Colonial Van & Storage

Roni was awesome. She came to our house an hour away and gave us a very competitive bid. Very professional and delightful to work with. Jackie, the on-site packing supervisor, and his team did an excellent job for us. We have moved 11 times in the last forty years and this was one of the very best ever. Jackie is a great representative of your company and my only wish was having him deliver our furniture too. Thanks for recommending the car shipper, they were great as well.

Our initial arrangement for shipping with the dispatch was a pleasant experience. She was able to quote us quickly and made recommendations and adjustment as needed. The two star service is from the movers that showed up at our house to pack the truck. They were quick but did not offer quality service. They did not note the condition of all items of value nor pack items that we paid for to ensure arrival without damage. In the end we had multiple smashed boxes. 70 inch TV busted, grill broken, broken tail light cover from Harley Motorcycle, dent the size of a basketball in refrigerator ( along with numerous smaller dents), and furniture with multiple scratches. The crew that arrived to pack our stuff were horrible. The crew enlisted and driver that delivered our items was great. I wish the service would have been consistent. Of course now we have to wait 15 business days for our claim to be reviewed for the items broken, which is a bit ridiculous. At least our stuff arrived and majority of it ok, but that's the minimum to be expected, so that's why I give it 2 stars.

Our experience with Colonial Van Lines has been a nightmare. On the phone, we were quoted 5-10 days to move our belongings from Houston to California. We paid the $1600 deposit. On January 2nd, 2022 our movers showed up. They told us an 18 wheeler couldn’t fit there and they need a special shuttle to get our belongings for about $400 extra even though our previous company used an 18 wheeler and just parked it on the street. Then, when they showed up we realized the job had been contracted out to a small mom and pop mover called Cal Van Lines (we were not given a heads up about this). AFTER loading our stuff that day they told us our stuff would arrive in 10 days because they had to go to Florida first. (Houston->florida->california???). On January 18th we got multiple calls from Colonial saying our stuff would arrive that day. I reserved the freight elevator but never got a call. I called Cal Van Lines directly and they told me that was completely false, that the van was currently in North Carolina, the driver had covid, the route had been impacted by winter storms AND the driver would be making a stop in New York before going to california. ??? I just got a call from them extending my delivery date for a FOURTH time. It is currently February 2nd, 2022. This marks one full month sleeping on the floor or an air mattress. I have had to repurchase my bed, pillows, pots and pans, utensils, clothes, and everything I need for a working setup from home (chairs, everything). Thank god I do not have kids that I would have to put through sleeping on the floor, and that we are young and healthy, but imagine another customer with a disability, or who is elderly, getting this kind of service from Colonial Van Lines. At this point, we are not even sure if we will ever get our belongings back or if they have been trashed or stolen. We already paid $1600, and the moving company is asking thousands more upon delivery which I am trying to negotiate away. I am beyond frustrated, because of Colonial Van Lines my move across the country was stressful and uncomfortable. My new home does not feel like home. I regret ever contacting Colonial Van Lines. Please do not use their service.