrived on the 11th, three days late. The locals also not employees of Colonial Van Lines were nice and got my stuff loaded safely. Colonial Van Lines is not a moving company they are simply a broker who uses better legal language than the next guy. As for my late fee, they will not be honoring that in writing they have offered half the fee which I will refuse and I will see them in court with their contract for a win. They would not budge a centimeter if it were on me, so on behalf of everyone else I am taking them to small claims court and will recoup my late fee as negotiated. ( update they have folded and will honor the late fee but it has yet to be paid ) Lastly, DO NOT TRUST DONA OR COLETTE Move on from this company, now of you are in Chicago, use Best Price Moving ask for Nancy or Mary they were both excellent and trustworthy. Please excuse any typos or grammar errors. read more
7 years ago
Nightmare! Horrible! Stay away!! Every time I thought it couldn't get worse...it did. From start to finish this company raised the bill, didn't know where their driver was, wouldn't take any responsibility for the worst customer service I have experienced. 1. The original quote doubled on the first day when the driver arrived a day early. We had to be out of our apartment so we were now stuck. At this point, we should have fired them and paid for an extra months rent and it would still be less that all the "overages" that are tacked in. 2. Driver couldn't give us a date to expect delivery. We could book a hotel until they were done. 3. They didn't bring enough boxes or tape so they used ours...and still charged us. 4. No more than the driver and packer showed up so it took them 3 days...1 full day was pretty much lost because they didn't arrive until 4pm. 5. The semi broke down so our delivery date moved from one week to two weeks. The driver told us that Colonial wouldn't pay for repairs even on their truck or get a new one until the following week. 6. The delivery date changed 7 times! 7. The customer service at Colonial was unresponsive to and complaint or concern. They usually didn't answer the phone. 8. After waiting two weeks with shifting delivery dates...they finally found the driver and gave us a Sunday delivery but insisted that we pay in full before the truck arrived and because they weren't open on Sunday to take a credit card so we would need to pay the driver in cash 10k. 9. Delivery day we are charged again for having to dolly the boxes because their truck wouldn't go up the driveway...we showed him pictures of the driveway before he left. 10. Let's talk scratches on our freshly stained hardwood floors...I mean gouges. 11. Delivery with two guys starts at 2pm, ends at 9pm Do not use Colonial! Scam and held captive with all your belongings, horrile customer service, and MIA drivers. read more
7 years ago
I was looking for quotes for my upcoming move and came across Colonial Van lines. Ricardo reached out to me. He was good to explain the process well. But I was not ready to move yet due to pending paperwork at my job. He would follow up every few weeks like I requested. Every time I had a delay for my move, he would tell me over and over again, almost rudely that my price would increase as I got closer to the move date. I told him I understood but I was not ready due to various things I was waiting on. Anyway, one day he was extremely rude to me saying I needed to book my move ASAP. as a consumer - I understand that the rate I receive may be higher closer to the move. BUT it is NOT the place of the company rep to force me into anything or talk to me like that. I was extremely angry at this tone and decided to go ahead with a different company just because of his behavior. Their services may be good, but they need to learn to talk to their customers. read more
4 years ago
Worst Customer Service Experience Ever!! Do not Use them! * They Cancelled on us 1 day before we had to be out of the house -- They missed our pick-up window, even after we gave them an extra day. I called them daily for over a week asking for an update on pick-up - all they would say was that they were working on it and would get back to us. They never did. At the end they said they couldn't even promise us a truck if we gave them an extra week. They said they had multiple customers in the same situation as us, and our best option would be to find another moving company. Fortunately, we were able to find another company who could take us the next day, but it cost us an extra $3000+. We had no ability to shop around to find a better price. Colonial must have known that they were going to be unable to service us for several days before they cancelled but didn't let us know so that we could have explored other options. * They upped the cost on us -- A week before our scheduled move I called them to update our moving inventory. We had several large items we weren't going to move, including a riding lawn mower, refrigerator, and several furniture pieces. We did add a few more boxes to the move. Somehow despite this reduction they said it would cost us an extra $1000+ for the move which we had to pay immediately. * Horrible Customer Service across multiple departments -- We never heard from our moving coordinator for months before our move, despite numerous messages to her asking for a call back. The QA Department was supposed to send a final inventory for us to review as a critical document for the move. After getting the money from us for the extra charge, we never heard anything from them again. Customer Service never gave us anything more than 'We are working on it and will get back to you', but never did. I even had a CS Rep promise she would call me with an update by 9 am the next morning, but I never heard from her again. After they cancelled on us, it took multiple pleading calls for them to refund the deposits we had paid so that we could pay the other movers. Even the Customer Service Manager failed to contact me despite promises to do so over 3 weeks. * They Tried to Buy Our Silence -- Eventually Colonial offered us a low-ball offer of only $250 for their inability to complete the service they had committed to and for our inconvenience. After weeks of no response from them, I got a call within 24 hours of posting this negative review on-line. The compensation offer was increased to $500 with the stipulation that the review be deleted, and no other reviews or complaints would be filed. If you read through many of the 5-star reviews you will see that there are a lot of them that were initially 1-star reviews, and they were revised only after they were contacted by the Resolution Manager, and likely after receiving compensation to amend their review. Do yourself a favor - save yourself a lot of money, time and stress, and use a different mover. read more
7 years ago
They got so many bad reviews that another one would not make any difference any more. I don't know why this company existed, and I don't know why I did not read the reviews and stay away from them. - Actual cost more than three times of the initial estimate. I may have more boxes than estimate. 3 time? No way. - Actual delivery 10 days after the estimated window, after multiple changes - 3.5 hours late even on the actual delivery date - Shady practices by the subcontractors - Cannot reach Colonial by phone. Right, you'll reach their voicemail. read more
7 years ago
Wow! What incompetence. This company was inept at converting our belongings to weight we ended up paying 40% more for the move than they estimated. We chose them from three movers & went with them because they started out sounding extremely professional & knowledgeable over the phone. However, their final price was over $800 MORE that that of the highest bidder. One might conclude there was an incident of "bait & switch" that happened here. We were also lead to believe it would be a Colonial truck toting our goods. At NO TIME did they indicate Zip Moving would be the actual hauler. And when Zip showed up at our door, it was 4 PM & they were driving an Enterprise rental truck. While the two movers from Zip were fantastic in dealing with all of our belongings, it took them until 2 AM to get everything on the truck. As Colonial just BROKERED this job, they again showed how amateurish they are by totally disregarding the hours the movers were going to have to work & by ALSO NECESSITATING OUR NEED TO STAND FOR ALL THOSE HOURS AS ALL OUR FURNITURE WAS ON THE TRUCK. And if all of that weren't enough, we have been contacted numerous times over the last three weeks to complete a survey about our experience with Colonial. These people are clueless. My wife finally completed their survey, stating pretty much what I've written here, and now they want her to spend even MORE PRIVATE TIME discussing what she wrote. Yup! CLUELESS. Use them at your own peril. We've heard from Donna who said she was taking care of our interests with Colonial. That was 2-3 days ago. I wonder what has happened. read more
7 years ago
Job # 549030-CV-R2. If you're reading this review, you probably already know these so-called "van line" movers are the bottom feeders of the world that take advantage of its customers' vulnerability by holding their goods hostage. But unfortunately, sometimes these are the only option you've got, given the other moving options are either: 1) really expensive movers that actually do everything by themselves from packing, loading, driving, and unloading; or 2) doing the entire move by yourself. The first option quoted me about 9k, and I couldn't afford the move. The second option was too difficult because I also have a car and had to drive about 1,200 miles. Originally, I had contacted them in mid-December of 2018 to schedule a move from Louisiana to Maryland in mid-January. I'd thought, hey, scheduling a move with a month's notice should suffice. About a year ago, I did the same move, except that it was TO Louisiana. I've used a some random van line company, and they originally quoted me about $1,600. Cool, I said. I ended up spending, grand total: $3,914. After they've come to my place to load the stuff up, they charged every single thing that they did. Taking certain furniture apart, wrapping them in fabric, etc. Understandable, I thought. With the extra stuff that they did at my home, from $1,600 went up to about $2,500. They went up to my second floor to grab one single item added $75. They walked too many steps. $75. The other thing I remember was that if I had $150 up front, the delivery guys can't charge for the "long-carry" - or going more than 75 feet from the truck to unload the stuff. AND, they demanded 20% tip. "Things can be lost, and tipping us helps against that". 20% of the $2,500 was, $500. Their threats could not have been ignored. The delivery guys ended up making excuses and that their truck couldn't fit the driveway, they had to rent a small Uhaul truck that was $500. In-town moves cost like $20 per day, but couldn't argue with them since they had my stuff. Anyway, it wasn't these guys. I thought I'll just pack every single thing myself, and ask plenty of questions and still expect to shell out double the original quote. But guess what? The move out day comes up, and I get a call that they still couldn't locate the movers. Since I scheduled the original move-out date a few days before my lease expired, I begrudgingly accepted, and agreed to change the possible move-out date to the end of the week, giving them 3 more days - Sunday being my absolute latest. Saturday and Sunday, I get no word from them, and on Monday, after I called them, they simply told me that they couldn't find anyone, and asked me again to extend the move date. At that point, I had to run around like a crazy person so that I could stay at the place past the original lease, for a fee. Imagine if I had to move out of the place but had nobody to load the stuff up and all. Well, on Monday, I told them that you find something by Wed, or I'm moving on. Not surprisingly, they didn't find anyone. After I told them I'm moving on, they make it sound as if I'm the one simply cancelling the contract, not them. I'm still trying to get my money back. What I ended up doing was renting a Uhaul truck, hired 2 guys to load the stuff onto the truck, and drove 1,200 miles myself while towing my car. Worst experience ever. You just think these van line movers are the scumbags of the world, but these particular movers simply one-up that expectation, or lack thereof. At least with other movers you do end up getting your stuff, even though they make you pay much more than the quote. But with these guys, they screw you thoroughly left, right, up, down, from everywhere. If you would like to go through such nightmare, by all means, give them a call. If you like changing plans last minute and like putting yourself in difficult situations and test yourself how you handle crisis, please, go ahead. But if you're a normal person like me, do yourself a favor and at least hire someone else. read more
6 years ago
DO NOT USE COLONIAL VAN LINES. This is by far the worst moving experience I have ever had. They assigned my move to Cal Van Lines. These movers should not be in business. I was allocated this company through Colonial Van Lines. Firstly, they failed to pack my goods adequately and did not wrap furniture. Next they claimed my things weighed 2,000 lbs over the estimated amount, which I know is not right based on the weight of our things when we moved just one year prior. Then, when my things arrive, most furniture items are smashed and they just left them in the garage for me to deal with. Next, I paid for a partial pack/unpack and the movers decided to NOT put my furniture back together even though I paid for this. They cost be thousands of dollars in replacement costs and hours of lost time. Chose someone else and do not give Colonial Van Lines your business. I will be taking action against them and reporting them to the BBB. read more
7 years ago
Horrible company. Damaged my stuff and held it hostage. Horribly confusing and contradictory communication. I asked for 24 hour notice before pick up and delivery but they showed up with no warning for delivery and then charged us for missing it. They also called me 3 times in the same day stating an entirely different balance owed for the delivery, each time stating a higher amount and acting like I was a crazy person when I told them I had already been called stating a different amount. The final bill was raised even higher due to the weight being above the original limit even though I was told by the movers at pickup that it was going to be way under the limit. Avoid this company, they are worthless scammers. read more
Business owner information
AL D.
Manager
Jonathon C. Colonila van lines is unable to locate your file in our…
5 years ago
Five days after picking up our things, they still won't give me a delivery date. Just go elsewhere or move it yourself. A twelve hour drive for thousands of dollars shouldn't take a week. If your area is services by a popular moving app that undercuts ten percenter businesses like this, use that. My things are held hostage after paying a king's ransom. read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
Mike,…
6 years ago
We had a great team working for us, those guys did such a great job. everything arrived in peace, nothing lost or damaged. we feel very happy with our decision of hiring colonial for our out of state move.. read more
8 years ago
Worst moving company ever. Yeah they may be the cheapest but you get what you pay for. This company subcontracts to other moving companies and are just the middle man. We waited over 2 weeks for our stuff for a truck to come South. When we tried to call Monica, our 3rd rep in this interaction, as it got closer she ignored our call until she had news to report back. Not acceptable after waiting 2 weeks, even if she had no news for us. Then on the day of delivery our truck was delayed for some reason and didn't get to us until 8 pm. Monica called at 2 (the time it was supposed to be here) to confirm and when it wasn't called the other company. By the time they got here the mover was badgering my husband why we had people calling him 3 times about our delivery. Excuse me?? We've waited 2 weeks for this and then you think it's our problem you got called out for not doing your job? Pay the extra money and use a reputable company that will pick up and deliver with at least a half smile on the days you want with customer service that's responsive. The one silver lining is that the guys picking our stuff up were super nice and professional. **Update: We received a call a few days later from Donna who wanted to hear what happened and find a resolution, which was nice. She talked to her boss and offered us a $200 credit (on an almost $2500 job, for context) if we signed something and sent a screenshot with our updated 5 star review. Looks like I won't be getting my credit because I refuse to give this company 5 stars and don't appreciate being bribed into doing so. If you see a 5 star review, take it with a grain of salt. They might have had the same thing happen. read more
3 years ago
this company promised a 53 foot truck ...and we even requested photos ...ask for a professional crew. what we got instead was a truck half filled with another persons goods and a uhaul. there still wasnt enough room so they used a cargo strap to attach our backyard furniture and my daughters matress to the back outside the truck rear door. the inventory just listed everything as boxes with no inventory numbers associated with each box..so if it was lost we would have no way to prove it..but it was already loaded and we had to get out of the rental...next it was overweight! the driver said if i didnt pay he would have no qualms about selling my stuff and or just cutting the furniture off the back... when i told the customer service i wanted them to send a qa or management person since i was afraid i would get in a conflict with the driver..they said sorry that they were a third party mover and just didn't have anyone to send...that i could file for any losses ...that was not the point..when the not 53 ft truck a...instead a uhaul showed up the customer service said...oh you can refuse to use them but it may be a week to 10 days before we can get someone there again and your refund may take a while for the hugh down payment to get back at all. a move should never be this stressful..being lied to about the truck being threatened to have your stuff be heald hostage and sold or cut off the truck , when moving is stressful enough...makes my opinion about this company the lowest i have ever experienced in 30 moves...i could have moved myself in the same uhaul and saved 13,000 dollars. donna not withstanding. Run away! read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
We apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced. We are…
5 years ago
We retained Colonial Van Lines to move our (3-bedroom house) belongings from Claremont, CA, to Corvallis, Oregon in late 2020. We contacted them on September 11th. Our belongings were picked up on October 19, 2020, and delivered to Corvallis (in 2 shipments) on January 28, and February 5, 2021. We booked them well ahead of the requested departure and delivery dates. Total cost of the move was $14,984. The overall experience was TERRIBLE. We attribute this primarily to poor leadership by upper management. * Colonial Van Lines (Pompano Beach, FL) DID NOT EVER tell us that they would subcontract the job to United Moving Solutions, Las Vegas, NV. This subcontracting resulted in multiple communications failures, & communications that did occur (such as delivery date/time) often were contradictory. * We indicated we would pay for all breakable dishes/glassware and other kitchen items to be unwrapped and packing items removed at delivery. We asked that all hanging garments be hung in designated closets. AFTER we were informed of our delivery dates in January, 2021, we were told that United Moving Solutions would not provide these services. * Our contract indicated that our "moving coordinator" would provide us with guidance throughout our move. However, after we paid the initial $4270 in September, he never again responded to our emails or calls. * Neither company would confirm dates of pick up or delivery. Instead, they would only give us a 3-DAY window for pickup, and did not confirm that date until the very last minute. Since the movers were taking our beds, that left us with uncertainty and stress to the last minute on where we would sleep every night. * The companies would not confirm date of delivery of our items, instead giving us a 7-DAY window for delivery. As we were housed in an Air BnB in Corvallis, that made it impossible for us to appropriately plan what date the beds would arrive so that we could occupy our new house. * United Moving Solutions packed up all of our belongings on one day (October 19, 2020) and put them all in one truck. They determined shipment weight for appropriate billing. THEN, they insisted that the truck to deliver our belongings in January could not hold all of our belongings, & that they would need to send another truck a week or so later. The delivered our two shipments in trucks rented from Enterprise a week apart. Since they picked up all our stuff, how could they be in the dark about the necessary truck size for delivery? * Packers arrived not wearing masks.. * Packers were polite, and worked quickly. HOWEVER, they left debris on the floors all over our house (empty tape rolls, packing paper, cardboard debris). Unknown to us until after their departure, they completely filled our large "greens" trash bin and recycle bin outside with tape rolls, paper and cardboard debris. We had to empty the greens bin ourselves, since that is only for yard waste. They did not leave our house and property clean.. * The packers did not label most boxes to indicate to which room (kitchen, bedroom, etc.) the boxes should be delivered. On delivery, this left us with dozens and dozens of unlabeled and unopened boxes. * The numbered orange stickers placed on each box or item of furniture were a joke. The packers asked me to sign about 11 pages of Households Goods Descriptive Inventory with 70 item numbers per page. On delivery, nobody checked off these item numbers. I was just asked to sign off on these pages as having been delivered. They were carbon copies & the writing was not legible. Two items (steam iron & porcelain umbrella holder) never made it to our new home. * Legs were broken off of my desk, & there were about 10 broken items. The delivery men said that I could make a claim of $ 0.60 per pound. One broken item, for example, was a $15 champagne flute that weighed much less than a pound. * Payment was a joke. I paid $4270 down on September 11th, and intended to pay another third of the estimate on pickup. However, the UMS crew doing the pickup would not accept payment. I tried several times by email to find out how I should make the second payment, and was always told not to do it. Then, on arrival, United Moving Solutions got all fussy, and said they would not even unload the truck until I processed the second two thirds of payment. By then, I did not trust these companies. I did convince the drivers to open the truck doors to be sure they contained our belongings. I did pay them before unloading, but I should not have been asked to make the final payment until all items were delivered. * The four men (2 for each delivery) that delivered our belongings were courteous, and worked hard. They wore masks. Issues with, for example, the orange stickers are ones that should be the responsibility of management to incorporate into training. * Overall, the entire experience with Colonial Van Lines and United Moving Solutions was TERRIBLE. read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
Mrs. J,…
5 years ago
It would be a risk to use this company. The movers were late to pick up, did not follow our instructions, and took off face coverings inside our home. Valuable items were not packed properly and ultimately were damaged on arrival. A two-week window of delivery was provided and they failed to meet it. Our furnishings arrived 41 days after pick-up and 19 days after the final day promised on the contract. The company required a deposit before they would pick-up and the remaining balance 24 hours before they would deliver, despite their failure to meet their commitments. During the delayed moving process, false information was given and there was no compassion or customer service for the inconvenience caused by the company's failure to meet the contract. This is the worst experience for me in the ten moves I have made with large moving companies. read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
RC,…
6 years ago
Never use Colonial Van Lines. They jump on your moving request, promise excellent service and FAIL. Do not be taken in. There are plenty of other reputable carriers. Colonial Van Lines selected an "agent" to service our move and promptly dropped the ball. The agent, American Movers, were 2 college students with no moving experience. Wrong from start to finish. Wrong size truck, overestimated and overcharged weight, no packing expertise, damaged all furniture. Only refunded overage AFTER we hired a lawyer. Colonial hid behind American, their own "agent", shouldering NONE of the responsibility. In the end, again after we hired the lawyer, Colonial offered us $800 for the furniture damage in EXCHANGE for our silence. We did not accept. Never use Colonial Van Lines. read more
6 years ago
Moving is never fun, and can be one of the most stressful events that you'll probably ever do, but when we recently moved from Southern California to Columbus Ohio, Colonial Van Lines made it a lot less stressful experience. Colonial Van Lines was on spot with the quote, on time for the pick up and delivery. Everyone we interacted with was friendly and professional, a truly enjoyable experience. read more
7 years ago
Once they see your negative review you can expect a call from Donna or Leon or someone else from Colonial Van Lines saying they need to "discuss the resolutions process" with you but... Beware of their "Resolution Process"!!! Colonial Van Lines saw my original review and started contacting me and my husband about it. Even though I sent several emails requesting a written explanation they would never say what the specific issue was that they were calling about. I finally called Colonial Van Lines several times inquiring about our claim and after Colonial Van Lines mentioned my review I asked what does my review have to do with receiving my claims settlement money? Colonial Van Lines told me that since we were receiving an amount higher than what we should have gotten per the contract that means that Colonial Van Lines has resolved all my issues and I should remove or update (improve) my review. One of their customer service representatives in the claims department actually confirmed that Colonial Van Lines was "waiting on confirmation that my review had been updated or removed before payment would be sent." That particular stipulation was not in the "Full and Final Settlement Agreement" that we signed and sent to Colonial Van Lines but now apparently Colonial Van Lines wants to change and add new contingencies to their claims and resolution agreements. I told them to send us a new written agreement that included this stipulation of removing or upgrading my review but they have not. I just spoke with Colonial Van Lines representatives yesterday and the poor customer service continues. Someone named Al got on the phone yelling at me, saying "There is no settlement"; "my company is done with you" and when I asked his last name he said "don't worry about who this is" and then proceeded to hang up on me! Seriously this is how they treat a client that paid nearly $15,000 for a move! read more
7 years ago
WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!! DO NOT USE!! This is the worst moving company I have ever worked with! DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY WITH THEM! I was told my stuff would get picked up, they couldn't wait for a COI from my building and tried to cancel my order 2 days without pick up! Now they cant find a truck to actually move my stuff after i have paid them! The support is useless. Do yourself a favor and find a different company. These guys are NOT reliable and their support is terrible! Just a note - I had Donna from their customer support finally reach out to me AFTER i left my first bad review of them. Within 30 minutes actually. She was nice but tried to bribe me by offering $200 to either remove my review or give them 2 more stars. I REFUSED!! I did get my deposit back which is the bare minimum they should of done. YOU CAN KEEP THE $200, I WOULD RATHER MAKE SURE NO ONE GOES THROUGH THS EXPERIENCE THE WAY I DID! read more
5 years ago
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY OR TRUST THEIR ESTIMATES. THEY MORE THAN DOUBLED (2.275x) THE COST ($8748.75) FROM THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE ($3845.49) to move a one bedroom + office with only 17 pieces of furniture and mostly prepacked boxes. They are a broker and contract out the moving to Easy Relocation, LLC that scams you even more. They would not deliver the furniture unless i paid higher than agreed and then DOUBLE CHARGED ME ON MY CREDIT CARD ($4506.08 + $6853.41 = $11.413.49). Easy Relocation, LLC would not deliver the boxes unless i signed to pay the higher amount ($6853.41) even though their invoice explicitly said "If the agent is asking for you to pay any balance above the balance due amount [$4506.08] please contact our office at 1-800-970-7498". The Colonial Van Line office does not answer the call when you call that number and does not offer a hotline to reach a human when the deliveries arrive. After showing the agent the invoice text that explicitly states the amount and arguing for half an hour, he told the movers to charge me 2x ($4506.08 and $6853.41). The charge for the boxes went from $400 estimated to $921 because they choose unnecessarily more expensive boxes, & use lots of paper so that they can charge 2-3x more for packing. While unpacking, I noticed that Easy Relocation uses 8 of most expensive boxes $36 (Dish pack - does not include any dish racks inside) that are 28 x 18 x 18 inches high to pack corning/plastic dishes and bowls (that stack up only 16 inches high on my shelf) and 8 glasses. The rest are just unbreakable food boxes/bags, utensils still in the wooden holder, pots and pans still in boxes that do not need giant expensive dishpack boxes. They took apart a small lamp (that should just be wrapped in a blanket and put the tiny lampshade into a $16 (24 x 18 x 18) box or just a pillow and a blanket into another same sized box. They charge 3 x $27 per mirror pack even though I do not have any mirrors. They increased the charge by changing the weight of the truck and Easy Relocation LLC would switch the truck enroute and calculate based on the lighter PRE-LOADING EMPTY truck weight 15,120 lbs. Due to my objection that I did not see them weigh the original truck, Colonial Van Lines advised me to meet the truck at a weigh station 55 minutes away in the middle of the Everglades before unloading and after unloading. While there, I saw them weigh the truck, then the truck disappeared and the driver showed up to hand me a slip a random yellow CAT Scale paper at 23,560 lbs. The paper does not show the license plate of the truck or the time of weighing. Then when they finished unloading, the movers said they were stopping for dinner en route and that they would meet me at the weigh station. When I arrived, the mover was just getting food at the weight station (LIED that they were stopping en route) and just shoved another yellow paper at me and drove away. I was not given the opportunity to witness the actual weighing of the truck. The EMPTY POST-LOADING Truck was 17,620 (coincidentally EXACTLY 2500 lbs more than the original LIGHTER truck which was the basis of the final cost they quoted me = bigger weight difference between FULL & EMPTY truck = twice the cost). Given that they chose that weigh station & truck stop specifically and without license plate number or time stamp, I have no way of knowing which truck they weighed. Even though the truck was parked across the street from the entrance to the apartment (less than 75 feet), they charged me extra $450 for "shuttle" claiming that their truck could not park on my street. I live next to a construction area in which semi-trucks park there all the time. They count the distance to the elevator, distance while riding up elevator & walk 3 doors down the hall to the apartment to add "Long Carry" so they can charge extra $350. Don't even get me started on their arrival. For pickup, they were supposed to arrive between 10-12 Noon on Dec 25 & they did not arrive until several hours later. For delivery, they were supposed to arrive by 8-10am, then they delayed the arrival at 10-12 Noon, & didn't arrive until 3:30pm at the weigh station. When I mentioned that arriving 3.5 hours late is not acceptable customer service, the agent said that customer service does not involve arriving on time. I was told by Jared at Colonial Van Lines when I saw post-pickup charges on Jan 7 that "Finance department" would call me. It's been a week & no one from Finance called me. After Jan 10 delivery, I mentioned to Jared on Jan 11 and Tabatha Hannah, Director of Customer Relations when I gave her 2 star review on Jan 12 that no one has called me from "Finance department" & she said they need 24 hours. Deion "Escalation Supervisor" called me later & agreed that it is unprofessional to double charge my credit card. He said he would investigate & we agreed Jan 13 followup call. His line goes straight to voicemail for Jan 13 and 14. read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
Unhappy Customer, please contact our Resolutions Manager Donna at her…
9 years ago
I recently hired this moving company to move my daughter from Arizona to Virginia. I discussed with the agent that we were limited with our time and needed to move the following weekend. He assured me this would not be a problem. We discussed the estimate and he quoted me a price. He gave the dates which were a Saturday with Sunday as a back up. My daughter called the agent to pay the deposit and confirm the dates. Well, needless to say, that Saturday came and went with no movers. Then Sunday came and went with no movers. I was informed on Monday that they still did not have a truck or driver. I gave them till the end of Monday to show up, which they did not. Eventually I had to rent a Penske truck and move her myself. During the whole process I was told several excuses. "We are in the transportation business, we can't predict or garuntee anything". I was told that someone would call me back in 15 minutes only to wait an hour with no return call. When I would call back, the person I needed to talk to was at lunch, they would be back in 5 minutes. I called back an hour later and they kept hanging up on me. My daughter reported them to our bank and has since received her deposit back. Prior to getting her deposit back, they told her they wouldn't give it back until the bad review that was place on Facebook was removed. She did not place the review on Facebook and has no control over what other people post!! Not sure how this company stays in business. I would stay as far away from them as you could. It was just 1 nightmare after another. I understand if you can't do the job, just tell me that. Don't give me the run around and then act like it is my fault when you fault on your own contract. read more
8 years ago
This company is terrible. They take your deposit after having a signed contract but never show up the day they are supposed to as written in said contract. Its clearly a scheme. Lead to me hiring a different moving company the day of which was clearly very expensive. Please do not use this moving company. And no thanks for reaching out to me. I think I'll just contact the FMCSA instead read more
Business owner information
AL D.
Manager
John K please contact our office we don't have you in our data base,…
5 years ago
I would not recommend Colonial Van Lines to anyone. This was my 5th time to relocate and to use moving companies, and Colonial Van Lines was by far the worst one. Their overall service level as a moving company was extremely poor and it was not worth the money paid. 1. Delivery window is 9 days: It got narrowed down to 2 days only 5 days before, and it was finally fixed 48 hours before the actual date. It added more expenses such as our hotel and storage fee, but it was not their concern. 2. Extra costs were not communicated until last minute: +$1500 (about 20% more) for my case, if I wanted to get the delivery on a specific date, despite the fact the delivery address was given 3 weeks in advance. 3. $500 was added because of accessibility of the delivery address, which they did not tell me until 5 days before delivery. Nor was I asked about the accessibility of the location. 4. Extremely poor customer service: I have not experienced this level of poor customer service. My account manager was very rude and disrespectful. The information she shared was often not correct (window of shipper arrival, timing of setting delivery date, final weight, final bill amount, etc...). It seemed the account manager was a messenger with no power. In addition, she was not trying to help. The attitude was "this is what it is", instead of "how can I help?" She did not share necessary information timely. Instead, I had to keep reaching out. Through this process, she never apologized but tried to put the blame on me, the customer. At one point, I talked to her manager, but she was the same way. 5. Poor packing job: based on our past experiences, it should only take 1.5 days at most for packing and loading with the stuff we have. It took a full 3 days. They were simply very disorganized. read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
MJ,…
6 years ago
*Update* I reached out to Resolution Manager Donna to help me come to a resolution with Colonial Van Lines. I had a variety of issues with the move, but she fought and advocated for me. I have full confidence in Colonial's checks and balances system, and knowing I have Donna in my corner, would use, and refer, Colonial for any move in the future. Thank you Donna for all your hard work, and for your quick and thorough response. And thank you Colonial, for allowing Donna to work on behalf of the customer. It really shows you do care about the customer. read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
Kyle, I'm sorry to hear that you did not have a good experience with…
4 years ago
I called Colonial to help with my move from Arizona to Arkansas. I had a few hiccups along the way. I was on a time schedule and there were a few delays in my move. I expressed my concerns to Colonial. The resolutions manager reached out to me and was extremely helpful and addressed my issues. I am satisfied with the results. read more
7 years ago
One of the worst moving experiences I ever had. The asset manager Monica was very unprofessional and it took her over a week to check on how our move went. I was assured that my whole house would be packed up on the first day but the movers showed up at 3:30pm. My home was two stories with a full attic and two car garage. By 9:30 pm that night only the first floor was packed. They showed up at 8:00 am the next day. I expressed to Monica that my wife and I with two pets needed to leave by the early afternoon for our 5 hour drive to Virginia. The last day of packing and loading took forever. I sent me wife ahead to Virginia with one pet at 3:00 pm. The packer said that all my stuff may not fit in the truck. At around 9:00 pm I told them to put all the boxes in the garage and shut the door when they were finished. Then I left for Virginia and arrived at 1:30 am. I was called by Colonial at around 4:00 pm that day and told them I was not happy with the service. Before the move I was given conflicting times of when the movers would arrive. Originally it was between the 16-19 Jan. Then a the scheduler Mike called and told me the movers would arrive the morning of the 17th. Monica called later and said late afternoon on the 18th. When I told her about the conflicting timeline she told me to disregard what the scheduler said. When I asked her to reconfirm she did not contact me for 24 hours and seemed irritated with me. They placed blame on us for having more than they expected. We took photos of our large item that needed dissembling and gave them a very good estimate of our items room by room. In hind sight they should have sent an estimator to our house. Our last move went real well with Hilldrup because they sent someone to our house and the quote was very close to the estimate. Later I contacted their management about our complaints and they told me I would receive a refund of some of the money for our inconvenience. Three weeks later our assets manager Monica told us we would receive a $50 refund. The refund was ridiculous since we were told our whole house would be packed by the first day and day two would be loading only. We were told we could easily meet our travel timeline. So to sum this up don't believe what they say and don't expect any customer service. Moving is very stressful and they added a large amount of undue stress to start our move. They should be ashamed of themselves. read more
9 years ago
The fact that this company says it's a mover should not be allowed!!! That is a lie. They don't move anything except your money into their pockets and then contract someone else to do the work! God forbid anything goes wrong because you will NEVER hear back from them or see any of your hard earned money again!!! Attached are how the contractor they used packed my 83 year old mothers house up to move her from Alabama to Florida. DO NOT use these frauds!!!! You have been warned!!!! Everything was damaged and broken!!! read more
8 years ago
Went with the Consumer Reports recommendation for Colonial. Huge mistake: Colonial has lost nearly $6,000 worth of items, including my wedding and engagement photos, military equipment, and thousands of dollars worth of clothes, shoes, my wife's purses, and more. It's taken months to even get Colonial to call me back, and they have failed to provide an answer as to even who moved my items; please note that Colonial is not actually a moving company, just a clearing house - they don't actually do anything. The movers, when they arrived, mixed up two rolls of stickers: they numbered some items incorrectly and of course the items were lost in transit. After dozens of calls and emails about my missing items, Colonial has finally offered to pay me... $250. Obviously this is an insult of epic proportions. Do not trust these people to do their job, don't trust them with your stuff, and don't trust them to make good on their obligations as a business; this is obviously a scam and the dirtbags in charge could care less. Disgusting, unamerican, despicable, unethical, immoral. read more
7 years ago
Donna from the resolutions department and I have reached an agreement. I am changing the review to 5 stars as agreed but I still stand by what I said about the service from Colonial. read more
7 years ago
Moving can be overwhelming, especially coast to coast. Being able to reach cordial and patient customer service is again a challenge. After speaking with the folks at Colonial , I knew that I found a service that was indeed, service. Mina, helping with her patience and knowledge never took my anxiously lightly and made me feel heard. You will not regret their service. read more
7 years ago
Terrible experience with Colonial van lines. I would not recommend them to anyone. The process seems very easy to get a quote but then everything after that is a huge hassle. We had a lot of hidden fees that were not explained at the onset and then when explained at delivery, it differed from what they explained at pickup. When getting a quote, know that the cost will likely be thousands higher because of their weight estimates, hidden fees (long distance walking and heavy items for example). Logistically, it was a mess. We were told that we would have two windows of pickup, a Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. Then we got a call that pickup would be Sunday night. We had to push hard to get that Sunday pickup to change and was told by our account manager that we needed to be flexible because they have a business to run. Upon delivery, we were told 3 - 6pm. The movers didn't get to our apartment until 5:45pm and didn't start moving anything in until 6:15. There was no communication along the way. Every person that I've spoken to has not been helpful. It seems like they just want your money and they don't want to do right by the customers. I would sincerely avoid working with Colonial. Logistics are a mess, account managers aren't helpful and put the company over the customer and many broken items or missing items. read more
7 years ago
Colonial Van Lines is unprofessional and incompetent. They do not care about your time, family, or belongings. The movers who showed up over four hours late proceeded to have a loud fight in the driveway and failed to pack the whole house as they were contracted to do. Do not trust them or give them your money. read more
5 years ago
NOT OFF TO A GOOD START Colonial Van Lines! The movers were supposed to have showed up today to start packing up and no one showed. Colonial Van Lines did not even reach out to me and let me know that nobody was showing up. (Not to mention the fact that I have to be out of my apartment in 4 days) Called customer service to try and find out what was going on, after being hung up on few times, setting on hold for a couple of hours finally go to talk to a rep. So, now the customer service rep has informed me that they do not have a driver or anybody to pack my things. I have had this move book for over 6 months. They can not even guarantee me that the move will be completed in the time line given. This is ridiculous, the communication has been awful! The only time I hear from Colonial Van Lines is when I call them.. More to come as move progresses! read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
Hi Jon, we apologize the move is not going well. Please reach out to…
7 years ago
If i could put negative stars i would. Stay away from this "company." I booked a move with this company SEVERAL weeks in advance. When I got a quote from Demitria, i was told i would be charged 57 cents per pound. When i booked the move I was told it was 59 cents a pound. 2 cents may not seem like a big deal, but in light of all the other "promises" below.... it says a lot about this company. In addition, I was assured by Demitria that it would be a Colonial Van Lines Semi in my driveway and they do not "broker" their moves to other carriers (like many other moving companies do). I booked the move on Thursday, needing to be out of my home by Sunday. Demitria assured me this would happen as they had enough time to get my move done by then. I was told I would be contacted on the Tuesday before the Thursday move as to a window when the movers would be arriving. On Tuesday, another person called and said they could not find a Colonial Truck in my area but would "work on it" and would call me back by the end of Tuesday or first thing on Wednesday morning with the time window. I HAD TO CALL Colonial at 1:00 pm Wednesday and all they told me was they were still working on it. I again told Colonial that i must be out of my house on Sunday, She assured me this would happen and she would continue to "work on it." On Thursday afternoon, she called and said Colonial reached out to "one of their partners" and he would be at my place next Tuesday to pick up. I told her it was unacceptable for both the time frame and the fact that I was told a Colonial Van Semi would be doing my move and not some other "partner." She said they didn't have a Colonial Truck in the area (despite having over THREE WEEKS to figure the logistics) and this was my only choice. I cancelled the move with Colonial and demanded all of my deposit to be refunded, which Colonial did a couple days later. Then I had to get a self moving truck, load it at the last minute with the help of friends. Drove the truck to my destination, then had to buy a one-way plane ticket back to my old town to pick up my truck and drive it to my new home (700 miles). Thanks for nothing Colonial. And don't bother contacting me either with a insulting offer so i will edit my review. read more
4 years ago
Only leaving 5 stars for Donna at Colonial Van Lines resolution department for getting some reimbursement for all the issues we had with my mom's move... read more
Business owner information
Al D.
Manager
Christie,…
More info about Colonial Van Lines
(888) 451-0026
Call Now
Visit Website
https://www.colonialvanlines.com
Payment methods
Does Colonial Van Lines take credit cards?
Yes, Colonial Van Lines takes credit cards.
More Info
Hours
Ask the Community - Colonial Van Lines
Review Highlights - Colonial Van Lines
“It was only because of Donna's efforts that I was able to put the situation in perspective and move on.”
Mentioned in 203 reviews
You might also consider
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
654 reviews that are not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
4 years ago
Job ID: 1067154-CV-R1 Update: Changing to 5 stars - I spoke with Donna, their resolutions person, and she was incredibly responsive, understanding, and prompt. She was also direct (in a good way!) and managed to resolve all of my issues. I used Colonial Van Lines to move from Minnesota to New York. Discussed with the agent moving timelines and inventory and had set a pickup window of November 26th-28th. I got a phone call on Wednesday November 24th from someone filling in for the agent I'd had letting me know there was some issues and that they would have to change the pickup date to either November 29th or 30th. I had been trying to finalize my plans to get to New York and coordinate it, and I agreed to switch it to the 29th. This was the first issue. Because when I called or spoke with Colonial again (I believe this time it was back to originally assigned agent, although I ended up dealing with 3-4 different agents all throughout the process, which was concerning and part of the problem) they said they saw it was scheduled for the 30th, and had no record that the 29th was mentioned. I had already taken time off from work to deal with this, and so I was less than pleased, but there was little I could do. On the 30th, I kept waiting for the movers. I called Colonial and they said that the window had been pushed from what we had originally discussed and would now be later. When I called back later, the agent said he would check with dispatch and let me know if there was any update. I had already had flights and other plans scheduled at this point, and so I was getting anxious. The agent called back and said that the truck was broken down/stuck in Wisconsin for repairs and that they would try to guarantee something for the next day. I panicked and got upset because they were just dropping this well into the second delivery window period they had mentioned, and because I had already spent quite a bit of money between plane tickets plus the deposit (plus updates to the deposit after double-checking inventory) and so the agent said that their manager had said they'd reimburse the cost involved with me having to adjust my travel plans (and I want to emphasize that they offered that unprompted). They waited until I had called for an update to let me know this. So I adjusted my travel plans (which involved a not-insignificant cost in fees and new plane tickets). The movers showed up the next day, and looked at my items, and added an additional $900 or so to the total quote because it looked like I had a lot of stuff and that it would be heavy, with the caveat that they wouldn't know the final cost until after they got things back to their facility and weighed them (in the end there was no change to the final amount). They proceeded to take items and start loading the truck, and left, and I got a call from the agent later that night confirming that they'd picked things up and confirming the delivery window, and confirming the reimbursement of travel plan changes. The items were delivered by movers a week later. In between that time I had two calls, one with someone in the Colonial finance department and one with a woman who worked for the company they contracted with to do the moving. Both times I mentioned the reimbursement and both times I was told it would need to be discussed with a manager and they would escalate it. The finance person told me that no reimbursement or adjustments would happen until after delivery of my items and after payment. The finance person also said that I was wrong about having incurred additional costs because he reviewed the information and there was $40 less I was charged due to less packing materials used (and completely ignoring that I was discussing the amount of work I had to miss and the costs in changing travel plans) All of the agents I spoke with said they were making notes and would escalate things to the manager. I emailed the agent I originally spoke with about a week after the delivery, who had guaranteed that he was making notes and that things would be escalated to the manager and who had originally told me the manager authorized reimbursement. He said he put in a customer service request to have them speak with me, and that all he saw in the notes was that I had wanted to speak to a manager about late pickup and expenses I had incurred due to lateness I told him I was concerned that that was all that was mentioned in the notes, ,considering the number of people I had spoken with, the guarantees that things were being documented, and that they had offered to reimburse in the first place. I followed up again a week and a half later and was told that the agent had escalated things to customer service and they were responsible for their own correspondence. Late, costly, and incredibly uncommunicative. I am also not asking for much with reimbursement and which THEY offered in the first place, and which is why I didn't just drop it in the first plac read more
2 years ago
You might as well burn everything rather than hire Colonial Van Lines, because you will end up with a pile of damaged items, and they will not take responsibility. If you have no other choice but to hire them, file a Dispute with your Credit Card, as that will be the only way to get any refund on their despicable service. Over $60K in damages as a result of how THEY loaded the truck and stored our items. This is what their Website reads 'professional movers trained by Colonial Van Lines would come to our location, load everything in a professional manner, treat my move with the respect and attention it deserves, because 'our movers know how to pack a truck', and then UNLOAD in any manner in which we requested, and boxes would be placed in any location that we requested, and items dissasembled at pick up would be reassembled at delivery" "we teach and test our moving team to "pack it, stack it, but never crack it" "Before any driver, mover, or packer trains in the field, they must get past the moving instructors at CVLU first". "We teach a strategic approach to loading and unloading your home contents. At CVLU, packers and loaders are taught to look beyond just securing load and consider how the truck will be unloaded on arrival, and, in what order". None of this is true. This was a business move. Before hiring them, during 3 weeks we spoke at length with Moving Coordinator and his Supervisor, everyone understood what was being moved. We hired two containers costing us over $25K. We were concerned about having two moving trucks showing up at the same time, but Moving Coordinator confirmed that truck#1 would pick up "one day", truck #2 would pick up "the next day", and on delivery, truck #1 would deliver on "one day", truck #2 would deliver the "next day". Truck #1 picked up June 8 Truck #2 picked up June 9 and never showed up on June 11, or June 12, or 13, 14, 15, not even the last day of the 'estimated window", June 18 I began calling Colonial Van Lines on June 12 asking the whereabouts of the second truck. They did not know. I called and emailed over 50 times in 5 days, each time they make you feel as if you are bothering them, making things up, or like you misunderstood something, or you did something wrong... so I stopped calling. Truck #2 eventually showed up 4 weeks later. Each day our business was closed, we lost $2K daily in revenues. What happened? Colonial subcontracted my move to Posh Moving, who after loading, drove 3 hours and put all our items in a rat infested warehouse for 4 weeks without my knowledge or consent. All our tools, equipment and merchandise were in a warehouse with temperatures up to 140 degrees, Colonial knew that our merchandise was packed in styrofoam boxes and containers, yet they decided to put all this in a warehouse... and with that excessive heat, the boxes warped, some even disintegrated. when their professional movers 'reloaded' these from the Warehouse to a moving truck, no care or thought was put into that process, because the boxes were thrown into the truck Colonial Van Lines website reads that items disassembled at pick up would be assembled at delivery. Not one fixture or bookcase that was taken apart at pick up was assembled upon delivery. Instead, the movers wanted to charge me extra to put the shelves and fixtures back together. Things that were not disassembled at pick up, were taken apart at the warehouse, and upon delivery, the pieces/parts were nowhere to be found. We ended up with many fixtures/furniture that we cannot reassemble due to missing parts. No 'professional mover' showed up... Truck #1, was a Driver with her brother and three laborers they picked up at Home Depot Truck #2 , The service was NOT performed by Colonial Van Lines using Colonial Van Lines fleet/equipment. It was PICKED UP by two un-vetted pot heads hired by POSH, that were smoking marijuana in my bathroom all day, and loading our boxes into a Ryder Rental truck. Although we informed them NOT to tape or wrap the Styrofoam boxes, they did so anyway. Neither the PICK UP or DELIVERY followed Colonial Van Lines Service Standards as defined on their website. As I ponder on this move, I realize that the issue is that the website is all lies, wishful thinking, and that the Moving Coordinator's task is to get a reservation... get that deposit... sell you on the service.... and then, Colonial does not care at all what happens after the deposit is taken. These are not 'trained movers', these are unvetted laborers, I hired Colonial professionals, and got who knows what... one time workers that have no relationship to Colonial, don't care what happens to the furniture/fixtures/items, they toss, dump, throw boxes, all marked FRAGILE, with no care whatsoever, because they answer to nobody in Colonial. None of these 'movers' were trained by Colonial Van Lines University, and the people that showed up had no clue how to pack a truck, Monkeys could of done a better job! read more
8 years ago
MAY 29, 2018 UPDATE: Our final furniture was received on May 21, 2018. After my reviews and escalations, I was also put in contact with Al who has done all he can to mitigate the situation. We will be receiving $$ back from that we paid to the moving company who proved incapable of delivering timely and without damage. I can say that Colonial has stepped up to try to mitigate the issues arising from these contractor's failings, as well as the internal problems at Colonial. (original review below) This company has been terrible. They happily quoted me a move fee in November 2017 and provided me a pickup window. Colonial directly collected ~30% of the total move fee. Here's what they don't tell you: they do NOT have their own trucks, drivers, and movers. They subcontract with companies in your local region and they have ZERO ability to hold those contractors to any sort of accountability. Colonials preferred company failed to pickup within their window, causing me to go into a new month in the apartment we were to vacate. Extra rent had to be paid- had to reschedule cleaners and carpet cleaning, now to be done w/o my presence since I had to get on the road. Then, they said the pickup drivers were to be at my home within a few hours ... three days in a row. They failed to arrive two days in a row and came very late on the third day. (I had to put my husband on a plane to get to his new job in time since he now wouldn't have time to drive 2,300 miles and arrive as required.) I was told by Colonial (Dona) that despite the late pickup, our delivery window would not change. So, I began my (now solo) drive across the country with 2 cats, a dog, and a very full vehicle late on a Saturday night. 4 days after I had planned to begin the move. I arrived safely and began "roughing it" in our new home. Air mattress, two camp chairs, a folding table, etc. Sufficient for the anticipated couple of weeks w/o the bulk of my household items. The week of our delivery window arrived, Dona at Colonial called to say that "next week" would be when our items actually were delivered. I wasn't happy but I was relieved at least that we should have everything before Christmas and New Year's. However, I subsequently received more follow up calls and then even more calls, each advising of further delays. All the while Dona assured me our items were safely stored in the moving company's warehouse and not, in fact, stolen. Dona at one point requested I pay the remained of the (now discounted) move fee in anticipation of our items being delivered so "the movers don't give you any problems about it". I refused. Said we'd pay once our items actually arrived. They didn't arrive for another 3 WEEKS. In that time, Dona call me again and told me that our items were NOT in the moving company's warehouse. THEY NEVER LEFT UTAH. These movers loaded a truck, left my home, and them got some random storage unit and left my household items -- childhood piano, wedding dress, photo albums, other irreplaceable mementos, along with furniture, kitchen implements, etc. -- all just in some RANDOM STORAGE UNIT in Utah ... So -- the movers and Colonial had been lying for nearly 2 months. February 4, our stuff was delivered. Damages to several items occurred. Additionally, this company who delivered tried to deliver several items that were NOT ours and did not have all items that were ours ... but they *promised* they'd be back in two weeks with my couch and the rails to assemble my bed. They additionally required full payment, no discount. I wasn't going to argue since I wanted my things. Fast forward to today, we still don't have all our things. Colonial has offered to refund 30% of the total move cost but that doesn't begin to cover the extra expenses of living w/o day-to-day items in order to eat in our kitchen, and live normally. I put a post on Twitter and did hear from "upper management" at Colonial. I was promised a call back 1 week later with a resolution. Then they asked me to update/remove my tweets. I declined until I saw real results. The very next day, I received a call from Dona (or original rep) that I should just file a claim for our missing items since she just didn't know when their preferred move contractor could deliver them. That timing is highly coincidental - I declined to update twitter and then they stopped even trying to get me my things. The one week promise from "upper management" expired yesterday. No calls back. No solutions or resolutions offered. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. THEY HAVE BEEN DISHONEST AND DEMONSTRATED AN TOTAL INABILITY TO FULFILL THEIR COMMITMENTS. read more
8 years ago
MAY 29, 2018 UPDATE: Our final furniture was received on May 21, 2018. After my reviews and escalations, I was also put in contact with Al who has done all he can to mitigate the situation. We will be receiving $$ back from that we paid to the moving company who proved incapable of delivering timely and without damage. I can say that Colonial has stepped up to try to mitigate the issues arising from these contractor's failings, as well as the internal problems at Colonial. (original review below) This company has been terrible. They happily quoted me a move fee in November 2017 and provided me a pickup window. Colonial directly collected ~30% of the total move fee. Here's what they don't tell you: they do NOT have their own trucks, drivers, and movers. They subcontract with companies in your local region and they have ZERO ability to hold those contractors to any sort of accountability. Colonials preferred company failed to pickup within their window, causing me to go into a new month in the apartment we were to vacate. Extra rent had to be paid- had to reschedule cleaners and carpet cleaning, now to be done w/o my presence since I had to get on the road. Then, they said the pickup drivers were to be at my home within a few hours ... three days in a row. They failed to arrive two days in a row and came very late on the third day. (I had to put my husband on a plane to get to his new job in time since he now wouldn't have time to drive 2,300 miles and arrive as required.) I was told by Colonial (Dona) that despite the late pickup, our delivery window would not change. So, I began my (now solo) drive across the country with 2 cats, a dog, and a very full vehicle late on a Saturday night. 4 days after I had planned to begin the move. I arrived safely and began "roughing it" in our new home. Air mattress, two camp chairs, a folding table, etc. Sufficient for the anticipated couple of weeks w/o the bulk of my household items. The week of our delivery window arrived, Dona at Colonial called to say that "next week" would be when our items actually were delivered. I wasn't happy but I was relieved at least that we should have everything before Christmas and New Year's. However, I subsequently received more follow up calls and then even more calls, each advising of further delays. All the while Dona assured me our items were safely stored in the moving company's warehouse and not, in fact, stolen. Dona at one point requested I pay the remained of the (now discounted) move fee in anticipation of our items being delivered so "the movers don't give you any problems about it". I refused. Said we'd pay once our items actually arrived. They didn't arrive for another 3 WEEKS. In that time, Dona call me again and told me that our items were NOT in the moving company's warehouse. THEY NEVER LEFT UTAH. These movers loaded a truck, left my home, and them got some random storage unit and left my household items -- childhood piano, wedding dress, photo albums, other irreplaceable mementos, along with furniture, kitchen implements, etc. -- all just in some RANDOM STORAGE UNIT in Utah ... So -- the movers and Colonial had been lying for nearly 2 months. February 4, our stuff was delivered. Damages to several items occurred. Additionally, this company who delivered tried to deliver several items that were NOT ours and did not have all items that were ours ... but they *promised* they'd be back in two weeks with my couch and the rails to assemble my bed. They additionally required full payment, no discount. I wasn't going to argue since I wanted my things. Fast forward to today, we still don't have all our things. Colonial has offered to refund 30% of the total move cost but that doesn't begin to cover the extra expenses of living w/o day-to-day items in order to eat in our kitchen, and live normally. I put a post on Twitter and did hear from "upper management" at Colonial. I was promised a call back 1 week later with a resolution. Then they asked me to update/remove my tweets. I declined until I saw real results. The very next day, I received a call from Dona (or original rep) that I should just file a claim for our missing items since she just didn't know when their preferred move contractor could deliver them. That timing is highly coincidental - I declined to update twitter and then they stopped even trying to get me my things. The one week promise from "upper management" expired yesterday. No calls back. No solutions or resolutions offered. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. THEY HAVE BEEN DISHONEST AND DEMONSTRATED AN TOTAL INABILITY TO FULFILL THEIR COMMITMENTS. read more
8 years ago
MAY 29, 2018 UPDATE: Our final furniture was received on May 21, 2018. After my reviews and escalations, I was also put in contact with Al who has done all he can to mitigate the situation. We will be receiving $$ back from that we paid to the moving company who proved incapable of delivering timely and without damage. I can say that Colonial has stepped up to try to mitigate the issues arising from these contractor's failings, as well as the internal problems at Colonial. (original review below) This company has been terrible. They happily quoted me a move fee in November 2017 and provided me a pickup window. Colonial directly collected ~30% of the total move fee. Here's what they don't tell you: they do NOT have their own trucks, drivers, and movers. They subcontract with companies in your local region and they have ZERO ability to hold those contractors to any sort of accountability. Colonials preferred company failed to pickup within their window, causing me to go into a new month in the apartment we were to vacate. Extra rent had to be paid- had to reschedule cleaners and carpet cleaning, now to be done w/o my presence since I had to get on the road. Then, they said the pickup drivers were to be at my home within a few hours ... three days in a row. They failed to arrive two days in a row and came very late on the third day. (I had to put my husband on a plane to get to his new job in time since he now wouldn't have time to drive 2,300 miles and arrive as required.) I was told by Colonial (Dona) that despite the late pickup, our delivery window would not change. So, I began my (now solo) drive across the country with 2 cats, a dog, and a very full vehicle late on a Saturday night. 4 days after I had planned to begin the move. I arrived safely and began "roughing it" in our new home. Air mattress, two camp chairs, a folding table, etc. Sufficient for the anticipated couple of weeks w/o the bulk of my household items. The week of our delivery window arrived, Dona at Colonial called to say that "next week" would be when our items actually were delivered. I wasn't happy but I was relieved at least that we should have everything before Christmas and New Year's. However, I subsequently received more follow up calls and then even more calls, each advising of further delays. All the while Dona assured me our items were safely stored in the moving company's warehouse and not, in fact, stolen. Dona at one point requested I pay the remained of the (now discounted) move fee in anticipation of our items being delivered so "the movers don't give you any problems about it". I refused. Said we'd pay once our items actually arrived. They didn't arrive for another 3 WEEKS. In that time, Dona call me again and told me that our items were NOT in the moving company's warehouse. THEY NEVER LEFT UTAH. These movers loaded a truck, left my home, and them got some random storage unit and left my household items -- childhood piano, wedding dress, photo albums, other irreplaceable mementos, along with furniture, kitchen implements, etc. -- all just in some RANDOM STORAGE UNIT in Utah ... So -- the movers and Colonial had been lying for nearly 2 months. February 4, our stuff was delivered. Damages to several items occurred. Additionally, this company who delivered tried to deliver several items that were NOT ours and did not have all items that were ours ... but they *promised* they'd be back in two weeks with my couch and the rails to assemble my bed. They additionally required full payment, no discount. I wasn't going to argue since I wanted my things. Fast forward to today, we still don't have all our things. Colonial has offered to refund 30% of the total move cost but that doesn't begin to cover the extra expenses of living w/o day-to-day items in order to eat in our kitchen, and live normally. I put a post on Twitter and did hear from "upper management" at Colonial. I was promised a call back 1 week later with a resolution. Then they asked me to update/remove my tweets. I declined until I saw real results. The very next day, I received a call from Dona (or original rep) that I should just file a claim for our missing items since she just didn't know when their preferred move contractor could deliver them. That timing is highly coincidental - I declined to update twitter and then they stopped even trying to get me my things. The one week promise from "upper management" expired yesterday. No calls back. No solutions or resolutions offered. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. THEY HAVE BEEN DISHONEST AND DEMONSTRATED AN TOTAL INABILITY TO FULFILL THEIR COMMITMENTS. read more
4 years ago
*Editing review after speaking with customer service. They apologized and offered a little $ back to update the review below. tl;dr: Colonial's customer service will degrade terribly once they have your stuff. Communication with customer and within the company is terrible. One of their customer reps tried to straight up con me into paying for 500lbs extra weight that didn't exist and tried to get me to show up at a roadside weigh station for a weigh-in that never happened. After the pick up Colonials service TANKED. They stopped answering calls and replying to messages. I had to update my delivery details and when I called my rep he didn't answer or callback. I called back 3 times and after being hung up on someone finally made it obvious that no one had updated the delivery info. On move in day they only sent 1 person who was unable to get some of the furniture upstairs on his own (I offered to help but he refused). He told me Colonial hadn't notified him of the delivery details I'd provided them weeks ago until 1-2 days before and he wasn't able to find other movers in the area. He was great but the move took almost 4hrs for less than a studio apartments worth of stuff. On pickup they'd disassembled some items and assured me they would put everything back together on delivery but that never happened. Before delivery a rep told me I'd need to pay another $300 for a shuttle since the truck couldn't make it up my street despite the fact that my original rep had viewed the location on google maps and confirmed the truck would fit. They had also insisted I pay for a shuttle for my pick up even though I lived on a wide road that regularly had moving vans parked outside of the neighboring apartment complexes and I had to insist it wasn't necessary (they called a few days later still adding the shuttle cost and I had to tell them AGAIN that I didn't need it). The rep laughed and told me salesmen aren't drivers and don't know what they're talking about but I'd still have to pay. Another huge issue - someone working for this company 100% tried to scam me. A few days after pick up I got a voicemail from someone by the name of Franklyn saying the weight of my move was way over weight and I'd likely need to pay extra. When I talked to a different rep he had no idea what I was referring to and confirmed that the BINDING QUOTE that I'd paid for would prevent that so long as I didn't add anything new to my inventory list (I didn't, and actually had LESS than the original estimate accounted for). Well, he forwarded my call to Franklyn who, along with being rude, cutting me off, and mansplaining the basic logistics of moving (despite me telling him this is my 3rd big move and know how it works), told me my delivery weighed 500lbs more than the estimate included. When I asked about the binding estimate he told me that only worked for deliveries under weight. I laughed and said "so I paid for this and it just means you get to keep my money if you over-estimate but I still have to pay extra if you under-estimate?" He told me that was correct. He said I could meet the movers at the weigh station to see them weigh the delivery myself, I said I'd go because I felt I had to since there was no way this was accurate and he said he'd send info on when/ where but he never did. Later that night a different rep called to confirm my delivery date and when I called them out on all the extra charges this rep told me I wasn't being billed for anything over weight, that I had a binding estimate and COULDN'T be charged more and that there was no other weigh in taking place as Franklyn had told me. I told him to get Colonial to confirm this before I paid for/ signed anything else. He called me back hours later asking if Colonial had called me - he'd spoken to them and asked them to call and confirm no extra weight charges - they never did. He had to text different reps while on the phone with me until he got ahold of someone (who was in the middle of dinner) who finally confirmed there'd be no extra charges for the weight but I might have to pay extra for a shuttle. Either it was a scam or Franklyn was very misinformed, either way the worst move experience I've ever had. read more
10 years ago
Job# 55354503 My moving experience was so bad, I created a yelp account just to warn others. We had issues each step of the way, and once you sign the contract with Colonial good luck getting your representative to return your calls, and don't expect anyone else to try to help you either. We were given a 2 day moving window and told we would find out at least 5 days before our move day, the actual date. We found out the night before at almost closing time, after multiple calls a day for 5 days straight. We booked our move with a binding agreement on weight (based on a visual estimate). Everyone I spoke to except the manager in the booking department told me it was impossible to have a binding estimate based on weight. I'm not sure if other representatives didn't have access to view my contract, or if they just didn't read it. But it's hard to have any confidence in the customer service area, when they can't answer basic questions about your contract. One reason we booked with Colonial was for their insurance. After we booked our move and signed everything, and passed the 5 day window to cancel, we were informed Colonial's company they used for insurance would not cover our move (even though we had been told they would.) Colonial outsourced our move to another company and that company they booked was going to store our belongings in a building without liability coverage. To late to cancel we had to find third party moving insurance on our own. We were told we would be packed and moved in one day (this was to pack everything, but we packed 80% of our things). The day of the move we expected the moving company between 8 and noon. To our surprise a different company showed up on our door step. We had been given a company's name and amount ahead of time for the cashiers check, but apparently they changed the company the day before the move and just didn't inform us. The movers also showed up around 5:30 instead of between 8 and noon. All day as we were awaiting the movers, no one at Colonial could tell me anything except "your representative is on the other line, and she will call you back when she has a chance!" We didn't pack our dishes because we didn't have the special double corrugated dish pack boxes. But to our surprise, the movers didn't bring any dish pack boxes. They just packed the dishes in regular boxes - our belongings are still in storage, but I am nervous to see how our dishes survived. The movers said they would be back the next day by noon, but showed up at 2PM. They said they would be done by 7PM, but finished at 1AM the next morning. The delays by the movers caused us to have to change hotels for our commute to our new location, cancel appointments to see houses, and really cramped the amount of time we had to clean before moving. On top of everything the movers did not use rugs to protect our hardwood floors, dinged and scratched door frames and walls, left packing tape stuck to floors, as well as all the leaves they tracked throughout the entire house. After our horrendous moving experience Colonial Van Lines has been less than willing to work with us. They are still hard to contact, the person we are trying to work with usually has a full voicemail so we can't even leave a message, and doesn't return calls in a timely manner. We have been trying to work towards a resolution with Colonial, but 2 months later, they are offering us $100 and each time we try to address specific issues we had, we are told they will look into it and get back to us. It's already been 2 months, not sure how long it takes to review calls, and contact they company they outsourced to??? Save yourself the headache and additional stress. They don't care what they promised in their contract, and their customer service is amazingly worse than you can imagine. read more
3 years ago
UPDATE 4/24: I am amending my review as Donna from the resolutions department has reached out and worked to resolve my case to my satisfaction. Thank you, Donna! I hired Colonial for my move from Austin, TX to Atlanta, GA for a 1-Bedroom Home at the beginning of April 2023. Quote: I received my total move estimate from sales person Anthony on 3/23 totaling my estimate $3,494.32, I signed the paperwork, paid my deposit of $1,687.18, and agreed to a 2-day pick up window and 10-day delivery window. It seemed straight-forward. Quote: I was advised that Colonial charges for the weight of items and mileage of transportation, as well as the amount of steps that the moving team takes from your home to their moving truck-I have moved many times before and never came across this, but fine. FYI Colonial subcontracts their moving teams with other companies, where they load your items into a truck, unload your items to their warehouse, and re-pack your items into a new truck to your destination-that is why they provide a 10-day delivery date for the arrival to your new home. Days Leading up to the Move: I received a call from Ashley, the moving contact for my account go forward, who prepped me for my move, went over the details, and confirmed my pick-up window. Pick Up on 4/1: The subcontracted moving team of 2 arrived within the pick up window, were very kind, wrapped my items well, and did their due diligence - they were the only positive of this moving experience. In reviewing their ledger before signing off on the pick up (before they are able to move anything) they had updated charges- adding items to the itemized list, moving materials, and long carry (145 feet from home to truck). I was fine with this, as I had expected these charges. What I was not fine with, is their updated quote/ledger charged a $1.48/lb charge for my items vs. a $1.15/lb charge that I was quoted. With estimated weight of the truck being 3,208 lbs/cuft., this significantly increased my quote. According to their new ledger, my estimated charge upon delivery was now $4,474.40 instead of $3,613.22 -which both delivery charges were already higher than my total estimate of $3,494.32. Time In Between Delivery: I could not receive a clear answer regarding expected delivery date in Atlanta - I moved with a suitcase and was eager to have my things again. Apparently there is a breakdown in communication and files are not promptly updated-I did not learn about my delivery date until 24 hours before delivery, when the subcontracted team (the same team from pick up) texted me letting me know. I had called many times leading up to this to try to receive an answer from Colonial who had no idea when my delivery would be and could not pin point a date for me. Ridiculous. Delivery on 4/8: The same team arrived to my new home but had different paperwork in the account from Colonial which did not match their delivery quote - before we could move anything, they were calling Colonial to try to rectify my owed amount. NO ONE FROM COLONIAL WAS WORKING TO HELP THE MOVING TEAM SOLVE THIS! Because they could not get in touch with anyone from Colonial, they advised that they had to charge me $4,603.22 (delivery quote of $4,474.40 + a long distance carry charge of $128.82) in order to offload my items from the truck, and to resolve the misquote that I received with my account manager and resolutions team. The moving team acknowledged that Colonial completely messed up my quote. My initial total move estimate was $3,494.32, I paid a total of $6,290.40 (1.8x my estimate), and I should have paid a total of $5,239.16 (1.5x my estimate). I have been awaiting a call back from James since my delivery on 4/8 (9 working days now) after leaving many voicemails. I just want some communication to understand my review of the rerate-I have receipts. read more
7 years ago
UPDATE to review: I received a phone call from Donna Rose re: my review. She told me she wanted to help reach a satisfactory resolution regarding my move and asked me to give a detailed accounting of both of the situations outlined below. She was professional and empathetic and appeared to be taking detailed notes as I spoke. While I cannot know the outcome of the mover who harassed me, she did stress several times that this behavior was unacceptable to Colonial which I appreciated. Regarding the tripling of my packing costs, she said she would be conferring with her manager and would call me back. I received a call three hours later wherein Donna stated she had spoken to her manager regarding all aspects of my move and she had been authorized to refund me $700, which is basically the additional amount I was charged for packing. I very much appreciate Donna's effort on my behalf and the speed of the resolution to my concerns. I gave them a 3 on Moving.com but am downgrading them due to follow-up contact from them that was less than optimal. 1. I had three conversations with CVL reps regarding what was to be moved. Movers arrived to pick up my items after I was on the road and told my designated sub that the cost of packing was now tripled. Why? I don't know. I was not physically there and could not do a walk through re: their claims. When I asked on the phone the only thing they could point out (and the only item ever mentioned in subsequent phone calls with CVL) was a TV STAND that is approximately 44" high and with a 44" base and two shelves that are 33" and 22", respectively. I was also told by a CVL rep that someone named Roxie had made an adjustment to my account. She then put me on hold and came back to say she couldn't refund me because I agreed to the extra packing. When I AGAIN asked for an explanation of what caused my packing fees to triple, she mentioned the TV stand and nothing else. 2. MeToo experience with the movers. While I know the were a subcontractor, they were acting as reps for CVL at the time. I am a newly single woman who has moved to an entirely new area of the country for work. During the move-in, one of the movers would wait until the other one was gone and then start telling me how beautiful I was. He asked for my phone number so he could "fix my bed". He asked to use the bathroom while the other mover and crew chief were heading downstairs at the end of the move, then came over to put his arm around me, pat my shoulder and ask me for a tip. I did report this to the CVL case manager (who, in her own, was one of the few bright spots I had with CVL in that she listened, made extensive notes and passed the info up the chain). 3. No box count with the crew chief. When I asked about items he would say that everything was there. By the time the move-in was complete I just wanted the harasser to leave because I was feeling distressed and frightened so I signed the form. 4. The most recent call from CVL. A rep called me after I posted my review on Moving.com which includes all the above info (this is the same rep who said their was an adjustment on my account and then never explained it). Her first question out of the gate was if I could change my review to 5 stars. Really? I have listed sexual harassment as an issue and you want me to raise my review stars for you? How incredibly...tone-deaf at the least. While other people may have had better luck and experiences with CVL, I thought this experience should be posted as well so people can have multiple pieces of information to consider when making a decision about what moving company to choose. read more
5 years ago
DO NOT HIRE COLONIAL VANLhired colonial van lines for our move from California to Texas back in November 2020. We paid our deposit, solidified a 48 hour window of time for pickup in January 2021. They advised that 24-48 hours prior to the pickup window, they would call and tell us exactly what day of the window they would be coming. Less than 24 hours prior to contracted pickup window, we still had not heard from them, so I called to inquire as to if they were coming the next day or the day after, as per our contract. The case manager, Jared, advised me that they could not locate a driver and they could no longer adhere to the contracted pickup dates. He asked if there was flexibility in pickup days to which I stated "no" since we sold our house and have to be out so the new owners can move in. I advised him that this was unprofessional, unacceptable, and their ability to not find a driver was not my problem since scheduling people's moves is the exact premise of their business. He put me through to a supervisor, Kenya, who was incredibly rude and offered zero solutions to this problem other than saying they could refund my deposit money or hopefully, maybe, possibly find another driver in 10 or so days! How this company remains in business by screwing families over at the last minute is beyond me. Calling around for backup moving companies this late in the game is going to cost $1000's more, not to mention the stress this has caused on my family. I have a newborn, a toddler, and a 100% disabled veteran husband and the stress this has amounted to is ridiculous. What is the point of signing a contract, paying this company a deposit to secure our moving dates, only to have them say the day before that they can't perform their end of the contract and leave us scrambling? No apologies were provided, nor were any reasonable solutions offered. Essentially I received a "whoops" we can just refund you or we can pick up your stuff weeks from now, but even that they couldn't confirm. This company had months to figure out the dispatch schedule for our job , on the contracted dates, and I find this completely unacceptable and unprofessional and in breach of a contract. Sharon, a customer service manager, emailed me and stated that "sometimes things don't work out" in regards to them bailing on their contractual pickup dates and that she would offer me $150 as well as our deposit back. Again, $150 doesn't begin to cover the extra hoops and monetary inconveniences we had to endure in order to stick to our moving timeline with less than 24 hour notice. She also insinuated that since we had "no flexibility" in our pickup dates that this was now our problem. When you close escrow on a home and have to move out, in order for new owners to move in, there is understandably no flexibility. I'm not sure that Colonial Van lines grasps the concept of moving a family home, since they can just back out of their contractual duties whenever they see fit. Accepting money for a move and then not providing the service is the exact definition of consumer fraud since we paid a deposit to secure our move out date , as well as signing a contract, to ensure a smooth transition to our new home in a different state. I would never recommend this company to anyone who is looking to move. Their customer service is less than acceptable and they will leave you high and dry. **Update- I am increasing this review to 5 stars due to Donna in the resolutions department who was the only person at this company who truly provided excellent customer service , and was able to provide reasonable compensation for our troubles. read more
8 years ago
Hi, This is an update for my previous response. After I submitted the claims form, someone by name Donna Rose from Colonial van lines had called to understand the claim. When I explained the troubled that I had gone through with the move she listened to me patiently and promised that she will talk to her manager and get back with a resolution. She had also mentioned that the management has changed and are working to resolve customer issues. After few days she called me and informed that they are waiving the balance I owed plus they will be issuing a check as a refund for the missing and damaged items. I'm glad that Donna had acted quick and professional to resolve the issue I had been having for sometime now. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This company is all about getting your money. The sales person, after I had the initial quote, kept emailing me every day to remind. Finally, because of the price I chose to sign up with them. She spoke well and told me that she is doing all that is possible to keep my rates low. I didn't have an address for me to receive the items at first. She mentioned that as soon as I find a place, all I have to do is give a call and they will get my stuff. She also went to the extent of saying that if the weight was more than the estimate, they will still honor the agreed price. I should have caught the flaw right there but I missed it. And, I signed the contract. Closer to the move, the account manager calls. She mentioned that once I have a place to move I have to inform her and she will coordinate with the truck and get my stuff. That's when she mentioned that they will have a window within which they will deliver. I said but if I needed it on a specific date, why would I pay for additional days it sat on the storage. She mentioned that I'll only pay for the date I had requested rather than their actual delivery date (I hope they will at least keep this up). The movers came. They were ok. I only wish they hadn't used my plastic wrapper and tapes. The mover told me that they will weight after the pick up and colonial will give me the actual price based on the weight. Ok, I'll at least know the actual price once they weigh. I found my apartment for 9/10 and informed the account manager on 8/27. She had asked me to give two weeks notice so she can work out the time with the truck driver. Today is 9/16(three weeks since I informed), she has no idea where my stuff is and what my final price will be and when my stuff will really make it. They keep telling me that my window to get my stuff starts on 9/10 and ends on 9/22. I don't know why they needed two weeks notice before the start window of that "window" and wonder why the account manager to this minute couldn't get hold of the driver to find where my stuff is and when it will reach me. Someone from colonial called after I took their online survey and told me that their account manager is one of the best and actively working with the driver. The account manager never returns my call or emails. Either the sales team and the delivery team doesn't talk to each other on how they operate or else? Either ways, this is the most horrible moving experience I have ever had. I just hope I get my stuff soon. I'm going to keep calling them up this week. I'll update the review after that. So choose Colonial Van lines if you want to add more to the already stressful move. read more
6 years ago
NEVER USE COLONIAL VAN LINES!!!! NEVERRRRR!!!!!!!! Read to bottom. I used Colonial Van Lines to move my stuff from a storage unit in New York down to Florida into another storage unit. They didn't have to do any physical packing or I packing. They gave me an expected day and timeframe for the pickup and ended up never showing up. So I took off of work for the day to be there to get them in the storage unit and they didn't show up and my account manager, Jared, was out of the office that day and unable to be reached. Then that following day they said they would show up between 10-2pm, never called to say it would be later. They ended up showing up around 7:45pm. That was just the pick up....I knew we were in for a disaster. Then they lied about the estimate cost and tripled it right away. I never heard back from my original point of contact, Drexel, who said he would be my point of contact the entire time. Complete lie. Then for delivery, they were supposed to show up on a Friday between 10-3...shockingly a no show/no call. So I called my account manager who told me it would be delivered on Sunday between 10-3. Never showed up/never called. The guy physically driving the moving truck, who was a 3rd party company and isn't affiliated with Colonial Van Lines, Calls me on Monday morning and says he never received the address for the delivery, the storage unit number or access code, which I had provided that previous Friday for the original delivery. So I gave him the info directly and he tells me he will be arriving around 4pm for the delivery. It gets better. Jared, my colonial van lines account manager, calls me that same day and tells me my stuff has been delivered the previous day. Then I obviously had to correct him and tell him it was getting delivered that afternoon at 4. They ended up showing up around 7:30. I had my infant with me waiting for almost 2 hours at the storage unit with no call or answer as to where they were. They destroyed a lot of our belongings, my son's crib which is a brand new Pottery Barn crib, is destroyed. They took it apart and cracked all of the wood. When discussing options with the resolutions department, they were offering me $60 for a crib and kept saying I should've expected them to dissemble the crib during the move even though I was told 4 times during the 4 times I went over the inventory list, that they would not be dissembling anything. They actually tried to keep the crib and not give it to us because it was that destroyed. I am beyond upset, frustrated, and shocked by the unprofessional and completely lack of pride this company has. I will never ever use them again and I will make sure people know not to use this company because I don't want anyone going through what we went through. ***Had to update my review to 5 stars in order for the resolutions department to agree to "resolve" my issues and give me money back. Worked with Donna in resolutions. I received a call after I posted the review. Would not give me money owed/negotiated until I agreed to giving them 5 stars on review. So here it is. The moving experience was still a complete nightmare and it makes sense why they hired Donna in resolutions because it's a NEED in their company when the job isn't done well. Just happy this nightmare will be over soon. read more
6 years ago
Review Update 09/28/2020 Updating the review after speaking with Donna (resolutions manager), who has work amazingly fast to get us the best resolution outcome. It has been a pleasure to work with Donna. Colonial Van Lines provided us with an estimate for an interstate moving that was calculated ONLY on weight, not in volume. We warn the sales agent Mr. Chad C that our items were larger than usual but not heavy. He stated not to worry about since they were going to send an 18-wheeler. On the day of the move a 40 feet truck showed up. We were surprised when our moved was sold to Best Price moving without no one letting us know. we raised our concerns that the truck was going to be to small, and immediately called Colonial Van Lines, who onlyl then told us that the truck was sent based on the cubic weight (but we were sold only on weight not on volume) Mid load, the crew saw that the truck was indeed too small, and left items behind with the promise to pick them up the very next day. It was right then when the nightmare started. Suddenly Colonial Stop answering the phone call, just giving us a call at the end of the day to let us know the goods were going to be picked up the next day. Best Price moving referred us always to Colonial. We had to get rid of numerous items that were on the original packing list in the estimate in order to fit their trucks, again at our financial loss. ONE WEEK later they finally came to pick up the goods. it was a week that we were forced to stay at hotels and have meals in restaurants at our own expense. ONCE they had our goods in their possession they called us to let us know that they were changing the estimate and transforming it to a binding contract without giving us the option of having our household goods weighted at a certified station. Colonial Van Lines forced us to accept it or face more delays. Then the delivery never came. Again Colonial Van lines failed at giving us an estimate on when the goods were going to be delivered. We were assigned multiple Customer Service Managers every day, when they run out of words and excuses they just assign us another person (Mario, Roxanne, Aisha...) We asked several timer to Colonial to provide reasonable accommodation with the only offer from Mrs. Roxanne H of 150 dollars to buy inflatable mattresses so we could "sleep comfortably". Colonial denied every single of our petition and always stated that we needed to place a claim with their claims department. 17 days after the pick up we finally got our items delivered (without Colonial letting us know, in fact they called us to tell us that they did not know when our items were going to be delivered, while we were getting them delivered by a third party company) to our surprise, we learnt that our goods were stored at a warehouse from Best Price Moving for more than a week, without no one going to pick them up. When we got everything delivered, 16 boxes were missing and numerous items were broken. read more
7 years ago
Colonial has reached out to us because of our concerns and lack of satisfaction. We would like to thank Donna Rose for providing a satisfactory resolution to our concerns. We do give 5 stars to the resolution we received. The initial contacts and contract was quite satisfactory, but as the moving process started they altered all arrangements and required thousands more dollars. We moved from PA to WA. Our packing and preparations took months and we updated our list of belonging on the contract as we packed items. We felt comfortable with this mover up until two weeks before our move, when they changed our moving manager two times and forced us to change our pickup date. Since we had sold our house and had a firm closing date, any change in the pickup date was a major issue. However, we did accommodate their request. They said they would compensate us for this change, which cost us anxiety and $200, but after the move was finally over they merely offered us $50 for this change. On the day they showed up to pickup our belongings they required us to sign a totally new and different contract. It didn't matter that we had accurately described and detailed all the items that were to be moved. We had to sign this new contract, adding thousands more in moving costs, or they would walk out the door the day before our house closing date. We were forced to accept this new contract. We were forced to agree that the "binding estimate" in the original contract was superseded by this new contract. Overall it cost us $6400 more than our original contract. We felt that this last minute change was their plan all along, in order to squeeze more money out of us. Our belongings were to be delivered between the 11th and 17th of November. Each day we had to arrange for someone to be available to accept that delivery. But from Nov. 9 through the 15th we were only able to reach a live person at the office twice, and both times they could give us no information on delivery. We left numerous voicemails and emails, but no one would call us back. No one would give us any information. Finally on Nov. 17th one person, the assistant to our move manager, called to say that they would have information on Nov. 19. On that date, two days after all of our belongings were to be delivered; we were told that the delivery would take place the next day. They offered us, after much discussion, a mere $150 for this three day delay. At one point, weeks earlier, we had asked about the cost of delaying our delivery and were told that a three day delay would cost us $3,304. But because THEY delayed delivery three days they merely offered us $150. The overall move cost more than $20,000 so this $150 is less than 1%, not what we consider a fair offer. Overall we feel this company is not trustworthy. We feel that they did not treat us well, they were not responsive to our many phone calls, and they did not provide the service they had contracted to provide. read more
4 years ago
Edit: Changing it to 5 stars after their resolution manager, Donna, reached out and worked to get a resolution in regard to the customer service issues we experienced. Our claim for damages and lost items are separate and still being handled by the claims department, but I appreciate Donna's efforts and commitment to resolve my issue. If I could give this company negative stars, I would. DO NOT HIRE THIS COMPANY FOR YOUR MOVING NEEDS. EVER. I'll start off by saying they were 3 days late picking up our items which caused us $300 in rent charges which, of course, they won't cover. They never told us we could pay extra to lock in a confirmed date or we certainly would have. The driver was unorganized and did very little work while the two people he had subcontracted locally wrapped and packed everything. Those two did a great job while the driver took multiple breaks. Then the driver left without leaving us a copy of our invoice. We called him immediately to have him come back or to just stop and we would meet him for a copy but he said "no need - I forgot to give it to you but I got this" Whatever that meant.... Our delivery was two days late. When the driver opened the truck, it was immediately apparent our stuff had been unloaded and loaded back on. How many times? Who knows, but it was in total disarray. I asked the driver for a copy of the item breakdown and he literally told me it was too cold to get it. I told him I needed to verify items as they came off the truck and after a staring contest, he rolled his eyes, sighed and got me the forms. I could see why he 1) didn't leave it in the first place and 2) didn't want me to see it. The pages were a mess with many of the listed items illegible. As they unloaded, we found almost every big piece of furniture was damaged. We have a cast iron table base and that was broken in half. Another thing about this cast iron piece - IT WAS MIXED IN WITH SOMEONE ELSE'S STUFF ON THE TRUCK SO THE DRIVER HAD TO UNLOAD THEIR STUFF TO EVEN FIND IT. I should mention here that this driver kept talking about other missing items from other shipments he had picked up and delivered over the past few weeks. So now trying to deal with customer service, supervisors, etc in this company has proven to be nothing short of time wasting. We keep getting the same answers - they are trying to locate our items. I'm pretty sure we are just going to be out our money because we can't seem to get a good answer out of anyone. I'm not sure who to even go to at this point but I just wanted to warn everyone out there that is even remotely considering using these guys....DON'T. I see other reviews here that someone named Donna helped them resolve their similar issues. So Donna - if you're a real person and you're out there, please give us a call. We could sure use some positivity at this point. read more
9 months ago
I was extremely disappointed with the service I received from Colonial Van Lines during my recent move from California to Oregon. While I understood that household moves can involve a degree of logistical complexity, what I experienced was a troubling lack of accountability, transparency, and integrity on the part of Colonial. Shortly after my belongings were picked up, I contacted their customer service department to request a delivery update. To my surprise, I was informed that my items had already been delivered -- which was categorically untrue. This miscommunication was only the beginning of an extremely frustrating process during which I had to consistently initiate follow-up inquiries to obtain even basic information regarding the whereabouts of my shipment. After a full week of repeated outreach on my part, I was informed that my items were in a "climate-controlled warehouse," but no further details regarding location or delivery timeline were provided. It took several additional days -- again initiated by my own follow-ups -- before I was finally told that the warehouse in question was located in Los Angeles according to the customer services manager Hope. Even then, no one could provide a confirmed delivery date, and when one was eventually provided, it was two days beyond the latest date in the original delivery window. When I asked for an explanation for the delay -- particularly in light of the extended period during which I received no meaningful communication -- I was told there was "nothing that could be done" aside from a $30-per-day credit. When my items were finally delivered, I learned that they had never been stored in a warehouse at all. The same agents (Movers operating under their own business name and under Colonial's carrier license) who had picked up my belongings delivered them and informed me that my items had been on the back of their truck the entire time -- I was delayed only because a larger job took precedence over mine. This directly contradicted what I had repeatedly been told by Colonial Van Lines customer service. When I raised this matter with their team, the response was perfunctory at best. I was offered a $150 price adjustment, which does not come close to addressing the inconvenience, stress, and misleading information I endured throughout the process, in addition the extra financial strain that was placed on me. This experience has raised serious concerns about the professionalism and reliability of their company. I expected -- at the very least -- honest communication, timely updates, and responsible handling of my personal belongings. Unfortunately, none of these expectations were met. There was one employee (Tiffany) that expressed her empathy to my situation, but her hands were tied. The company was subpar and dishonest. I would not recommend Colonial to anyone. read more
7 years ago
I'm updating this review for two reasons. They would not settle my dispute unless I changed my one star to a five star and secondly because we did reach a reasonable resolution. The move was still the move from hell and nothing else has changed. We've had success moving from Atlanta to Martha's Vineyard with no issues. And that's 1500 miles to an island with a ferry to consider. So this under 600 mile moved seemed like it should be a breeze to us. That could not be farther from the truth. We looked at Colonial's reviews and they were mixed. People either loved them or hated them. Right now we leaning towards the hate. If they redeem themselves I will revise the review but right now its a solid 1. My issues: They give you a two day window for pick up and promise to let you know 48-72 hours in advance. 72 hours came and went and then 48 and no word. We called and were told they'd get back to us on Monday, which was the day before the estimated pickup. We said hell no! So we pressed and they finally called back and said 9-11am today, Tuesday. It is now 2pm and still no van. The driver called a couple of hours ago to give a "Courtesy" call to let us know they were running three hours behind. At that time we expressed our concerns and he said they would make up the time. In order to stay on track, we moved everything from the second floor to the first. I MEAN EVERYTHING! We broke down all the beds, rolled up all the rugs, shrink wrapped all the antiques, etc. The driver also so said we were the only one on the truck and they may even be able to get there earlier than estimated. Shortly after that call, we received a call from Colonial saying they were told by the agent we requested to be the only ones on the truck. No true. Everyone told us the entire time, based on the size of our load, we would most likely be the only ones on the truck. And the driver confirmed that. But now because we asked the driver about that they said we're going to have to revise the quote. Seriously? They just wanted to make MORE money off of us. Of course all this happens when there is no hope of us cancelling because we wouldn't get our deposit back and they know we would have to wait for another mover to reschedule. So they have us over the proverbial barrel and we have no choice but to continue. Then to top it off they will only commit to a window of 5 days to deliver. How can you plan for a five day window? Another company came out to do an estimate and when it was Colonial's turn to do the a site inspection, they asked for the previous estimate, sent someone out and low and behold they came up with the exact number of pounds. Exact! How in the hell does that happen? I'm sure they just used the previous inspection report. It's just been a nightmare. read more
8 years ago
UPDATE on this review: Five stars for the resolution of my original issue. I had a positive follow-up interaction similar to Peggy P. I had a bad experience that was addressed by the new management. I was contacted by Donna who listened to what happened and empathized with my frustration without getting defensive at all. She didn't rush me or downplay anything I had to say. Donna recognized the stress that I went through and recognized that Colonial should take responsibility. She agreed to compensate me for my bad experience. This move was impressive to me because it was unnecessary. They know that I am not likely to need another move in the short-term, and yet still wanted to make sure that I had a positive impression of the company and its direction under new management. Given that they can't go back in time, this was about as good a gesture as I could have hoped for. I wish them luck in continuing to turn it around and stay focused on customers. Original review: ------------------------------------------------------------ Worst moving experience I have had. Colonial staff were extremely respectful and helpful when making the initial purchase. I booked two months in advance, and was told to not have any concerns about any delays or troubles since it was so far out. But guess what - they never showed up! They called one day before the moving window saying that they might need to find a new driver. That turned into a different story each day, with them repeatedly telling me it might be the next day before I hear any more information. They continually failed to call to update me with information despite desperate pleas. My moving window came and went. They must have promised 5 or 6 different days to call me back with updates. No calls came. And then when I called back at the time they said they'd update me, my contact person was mysteriously busy / unavailable, or the office was closed entirely. They even tried the excuse "not enough people live in Seattle, no there's no truck traffic there". Eventually I was essentially told to book with another moving company. Well that's pretty hard to do on the same day when I needed to be out of town during the window they booked. I had already made plans and arrangements. Now after having booked a different company with some delay in pickup, I have begun my job and my life in a new city in an empty residence with none of the basics. All thanks to Colonial FAILING to live up to their word. As SOON as they thought there might be a delay, they should have taken it upon themselves to fix it, instead of stringing me along for over a WEEK beyond the arranged time, and then just giving up entirely. Trust no one. read more
7 years ago
I highly recommend Colonial Van Lines for their professionalism, thoroughness, and high standard of customer service. I contacted a few different moving companies to get quotes, and CVL was definitely one of the most reasonably priced for a long distance move. What pushed them to the top of my list was that the sales agent (I wish I could remember his name!) spent almost an hour on the phone with me answering all of my questions and generally explaining how a long distance move works. After booking my move I was assigned an account manager. I had my items in storage for quite some time (more on that later) and ended up having three different account managers. Each time I was assigned a new person, the communication between them was great and I never felt like I had to start over in explaining the details of my move. They always proactively reached out letting me know I had a new account manager and provided their contact info and work hours so I always knew when I could get in contact with them. The move itself - both sets of movers that I interacted with were incredibly professional and considerate. The first set took time to explain how they were going to pack everything up. The set that delivered made sure to find out where I wanted things and what I needed them to set up. My account manager called probably within an hour of them leaving to check in and make sure everything had gone well. I threw a lot of curveballs at Colonial and they always responded with kindness and professionalism. I mentioned that my items were in storage for a long time (almost eight months). This was not the plan when I packed everything up. I was storing my items while job searching in NYC, and after a few months some personal circumstances had changed and I was no longer considering NYC for work options. I ended up moving an hour and a half away from where I started out (back to GA). I learned a very important lesson about planning, and Colonial eased the burden of learning that lesson the hard way as much as they could. Colonial has established an efficient and thoughtful process for managing the moves of their customers, and they turned me into a lifelong customer (although I honestly hope not to need their services too often). I would strongly recommend them for and entrust them with the moves of my family and friends. My job ID was: 372123-CV-A. While I am not including my contact information here, if you contact Colonial and provide my job ID # and provide a screenshot of this review I consider this giving my permission to be contacted by email by anyone who has questions about what I have said here or would simply like to speak to a former customer of Colonial. read more
1 year ago
I am reaching out to formally address my concerns regarding the service I received from Donna, a supervisor in your Resolution Department, during the handling of my daughter's move from Tennessee to Idaho through Colonial Van Lines. I want to emphasize that it takes a great deal of effort for me to locate your contact information, especially after being denied it by one of your employees. However, I believe this matter warrants your immediate attention. To provide some context, my wife and I have been in contact with Donna regarding our case, which involves concerns over what we perceive as bait-and-switch sales tactics during the initial arrangements for my daughter and son-in-law's move. Specifically, the move was quoted for a one-bedroom, despite the sales representative, Melissa, being aware from the start that it was a three-bedroom move. My main focus here is how Donna handled our case and treated us during our interactions. Unprofessional Conduct: During our calls, Donna frequently diverted the conversation to discuss her personal motivations for working with Colonial Van Lines. While that might be relevant in other contexts, it was neither appropriate nor helpful in resolving our issue. Contradictory Statements: On December 6, 2024, Donna denied having listened to previous call recordings. However, when reminded that she had referenced listening to a call with Melissa during a prior discussion on November 27, she admitted to having done so. Such contradictions caused confusion and frustration, raising concerns about her memory or her ability to manage multiple complaints effectively. Disrespectful Communication: During the December 6 call, Donna interrupted me multiple times, spoke over me, and accused me of being hostile and lying. As someone who develops and delivers customer service training, I find this behavior highly inappropriate. Accusing a customer of hostility is not only unprofessional but also escalates tension unnecessarily. Inadequate Resolution and Insulting Offers: Donna suggested a settlement of $150 and later mentioned attempting to secure $250-$300. Considering the nearly $6,000 spent on the move, these offers felt dismissive and inadequate. Denial of Escalation: Donna repeatedly refused to provide me with her supervisor's contact information, further compounding my frustration and leaving me without a clear path to escalate my concerns. This experience has left me thoroughly disappointed with the service provided by Colonial Van Lines. Between the bait-and-switch tactics during the sales process and the unprofessional treatment from Donna, I feel my trust in your company has been severely damaged. read more
Colonial Van Lines - movers - Updated May 2026
Service Offerings Nearby
Related Searches in Pompano Beach, FL
Affordable Cheap Storage Units in Pompano Beach, Florida
Affordable Cleaning Service Options in Pompano Beach, Florida
Affordable Dumpster Rental in Pompano Beach, Florida
Affordable Furniture Assembly in Pompano Beach, Florida
Affordable Furniture Moving in Pompano Beach, Florida
Affordable Piano Moving Options in Pompano Beach, Florida
Affordable RV Rental Options in Pompano Beach, Florida
Affordable Self Storage Units in Pompano Beach, Florida
Affordable Trailer Rental Services in Pompano Beach, Florida
Affordable Vehicle Shipping Options in Pompano Beach, Florida
Best Local Moving Companies in Pompano Beach, Florida
Best Moving and Storage Companies in Pompano Beach, Florida
Comprehensive Piano Services Offered in Pompano Beach, Florida
Convenient Luggage Storage in Pompano Beach, Florida
Convenient Storage Pods Available in Pompano Beach, Florida
Experienced Home Cleaners Serving Pompano Beach, Florida
Experienced Mover Services in Pompano Beach, Florida
Explore Popular RV Parks Around Pompano Beach, Florida
Find Climate Controlled Storage Options in Pompano Beach, Florida
Find Couriers & Delivery Services in Pompano Beach, Florida
Find Donation Pick Up Services in Pompano Beach, Florida
Find Free Junk Removal Services in Pompano Beach, Florida
Find Reliable International Moving Companies in Pompano Beach, Florida
Find Reliable Movers in Pompano Beach, Florida for Your Next Move
Find Reliable Storage Facilities in Pompano Beach, Florida
Find Top Ways to Declutter Your Space in Pompano Beach, Florida
Find Trusted Long Distance Movers in Pompano Beach, Florida
Find a Professional Organizer in Pompano Beach, Florida Today
Find a Reliable Moving Company in Pompano Beach, Florida
Find the Perfect Storage Unit in Pompano Beach, Florida
Get Boxes & Moving Supplies in Pompano Beach, Florida
Get Cheap Moving Boxes in Pompano Beach, Florida Near You
Get Packing Supplies Delivered in Pompano Beach, Florida
Get Quality Shipping Supplies in Pompano Beach, Florida
Hire Affordable Movers for Your Move in Pompano Beach, Florida
Hire Cheap Movers Services Available in Pompano Beach, Florida
Hire a Personal Organizer Service in Pompano Beach, Florida
Hire a Professional Home Organizer in Pompano Beach, Florida
Professional Appliance Mover Available in Pompano Beach, Florida
Professional Estate Liquidation in Pompano Beach, Florida
Professional Landscaping Services in Pompano Beach, Florida
Professional Moving Labor Services Offered in Pompano Beach, Florida
Professional Senior Moving Services in Pompano Beach, Florida
Professional Small Movers in Pompano Beach, Florida
Professional White Glove Moving in Pompano Beach, Florida
Quality Move Out Cleaning Service in Pompano Beach, Florida
Quality Shipping Boxes Available in Pompano Beach, Florida
Reliable Apartment Movers Serving Pompano Beach, Florida
Reliable Cross Country Movers Serving Pompano Beach, Florida
Reliable Estate Clean Out Services in Pompano Beach, Florida
Browse Brands
Related Cost Guides
Trending Searches in Pompano Beach, FL
Boat Repair near Colonial Van Lines
Cheapest Gas near Colonial Van Lines
Contractors near Colonial Van Lines
Emergency Dentist near Colonial Van Lines
Ethanol Free Gas near Colonial Van Lines
Gas Prices near Colonial Van Lines
Handy Man near Colonial Van Lines
Oil Change near Colonial Van Lines
Phone Repair near Colonial Van Lines
Pool Cleaners near Colonial Van Lines
Power Washing near Colonial Van Lines
Propane Refill near Colonial Van Lines
Same Day Alterations near Colonial Van Lines


































