This move was one of the worst experiences of my life. Paid these thieves $11,000 - they contracted the work to another moving company - IN N OUT MOVERS - and left about 1/4 of our belongings behind. We had to rent an additional truck and pay $2000 plus gas, had to load up the rest of our stuff and drive the truck 1700 miles. I have seizures but had no choice but to drive the truck so my husband could take the kids. One of the movers was inappropriate and kept making sexual comments towards me. They took pieces of some furniture and not others. What if we were disabled? Seniors? Not financially able to rent another truck and pay thousands more?
NO RESPONSE FROM THIS COMPANY SINCE ALL THIS HAPPENED BACK IN AUGUST. How is this a legit company? I do not know. But unless you want to be ripped off and left hanging out to dry, run from this place. Their name - Colonial VAN LINES - is a lie. They sent a 26ft U-Haul sized truck even though I specified we had a lot of stuff, and when the truck was full they said NOT OUR PROBLEM!! And blew out on a Saturday night leaving us to figure out what to do when we were supposed to be out of the rental house that night.
Most dispicable, dishonest, distressing experience I’ve ever had from a business. How this is even legal is beyond me!
Pictures are of what was left behind. Stuff scattered in every room, no ryme or reason to what was taken and what they left. Took tables but not legs, bed frames but no hardware - etc.
Had my furniture put in storage found a place to live and reached out to schedule a delivery. Said they would work on it. After not hearing from them for a week called back. Said they would work on it and get back to me. Did this for a total of 3 weeks with me not hearing and having to call them 3-4 times a week. Finally asked for a supervisor and he said they completely screwed up by not actually filling out the appropriate paperwork to get the furniture dispatched. Finally gave me a window for delivery.
I never heard back and 1 day before my delivery window was over I called again and they said they screwed up the paperwork yet again. After 4 weeks of constant calling I still DO NOT HAVE MY FURNITURE and still have no delivery date as to when I will be receiving my stuff. Living in a hotel with 1 weeks worth of clothes and 2 small children under 10. They are holding all of my worldly possession hostage with no delivery date in sight and we are days away from Christmas. Which I would love to spend with my children in our new house.
I've been suckered! I hired Colonial Van Lines (my first mistake) September 10, 2020 to move my furniture and household goods from Brentwood, CA to Charleston, SC. I trusted this company to deliver my furniture. and That I paid good money for it.
When the movers were packing my husband's oak roll top desk. I asked if they could keep it as it was because my husband left it that way. His note papers, pens, mechanical pencils, post-its note pads, magazines and his glasses. He passed away will be two years December 22 of this year. So the mover (Mickey, God only knows if that was his real name) took the top off (roll top) and put papper on the top of the desk to move it. I watched them carry the desk out the house. I watched the truck leave my house supposedly to Sacrameno the Las Vegas. So the desk has got to be either in Sacramento or Las Vegas. It was also a third party delivery.
So somewhere in between because it was not on the truck when it was delivered here. And yes, I screwed up. I wasn't at the storage unit while everything was being unloaded. I had a doctor's appointment that was important. Before I left for the appointment Alex told me he would watch everything for me. "Don't worry, I'm a good person". what a fool i was. Another Big mistake. By the time i got back from my appointment the storage unit was so packed they had two large mattresses in front of the door. So when you would pull the door open the mattresses were there.
I also watched them take the black four piece bristo, two chairs and benchout. My husband brought this two months before he passed away. Also missing is a cocktail table.
when the furniture was delivered they jammed the storage facility so that when you opened the door two large mattresses were there. It took me two days to get in to do the inventory. I dont have a problem with boxes turned upside down, boxes on side. some busted. Even that is ok.
I just want my husband's desk returned to me. I dont want any money just the desk. I would also like the bristo table, chairs and bench. These items cannot be replaced.. I'm pleading, begging for Mr. Disorboto locate them.
They have to be somewhere. The desk is a large oak roll top desk. (like the old timey Ones). I don't know how possibly a desk that large can be missing.
I keep thinking about the things I should have done but didnt in order to protect myself and my furniture. My husband's death is still fresh in my mind. I just havent been able to think clearly. Again, I don't want any money. Not a dime. Just want my husband's desk. the table, chairs, bench. I have spoken with customer care person (Shari Ann) and filed a claim. She told me the dispatcher would get in touch with me. Not a word yet.
I have also spoken with Sharon on behalf of Mr. Disorbo. She told me was getting on the top of this and hoped there were honest people out there. that possibly maybe the furniture was left in a warehouse or even delivered to another customer.
33069I've lived in 12 different cities and this, by far, was the worst move I've ever experienced.
Where do I begin? Let's start with how Colonial Van Lines roped me into being their "customer" --I use that term loosely because they have THE worst customer service I've experienced. First, Colonial seemed like a good choice: they talked about how they were on par with nationally known moving companies. However, I decided to initially go with a different company because they would charge me less and they were available on the dates that I needed. Colonial Van Lines then called me a few days later, insisting they could provide better service, so I switched over to them.
From that point on, getting a hold of anyone at Colonial Van Lines became a not-so-fun game because I was lucky if I got someone to answer after days of trying.
They did call me though to tell me that although they initially said they could move me at the end of the month, that that was not an option: the best they could do would be the 1st-2nd. It was too late to go with another moving company so I asked to have my lease extend--that was an extra $100.
They informed me that the movers would arrive on the 2nd, between 2 and 5...they showed up on the 1st with--I kid you not--a 30 minute heads up.
Then the movers showed up. It hadn't been 5 minutes since they were inside my apartment that one of them knocks over the big box that says has "fragile" in big bold letters to the ground. That was my TV. Once packed one of them went to weigh the truck.
They inform me that they weighed the truck and it would be an extra thousand or so. It might have been more weight than was originally logged, but an extra thousand? I lived in small 1 bedroom apartment--the estimate shouldn't have been that far off. He then assures me it will be less upon delivery. But wait, it gets better.
Fast forward to me receiving a phone call from an agent at Colonial Van Lines saying that the movers would be arriving on the 7th of November from 2 to 5 PM. Perfect...that's exactly when I plan to be there. But what happens? I'm at a hotel, on the way there, when they call me at 8 AM. The movers are there and they will only wait two hours without charging me an extra fee. They insist that they called me the day before or I should have received an email from Colonial informing me of the time. Neither one of which was true.
At that point, I am in Shreveport, LA trying to get to Austin which is at least a 5 hour drive. If they stick around longer, they'll have to start charging me by the hour.
Livid, I rush out of my hotel and head to Austin. On the way their, a customer service rep--let's call her Ashia--informs me that she did in fact give me the wrong information and the company will reimburse me for the extra time the movers charge. I ask her why she simply can take it off the bill and not charge me the extra money. She says that that's procedure.
Ok, fine--I pay the movers the extra $450 for waiting. Ashia assures me that she has approval from her supervisor and it'll all go through.
Oh, and did I mention that the movers, while they were unloading broke my desk?
So what happened? I've called Colonial Van Lines every day for the past two weeks. It's been two weeks and it's like they're getting paid to ignore my calls! The way I see it, I should get back $550 (the waiting time plus the extended lease fee) plus the cost of the desk. But has anyone reached out? Has anyone answered my voicemails and emails I've sent? NO.
DO NOT GO WITH COLONIAL VAN LINES. THEY WILL INITIALLY SWEET TALK YOU BUT THEN LEAVE YOU HIGH AND DRY. Really...don't do it. Spare yourself the horrible, unnecessary experience and go with any other company. Really though, any other.
First DO NOT use this company to do your move. This is the worst moving experience I ever had. I could go into all of the gory details, but a bullet list is more appropriate.
· Account managers did not return phone calls
· After my initial estimate, with the truck partially loaded with my goods, they raised the price $7,000.
· I was kind enough to give the driver and his girlfriend/packer, a very expensive queen mattress and box springs, and he was kind enough to charge me the freight for him to take it home.
· I had to leave furniture behind because they had no room on the truck.
· I had a lot of broken goods upon unpacking.
· I had a suitcase with my medications and clothes for the trip, they loaded that on the truck, and when I questioned the driver, he said go to the emergency room, they’ll give you medicine.
· They use contract carriers, who do not report to Colonial Van Lines, but to their company.
F Finally, use this company at your own risk. My last move with ATLAS was flawless. This was a joke.
S Save yourself some money and grief, call someone else, and don't accept anything other than a physical walk-through of your move.
I had the unfortunate opportunity to have been a customer of Colonial Van Lines when I moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia in December of 2019. I’ve attached several documents for your review. Some are the reviews of your company from online and the other attachments are some of the costs I spent with your company to move me. I have also taken the liberty of attaching copies of pictures that I took or how your company or the third party vendors that you hire, packed my belongings. Note from the pictures, that a group of kindergarten students could have done a better job.
I am in an executive leadership position in healthcare. I have been a nurse for 30 years. I have always prided myself with professional conduct and a consumer advocate. I have never experienced such poor customer service as I have from your company. I’ve worked over the past six months with two “customer service representatives” from your company. Neither of them have been able to meet any type of my satisfaction. The poor excuses given by them on many occasions have been blamed on upper level management “wouldn’t approve it”. There are numerous emails that have gone back and forth. I have emailed, texted, phone calls, and sent pictures of what I discovered when I unpacked my belongings, only to fall on deaf ears.
It is a shame, that at this point, I have asked several times for the name of the president of Colonial Van Lines and still have not received that. Hence why this letter is so late in getting to you. I am seeking your assistance in getting to a resolution to the poor service I received from your company. I spent over $6000.00 to pack and move a two bedroom apartment. The third party vendors that you contracted with, sent three of the most- lazy men I have ever encountered in my life. Your company should be ashamed to have not resolved my concerns at this point. Have you or representatives of your company looked the reviews of your company. Perhaps you, as your “customer service representatives” really don’t care.
At this point in time, I would truly be surprised to even get a response from you, as I could not identify the president of Colonial Van Lines. I am seeking full reimbursement for a small, short, expensive move that went worse than any move that I have been through in my life. I have taken the liberty of seeking legal advice from Diane G. Moretzsohn from the law firm of McCausland Keen & Buckman law firm. I find it reprehensible and negligent that your customer satisfaction staff could not rectify this as it has been seven months. I’ve been more than patient.
Take a look through your on-line reviews and the pictures of my move and help my lawyer and I understand why you could not rectify this issue in a better more satisfactorily manner. I will be awaiting your reply. The two people I have dealt with on this issue is Manuel Castellanos and Donna Rose from a customer service stand point. Neither have been able to come to resolution.
For your review, attached are four exhibits:
Exhibit A is pictures of the packing that your company and your contracted third party delivered.
Exhibit B is copies of the many payments, well over $6000.00, when the original quote delivered by Susan Grande, your employee was $3,500.00
Exhibit C is copies of the contract and listing of the boxes and what was in the boxes. If you take time to look over them, you will see, there is no listing of contents of boxes, because they just dumped my belongings into boxes randomly.
Exhibit D is reviews of your company. Surely you can’t be aware how poor the reviews are.
I was overwhelmed with trying to determine the most cost effective way to move and then store about $2500 worth of furniture and personal items a distance of approximately 500 miles. I wasn't moving an entire house full of items, so I didn't want to spend a lot of money. Moving myself was not an option. When I contacted this company, my salesman Tom was very nice and reassuring.
They scheduled my move with an even slimier, less ethical company by the name of Moving Express & Storage out of Passaic, NJ. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY EITHER! The problem is, however, you don't know who will be conducting the move until they show up on your doorstep. The movers showed up on the day of the move and wanted an additional $75, claiming that my quote for a move from a second story unit only covered 7 steps. Since my unit was on the second level of my building, and it required more than 7 stairs to reach the second level, that was going to be extra.
This was of course after Tom quoted me a price based on my unit being on the SECOND FLOOR of the building. (Tom didn't mention that he was quoting me the "hobbit price", and that in hobbits' houses, it only takes 7 steps to reach the second level). Also, I failed to include one item in my pre inventory (a framed picture), and the movers wanted to charge an additional $20 to move that despite the fact that I was way under the minimum weight.
Of course, I knew that I would also get dinged for the non-Hobbit extra stair charge of $75 on the delivery end. Only after threatening to cancel the move (which would have meant I would have lost my $290 deposit), did the movers relent. When I called to complain to Colonial Van Lines, of course Tom wouldn't take my calls, and their "customer service" team would not return my calls.
After calling them maybe 10 times, I finally got through to someone by calling from a different phone number they didn't recognize. This person assured me that I would not be charged the $75 on the back end. Problem is, the movers won't deliver your items off the truck until you pay them, so guess what? - since I'm as tall as Gandalf, I had to pay the extra $75
. Also, forget about scheduling your delivery on a specific day - they have the right to take up to 21 extra days past your "earliest possible delivery date" to deliver your goods. Several items were delivered broken, and several items were missing, to the tune of about $250 in lost or damaged items. But I have no recourse because I am only insured up to .60 per pound.
To get full replacement cost insurance would have cost another $250 on a move that was already costing $1000. The movers gave me a 24 page pamphlet entitled "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" when they showed up, but it was moving day, and I hadn't set aside any time for reading. Read this book before you schedule your move! That way you will understand in advance all the ways these slime bags can screw you.
2nd WORSE MOVING EXPERIENCE EVER and I have moved across the country and to 6 different states, so I'm an experienced mover. I will report them to the BBB. I used Colonial Van Lines to move me from Virginia to a storage unit in Maryland. Let's start with... once they collect your money for a deposit, they fall off the face of the earth never to be heard from again until the day before they show up at your home. (I wish I were lying.)
They give no firm pick up or drop off date in advance. 2) I got rid of a lot of furniture, clothes, etc, basically my whole home. Once they picked up. They called me to tell me that my weight was actually heavier then estimated (THEY WERE A d**n LIE). So they "offered" to meet me at the weigh in scale before and after pick up. I accepted their offer. It turned out that I was right. My weight was less than the estimate.
I still had to pay them the extra money while they held my stuff ransom at the drop off location. I had to screen shot the receipts for the scales and email it to them and then they gave me my money back via a check. I'm still not convinced that my stuff weighed as much as it did. Oh AND the total that dispatch told me and the total that the movers told me at drop off were two different totals, but of course you have to pay the movers to give you your stuff.... DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!!!!
I move frequently for my job, so I know the process. These people prey upon new movers, people who are being moved by their companies, and on the stress of moving. You cheat one person, I bet they cheat a lot more. STAY AWAY!!!!! YOU have been warned.
NOT. USE. THIS. COMPANY! They tried to "come to a resolution", they tried to pay me $250 to change my review (I paid them close to $3000 for the move). Not to try to get better but to change my review. The people who have given the company great reviews have been paid off to change their reviews. Read most of the reviews carefully, especially the highly rated ones. In order to receive said bribe money, they want you to remove all negative reviews that you have put up. They are still crooks... crooks that not only run a shady business but who also pay people for good reviews.
They tried to "come to a resolution", they tried to pay me $250 to change my review (I paid them close to $3000 for the move). Not to try to get better but to change my review. The people who have given the company great reviews have been paid off to change their reviews. Read most of the reviews carefully, especially the highly rated ones. In order to receive said bribe money, they want you to remove all negative reviews that you have put up. They are still crooks... crooks that not only run a shady business but who also pay people for good reviews.
ORIGINAL REVIEW October 2018
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!!!!! THEY ARE CROOKS! 2nd WORSE MOVING EXPERIENCE EVER and I have moved across the country and to 6 different states, so I'm an experienced mover. I will report them to the BBB. I used Colonial Van Lines to move me from Virginia to a storage unit in Maryland. Let's start with... once they collect your money for a deposit, they fall off the face of the earth never to be heard from again until the day before they show up at your home. (I wish I were lying.) They give no firm pick up or drop off date in advance. 2) I got rid of a lot of furniture, clothes, etc, basically my whole home. Once they picked up. They called me to tell me that my weight was actually heavier then estimated (THEY WERE A d**n LIE). So they "offered" to meet me at the weigh in scale before and after pick up. I accepted their offer. It turned out that I was right. My weight was less than the estimate. I still had to pay them the extra money while they held my stuff ransom at the drop off location. I had to screen shot the receipts for the scales and email it to them and then they gave me my money back via a check. I'm still not convinced that my stuff weighed as much as it did. Oh AND the total that dispatch told me and the total that the movers told me at drop off were two different totals, but of course you have to pay the movers to give you your stuff.... DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!!!!
I move frequently for my job, so I know the process. These people prey upon new movers, people who are being moved by their companies, and on the stress of moving. You cheat one person, I bet they cheat a lot more. STAY AWAY!!!!! YOU have been warned.
I called to request a quote for a move from California to Nevada. All items where packed in a storage unit. Just pick up and unload into my garage at our new house. I received a quote for $2800.00 and we agreed upon a pickup and delivery date while I would be in Nevada.
First thing they did was change the pickup date. I had to scramble to find someone to meet the driver at the storage unit. One person showed up to load the entire unit. They delivered a day late then informed me that the price had been raised an additional $3400! I either paid it or the driver threatened to leave and store my belongings until we reached a conclusion.
I would be charged a daily storage fee, by the way. I ended up paying the bill just to get the man off my property! I have since filed a police report for fraud, filed a complaint with the BBB and disputed the charges. This all has been after multiple attempts to call them . As of this post I still have not had a response.
The company only gets worse. They attempted to bribe me to change my review. When I refused their initial bribe (because I would not agree to take down my one star review), they are no longer offering me compensation for all of the things that went wrong with my move. DO NOT GO WITH THIS COMPANY. They will scam you, lie to you, and take illegal measures to try and make themselves look better.
Colonial Van Lines is the ABSOLUTE WORST company you could hire for your move. STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS!!!! Their service is indistinguishable from theft.
First, I was promised by my initial agent, Thomas, that my items would never be put in storage. They would be placed immediately on a semi truck and never off-loaded without me present. When I asked to have this written in the contract, I was told they were unable to do so in case of a truck break down or weather emergency that would require unplanned transfer of my items off the semi. This was a complete lie.
My items were picked up late, by movers who carried my furniture to the truck then sat and smoked cigarettes ON MY FURNITURE, and driven to a self-storage facility, where it has been sitting for TWO WEEKS. This was a complete violation of what I was assured, that the items would never be put in storage.
Customer service is also completely lacking. They NEVER answer the phone, and all numbers lead to voicemail. In order to reach someone I have to dial the extension for "purchasing additional insurance" and only then do I get to speak to a representative.
Management has offered "compensation": "3, 4, maybe 5%" discount, but of course only after I pay the nearly $5,000 for the overall move (they issue reimbursements later). From reading other reviews, it seems the company is even harder to reach after you have paid the full price and I doubt anyone really receives their compensation.
Additionally, though my delivery window ends tomorrow, today I received two different estimates for delivery. First, Theresa says my items are coming tomorrow! I know this is a lie (because of GPS tracking with my items). Next, I'm given a 5-7 days estimate, that is in all likelihood completely made up. It will certainly be after my delivery window and in violation of my original agreement saying the items would not be in storage.
Colonial Van Lines worst company I’ve ever used for moving. Warning to everyone if you value your time, money and belongings RUN from this business. Big ripoff! Jason promised compensation for the 3 to 5 weeks I sat in an empty apartment without any of my belongings but to date has not responded with that information or any information regarding a bill. It’s apparently time to get Lawyers involved.
Description of work: We sold our home and were closing on November 30, 2017. We had looked at many companies and weighed the pros and cons of each. We had contacted Colonial Van Lines in early October, and at the time I was most concerned if they were a 'BROKER'. I had read nightmare stories about people using moving brokers and I wanted nothing to do with a broker. I spoke with a Sandra Schneider at the time and she assured me that they were not a broker, that they indeed were the people who would be moving us from New Jersey to Maryland. As it turned out, we decided to go with another Interstate mover who had fewer cons than CVL. Unfortunately, on Wednesday evening, Thanksgiving Eve, November 22, that mover contacted us to tell us they could not honor or dates. We researched and tried to reach out to a few Interstate movers on Friday but many companies were just not available on the long weekend.
On Monday, November 27, I decided to call COLONIAL VAN LINES back, and left a message on Sandra Schneider's voice mail. At about 9 AM, 'Veronica', Sandra's manager returned my call stating that Sandra was in a meeting. I explained to her what had happened, that we needed to move out of the house by November 29 to facilitate the buyers' walk through so that we could close on Thursday, 11/30. She stated that they could do the move. Again, I questioned to be sure that they were not a 'BROKER' to which she assured me that they were not. Within fifteen minutes of the start of this call, I had given her credit card info to make a deposit of $766.26.
A short time later, Sandra contacted me, and I gave her a more complete list of the items we were moving. She then requested an additional $1390.88, which I gave her. SHAME ON ME... A contract was sent to us about two hours later, and we signed it. We did not anticipate any further problems, and although they were not the mover we wanted to go with initially, we could only hope for the best. We were busy the remainder of the day finishing the last of our packing, and only when we settled down at 9 PM and I started to read my emails did I find that a Mean Cudjoe, Customer Service Account Manager had sent me an email at 6:38 PM.
In that email, she informed us that RE LO VAN LINES of Hackensack NJ would be at our home between 7 and 9 am on November 29. Shocked, I googled this company only to find that the Better Business Bureau gave them a "F" and that there were 36 complaints against them. Further, there were internet comments accusing them of thievery, destruction of goods, disrespect, all in all, a company I would not choose to allow in my beautiful home with my belongings. I immediately responded to Mens Cudjoe's email stating that I was assured that Colonial was not a broker, and that I better see Colonial Van Lines outside my door on November 29th.
I then attempted to call them but of course, no one was there to answer. I also sent an email at 9:25 PM, 11/27 not more than 12 hours of my first dealings with this fraudulent company to Sandra Schneider stating ABSOLUTELY NOT! Not being able to sleep, I was up all night researching companies. At 4:13 AM on 11/28 I sent Sandra Schneider an email instructing her to cancel this move and refund our $2157.14 deposit. At 9:33 am, Veronica called and I again told her that we would not be doing business with them. I stated that they were well aware that they were not the movers, that they 'broker' this out to other companies. I stated that they should have been honest and informed me that they "subcontract" and allowed me to make a valued decision. I stated that I would never have considered RE LO VAN LINES for my move, and they had no right to make that decision for me.
I again reiterated that they assured me that they were not brokers. She stated that many people go on the internet and make disparaging comments about other companies because they are their competition. Later that day, I was emailed by Cedric Page, and then called by him to confirm our move for the following day. Again, I stated that we would not be utilizing their services.He told me they would cancel the move. I actually had to call RE LO VAN LINES . I spoke with Jeff at 1:10 PM and told him not to come to my home or I would be forced to call the police.He stated that he would have to confirm that with CVL.
That evening, at 5:37 PM Sandra Schneider again called to harass me telling me that I was "overreacting", and to inform me that I would not be getting my deposit back. She stated that they had done nothing fraudulent by using an "agent". I was contacted by Doreen on 11/28 as well as 12/1 reagarding our cancellation. I was contacted by Jim Russell who offered to refund me $1200. I told him everything that had happened, stated that I wanted my money refunded in full as his company misrepresented themselves. He refused, told me that $1200 was more than fair, and then told me to have a good holiday. We want our money refunded.
Move set from MD to CA: quoted $5K; squeezed extra cash at every step for $7K; stole (XBox, steam irons,), lost (recliner transformer), damaged numerous articles (most furniture broken, scratched, drenched in stickly liquid ???), lousy packing (charged extra $900 for that), refused to reaseble at delivery point. Disatser
In my opinion regarding job # 55573878-CO, Colonial Van Lines transportation broker who hired ESP Motors as our carrier are the most disreputable moving firms anyone could ever hire – STAY AWAY from them!!! I regret ever hiring them. They will give you a moving estimate 30% lower than actual, deliver goods 13 days late in breach of contracted date and lose 23 boxes in transport. They will hold your goods hostage until you prepay all fees they deem valid. ESP Motors even arrived without sufficient resources to offload the delivery resulting in this 63 year old having to unload half of my own goods from the truck which took three hours.”
Colonial Van Lines, Inc. Reviews
This move was one of the worst experiences of my life. Paid these thieves $11,000 - they contracted the work to another moving company - IN N OUT MOVERS - and left about 1/4 of our belongings behind. We had to rent an additional truck and pay $2000 plus gas, had to load up the rest of our stuff and drive the truck 1700 miles. I have seizures but had no choice but to drive the truck so my husband could take the kids. One of the movers was inappropriate and kept making sexual comments towards me. They took pieces of some furniture and not others. What if we were disabled? Seniors? Not financially able to rent another truck and pay thousands more?
NO RESPONSE FROM THIS COMPANY SINCE ALL THIS HAPPENED BACK IN AUGUST. How is this a legit company? I do not know. But unless you want to be ripped off and left hanging out to dry, run from this place. Their name - Colonial VAN LINES - is a lie. They sent a 26ft U-Haul sized truck even though I specified we had a lot of stuff, and when the truck was full they said NOT OUR PROBLEM!! And blew out on a Saturday night leaving us to figure out what to do when we were supposed to be out of the rental house that night.
Most dispicable, dishonest, distressing experience I’ve ever had from a business. How this is even legal is beyond me!
Pictures are of what was left behind. Stuff scattered in every room, no ryme or reason to what was taken and what they left. Took tables but not legs, bed frames but no hardware - etc.
Absolute Nightmare!
Had my furniture put in storage found a place to live and reached out to schedule a delivery. Said they would work on it. After not hearing from them for a week called back. Said they would work on it and get back to me. Did this for a total of 3 weeks with me not hearing and having to call them 3-4 times a week. Finally asked for a supervisor and he said they completely screwed up by not actually filling out the appropriate paperwork to get the furniture dispatched. Finally gave me a window for delivery.
I never heard back and 1 day before my delivery window was over I called again and they said they screwed up the paperwork yet again. After 4 weeks of constant calling I still DO NOT HAVE MY FURNITURE and still have no delivery date as to when I will be receiving my stuff. Living in a hotel with 1 weeks worth of clothes and 2 small children under 10. They are holding all of my worldly possession hostage with no delivery date in sight and we are days away from Christmas. Which I would love to spend with my children in our new house.
I've been suckered! I hired Colonial Van Lines (my first mistake) September 10, 2020 to move my furniture and household goods from Brentwood, CA to Charleston, SC. I trusted this company to deliver my furniture. and That I paid good money for it.
When the movers were packing my husband's oak roll top desk. I asked if they could keep it as it was because my husband left it that way. His note papers, pens, mechanical pencils, post-its note pads, magazines and his glasses. He passed away will be two years December 22 of this year. So the mover (Mickey, God only knows if that was his real name) took the top off (roll top) and put papper on the top of the desk to move it. I watched them carry the desk out the house. I watched the truck leave my house supposedly to Sacrameno the Las Vegas. So the desk has got to be either in Sacramento or Las Vegas. It was also a third party delivery.
So somewhere in between because it was not on the truck when it was delivered here. And yes, I screwed up. I wasn't at the storage unit while everything was being unloaded. I had a doctor's appointment that was important. Before I left for the appointment Alex told me he would watch everything for me. "Don't worry, I'm a good person". what a fool i was. Another Big mistake. By the time i got back from my appointment the storage unit was so packed they had two large mattresses in front of the door. So when you would pull the door open the mattresses were there.
I also watched them take the black four piece bristo, two chairs and benchout. My husband brought this two months before he passed away. Also missing is a cocktail table.
when the furniture was delivered they jammed the storage facility so that when you opened the door two large mattresses were there. It took me two days to get in to do the inventory. I dont have a problem with boxes turned upside down, boxes on side. some busted. Even that is ok.
I just want my husband's desk returned to me. I dont want any money just the desk. I would also like the bristo table, chairs and bench. These items cannot be replaced.. I'm pleading, begging for Mr. Disorboto locate them.
They have to be somewhere. The desk is a large oak roll top desk. (like the old timey Ones). I don't know how possibly a desk that large can be missing.
I keep thinking about the things I should have done but didnt in order to protect myself and my furniture. My husband's death is still fresh in my mind. I just havent been able to think clearly. Again, I don't want any money. Not a dime. Just want my husband's desk. the table, chairs, bench. I have spoken with customer care person (Shari Ann) and filed a claim. She told me the dispatcher would get in touch with me. Not a word yet.
I have also spoken with Sharon on behalf of Mr. Disorbo. She told me was getting on the top of this and hoped there were honest people out there. that possibly maybe the furniture was left in a warehouse or even delivered to another customer.
Thank you.
33069I've lived in 12 different cities and this, by far, was the worst move I've ever experienced.
Where do I begin? Let's start with how Colonial Van Lines roped me into being their "customer" --I use that term loosely because they have THE worst customer service I've experienced. First, Colonial seemed like a good choice: they talked about how they were on par with nationally known moving companies. However, I decided to initially go with a different company because they would charge me less and they were available on the dates that I needed. Colonial Van Lines then called me a few days later, insisting they could provide better service, so I switched over to them.
From that point on, getting a hold of anyone at Colonial Van Lines became a not-so-fun game because I was lucky if I got someone to answer after days of trying.
They did call me though to tell me that although they initially said they could move me at the end of the month, that that was not an option: the best they could do would be the 1st-2nd. It was too late to go with another moving company so I asked to have my lease extend--that was an extra $100.
They informed me that the movers would arrive on the 2nd, between 2 and 5...they showed up on the 1st with--I kid you not--a 30 minute heads up.
Then the movers showed up. It hadn't been 5 minutes since they were inside my apartment that one of them knocks over the big box that says has "fragile" in big bold letters to the ground. That was my TV. Once packed one of them went to weigh the truck.
They inform me that they weighed the truck and it would be an extra thousand or so. It might have been more weight than was originally logged, but an extra thousand? I lived in small 1 bedroom apartment--the estimate shouldn't have been that far off. He then assures me it will be less upon delivery. But wait, it gets better.
Fast forward to me receiving a phone call from an agent at Colonial Van Lines saying that the movers would be arriving on the 7th of November from 2 to 5 PM. Perfect...that's exactly when I plan to be there. But what happens? I'm at a hotel, on the way there, when they call me at 8 AM. The movers are there and they will only wait two hours without charging me an extra fee. They insist that they called me the day before or I should have received an email from Colonial informing me of the time. Neither one of which was true.
At that point, I am in Shreveport, LA trying to get to Austin which is at least a 5 hour drive. If they stick around longer, they'll have to start charging me by the hour.
Livid, I rush out of my hotel and head to Austin. On the way their, a customer service rep--let's call her Ashia--informs me that she did in fact give me the wrong information and the company will reimburse me for the extra time the movers charge. I ask her why she simply can take it off the bill and not charge me the extra money. She says that that's procedure.
Ok, fine--I pay the movers the extra $450 for waiting. Ashia assures me that she has approval from her supervisor and it'll all go through.
Oh, and did I mention that the movers, while they were unloading broke my desk?
So what happened? I've called Colonial Van Lines every day for the past two weeks. It's been two weeks and it's like they're getting paid to ignore my calls! The way I see it, I should get back $550 (the waiting time plus the extended lease fee) plus the cost of the desk. But has anyone reached out? Has anyone answered my voicemails and emails I've sent? NO.
DO NOT GO WITH COLONIAL VAN LINES. THEY WILL INITIALLY SWEET TALK YOU BUT THEN LEAVE YOU HIGH AND DRY. Really...don't do it. Spare yourself the horrible, unnecessary experience and go with any other company. Really though, any other.
Where do I start?
First DO NOT use this company to do your move. This is the worst moving experience I ever had. I could go into all of the gory details, but a bullet list is more appropriate.
· Account managers did not return phone calls
· After my initial estimate, with the truck partially loaded with my goods, they raised the price $7,000.
· I was kind enough to give the driver and his girlfriend/packer, a very expensive queen mattress and box springs, and he was kind enough to charge me the freight for him to take it home.
· I had to leave furniture behind because they had no room on the truck.
· I had a lot of broken goods upon unpacking.
· I had a suitcase with my medications and clothes for the trip, they loaded that on the truck, and when I questioned the driver, he said go to the emergency room, they’ll give you medicine.
· They use contract carriers, who do not report to Colonial Van Lines, but to their company.
F Finally, use this company at your own risk. My last move with ATLAS was flawless. This was a joke.
S Save yourself some money and grief, call someone else, and don't accept anything other than a physical walk-through of your move.
June 1, 2020
Aldo Disorbo, CEO
Colonial Van Lines
1441 SW 29th Avenue Pompano Beach, FL 33069
Aldo Disorbo:
I had the unfortunate opportunity to have been a customer of Colonial Van Lines when I moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia in December of 2019. I’ve attached several documents for your review. Some are the reviews of your company from online and the other attachments are some of the costs I spent with your company to move me. I have also taken the liberty of attaching copies of pictures that I took or how your company or the third party vendors that you hire, packed my belongings. Note from the pictures, that a group of kindergarten students could have done a better job.
I am in an executive leadership position in healthcare. I have been a nurse for 30 years. I have always prided myself with professional conduct and a consumer advocate. I have never experienced such poor customer service as I have from your company. I’ve worked over the past six months with two “customer service representatives” from your company. Neither of them have been able to meet any type of my satisfaction. The poor excuses given by them on many occasions have been blamed on upper level management “wouldn’t approve it”. There are numerous emails that have gone back and forth. I have emailed, texted, phone calls, and sent pictures of what I discovered when I unpacked my belongings, only to fall on deaf ears.
It is a shame, that at this point, I have asked several times for the name of the president of Colonial Van Lines and still have not received that. Hence why this letter is so late in getting to you. I am seeking your assistance in getting to a resolution to the poor service I received from your company. I spent over $6000.00 to pack and move a two bedroom apartment. The third party vendors that you contracted with, sent three of the most- lazy men I have ever encountered in my life. Your company should be ashamed to have not resolved my concerns at this point. Have you or representatives of your company looked the reviews of your company. Perhaps you, as your “customer service representatives” really don’t care.
At this point in time, I would truly be surprised to even get a response from you, as I could not identify the president of Colonial Van Lines. I am seeking full reimbursement for a small, short, expensive move that went worse than any move that I have been through in my life. I have taken the liberty of seeking legal advice from Diane G. Moretzsohn from the law firm of McCausland Keen & Buckman law firm. I find it reprehensible and negligent that your customer satisfaction staff could not rectify this as it has been seven months. I’ve been more than patient.
Take a look through your on-line reviews and the pictures of my move and help my lawyer and I understand why you could not rectify this issue in a better more satisfactorily manner. I will be awaiting your reply. The two people I have dealt with on this issue is Manuel Castellanos and Donna Rose from a customer service stand point. Neither have been able to come to resolution.
For your review, attached are four exhibits:
Exhibit A is pictures of the packing that your company and your contracted third party delivered.
Exhibit B is copies of the many payments, well over $6000.00, when the original quote delivered by Susan Grande, your employee was $3,500.00
Exhibit C is copies of the contract and listing of the boxes and what was in the boxes. If you take time to look over them, you will see, there is no listing of contents of boxes, because they just dumped my belongings into boxes randomly.
Exhibit D is reviews of your company. Surely you can’t be aware how poor the reviews are.
I was overwhelmed with trying to determine the most cost effective way to move and then store about $2500 worth of furniture and personal items a distance of approximately 500 miles. I wasn't moving an entire house full of items, so I didn't want to spend a lot of money. Moving myself was not an option. When I contacted this company, my salesman Tom was very nice and reassuring.
They scheduled my move with an even slimier, less ethical company by the name of Moving Express & Storage out of Passaic, NJ. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY EITHER! The problem is, however, you don't know who will be conducting the move until they show up on your doorstep. The movers showed up on the day of the move and wanted an additional $75, claiming that my quote for a move from a second story unit only covered 7 steps. Since my unit was on the second level of my building, and it required more than 7 stairs to reach the second level, that was going to be extra.
This was of course after Tom quoted me a price based on my unit being on the SECOND FLOOR of the building. (Tom didn't mention that he was quoting me the "hobbit price", and that in hobbits' houses, it only takes 7 steps to reach the second level). Also, I failed to include one item in my pre inventory (a framed picture), and the movers wanted to charge an additional $20 to move that despite the fact that I was way under the minimum weight.
Of course, I knew that I would also get dinged for the non-Hobbit extra stair charge of $75 on the delivery end. Only after threatening to cancel the move (which would have meant I would have lost my $290 deposit), did the movers relent. When I called to complain to Colonial Van Lines, of course Tom wouldn't take my calls, and their "customer service" team would not return my calls.
After calling them maybe 10 times, I finally got through to someone by calling from a different phone number they didn't recognize. This person assured me that I would not be charged the $75 on the back end. Problem is, the movers won't deliver your items off the truck until you pay them, so guess what? - since I'm as tall as Gandalf, I had to pay the extra $75
. Also, forget about scheduling your delivery on a specific day - they have the right to take up to 21 extra days past your "earliest possible delivery date" to deliver your goods. Several items were delivered broken, and several items were missing, to the tune of about $250 in lost or damaged items. But I have no recourse because I am only insured up to .60 per pound.
To get full replacement cost insurance would have cost another $250 on a move that was already costing $1000. The movers gave me a 24 page pamphlet entitled "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" when they showed up, but it was moving day, and I hadn't set aside any time for reading. Read this book before you schedule your move! That way you will understand in advance all the ways these slime bags can screw you.
2nd WORSE MOVING EXPERIENCE EVER and I have moved across the country and to 6 different states, so I'm an experienced mover. I will report them to the BBB. I used Colonial Van Lines to move me from Virginia to a storage unit in Maryland. Let's start with... once they collect your money for a deposit, they fall off the face of the earth never to be heard from again until the day before they show up at your home. (I wish I were lying.)
They give no firm pick up or drop off date in advance. 2) I got rid of a lot of furniture, clothes, etc, basically my whole home. Once they picked up. They called me to tell me that my weight was actually heavier then estimated (THEY WERE A d**n LIE). So they "offered" to meet me at the weigh in scale before and after pick up. I accepted their offer. It turned out that I was right. My weight was less than the estimate.
I still had to pay them the extra money while they held my stuff ransom at the drop off location. I had to screen shot the receipts for the scales and email it to them and then they gave me my money back via a check. I'm still not convinced that my stuff weighed as much as it did. Oh AND the total that dispatch told me and the total that the movers told me at drop off were two different totals, but of course you have to pay the movers to give you your stuff.... DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!!!!
I move frequently for my job, so I know the process. These people prey upon new movers, people who are being moved by their companies, and on the stress of moving. You cheat one person, I bet they cheat a lot more. STAY AWAY!!!!! YOU have been warned.
NOT. USE. THIS. COMPANY! They tried to "come to a resolution", they tried to pay me $250 to change my review (I paid them close to $3000 for the move). Not to try to get better but to change my review. The people who have given the company great reviews have been paid off to change their reviews. Read most of the reviews carefully, especially the highly rated ones. In order to receive said bribe money, they want you to remove all negative reviews that you have put up. They are still crooks... crooks that not only run a shady business but who also pay people for good reviews.
They tried to "come to a resolution", they tried to pay me $250 to change my review (I paid them close to $3000 for the move). Not to try to get better but to change my review. The people who have given the company great reviews have been paid off to change their reviews. Read most of the reviews carefully, especially the highly rated ones. In order to receive said bribe money, they want you to remove all negative reviews that you have put up. They are still crooks... crooks that not only run a shady business but who also pay people for good reviews.
ORIGINAL REVIEW October 2018
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!!!!! THEY ARE CROOKS! 2nd WORSE MOVING EXPERIENCE EVER and I have moved across the country and to 6 different states, so I'm an experienced mover. I will report them to the BBB. I used Colonial Van Lines to move me from Virginia to a storage unit in Maryland. Let's start with... once they collect your money for a deposit, they fall off the face of the earth never to be heard from again until the day before they show up at your home. (I wish I were lying.) They give no firm pick up or drop off date in advance. 2) I got rid of a lot of furniture, clothes, etc, basically my whole home. Once they picked up. They called me to tell me that my weight was actually heavier then estimated (THEY WERE A d**n LIE). So they "offered" to meet me at the weigh in scale before and after pick up. I accepted their offer. It turned out that I was right. My weight was less than the estimate. I still had to pay them the extra money while they held my stuff ransom at the drop off location. I had to screen shot the receipts for the scales and email it to them and then they gave me my money back via a check. I'm still not convinced that my stuff weighed as much as it did. Oh AND the total that dispatch told me and the total that the movers told me at drop off were two different totals, but of course you have to pay the movers to give you your stuff.... DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!!!!
I move frequently for my job, so I know the process. These people prey upon new movers, people who are being moved by their companies, and on the stress of moving. You cheat one person, I bet they cheat a lot more. STAY AWAY!!!!! YOU have been warned.
I called to request a quote for a move from California to Nevada. All items where packed in a storage unit. Just pick up and unload into my garage at our new house. I received a quote for $2800.00 and we agreed upon a pickup and delivery date while I would be in Nevada.
First thing they did was change the pickup date. I had to scramble to find someone to meet the driver at the storage unit. One person showed up to load the entire unit. They delivered a day late then informed me that the price had been raised an additional $3400! I either paid it or the driver threatened to leave and store my belongings until we reached a conclusion.
I would be charged a daily storage fee, by the way. I ended up paying the bill just to get the man off my property! I have since filed a police report for fraud, filed a complaint with the BBB and disputed the charges. This all has been after multiple attempts to call them . As of this post I still have not had a response.
The company only gets worse. They attempted to bribe me to change my review. When I refused their initial bribe (because I would not agree to take down my one star review), they are no longer offering me compensation for all of the things that went wrong with my move. DO NOT GO WITH THIS COMPANY. They will scam you, lie to you, and take illegal measures to try and make themselves look better.
Colonial Van Lines is the ABSOLUTE WORST company you could hire for your move. STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS!!!! Their service is indistinguishable from theft.
First, I was promised by my initial agent, Thomas, that my items would never be put in storage. They would be placed immediately on a semi truck and never off-loaded without me present. When I asked to have this written in the contract, I was told they were unable to do so in case of a truck break down or weather emergency that would require unplanned transfer of my items off the semi. This was a complete lie.
My items were picked up late, by movers who carried my furniture to the truck then sat and smoked cigarettes ON MY FURNITURE, and driven to a self-storage facility, where it has been sitting for TWO WEEKS. This was a complete violation of what I was assured, that the items would never be put in storage.
Customer service is also completely lacking. They NEVER answer the phone, and all numbers lead to voicemail. In order to reach someone I have to dial the extension for "purchasing additional insurance" and only then do I get to speak to a representative.
Management has offered "compensation": "3, 4, maybe 5%" discount, but of course only after I pay the nearly $5,000 for the overall move (they issue reimbursements later). From reading other reviews, it seems the company is even harder to reach after you have paid the full price and I doubt anyone really receives their compensation.
Additionally, though my delivery window ends tomorrow, today I received two different estimates for delivery. First, Theresa says my items are coming tomorrow! I know this is a lie (because of GPS tracking with my items). Next, I'm given a 5-7 days estimate, that is in all likelihood completely made up. It will certainly be after my delivery window and in violation of my original agreement saying the items would not be in storage.
Colonial Van Lines worst company I’ve ever used for moving. Warning to everyone if you value your time, money and belongings RUN from this business. Big ripoff! Jason promised compensation for the 3 to 5 weeks I sat in an empty apartment without any of my belongings but to date has not responded with that information or any information regarding a bill. It’s apparently time to get Lawyers involved.
Description of work: We sold our home and were closing on November 30, 2017. We had looked at many companies and weighed the pros and cons of each. We had contacted Colonial Van Lines in early October, and at the time I was most concerned if they were a 'BROKER'. I had read nightmare stories about people using moving brokers and I wanted nothing to do with a broker. I spoke with a Sandra Schneider at the time and she assured me that they were not a broker, that they indeed were the people who would be moving us from New Jersey to Maryland. As it turned out, we decided to go with another Interstate mover who had fewer cons than CVL. Unfortunately, on Wednesday evening, Thanksgiving Eve, November 22, that mover contacted us to tell us they could not honor or dates. We researched and tried to reach out to a few Interstate movers on Friday but many companies were just not available on the long weekend.
On Monday, November 27, I decided to call COLONIAL VAN LINES back, and left a message on Sandra Schneider's voice mail. At about 9 AM, 'Veronica', Sandra's manager returned my call stating that Sandra was in a meeting. I explained to her what had happened, that we needed to move out of the house by November 29 to facilitate the buyers' walk through so that we could close on Thursday, 11/30. She stated that they could do the move. Again, I questioned to be sure that they were not a 'BROKER' to which she assured me that they were not. Within fifteen minutes of the start of this call, I had given her credit card info to make a deposit of $766.26.
A short time later, Sandra contacted me, and I gave her a more complete list of the items we were moving. She then requested an additional $1390.88, which I gave her. SHAME ON ME... A contract was sent to us about two hours later, and we signed it. We did not anticipate any further problems, and although they were not the mover we wanted to go with initially, we could only hope for the best. We were busy the remainder of the day finishing the last of our packing, and only when we settled down at 9 PM and I started to read my emails did I find that a Mean Cudjoe, Customer Service Account Manager had sent me an email at 6:38 PM.
In that email, she informed us that RE LO VAN LINES of Hackensack NJ would be at our home between 7 and 9 am on November 29. Shocked, I googled this company only to find that the Better Business Bureau gave them a "F" and that there were 36 complaints against them. Further, there were internet comments accusing them of thievery, destruction of goods, disrespect, all in all, a company I would not choose to allow in my beautiful home with my belongings. I immediately responded to Mens Cudjoe's email stating that I was assured that Colonial was not a broker, and that I better see Colonial Van Lines outside my door on November 29th.
I then attempted to call them but of course, no one was there to answer. I also sent an email at 9:25 PM, 11/27 not more than 12 hours of my first dealings with this fraudulent company to Sandra Schneider stating ABSOLUTELY NOT! Not being able to sleep, I was up all night researching companies. At 4:13 AM on 11/28 I sent Sandra Schneider an email instructing her to cancel this move and refund our $2157.14 deposit. At 9:33 am, Veronica called and I again told her that we would not be doing business with them. I stated that they were well aware that they were not the movers, that they 'broker' this out to other companies. I stated that they should have been honest and informed me that they "subcontract" and allowed me to make a valued decision. I stated that I would never have considered RE LO VAN LINES for my move, and they had no right to make that decision for me.
I again reiterated that they assured me that they were not brokers. She stated that many people go on the internet and make disparaging comments about other companies because they are their competition. Later that day, I was emailed by Cedric Page, and then called by him to confirm our move for the following day. Again, I stated that we would not be utilizing their services.He told me they would cancel the move. I actually had to call RE LO VAN LINES . I spoke with Jeff at 1:10 PM and told him not to come to my home or I would be forced to call the police.He stated that he would have to confirm that with CVL.
That evening, at 5:37 PM Sandra Schneider again called to harass me telling me that I was "overreacting", and to inform me that I would not be getting my deposit back. She stated that they had done nothing fraudulent by using an "agent". I was contacted by Doreen on 11/28 as well as 12/1 reagarding our cancellation. I was contacted by Jim Russell who offered to refund me $1200. I told him everything that had happened, stated that I wanted my money refunded in full as his company misrepresented themselves. He refused, told me that $1200 was more than fair, and then told me to have a good holiday. We want our money refunded.
Move set from MD to CA: quoted $5K; squeezed extra cash at every step for $7K; stole (XBox, steam irons,), lost (recliner transformer), damaged numerous articles (most furniture broken, scratched, drenched in stickly liquid ???), lousy packing (charged extra $900 for that), refused to reaseble at delivery point. Disatser
In my opinion regarding job # 55573878-CO, Colonial Van Lines transportation broker who hired ESP Motors as our carrier are the most disreputable moving firms anyone could ever hire – STAY AWAY from them!!! I regret ever hiring them. They will give you a moving estimate 30% lower than actual, deliver goods 13 days late in breach of contracted date and lose 23 boxes in transport. They will hold your goods hostage until you prepay all fees they deem valid. ESP Motors even arrived without sufficient resources to offload the delivery resulting in this 63 year old having to unload half of my own goods from the truck which took three hours.”