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  • Report:  #1459299

Complaint Review: Colonial Van LInes - Tamarac Florida

Reported By:
Michael - Austin, Texas, United States
Submitted:
Updated:

Colonial Van LInes
8756 W McNab Rd #103 Tamarac, 33321 Florida, United States
Phone:
(855) 266-5176
Web:
https://colonialvanlines.com
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?

This is a modified letter of what I sent to various representatives, including the Senators of California, Florida, Texas; the governors of those 3 states; the attorney general; the secretary of commerce; and the president:

 

I am currently a resident of Texas. I relocated from California. The business concerned are located in California and Florida respectively. The California business is R & R Moving Company, located in Los, Angeles California. The Florida business is Colonial Van Lines and located in Tamarac, Florida. I am contacting the representatives of California, Florida, and Texas in order to solve this issue.

In May of 2018, I entered into a contract with Colonial Van Lines, a company based in Florida in order to facilitate the move from Modesto, California (represented by Jeff Denham) to Austin, Texas (represented by Lamar Smith). The move was to take place on June 22, 2018 and items were to be delivered on or before July 10, 2018. The items arrived on July 12, 2018 and a claim is in progress. The items were damaged and several boxes (in excess of 5) were missing. The missing items are valued at approximately 500 dollars. The damaged items are valued at approximately 500 dollars as well. In addition, the most glaring object missing was a queen-sized box spring. Per one of the workers who moved the items, I was overcharged by approximately 200 dollars. As of the writing of this (September 3, 2018) the queen-sized box spring which was confirmed found and promised to be delivered on or before July 31, 2018 was not. The box-spring was valued at 150 dollars. This was a verbal promise from Colonial Van Lines Employee, Jason Garcia.

On July 17, 2018 I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in order to solve the overcharging, damaged item fees, and missing objects. The complaint to the Better Business Bureau reads as follows:

Colonial Moving didn't explain the process and didn't handle it correctly or legally. Their contracted company of R & R did not handle it well either. The process of delivery and cost was not handled correctly. Services were not explained (such as delivery date). For instance, they provided a delivery date of June 25th to July 10th. Items were delivered on July 12th. Only after the fact was it explained that in order to ensure proper delivery it required special insurance.They took advantage of a first time mover and did not explain insurance types or costs. They did not seek power of attorney correctly and let someone else sign off for me. The moving occurred on June 22nd. On June 21st they said they would send a power of attorney document to allow someone else to sign off. They never provided the document nor did I sign off on the form. They did not explain insurance or that they were merely a contract company.It was only on July 12th when delivery occurred that it was made clear that R & R had contracted with Colonial and they would provide the actual service. This impeded complaint process. They did not explain cost

well and proceeded to provide misinformation. They lied about the cost of a shuttle. They said a small shuttle would cost approximately 400. That specific shuttle was not provided. Instead, an intermediary was provided. Speaking to Christian the R & R delivery person, he said that Colonial should provide a discount of 200. When I spoke to Jason Garcia about this, he said that even though the shuttle was not provided, they would not issue a discount or refund of any kind.

Their customer service was bad and they also took days to respond. Phone records and messages can show that they often took days to respond to phone calls. Further, when I signed up it was with Carlston. I never spoke to him after the initial signing. Jason Garcia took over the case and withheld information. He was not helpful or professional.

 

Colonial Van Lines responded with a telephone call. I clearly stated that I do not trust the company and would prefer to resolve this in writing. They pledged to the Better Business Bureau on July 30, 2018 they would restrict communication to email. As of September 3, 2018 they have not provided any contact in writing. Instead, there have been 3 phone calls by Toshiba, Jason Garcia, and an individual who’s voice was not clearly articulated in the voicemail.

At this point, I am seeking a written apology and a full refund of $5,136.03. This includes all the charges made by Colonial Van Lines and R & R Moving. I have yet to have written explanations for any of these events. It should also be stated that R & R is not an accredited company with the Better Business Bureau. I am also requesting chiropractic care for the severe back pain this has been causing. I have also been processing the trauma with a therapist, who’s information can be provided if necessary.

 



1 Updates & Rebuttals

Jim

Beverly Hills,
California,
United States
You Have No Recourse

#2Consumer Comment

Tue, September 04, 2018

...the Senators of California, Florida, Texas; the governors of those 3 states; the attorney general; the secretary of commerce; and the president:  The Department of Transportation oversees the moving industry - there are exactly 3 employees overseeing the entire country and the thousands of movers in the US.  The people you communicated with will forward your letter to the three overworked employees.  And yes, nothing will come of it.

The items were damaged and several boxes (in excess of 5) were missing. The missing items are valued at approximately 500 dollars. The damaged items are valued at approximately 500 dollars as well. In addition, the most glaring object missing was a queen-sized box spring. Per one of the workers who moved the items, I was overcharged by approximately 200 dollars. As of the writing of this (September 3, 2018) the queen-sized box spring which was confirmed found and promised to be delivered on or before July 31, 2018 was not. The box-spring was valued at 150 dollars. This was a verbal promise from Colonial Van Lines Employee, Jason Garcia.  The value of the items lost or damaged is immaterial.  Per the contract you agreed to, you are provided valuation; whether that was Full replacement Valuation (FRV) subject to a deductible - which is an additional cost, or valuation at $0.60 per pound, which is free.  If it is the latter, the missing 40lb. mattress will yield a settlement of $24 and you won't collect anything more than that, nor can you sue the mover for the difference, but more on that later.

On July 17, 2018 I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in order to solve the overcharging, damaged item fees, and missing objects. The complaint to the Better Business Bureau reads as follows:  The BBB is a private organization whose existence is dependent upon dues-paying members.  It has no authority from the government to act against a business.  A business does not have to be a member of the BBB, however if it were a member, then the BBB would simply take the side of its....member...against you.  If a company decides it wishes not to be a member of the BBB, it doesn't really matter.  There is very little upside to being a member.

Colonial Moving didn't explain the process and didn't handle it correctly or legally. Their contracted company of R & R did not handle it well either... I removed the rest because nothing you indicated represented the fact that the mover did anything illegally.  The question really centers around whether you were provided a pamphlet called "Your Rights & Responsibilities".  This 27 page booklet can be found on their website.  Reading this document in full prior to your move would have answered many if not most of the questions you posed.  Most people discover this AFTER a move when it's too late.  It also explains you were not provided insurance, but were provided "valuation" which is different than insurance - movers are legally prohibited from selling insurance without a license.  For first time movers, there are several websites you could have consulted and have professional movers explain the process of interstate moving to you for free.  Somehow people believe that moving is just like any other industry,  It isn't - not even close.  Finally, a HHG carrier can broker out your move, especially during a busy season.  Colonial has only 9 trucks to perform a move.  R&R only has 2.  To be honest, I'm sort of surprised they delivered only 2 days outside of the delivery window during the busy season.

At this point, I am seeking a written apology and a full refund of $5,136.03.  Not only will you not get a refund, but you cannot even sue the mover for anything like pain and suffering your claiming, or fraud or misrepresentation.  Movers are legally protected by the Carmack Amendment that essentially protects movers from lawsuits and limits your ability to recover to ONLY that which is in your contract.  All a mover has to do in court is cite this amendment, and any case you have is dismissed.  This is not a secret - most movers know they have this protection.  Whether you will get an apology is anyone's guess.

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