Colonial Van Lines - Intrastate Reviews

We were able to get in touch with the driver that picked up our stuff and he said he quit 3 weeks ago because the company doesn’t care about their drivers. We’ve been asking for compensation for the huge inconvenience, and they can only offer $30 per day outside of the delivery window, which is nothing considering the move cost us $7,000 + everything we’ve had to purchase these last 4 weeks just so we could get by (blow up mattress, pots and pans to cook, clothes, etc.). Worst movers ever. Do not book with Colonial Van Lines.

The Bad:

The sales rep sold me on 2 key things that she said separated Colonial VL from others. First, they had their own fleet of trucks, and, she said, most other movers didn't - they'd contract drivers/companies that meant they weren't necessarily reliable and their windows of pick up or delivery required longer times. I was told this was not the case with Colonial Van Lines. In reality, not only did the moving company that showed up not fly the CVL flag, it was an Enterprise rental truck!

Second, I was told that it was "highly unlikely," but in the event that they couldn't fit their 18-wheeler truck into the pick up or delivery area, we would need to pay an additional ~$500 for a "shuttle fee." If the shuttle was necessary, our items would be shuttled by a smaller vehicle to the larger 18-wheeler truck, then shuttled off again in a smaller vehicle to unload at our destination. Makes sense, right? Well, what was/is clear, is that the moving company, knowing our load size (we provided an inventory, the 10'x10' storage unit size and fill capacity, etc. so they knew exactly what they'd be shipping), they knew at that time that they would be charging the extra shuttle fee. In short, they sold their service for X, with the intention of charging X+500. Shady and not cool.

Third, I was present when the "shuttle" (aka Enterprise rental truck) arrived at our storage unit and saw the way the items were arranged on the truck, down to the size the mattress was placed in the truck. I had also placed a tracking device in our items so I could see where the items (and presumably truck) were at any given time. As it turns out, the items were moved late that night across state lines into our new state. They remained in their location for the next 2 days until it came time for delivery.

When the moving company delivered, it was the same truck, but all of the items had been "repacked" in the truck. The movers explained that they unloaded the truck and then reloaded it. So, in total, they loaded our items in a rental truck, drove across state, unloaded the rental, reloaded the rental, then delivered it - NEVER using an 18-wheel rig to transport. They did not provide the service they sold me on, and for no small price. If you have a similar situation, just rent a truck and move it yourself. I've just moved so many times I wanted to avoid the hassle.

Fourth, the dispatcher, salesperson, customer service representative, and contracted moving company were not all that well coordinated. For example, we were told that the movers would arrive in a 3-day window and that they would call X hours beforehand to let us know their arrival day/time. Reasonable and makes sense. However, once our items were moved across state lines and it was time for the delivery of our items, one person told us our items would arrive 1-10 business days later - when we had been told a 3-day window of delivery before. Not a huge deal because they updated it to reflect the original 3-day window. Email follow-ups said things were sent when they were not (forms, etc.) which required follow-up requests to get. The most annoying part of all of this was having an unending see of phone calls asking for feedback/reviews.

Fifth, though it definitely happens and can be a product of any move, our air fryer, that was wrapped, got broken in transport/move. This, of course, could have happened when loaded in one state, during transport to the second state, during unloading at the warehouse, reloading from the warehouse, en route to our destination, or unloading at our home... we could not tell. Unfortunately, this item would not have been covered by our insurance deductible, and would not have been worth it to file a claim and see it through with the moving company... another $300-400 eaten in the move. All in all, my only real issue was with being sold on a lower price then getting charged the extra $500. There never was an 18-wheeler rig that moved any of our items. They charged us as if they had, plus the additional "shuttle" charge. Not cool, Colonial Van Lines.

The Good:

Despite the chicanery (trickery) and the extra charge, there were some good things about this experience. First, the contracted movers from POSH who picked up our items were fantastic guys - Hunter and Damien, as was their manager, with whom I spoke on the phone). They were friendly, efficient, and did a concise job of labeling, wrapping, and moving our items into the truck (excellent Tetris score!). Very cool, POSH!

Also, the POSH crew that ended up delivering our items did a great job as well. There was a representative (James) who was friendly and helped organize the move in. The moving crew worked their butts off and were efficient, friendly, and got the job done. Colonial Van Lines, despite my distaste with the sales job, did do a good job of following up and communicating. I was never ghosted. So, I think for a larger move they could be a great moving company. Not recommended for a small one, at least from our experience, though.