Caledonian Moving & Storage

I agree completely with the last review (Tina) and had a VERY similar experience to her. Unprofessional, unreliable, frustrating and selfish service from D.H. [name removed by request of the removal company] at Caledonian. Very long story and I've wasted too much of my life and energy already on this company and trying to get my furniture and possessions back, so I'm not going to bore you all with the details. I would not recommend this service to anyone after storing my stuff with him for 2 years. The boys on the shop floor were great - hardworking and genuine - but unfortunately they are not allowed to make any decisions. Stressful and long process trying to get my furniture returned and eventually had to get the police involved to get answers. Should have done my homework first. I hope this review is as helpful as it is honest.

Service cost: £2500

An astonishingly bad company. They were originally due to deliver our goods early June, three weeks later they turned up with a third of our goods, with no idea that there was more to come in their storage units.  A second run came a few weeks later (my wife due to give birth and the house being without sofa/kitchen stuff - basically anything useful).  This run was still lacking items such as a piano, table, wardrobe - and some other stuff besides.  Eventually, over three months late (and a lot of stressed phone calls), the final delivery came.  They were not easy to get hold of and made frequent empty promises which made me suspect I would never receive my stuff.  They would promise to appear on a given date and not phone to tell me that it wasn't happening.  They made the rather stressful ordeal of having a child and moving house considerably more stressful - unless they change their practice I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

Service cost: £1000

We decided to use Caledonian for our move, as they put so much work into the pre-move service, everything seemed very organised and efficent from the office staff answering the calls and emails, the surveyor who came to our house for the estimate, and the detailed quotation we recieved. I am pleased to say the removal team were just as good, we had 3 removal men on our move, two very experianced guys and a younger guy, although when we asked if he was 'learning the ropes' he was quick to tell us he had worked there for 5 years! all three of them were excellent, they had everything unloaded in our new house, every bit of furniture neatly positioned where we wanted, and ready to start unpacking by 3.30! I would highly recommend. .

Service cost: £325

Avoid this company! All communication and service was great until I wanted my goods out of storage, six months after having them collected. Then it turned into a nightmare - the owner went so quiet on me when I tried to arrange a delivery date that I thought the company had gone bust. Eventually I did manage to get through to them only to find them aggressive and difficult on the phone and refusing to give me a delivery date. They were so difficult to deal with I had to pay another company to collect my goods from their storage facility, and get a solicitor involved to make sure the new company was allowed access (they were eventually but only after being kept waiting hours after the agreed time on the agreed date). When the new company delivered my goods they told me the company had piled my things in with lots of other peoples' and really didn't have much of a clue which was mine. In the end some of my goods were missing while I'd been given property belonging to other people. A complete shambles - and very stressful.

Service cost: £275

Avoid this company at all cost. [name removed by request of the removal company] is a ignorant, rude, and abusive man who has no regard for other people. His employees are courteous and very professional but he lets the company down in a big way.  He is just interested in receiving the payment. After that you will find it hard to track him down and get your items moved out of storage and into your new home. I have still to receive mine after 12 months of requesting delivery. Over £4000 down the drain not including the furniture that belongs to me and living in a near empty house. When he does take your calls he will hang up on you and then avoid you for months. See him personally and he will shower you with expletives..charming!

Service cost: £4200

This is our second time using Caledonian in 6 years.  They have given us excellent service both times. The most recent time we moved from a two bed top floor flat (3 floors) to a two bed cottage in the country.  The whole move took 5 hours with 4 men.  For this they charged £540 which I was that happy with that I didn't even bother with another quote.  The boys that came out were polite and extremely hard working.  I will be passing out their business cards to my friends and if required we will use them again. Thanks Caledonian for a job well done.

Service cost: £540

WARNING - DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY Before using this company I urge you to look at the number of court actions and claims against them. I also suggest you visit their premises to see how poorly run an operation this is - customer items discarded and lying all around the warehouse, evidence of damaged furniture in skips. They are a totally dishonest and unscrupulous company. Do not believe anything they say to you. They have failed to return items from storage (totalling several thousands of pounds), have consistently lied when contacted by police and lawyers, and have failed to defend actions in court. They also do not hold the insurance they claim despite customers paying extra for it so any damage/theft is unprotected.

Service cost: £2500

I can only agree with all the one star reviews already posted. Packing and pick up and delivery to local address fine. The problems all relate to items in storage and then delivery. Moving is a stressful time but Mr David Howie and his company only added to that by: 1. Not storing items in sealed containers as initially told 2. Not delivering the full load until 3 weeks later,  after many frustrating phone calls made. One whole container missing!! 3. Total lack of curtesy, excuse after excuse why we had not received goods 4. They got another company to deliver our goods which turned out OK but to date have still to be informed by Mr Howie that this was happening. Only got details of delivery by phoning the other company ourselves. 5. Still at least one box missing as weeks later I am remembering items that were put into storage. If this company cannot cope with storing goods as promised by Mr Jim Howie then they should not be offering this service. Would NOT recommend this company to anybody as would not want other people to experience this shambolic service.

Service cost: £6070

Guys were fantastic. Turned up on time. Think there was more stuff than they expected however they worked extremely hard the whole day. They never even stopped for lunch ( I went and got them something which they ate on the move ) There was not enough room to get the lorry up the drive so they carried everything from the end of the road. I think they were glad to see the job finished to be honest but they never complained once and were always extremely helpful. They were well worth the money, a very resonable price too.

Service cost: £498

Whole move couldn't have gone better, carefully planned and well executed. Jim visited me to survey at my old house in Bearsden and an hour later I got a quote through from David. I booked the move the following day and in the three weeks before they removal guys were due out David dropped me regular emails to see if I needed anything. The removal guys were also very helpful, they dismantled my bed which I had told Jim I would do, and put it together at the other end which was a great help. I had over 100 boxes, and they arranged for a local company (I moved down South) to collect all the empty boxes yesterday. These guys run like clockwork.

Service cost: £2300

Got this company November 2015.. What a disaster complete joke.. AVOID AVOID AVOID.. Bunch of cowboys.. missing items goods damaged . Worst experience I have had with a moving company. Ignored our calls when trying to get our missing items back and when they did try to return our items were so badly damaged we had to put them in the bin.. They also tried to give us other peoples items.. DISHONEST,UNRELIABLE, THIEVING CHEATS.. Definitely not professional.. After six months still discovering lots of items missing.. The pictures on the website are nothing like what will actually turn up at your door.. It's all a big con.. please do not get involved with this company.. Caledonian removers and storage.. Lots of items came back damaged but they don't care.. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE..

Service cost: £300

So disappointed our goods have been damaged and although being told we would get our tables back after repairs are carried out and compensation for the missing and damaged items. We have heard nothing. I am fed up chasing this up with them and the next step is Citizens Advice. I think they are avoiding our calls. Don't book, sorry they are just a bunch of cowboys.
We have waited over 5 weeks now and had to go and buy a new dining room table as we couldn't wait any longer to get our one back.

Service cost: £900

I had a protracted move with a few hiccups along the way so by the time our date was agreed it was 6 months after Caledonian visited. After paying the money up front I heard nothing until the day before so I must admit to being a bit concerned especially as they were 30 mins late arriving.
But I needn't have worried - from the moment they turned up they were excellent. Nothing was too much trouble. The guys out a real shift in and we're so polite and courteous to everyone they spoke to you would think they were butlers to the Queen. They even took time to play with the kids at one point. Really impressive and friendly.
They made a de-tour to a different address - no problem.
They sent someone to get a tool I needed to sort a lock - no problem.
They took down a bed and cot and out it back together at the other side - no problem.
Ask for regular updates but other than that have no hesitation in recommending them.

Service cost: £600

All seemed fine with stuff in storage, though a little concerned they moved yard whilst storing my belongings. Originally thought my container would be moved but apparently all unpacked and repacked to new location..not one on website or looks anything like the flash pictures.

I moved into new house on 3rd April 2018, still waiting for a number of items to be delivered, verbally confirmed in April they had them..someone put them in a different container and didn’t update computer apparently.
Couldn’t deliver to me as van broken down, following week same excuse, never called me back when he was 40mins from office and would call me straight back to arrange..nothing since now July. Been to site and no one around, doesn’t answer my calls or messages despite being totally contactable before I’d paid final bill ahead of delivery day.
So mountain bike, soundbar, chair, wheelbarrow plus number of other items not materialising nor any compensation for damaged goods, when told just send us a pic and we’ll sort on insurance. Nor collection of the mystery box of someone else’s personal effects that were left with me obviously mixed up in my container!!

Total scumbags and worries me that they do this to elderly or more vulnerable people, disgusting and unprofessional to say the least.

Service cost: £4000

In July 2012, I placed antique furniture (family heirlooms), paintings, and other personal possessions in a climate-controlled storage unit with Caledonian Moving and Storage for an agreed four-weekly sum of £60, which I faithfully paid until May 2016. So a total sum of £3,015 (inclusive an overpayment of £60).

At that time, I made arrangements with Caledonian's owner for my belongings to be shipped to Germany, where I now live.I paid Caledonian £2,280 by wire transfer for the shipping, which Mr. Howie confirmed in an e-mail sent 9 May 2016 that he had received.

My belongings were scheduled to be shipped in June 2016. They never arrived. And Mr. Howie stopped answering e-mails and wouldn't answer the phone when he recognised my number.
Eventually, I reached him on the telephone and he claimed that everything had been in transit, but that due to the Brexit referendum, his drivers had all cancelled and refused to take the shipment. He also gave me a personal sob story about his business being in trouble and that he was really no longer in the moving business, rather only storage, but that he would see this one shipment through and I needed to just give him some time but that he guaranteed I would get my belongings back.

I never heard from him again. I have tried here and there to reach him, but he never answers the phone and ignores all e-mails. Once, I caught him on the telephone and he again spent a long time explaining his woes and that he's in a period of difficulty and that I just needed to be patient. It has now been years since I have been trying to get my belongs back. Quite frankly, my depression over the loss of so many family treasures - paintings by my grandmother and great-grandmother, a four-poster bed that has been in the family since the 18th century - has had me paralyzed with inaction, scared that if I "upset the apple cart," that I would never see them again.

Somehow he has managed to get away with the theft of tens of thousands of pounds worth of furniture and heirlooms. The financial loss is nothing, however, compared to the sentimental loss. This was everything I owned in the world. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about something I used to have and will never see again.

I don't know how Mr. Howie can live with himself.

Service cost: £5300

David was wonderful and prompt when I contacted him about a fast, turn-around move I needed from Glasgow to Indiana. I was stressed about the international move and it being so fast, and he was pleasant and affordable and worked well with what we needed. On the day of the move, he and his men were quick and efficient and professional.

But, since he left with our things, the story has changed. He said He would email me customs forms to fill out. He didnt. When I updated his with our new address, it took 2 emails and a phone call to reach him to verify. He said again that he would send the customs forms and call me the next day with an update. Then nothing. I've called again, but cannot reach him. I've emailed several times with no reply. I'm desperate at this point.

The material possessions that we shipped are irreplaceable. Our children's baby books and childhood artefacts. Our family photo albums with only copies of some pictures. My Christmas ornaments collection, with ornaments from my grandparents who recently passed away. Everything we own that couldn't fit into the suitcases we took on the plane are in that shipment. Our clothes, shoes, tax documents.. So much. I can't imagine it all just gone. It's seriously heart-breaking.

I would love to hear back from them and get our things and update this rating. I would love advice on how to proceed. We just want our things!! I'm desperate at this point!

S.fogarty.uk@gmail.com.

Service cost: £3183