Complaint Review: Colonial Van Lines Relocation Division - Nationwide

This will sum up my entire story.  I was trying to dispute Colonial keeping my deposit with DiscoverCard.  I imagine because Colonial has dealt with so many cases like this, they have an iron clad contract that locks their unsuspecting victims into a BS contract and allows them to do ZERO actual work and still steal peoples money. This made it impossible for Discover to get my money back, so I'm moving onto all other tools at my disposal.  

Colonial is a corrupt, unjust company that should not have the ablility to operate under the guise of a moving company and bait and switch their customers.  And that isn't even my main complaint! Colonial didn't even get my things moved and still got to keep $1600.  All because a truck came to my property, although it didn't have enough space to move my things even after talking to Colonials 'experts' on how many items i had and how much they would weigh.  It is all a scam.  Avoid, avoid avoid at all cost!

Please read my story to get the full details of their scamming ways:

Case Number: 694483035B

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing in rebuttal to “return of funds” to Colonial Van Lines Relocation Division (CVLRD), for the initial deposit of $1,262.77 and the additional deposit of $353.21. At the outset, let me be perfectly clear that CVLRD did not provide quality consulting service for my move. By their definition, CVLRD could have sent out a pickup truck to move my apartment’s contents to California and have met their commitment.

To start, CVLRD contacted me via the phone since they obtained information from the Internet that I was moving.  Jimmy Seppanen gave me a quote over the phone based on the size of my two-bedroom two-bath apartment with a garage.  He asked me about furniture and other goods and stated that they quote everything overweight so as to catch any objects we may have forgotten. Since this is CVLRD’s business, I would expect them to already have a good idea of how much a typical apartment would cost/weigh.

Jimmy’s quote sounded reasonable so I decided to use their services and put a substantial deposit down of $1,262.77.  The total quote was only for $3200 with Jimmy’s assurance that it could VERY WELL be less since the objects we discussed are all quoted high in the weight.  HE was careful with his words, but led me to believe that $3200 was the highest cost it would be by using their services.

Then, six days before my scheduled move date, I receive a call from Christopher Burnham, CVLRD’s Quality Assurance associate.  He obtained even a more detailed report over the phone, as I walked through my apartment and reviewed with him of every object in my apartment and garage.  He then tells me we should adjust the Inventory Report to reflect what we just discussed, causing the ‘possible’ price to jump up to $3,800.  We make the adjustment and he requires an additional down payment of $353.21.  I did not like doing this, but wanted them to have the most accurate information, and Christopher also assured me they over estimate the weight of everything, and that it could very possibly be less.  I took comfort in seeing my sectional couch on the estimate as 400 pounds, knowing that it was only about 100 pounds, and that the cost would probably be lower. 

I read the cancellation policy, but at this point it would be too late, and too hard, to cancel.  I relied on the professionalism and expertise of Jimmy and Christopher and CVLRD to have given an accurate estimate.

So, everything was on track, even though it was quoted about $600.00 higher than I had originally been told. I felt a little bit like I was being bait and switched, but I was making a big move across country and figured the help with the move may be worth it. On the day the movers showed up, things immediately started going bad. 

Edgar, the subcontracted driver, hired by CVLRD, walked into the apartment and said they picked stuff up for a guy earlier and his order was double the size of what they were expecting (which also made me think he had been baited and switched as well).  Because of this, they had limited space, and could not fit all of my things on the moving van.  He said he told CVLRD, before he even came to my apartment, that he didn’t have enough space, but they made him come anyway.  Edgar also shared that this similar experience also happened with other customers of CVLRD. My order was extremely accurate due to the conversations with Jimmy and Christopher, so they should have had plenty of room, and also had some extra for the customers that go over their estimate, like the customer before me.  Why should I be punished, by having my goods split shipped and not picked up on the day agreed to, because an early customer doubled his estimate?

This is where I feel I 100% deserve my deposit back, not because CVLRD does dirty, underhanded bait and switch style business to make more money, but because on the date I requested they were unable to supply the services for which I had originally contracted.  I simply wanted them to pick up my stuff and move it across the country to my new address in CA. 

CVLRD response was they could move some of my things, and then in a later shipment they could get the rest.  One representative told me this could be as long as four weeks, which is unacceptable.  Not to mention I had to be out of my apartment that day so I had to make other, last minute arrangements.  I tried to speak to many managers, and finally ended up talking to a manager in the cancellation department.  I refused to cancel with her because I knew she would keep my deposit. She was unable to provide a satisfactory arrangement in where all of my things could be moved in one truck. Therefore, I should not have to pay the extremely exorbitant deposit when the only work done was to have a driver show up with a truck that CVLRD already had been told, would not hold my apartments contents.  CVLRD set up an untenable situation so they could, and have said, a “truck showed up”.  They knew I had to be out of my apartment that day but still would not/could not meet their commitment of moving me on the date specified.  No work was performed, yet they are keeping over $1600 of mine with no product or service to show for it.  This manager made feel like there was no other recourse, had no empathy, and refused to transfer me to anyone else that could help resolve the situation in a satisfactory manner. Also, a representative cancelled my contract without me telling her to do so. She said she would call back that night, but she didn’t call back until the NEXT day at 5pm. We had already had to make other arrangements because our lease was up and we had to be out of our apartment. 

I want to give CVLRD the chance to do the right thing and give me back the deposit, or at least the majority of it.  If this is not resolved in my favor, additional steps I plan on taking include contacting the organizations that regulate interstate houseware relocation over moving companies including the PUCO, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin Enforcement Division, the Consumer Complaint Agency, Move Rescue, Senate Hearing Committee (since they are already under investigation by them) and FCC.  I will also reach out to News Channels as I have friends in the business and will put CVLRD in the spotlight as to their way of business, not to mention all the negative reviews on Yelp, Google, BBB, and any other online reviews I can find. 

In summary, CVLRD failed to provide the service for which I contracted.  Although I don’t like the practice CVLRD does with their customers about not giving accurate pricing from the beginning, I would have still been tied to using them contractually, if they could have moved my goods on one truck, on the day specified.  Since they could not get my items moved on the date contracted, I should be freed from the contract. This is even after having multiple conversations with their experts. No matter how this situation is examined CVLRD did not fulfill their obligation of providing the service that several of their own employees described.  CVLRD should be ashamed of putting people through this stress and hardship while trying to relocate. 

The attached picture is the only room they had available in the truck, which could not fit a motorcycle and our furniture.

Thank you in advance for reversing Discover’s position and not releasing the funds to CVLRD. I use your card because I know Discover supports its cardholders against unfair practices, such as, what CVLRD is trying to do to me.

Sincerely,

Travis Kuyper