Colonial Van Lines Moving Company Review 2024

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Services Covered

Colonial is a long-distance moving company. It focuses on residential, commercial, and vehicle relocations across state lines. You can also request packing/unpacking and storage services for your move.

• Long-Distance Moving: Long-distance residential moving is Colonial’s specialty. Its professional team of movers, photo-based estimate tool, and upfront quote process make moves across state lines easy. 

• Cross-Country Moving: A cross-country move is simply a long-distance move coast-to-coast. Colonial handles the stress and complex logistics of these moves by working with you to develop a comprehensive moving plan. This allows you to complete your cross-country relocation with ease. Being licensed in 48 of 50 states helps tremendously with this, as many moving companies do not hold enough state licenses to facilitate a cross-country move.

• Corporate Relocation: Colonial can support you every step of the way in relocating your corporate office. A professional relocation specialist will work one-on-one with you and your team to plan the move from start to finish. You can provide them with any special requests or instructions pertaining to your move.

• Packing/Unpacking: You can request professional packing and unpacking for your move. This means movers will enter your home, pack your furniture according to your directions, and load it into the truck. They will then unload it at the destination, right into the room it will be used. If you like, you can request partial packing/unpacking, where the movers only handle particularly heavy or delicate items.

• Storage: Colonial offers short- and long-term climate-controlled storage to commercial and residential customers. Storage units are secure, with their contents thoroughly documented. Colonial also has technologies in place to minimize mold, rust, pests, and dust in its units.

Pricing

The initial quote you receive is an estimate only, and Colonial may adjust the price up or down at the end of the move if certain factors change. Fortunately, Colonial is very upfront about these factors, listing precisely what can affect your quote price on its long-distance moving page. 

The most common factors that can change the final cost of your move are weight changes or inaccurate weight density (an item made of solid wood estimated as if it was made of particle board, for example), long-carry, and packing/unpacking. 

Packing/unpacking is an additional service you can request with your initial quote. However, if you forget, you can still request this from Colonial at the door, and it will be added to your final bill.

Long-carry occurs when movers have to carry your items more than 75ft from your home to the truck or when there are stairs on the movers’ path. If you inform Colonial of any stairs ahead of time, your quote will include the price for long-carry.

All these factors work in the opposite way as well: Colonial will refund customers if the estimated weight exceeds the actual weight or if the movers were able to move the truck closer and remove the long-carry charge.

I tried a few different options with Colonial’s online quote tool and received the following estimates:

2-bedroom, Frewsburg, New York to Santa Ana, California: $999 to $2100

3-bedroom, Morven, North Carolina to Frewsburg, New York: $1315 to $2950

2-bedroom, American Fork, Utah to Fork Calhoun, Nebraska: $1350 to $2900

As you can see, Colonial provides a wide range for its initial estimates. It is possible to narrow this down significantly before your move using Colonial’s app-based visual estimate tool.

Moving Process

Colonial recommends planning a long-distance move three to six months in advance and hiring your movers three months before the moving date. It offers resources on its website to help you plan your move, including a three to six month moving checklist.

The next step is downloading Colonial’s app to an Android or iOS device to get an accurate estimate for your move. You start by choosing a date, or a range, for your before uploading pictures and videos of your home or vehicle. Colonial will review the images and get back to you with an estimate. The company does not provide a specific timeframe for this, but anything uploaded on the app is visible to a Colonial representative immediately.

You can also use the app to order packing boxes and add specific instructions about certain items. You can also add packing/unpacking and vehicle transport to your home move.

If you prefer, you can also get a quote from Colonial online or over the phone on (888) 336-8456. However, a quote acquired this way will be less accurate since Colonial will not have a complete photo inventory of the contents of your home.

Colonial handles driving and communication throughout your move. Its professional long-distance moving crew will follow any special instructions you have, and leverage their decades of experience to make your move a pleasant one. Once you arrive at your destination, the movers will assist with unpacking if you opted for that service, and lastly present you with a final bill.

Fleet Details

Colonial specializes in long-distance moving, and its fleet of long-range moving trucks is equipped accordingly. Colonial’s vehicles can handle most requests, including vehicle transport. Its website does not list any size limitations for your move, and its fleet is equipped to move homes anywhere from 1-15 bedrooms.

Customer Service

You can reach Colonial by phone at (888) 336-8456, or fill out the contact form on its website to receive a response within 24 hours. Telephone customer service is now also available 24/7, all week, through their dedicated call center.

Colonial offers several options for protecting your belongings in transit. Firstly, by default, the company will refund you $0.60 per pound for any damaged article. So, for instance, a 350lb sofa damaged in transit will receive a refund of $210, calculated this way:

$0.60 x 350lbs = $210

This default coverage is included in your quote. It may not always be sufficient though, as weight is not an accurate estimate of an item’s value. 

If you want to supplement this default coverage with something more robust, Colonial partners with movinginsurance.com to offer both per-article and lump sum coverage. Per-article coverage protects individual items, while lump sum protects the overall value of your move.

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Testimonials

I have made many long distance moves and Colonial Van Lines impressed me the most. The team of packers and the driver that picked my things up on the west coast were amazing! They were professional, quick, and respectful. Then the team that delivered my things on the east coast were just as amazing. They unloaded everything quickly and it was extremely hot that day. They just kept moving and finished in less than 3hrs. Everything was great!—Jennifer, Customer

We had an excellent experience with Colonial. We shipped 2 boxes of antique dishes and a glass desk top.. among other things. Everything arrived in one piece… nothing broken. We would definitely use them again. They kept us appraised of the progress of the delivery. We shipped things from Texas to Florida.—Sally, Customer

I am very pleased with the service from Colonial Van Lines ! I would recommend them highly and if I could give 10 stars I would. They were with me at every step of my move from NJ to Texas and were here ahead of schedule! Thank you all so much.—Kathy, Customer

Bottom Line

Colonial Van Lines offers an innovative tech-based approach to moving across state lines. You begin by taking photos or videos of any furniture or vehicles that need to be moved, and uploading these to Colonial’s mobile app. Colonial will then review everything and get back to you with an accurate estimate of your moving costs.

Colonial offers basic insurance based on the weight of your items, and supplementary coverage through a third party. If you need to move state-to-state anywhere in the US except Alaska or Hawaii, Colonial Van Lines has you covered with transparent pricing and years of industry experience.