Colonial Van Lines

I highly recommend Colonial Van Lines. This is a trusted moving company, and you can be at peace about the details of your move. Every detail was taken care of reducing much stress and worry concerning safe delivery. My valuable China Cabinet, China Dishes, and Crystal were careful packed and delivered safely without breakage. The delivery men were also courteous and helpful. Very thankful everything went smoothly.

Colonial uses promises to lure you in, but then, adds undisclosed charges and damages your property.
Colonial charged me for extra pictures, even though both the initial contact person, Anthony Perrone, and the van driver, Beldon Lawrence, said, at first, that my load had no overages. Colonial charged me $250 for delaying delivery even though I told six of their employees that I, myself, was driving cross-country and would not arrive until 9 Nov. In spite of 7 messages confirming what both Anthony Perrone and the driver, Beldon Lawrence, himself, told me that Nov 11 was the delivery day, Colonial changed the delivery day at the last minute. I was a full day's drive away from the delivery site when Colonial Van Lines called me, with less than 24 hours' notice, to say they were delivering the next day, Nov 8. I explained I could not get there and Colonial charged me $250 for delaying the delivery that they had assured me was not until Nov 11. I even asked the driver, Beldon, if he was working on Veterans' Day, Nov 11, and he said they worked all days. There was no confusion about setting the delivery for Nov 11. Colonial charged me $250 because I was not at the delivery point by 8 am on Nov 8.

Colonial damaged my chest of drawers; it now wobbles a full six inches sideways. The chest was solid when it went into the van. Colonial damaged an antique desk that was my grandfather's, in spite of the fact that I repeated several times that the desk had to be handled with special care. Colonial broke a number of smaller items, baskets, small glasses, and a bicycle.
I paid for full packing services, which meant putting things back together at the destination. The destination is a mess; nothing was reassembled the way it was before packing. The bed frame was put together without the washers for the bolts and without the floor glides under the legs. I told Beldon and his helper Shaw not to damage the newly refinished floors. There is a foot-long gash in the back bedroom.

This was my first experience using a moving company. After a sudden job offer, I had to move very quickly. The move from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, was smooth, and Colonial Van Lines provided clear instructions each step of the way. The movers were kind, on time, and generous. I would absolutely use Colonial Van Lines again.

I used Colonial Van Lines for a move from Maryland to Alabama. I had briefly moved from Pennsylvania to Maryland and had my belongings stored at two different homes. They picked everything up when they said they would and delivered two days before the quoted window was up. Elsie kept contact with me every step of the way. Everything arrived in good shape, including my large television set. I would definitely recommend them!

I must say that my experience with this moving company has been nothing short of a nightmare. From the very beginning, the lack of proper communication was evident. We received a call mere hours before they were supposed to pick up our belongings, leaving us unprepared and stressed.

What's even more frustrating is the complete lack of responsiveness from their end. Despite calling them more than five times a day to get updates on the delivery of our things, we were met with silence. It's as if they didn't value our time or concerns.

To top it off, when we finally managed to get a hold of someone, we were informed that our furniture wouldn't be delivered until a staggering four days after the agreed-upon latest delivery date. This is unacceptable and shows a complete disregard for their customers' needs and schedules.

The entire ordeal has been the most stressful moving situation we've ever dealt with. I wouldn't recommend this moving company to my worst enemy. If you're looking for reliability, communication, and professionalism, definitely look elsewhere."

All things came in good condition and parts were assembled.

1. Review of Household Items Pickup by Helix Transfer & Storage.

On January 25,2023 an experience team of moving specialists headed by Jonis had pickup household items from my Brooklyn, NY location.

The Helix Transfer & Storage team began the pickup by arriving at my location within the specified time agreed upon. First, they reviewed the household items that were to be loaded to truck. Then each member of the three-man team performed their individual task effectively by packing the delicate items carefully and loading the heavy items with ease to the truck.

The team was professional in all ways. They had moved expeditiously to complete the task at hand which resulted in a favorable outcome.

I appreciate the care that Jonis' team had applied to each of my household items that were loaded onto the truck.

Thank you, for a job well done.

2. Review of Household Items Delivered by Helix Transfer & Storage.

Job Well Done!

On February 6,2023 an experience team of moving specialists headed by George had delivered household items to my Effingham, South Carolina location.

The Helix Transfer & Storage team members George and Elvin had arrived at the delivery location within the agreed time specified. Firstly, balance due on contract was discussed. Secondly, final payment was paid to driver, before unloading any household items from truck.

Then each member of the two-man team performed their individual tasks effectively by unpacking the delicate items carefully and unloading the heavy items error-free from the truck. The team was professional in all ways. They had moved with speed and efficiency to complete the task at hand.

I appreciate the help and care that was extended by George and Elvin when they cleanup the unwrapped materials before departing my home.

Thank you, again! Household items delivered to Effingham, South Carolina location transpired without a hitch.

In addition, many thanks goes to Ms. Tracey Brown, Moving Coordinator, for her follow-up phone calls to ensure I am acquainted with the facts to move household items between different cities.

Sincerely,

James M. Knight III

If you're on the hunt for a moving company ready to mishandle a quarter of your belongings, overcharge you without addressing your concerns, and teach you the costs and benefits of suing a moving company, look no further than Colonial Van Lines. Our recent encounter with their costly relocation services left us deeply disheartened and frustrated. Their estimate for our moving cost was 75% higher than originally predicted. We expected to pay around 4k to have all of our belongings packed, moved, and unpacked in a new home, but the end result was 7.5k - not unpacked but simply dropped and scattered around our new home. They decided to stop moving 2/3 of the way through the move. Thankfully, TaskRabbit workers came to our rescue. Their pricing scheme and the way they communicate is very convoluted. You are told that you will have a point person to explain everything and check in with you, however, I ended up have 3 point people, and each did not know what the other was doing. One person told me the price would be 5k after weighing everything, but later they raised it to 7.5k. What's more, our most valuable belongings were damaged or destroyed. Our experience with Colonial Van Lines was dreadful and we hope to help others avoid the same blunder. Knowing there are numerous reputable companies out there, we wish we had researched more diligently, and gone with something like Gentle Giant. To underscore the most pressing issues: our most valuable items were damaged or destroyed. Upon arrival at our new home, we were informed that their usual crew was unavailable, and they'd enlisted unprofessional workers, and then did not reimburse us for the "white-glove" service we had paid for yet did not receive, though they did give us $200 for the TaskRabbit workers which is what we will use next time in order to save a great deal of money and headache.

The driver was late. He didn't pack my mattress correctly. It came back dirty and wet. They tried to overcharge me.
Very difficult to reach people and get a straight answer. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. They subcontract the work but don't tell you upfront. Nightmare.

We had a great moving experience with Colonial Van Lines. They were professional, reliable and trustworthy! Their follow up during the entire process was impeccable

I had an awful experience with this company during my moving. Starting from the pick up date which they never changed to the right date even though i have multiple requests to change it. After that, they picked up the furniture i had and for 4 days gave me no information of how much the cost was, where my furniture is, when it will be delivered. After multiple attempts to communicate with them, i was able to find out the details and my furniture stayed for weeks in a warehouse in Michigan for no clear reason. The delivery got delayed for several days in which we had no communication until it happened.

Overall did well. The guys were fast and efficient packing up the Charlottesville house.
When we got to Beaufort SC they only sent 2 guys to unload. They did a good job as some stuff went into the apartment and some into a storage bin

I was missing some small stuff... never showed up

No regrets. Constant, complete and competent communication from before the move to after the move. No ignoring me. No mind games. No fraud. I did not expect perfection but even the professionally restored antique furniture showed up flawless. The actual movers worked harder than sled dogs. Yet carefully. Carefully. It was an honor to have them at our homes. Truthfully this is the only moving company that did not scam me. And no, I can assure you, I knew no one from this company or affiliates before I made the first call. Long distance move complete.

I would not recommend Colonial Van Lines. They damaged ~$600 worth of items, and they have stated that they never received the claim paperwork that was submitted. At this point, I have broken items that will go into the trash. Look elsewhere.

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I spoke with a supervisor today (July 8,2021) around 9:15 AM MDT, and she was able to verify my job ID, and informed me that she could not find any record of my claim. Additionally, the number below in your response, I called, and it went to a voicemail.

The guys were very friendly and efficient. They loaded my entire house in around 4 hours. I requested boxes load first then furniture so that when we unloaded, I could get to the items I needed. Boxes were placed in the back and furniture along the sidewall of a 10 x 30 storage unit. I couldn't find any of my winter clothing or boots. Very disappointing. The storage unit was packed with a very short aisle 6' to walk in. I cannot get to the back of the storage unit as boxes are stacked floor to ceiling. My belongings will continue to be in storage until I get a house completed. I'm not happy about the huge mess in the storage facility.

I spoke with a representative from Colonial Van Lines who was very helpful. I really appreciated the phone call after my move and her assistance. Good customer service is very important to me.

From the very beginning, this moving company made sure to reach out to me at every step of the process. Price quoted was just what was billed at the end of the job. Drivers were on time, neat, respectful and very efficient. The entire move from NJ to Tennessee took just one week from pick up to delivery. All items were delivered unharmed.

I would highly recommend this company for any moving needs.

Donna contact me and we talk about my experience with the Subcontractor company under them.She was very professional, accommodating and understanding. I give her a 5 star l

Our entire cross-country move has been an absolute nightmare. They should be ashamed of the horrendous job they did for my 87 year old parents. When our goods finally arrived(late) we found many, many missing items: extension ladder, multiple dollies and hand carts, leather ottoman, power tools, hand tools, a crate full of batteries, the list goes on and on.
Their packers were horrible; only used Home Depot boxes and single ply paper-no bubble wrap or padded paper. By the time our load was delivered most of the boxes were crushed, torn, shredded or open. Needless to say this resulted in things like a shattered printer, broken grandfather and grandmother clocks, and boxes full of shattered ceramics and lamps and home goods. Mattresses were only shrink wrapped so arrived torn and dirty.
We have moved great distances multiple times and Colonial Van Lines has been the worst moving experience ever.

There was an issue with a safe that was moved. After the move, Donna at Colonial Van Lines reached out to use. And we were able to reach a mutually agreement to the issue.

Pros: movers were on time and delivery date was within the given parameters. Cons: one of the case managers was extremely rude to me on the phone. I almost couldn't believe it, but he was annoyed with my questions and actually mocked me on the phone. Also, case managers changed every few days - I think I had five CM's before we were through. Con: several of my items (shredder, file cabinet, desk) arrived damaged. I didn't file a claim as they didn't reach the level of the high deductible.

The movers were prompt, courteous, very efficient and took care in packing my belongings both on pick up and delivery. I would use Colonial again.

Overall I had a great moving experience with Colonial Van Lines. The only negative that I can think of is that the pickup was a little later than expected but the driver still started the move process within the timeframe window. Everyone was friendly and very helpful. All my stuff arrived quickly and not damaged! I have heard some horror stories from friends when moving and was nervous about this whole process but they exceeded my expectations! Little to no damage to any of my furniture too.

Several tables were destroyed not damaged destroyed. Chairs were badly damaged, Award frames were broken.