Really bad experience all the way
Initial quote at $1700,they said 'not even half of the 300 cft' were taken. This is the reason I chose them vs other companies who were asking for more. No on-premise visit,no video were asked for the estimation. A first deposit of around $700 was paid to secure the move. No time of arrival was given at this time. They said they were a carrier,not a broker,and that the move would take 7 to 10 days. 5 days before the move,an updated inventory was made,bringing me this time to $3000. Still no pick up time estimate provided. A second deposit of around $600 had to be made to complete the first one. This surcharge was charged twice on my bank account. The day before the move,I was informed that the pick up truck would come between 9am and 11am. On the pick up day,I did not receive any information before 12:30pm,when the driver called me to say he was late. They arrived at 2pm,in a Budget truck (not a branded one). On arrival,they said we had to pay more than $600 more than what was agreed upon,to account for additional spaced and packaging,bringing my total to $3620. Apart from that,pickup was ok,the 2 guys were ok,and I tipped them for the service. At this point,no estimated arrival date was provided. I was able to pay the pick up fee ($1150,same due upon delivery) by card,but found out about the double charge,so I disputed it and waited for it to be reaccredited to my account before paying the pick up fee. My belongings did not move before I paid,which took multiple days. Colonial was impossible to get ahold on the phone,I had to go through their carrier and mention the Better Business Bureau to get a quick answer,as well as a refund. I was not able to get an update on my belongings arrival before only 5 days before the date,which was 12 days after the pick up date. And even then,I only knew that 'my stuff was on the move',with no estimation whatsoever of the time it would take to arrive at destination. I thus had to be in an empty apartment for more than a week,just in case. 2 days before the delivery date,the driver called me to say there would be an additional fee for using a different truck to deliver my belongings,which I had no way of anticipating. The fee was $450. The delivery was on time and went well,the guys knew what they were doing. My belongings were globally ok,with a few things broken,and minor damage (broken plates,dents,...). Total charge: $4070 (+139% of the agreed upon price initially). Overall,this was a very stressful,time consuming,and expensive experience that I do not wish to anyone. There were 4 different companies involved in this move,that I still to this day don't know to what extent they were involved: - COLONIAL MOVING