Dec 29, 2024
Regal Van Lines = Bait and Switch
Choosing Regal Van Lines to move our belongings interstate was the absolute worst decision we have ever made. They are a Bait and Switch operation that lured us in with a very reasonable price at first ($5,612, based on a load volume estimate of 1,003 cubic feet (cf)). That was on 9/11/24. Seven days before the move, on 10/19/24, they conducted a “Quality Assurance” call, where they asked for exact dimensions of the 11 bookshelves, etc, and then raised the price to $10,761. Supposedly because the volume “IS going to be 1,600 cubic feet.” (Joe Sullivan, Regal Van Lines) Probably more. Probably more like 2,000 cf, or even 2,300 cf. But they would only charge us for a maximum of 1,600 cf. Unfortunately, they preyed upon the vulnerability of a 71 year old woman who wouldn’t know a cubic foot from an orangutan. And had her pay them an additional $3,000 deposit. I became aware of the severity of the gouge on the day of the move, at which point I called Regal and got involved. Joe Sullivan continued to insist that the load WOULD BE 1,600 cf. Probably more. Probably more like 2,400 cf (yes, his “probably” amount keeps going up). I had to ask him a half dozen times, “What if it isn’t? What if it’s less?” He told me the movers would show me the mark. That it WOULD BE 1,600 cf. It WOULD. But what if it’s not? “They will make adjustments” (Joe Sullivan) A few notes are in order at this point. One, no one at Regal ever mentioned that they are not an actual mover. They’re strictly a broker. Per the rules, they are required to tell us that. They didn’t. According to the rules, they’re supposed to do a physical inventory of the items to be moved, either by on site or virtual inspection. They did neither, just pulling 1,003 cf and then 1,600 cf numbers out of thin air. Buried deep in their contract is a statement to the effect that we waived this inspection. That was news to us when we finally did see it, post move. (Yes, we really really should have read every word of that contract BEFORE the move, but we thought we were dealing with a reputable company. Their contract has a couple of other interesting conditions, one of which is that I’m not allowed to disparage them on social media or review websites. I’m really going to be in trouble now.) Based on Joe’s promise that they would make adjustments if the load was less than 1,600 cf, I allowed the move to proceed. Back to the trucks Regal doesn’t have. What actually showed up at our door was two Russians in a rented Penske box truck. Fortunately, one of them did speak halfway decent English. (note: ironically, these two gentlemen from KUAT Moving in California were the only good guys in this whole adventure. And they’re actually from Kazakhstan, not Russia. They get a total 5 star rating for their role) As for where the 1,600 cf line in the truck was, they couldn’t say. However, a quick online review of the specs of a 26’ Penske rental box truck, shows that the total capacity of that truck is 1,700 cf. When all of our stuff was loaded, the truck was less than 1/3 full. So our load was less than 600 cf. Not 1,003. Not 1,600. Definitely not 2,300 or 2,400, which I guess is a good thing, else they would’ve needed another truck. We are filing complaints with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the BBB (where they are NOT accredited. See their reviews on that site for many more stories like ours), and every online review site I can find. One last note on Regal. On their website, they claim that on Yelp, they get 4.4 stars (out of five) based on 67 reviews. When I looked them up on Yelp, there were 10 reviews with an average rating of 1.2 stars (which is 9 one star reviews, with stories just like mine and one 3 star review. The 3 star reviewer wrote, “I wrote a review. I went to court. We have come to an agreement. Please take down my review.”
