Cardinal Van Lines

Signed a contract in early March for a St. Louis to Chicago move in May. When working with the sales person, we were extremely clear that this move must occur on the estimated weekend (any day Thur-Sun is fine, but we are flying in to get our remaining items out of storage). I signed a contract and paid the 30% downpayment (~$600). A week and a half before the move, I called to confirm the amount I needed to put on a certified check. The customer service person put me on hold for about 20 minutes, then said that there was a "50/50 chance they would pick up on the weekend we estimated and likely will cancel". They then tried to blame it on the fact that St. Louis to Chicago is an "unusual route" and they don't have anyone to do the job. We are now completely stuck a week out with no movers. Cardinal Van Lines is not an "experienced moving company". It's a scam brokerage that leaves its customers out to dry.

Company failed to honor the contract we had. Communication with the company was very difficult and they would not follow through with promises when I finally did talk to someone after I called them. They kept promising a confirmation phone call for the moving truck to arrive and they never did. After the move dates promised on the contract had expired, they sent me an email stating that they could not provide the promised service and would refund my deposit in 5 to 7 days. This contract was originally signed on 3/25/2021 and the move date was 5/24 - 5/25/2021.

To anyone who has used this company and was lied to, overcharged and given misleading information GO TO BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND REPORT THEM AND/OR RIGHT A REVIEW. Too many people have been scammed by this company. To anyone who is looking into this company DO NOT USE THEM. Cardinal Van Lines is broker not a moving company and will not tell you this up front. We were lied to, overcharged and without our things for a week and half. My husband and I hired Cardinal Van Lines for our move from Michigan to Texas. We were on a budget but thought a moving company would help avoid some of the stress. We were quoted $5200 in the beginning of March based on a phone conversation with Nicolas. We called back multiple times to make sure the estimate was right based on the number of items we had. We were assured on the phone the estimate would cover it. Two days before our big move we were called and given another estimate of $7600 based on all our items. We were completely trapped because, of course, we didn't have time to find another moving company in two days. We were also told that the truck would be weighed once it got to Texas and we could potentially get reimbursed if our items were lighter than estimated. We signed the contract working under this assumption that we could potentially get reimbursed even though they added an extra $2,400 two days before our move. The day the movers arrived (Way to Go, Inc.) the truck was loaded and we were charged MORE based on how much our things took up in the truck. So the price increased to $8010. What we were supposed to do? Tell them to unload the truck? No, again, we were trapped to pay more. Again, we were told the truck would be weighed in Texas and we could potentially get reimbursed if the items were lighter than estimated. The truck was NOT weighed in Texas and of course we did not get any money back. And if fact, we were charged MORE for a long distance carrying fee. We were also mislead by Cardinal Van Lines when we initially hired them that our things would arrive Monday May 10th. Two days before the move we find out it may take up to 2 weeks for our things to arrive. We were never told this information until again it was too late and we were trapped. We did not have our things until Saturday May 15th and of course we had to pay for a hotel room during that time. If we were told upfront that we would be without our things during that time we could have planned better. But instead we had to live day to day not knowing when our things would arrive or how many more days we would have to live in the hotel. It was unnecessarily stressful. When I would call customer service they wouldn't answer 95% of the time. Cardinal Van Lines will lie to get your money and trap you so that you don't have any other alternatives. They don't care that they are harming you and robbing you of your money. STAY AWAY!!!

I would give 0 stars if I could. The customer service is absolutely terrible and everyone tells you something different. My first mistake was believing the sales guy when I booked the company. I was told 5-7 business days as opposed to the 7-14 business days of other companies. This is the sole reason I chose Cardinal. I was also told I could expect the movers to arrive on Friday or Saturday. They showed up on Thursday. They upcharged me way beyond the estimate even though I had exactly the items listed on the inventory list and didn't change anything. They also wouldn't accept cash or credit card- only Zelle which seems odd for a "reputable" moving company. The driver asked me what was the first date I'd like to be able to receive my items. Just a note- I found later by customer service that you can expect delivery 2-10 business days after this date (so put 2 days prior to when you want your items). Another customer service rep told me I could expect my items 7-14 business days from pick up. Finally, every person I've spoken to (if you can even get ahold of someone) has told me different dates. No one can tell me where my stuff is. I don't trust this company and would never recommend. They are not professional and they will do anything to get your business.

I would rate them a 0. No stars. they canceled the move pic-up 2 days before an did not call to tell us. We called them to confirm and that is how we found out. They took the money quick and then we hard to contact for weeks. Finally we made contact. They put us in a bad situation and more money to use to find another company to last minute pick-up. I will be filling a complaint with the better business bureau and the attorney general office because they are not wanting to refund the money as fast as they took it. or not even at all. I would rate the auto company they referred us to a five star they are good with communications and keeping there promise.