Colonial Van Lines Reviews

We packed up the majority of the items and the only things that the crew packed up for us were specific things like our bedroom suite, our furniture, and our TV. Colonial asked specifically which things we wanted for them to pack up during the quote and all that information. The crew was wonderful. They took their time with breaking things down and wrapping it so it wouldn't get damaged. And they also assembled them back the way we wanted them. Colonial called one time just to make sure how our experience with the movers and the entire move went. If we had to move again, we would most definitely request the movers we had because they were great.

I was impressed with the way they interacted with us. When they got to our home, they gave us a brief rundown of what was going to take place and verified what items we wanted them to pack up. They gave us a rundown of what time to expect them when we got to our new destination as well as what time to expect them. When they came in, they asked where we wanted things placed and they placed them where we wanted them, and they assembled them just like we wanted. People should use Colonial and they should request Malik and Victor, who are part of the crew.

When we made the final payment, we used the cashier's check. Colonial didn't convey the information as to who specifically to make the cashier's check out to and we had to make the cashier's check out to the subcontractor. So, we had to do another payment method because when they moved everything in here, it was on a Sunday. But that was the only snag. To be on the safe side, to make sure everything runs smoothly, I suggest a debit card or credit card. The price was very fair and reasonable. It was within budget and I also like the aspect of you paying 30% down. It wasn't even half. And then, you just pay the remaining balance once the movers get to your home.

Most of our stuff was already packed. So, it was a matter of trying to determine what we would take and leave behind and dump. So, it was a matter of the boxes. We had our own everything including boxes and tape other than for the dressers. There are special blankets and tapes that they use, certain things that we couldn't offer for ourselves because we didn't know what specification is needed for all those other things that we needed.

Each time that we packed something, we would calculate, and we kept our own inventory plus what Daniel had already calculated for us. We didn't need that much of anything from Colonial other than the big blankets, the big tape, and certain things that Daniel decided, "Maybe we'll break it down for you before you move versus you doing it because at least we can see what kind of furniture and stuff or things that we have."

While we worked with Daniel with specific information, he geared towards what to expect, how much volume of weight and so forth that we would carry and what would happen at the depot from what he estimated and what we estimated as the boxes. We also two gentlemen who were small but strong men. They did really well with the big boxes.

One of the things that was disappointing and took up a lot of time about Colonial was they had paperwork which they had to fill out, and that took an hour and a half away from their time that they could have been moving. That was a wasted time. And they had to come back early in the morning, around 8 o'clock, which they were on time, which was good. So, they wrapped it up within an hour and a half time because it was the remaining. They had to spend time in a hotel and come back and leave our stuff at a hotel. He said, "Don't worry, we have cameras," which made me feel more comfortable. My son was young and this is his first experience handling such a big ordeal of us moving and Daniel was able to meet him where he was. Everything worked out fine.

I knew from the beginning that as Colonial was a broker as well as a mover, so they from time to time use the services of other movers. And in this case, they did. But the guys that showed up were very professional and wrapped everything up in blankets well beyond my expectations. They were in and out. I went through a lot of anticipation before they got there. It was three months from my initial contact with Colonial until my move, so I had plenty of time to worry. But I quit worrying after the guy showed up, and wrapped and loaded all my stuff up. When they picked up my stuff, they came in a smaller truck, and had to transload it onto an 18-wheeler. So, it got handled three times by them. They had nothing but respect for my belongings, so I applaud them for that.

Whenever I got excited about something, they calmed me down. So, they're professionals. They've been doing it for years. They know that their customers are concerned about their belongings. Everything was in good condition, and there were 90 boxes. I couldn't tell if there was damage to any of them, and several TVs that they left boxed up, so I didn't know about them until we unpacked them. But everything's working. I found one glass picture frame cracked in half. And so far, that's the only broken thing I've found.

We were supposed to be moving into a rental, and the rental people wouldn't allow us to move in so I had to put my stuff in storage. The guys had to unwrap it just like they were putting it in a home. So, it left me hanging. When it became apparent that I wouldn't be able to move into a home, the coordinator said, “Okay. We can store your stuff for you. But let me give you some advice. You get your own storage, because while we can store it for you, we can't guarantee, especially during the summer, when we would be able to get back to move you. And it would be much easier for you to get local movers to move you out of local storage. So in other words, you might have to wait a month for us after you have a home to move it.” So, I went right out and rented my own storage, and had local movers move it when ultimately we moved. And that was good advice. I'm having a good relationship.

The Colonial folks who came out on moving day were professional and on time and they quickly got to work, moving my boxes into the big truck. We had a little bit of trouble with the larger items -- mainly the washer, dryer, and the fridge, because I was required to disconnect them and they didn't tell me ahead of time that I was the one responsible for disconnecting my appliances. I wasn't particularly thrilled about that but it was not the biggest deal in the world. They also helped with some of the smaller items that I had thought they'd be able to take in the truck as they are. They found ways to make it work without having to charge too much extra for services and the boxes. Also, it didn't take them too long. They quoted me 10 hours and we were done in about six hours. They were fairly efficient.

Things didn't really go to plan. I was informed that the quote that I received wouldn't be set because there was no walkthrough done prior, which is something that I would have preferred but it wasn't an option that was offered to me. It's hard to get a feel for poundage and how many boxes I was going to have. Doing it over the phone doesn't really help much. That was a bit of a negative. Ultimately, I was told I didn't have to pay for any additional poundage but it did cost me a considerable amount extra for boxes and other items that I didn't think I needed due to not having that walkthrough.

I was anxious to get my stuff moved because I was trying to get my items in Alabama the same day I closed or the next day. Colonial gave me a one week range and they were able to deliver the day after that my target days so that wasn't too bad. And they worked with me on the fact that under normal circumstances, I would have had to pay storage. They waived the storage fee because it would have been for one day. I told them I'm not paying $2,000 for one day of storage. I wish the dates would have been a little bit more well-defined but I understand that it's how that type of industry works. Overall, they did a good job and they were responsive and had a good competitive price.

Other than that, there was a lot of follow-up from Colonial but they flipped around a lot and kept getting us confused. I got multiple calls saying the movers were going to come to pick up the stuff. Then they had to clarify that we were having the stuff picked up in Texas, not in California. They then said they'd call the other guy on the other end. But they kept saying they couldn't reach him. When I called him, he said he didn't get any calls. So there was a miscommunication. But other than that, everything went very smoothly.

Then, my son's job did not pan out the way it was supposed to, so we're moving him back. We called Colonial again because we had good service last time and we thought this time, we were going to have a smooth ride. They said they were going to do the move themselves and they were not going to use subcontractors because they have a base out of California. But then, I started getting these calls where they said they couldn't get the van line up to the apartment complex and that they were going to have to use a shuttle, which was going to be $350 more. It was the same stuff coming back, with the exception of one day bed, and all of a sudden, it cost more. It weighed more than it did when it went, but then I had to pay another additional. I ended up paying $3,700 for this move while I paid 2,800 the first time. It was a big difference to me because I'm on Social Security.

Also, I have not had the communication contact this time that I did the first time. It has not been as strong as it was on the first trip. They called a couple of times and they can't give me a delivery date. But I understand that. We're still in the middle of the move and the stuff is not due to be here until the week of the 20th. They have until the 26th to get it here, so they're within their window.

The two guys that did all the work were fabulous. They should be commended because they did a great job. It was a five-hour drive. It went from Sherrills Ford, North Carolina to Huntington, West Virginia. They picked it up that night and we met them there at around 2 o'clock the next day. If I had to use Colonial again, I would because they're good. They may get return jobs. So, you never know.