California Relocation Systems LLC

This company is a complete joke from the top down. James the owner has no idea what is going on and didn’t care about any customer period. We were sold on this company by George Harris who seemed like a nice guy but just lied and lied and lied over and over again. He made promises he couldn’t keep and 9 days after they loaded our things it finally arrived but not by them!! Our contract was with them and they farmed us out. A nice young man appeared today from the company that they subbed out too in the middle of a snowstorm with no help!! We paid $2500 for a full service move and spent the afternoon hauling boxes ..we are filing a complaint with the DOT and probably a lawsuit. The foreman Steve threw our lamps into boxes without protection breaking one as well as a trash can, sorter and ottoman all of whichwere ruined. Don’t use these people just don’t!!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2500

I was moving to Texas and I asked my daughter to help me find a moving company. She found Cali Relocation Systems that was based in Los Angeles. I got a lot of calls from brokers and from companies based out of Florida and New York. I liked the idea of hiring a company the was close to us. After getting the quote I read all of the horror stories online so I asked Mike (moving coordinator) if they did in home estimates and sure enough they did. He explained to me that they typically didn't do them for moves my size but he would see what he could do. The next day I had Anas at my house! He was super nice and explained everything in detail. The price did go up but there was so many things I forgot about. He asked about the things I was concerned about and made sure my mothers earn and other sentimental items were got extra special attention. I was called by Dawn during the move just to see how I was doin. It's little things like that go a long way. I told her they were doing a good job and he said I have their best crew, which I was glad to hear. They were very careful with my belongings. I had no damage. They packed it up and arrived in Texas about a week later. They made a stressful situation into a great situation. I already recommend them to a 2 of my friends. Highly recommended.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $800

We have relocated 19 times across the country so we’ve had a lot of experience with local and interstate movers. By far, Cali Relocation Systems is the WORST – especially in terms of the shoddy packing, haphazard loading and later, by being basically unresponsive to our complaints about the movers and all of the added, unwarranted costs: charging us for specialty boxes that never appeared; inflating the cubic feet estimate despite indisputable contrary evidence; adding a bogus fuel surcharge; increasing the packing charge even though the packer only did a portion of it (and we were in frequent contact about the number and size of items to be moved); and charging us for a long distance carry that wasn’t even remotely accurate. They also lost our dining room table and there was an incredible amount of breakage. The packer was belligerent and clearly didn’t know what he was doing. This company claims they use professional, experienced movers and promise a “stress-free” move but don’t believe what you read. They were horrific.

Update 5/26/19: Cali Relocation Systems’s QA dept called to ostensibly discuss our complaints but true to form, he was also belligerent and rude UNLESS he thought my husband was also on the call. hmmm. Their first response to our formal claim was about 8% of the overcharges presented in an undated and unsigned letter; their second offer from the QA guy was less than 1/7 of their overcharges; didn’t include damages; and he wanted us to take down our reviews in order to even get that amount. When I refused to remove our reviews until the entire case was resolved, he became even more disrespectful and aggressive. When he couldn’t bully me into submission he hung up on me.

During packing/loading, I had been bullied and threatened into signing the Bill of Laden at 11:30 pm in a dark and cold and desolate burn zone caused by the Paradise Camp Fire. I was by myself with their crew and felt increasingly vulnerable and scared. I had already been victimized by the fire and these guys have no shame in additionally victimizing their customers with bait and switch and bullying, coercive tactics. Don’t be strongarmed by this unethical company.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $8064

All we wanted was to get our furniture to our new home in one piece. We entrusted CRS with property. The initial estimate from CRS was based on the measurements of two storage units & description of items to pick up at the house along with photographs. Nobody from CRS ever visited our house or the storage units to confirm the space needed to move our possessions. We paid a total of $15,289.96, consisting of an initial deposit on our credit card in the amount of $4,839.96 then a payment of $7,838 via check at the time our possessions were loaded into their trucks in and a final cash payment of $2,612 in WA prior to unloading. Workers would not open the doors to the trucks until they were paid. The additional amount of $7,838 was determined after our items were loaded into two trucks in storage in CA. The shock of having to pay an additional $7,838 was accompanied by the feeling of being held hostage because our possessions were already out of our control. They would not allow a credit card payment. Original estimate was $9877.00. The condition of our furniture when it was delivered to WA clearly demonstrated that CRS just didn't care whether our items were delivered intact or broken. There is overwhelming evidence that our furniture was pushed/dragged across rough surfaces while in their possession rather than being moved on a hand truck or furniture dolly. We sent our claim, with pictures & a letter, on Feb. 23, 2019. We established a 45-day period for a response. After hearing nothing from CRS on the 45th day, I sent an email asking about the status & indicated that if we didn’t get a response in ten days, we would move forward with “Plan B”. Soon after this, we received a voicemail that the claim form they had on file only had one item listed (the armoire). We sent the claim forms again. By this time, we had become extremely frustrated with CRS because we had been waiting since Feb & here it was April & they told us we had to send the claims again with the pictures. That is when we realized they had no intentions of working with us. CRS’s responses to our complaints of our items was that we didn't take out the extra insurance & we signed a contract. The contract we signed clearly didn't indicate that it would be acceptable to have our furniture dragged and ruined during move. The damage items, included an armoire and dining room chairs, resulted in sharp protrusions that severely scratched our brand new floor in WA. CRS refuses to take responsibility for their negligence that led to the destruction of our personal property. We come to learn there are many kinds of moving fraud. One of the most common is when a mover provides a low cost quote to perform an interstate move, loads your goods onto their truck, and then claims your load is over the weight or volumetric estimate and the additional weight/volume will be charged after the items are loaded into the truck(s). Consumers are forced to pay extra just to get their belongings back. Our research also indicates that reputable movers will NOT demand cash or any large deposit before moving you. We paid them for a service. The service was to pack our items with care, deliver them to our new home, then unpack our items at the delivery location. I guess we were naïve in that we expected CRS to treat our items with respect CRS had no regard for any of our property. They broke items that could never be replaced because they were vintage. The worst part of all of this is that they refuse to take responsibility and try to make the customer feel as if it was their fault. We are senior citizens who live on a fixed income and we had to pay out an extra $7,838.00, put up with their incredible lack of professionalism, and now deal with damages to our possessions in excess of $20,000.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $15289

I booked this company to move myself and my wife in January 2019 to move us from CA to CO. I was told by several of their employees (Dawn/Mike/George) that since I was on a tight deadline for moving that a live transfer was my best option. The initial quote I received seemed reasonable and waited for the movers to arrive at my house. They were scheduled to arrive on a Thursday; received a text to see if they could arrive between 5-8PM. I stated that was too late and they responded with arriving early Friday morning. I was able to actually talk to either George or Dawn since the movers had not arrived. They did not arrive until 1PM and began loading. They began to label boxes, stated that I had more boxes than originally quoted, and that I needed to pay the difference. I saw how they were packing the truck. They brought the furniture from upstairs by sliding them down the stairs rather than carrying them down. Also, they did NOT fully disassemble the entertainment center in the living room. They did not take the "professional" care as stated in their documents or website. I did call George and Dawn several times during the loading process regarding delivery of our items. The expected delivery was to be Saturday since our apartment was to be ready that day. Talking to the driver he stated that the actual delivery was to be Monday at 11AM. I called both George and Dawn again stating that is not what was promised and this does not seem like a "live transfer". After they left, there was trash all over my house; used tape rolls, cardboard, packing paper, empty packing bags, and candy wrappers. On Monday morning, my wife waited at an empty apartment for the movers to arrive. Nothing occurred. I called the company asking for an arrival status and ended up leaving a message both with Dawn and George. I finally get a call from the driver at 4PM stating that he is at a truck stop 10 miles away and that it is too late to deliver. The delivery will be on Tuesday between 8-11AM. My wife and I end up staying another night in a hotel room. The next day, the driver showed up by himself. I asked where the other guys were and he stated that they were coming. The driver asked for the payment balance and I stated that I will get it once the unloading started. The bank was closeby so I could get the funds. He started to get things unloaded as my wife and I went to the bank. We returned and saw only one (1) guy was helping with the unloading. He looked like a guy pulled off the street and I found out that he was hired off of Craigslist that morning!! Where were the "professional movers" for this job? I took pictures of the inside of the truck to see how our items were arriving; boxes were crushed, items were tipping over, no real separation between loads. The other load was spilled over into ours; unbelievable! This was NOT a "professional move"! The assembled furniture was not done correctly and I had to do it. They unloaded items that were not even ours and the driver blamed the Craigslist guy. Several furniture items were damaged even ones that were brand new; still wrapped from the store. We counted all the boxes and several were missing. I talked to the driver about it and he stated that we had ALL of our boxes by showing me where they were loaded. However, with the other load spilling into ours I doubt that is true. We saw boxes with two (2) number stickers on them also. Some boxes had glass packed with wood shelves and one of the floor lamps was not even wrapped!
I have called Mike/Dawn/George and texted Dawn/George several times to discuss this issue with them, left messages, and no calls back after two (2) days! I had seen their reviews which were good but not until I saw the one from Sam T. I have moved to AZ, NV, and CA with NO issues like these. My wife and I will be working with an attorney and complaints will be filled since they seem to not be interested is resolving this civilly.
I will update my review and photos will be posted.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5514

Their moving approach was fantastic. It was well executed and everything of mine was well accounted for. This was my biggest fear going into the move. The recklessness of my valuable and some items exclusive and irreplaceable.

They were meticulous above all else and understanding of the importance of my things. This was shown through their overall actions and approach to moving my things with the priority of safety and protection in mind. My things did just arrive this afternoon and nothing was out of place, disoriented or broken. Everything made it in one piece. Well worth the price.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5400

My wife and I are moving across the country, and we researched several options to get us to New York. We looked at pods, uhaul, even shipping it via freight. We finally chose California Relocation Systems. From the time I contacted them and Jim handled booking the crew to move us until the entire trailer was packed and the doors were closed, the entire California Relocation Systems team was highly professional and delivered service well-beyond our expectations.

They provided me with a written and detailed quote for services ahead of time, and then the crew leader went over the hard-copy paperwork for me to sign when they arrived. The pricing was very fair, and the quote was accurate as well.

At first, a three man crew arrived as per my expectation (Art, Steve, Danny); however, once the team and I walked the house and the team leader realized that they were understaffed, he asked my permission to bring in another team member. When I asked him to explain why another man was needed, he explained that the job was larger than they expected (based upon what I told Jim initially) and that another crew member would allow them to more efficiently loan and wrap in less time. Basically, a shared workload with a larger crew would save me time and money. They didn't charge me anything additional and it allowed the crew to work more efficiently. Thanks for joining the crew, Manny!

I ordered a 26' trailer (based upon the shipping company estimate and recommendation), but the trailer was simply not going to be large enough to fit everything; nevertheless, I asked the crew to pack as much as they could and when we got to the end we could decide what would stay and what would go. Well, these guys amazed me by packing the trailer completely - and I mean completely full so that anything left we could transport ourselves in our personal vehicles. The crew treated our household goods with the utmost respect. They wrapped our furniture in blankets and shrink-wrap so that it was completely protected. Bottom line: they treated our stuff as if it was their own stuff. I love these guys!!

I appreciate seeing excellence in action. From professional athletes to scholars, our society recognizes and appreciates people that are the best at what they do. I can say without a doubt that the California Relocation Systems team that handled my move are the very best at what they do, and I am grateful to have found them.

Thanks again, guys!

If you are fortunate enough to have any one of these guys on a crew handling your move consider yourself blessed. Having four all-stars was amazing!!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4300

Wish I could have given the rating a zero. Don't do it! DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY! My daughter moved from California to Colorado. It was a terrible experience all around. We started with Danielle setting up the move and giving us the estimate. She said she was going to be our contact during the entire move and she never answered her phone or returned our emails. We didn't even use up the minimum amount of space in the truck. The guys loading the truck, without saying a word to my daughter, laughed when they saw the estimate. They said it was too low and doubled the price. They demanded cash on the spot. They never answer when you call. The load didn't make it when promised from when they told us. My wife and I flew out to help our daughter unpack and settle in and three days later had to fly back home. The truck showed up five days after promised. Dawn (customer service-ha) was called multiple times. No help there. Look at the bad reviews-eerily familiar. The good ones--not sure I trust. We were missing a shelf and wheel for the bed. They told my daughter to go to Home Depot to replace it. We never did get a receipt.
If you are considering this company, please contact the BBB or
FMCSA. Please look at reviews, there definitely is a pattern.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3050

I was moving with my family to Chicago from California and at first dreaded having to go through the moving process. But the Team at California Relocation Systems really made everything smooth. We had a number of old pieces such as art work, lamps etc. We also had a bunch of big items such as beds, dressers, tables and heavy desks. They packed up everything nicely and nothing was damaged or marked. The quote was very accurate to what we paid. The team was very personable and friendly as well. I'm glad I decided to go with this company and would definitely recommend to anyone else who needs to do any type of long distance moves.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4200

First time moving can be intimidating (especially across country, oh my), but this company made it so easy and stress free. They were all very easy to communicate with, and had clear instructions for us as well as what we were paying for. I paid a very reasonable price for them to arrive on time, pack everything with great care, and deliver it to my new location undamaged. Their team works fast, efficiently, and are all very professional. My husband and I are very pleased and are so thankful for how smoothly the whole process was. Overall, I’m glad we took a chance with this company. Huge thanks to George and his team!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4800

We found Cali Relo Systems on facebook while we were trying to decide whether to hire someone or do it ourselves because it was so much cheaper. We'd also had several bad experiences with movers breaking things from antique furniture to anything fragile. We also never found one that would stick with a quoted price. They'd wait until the last minute then start adding extra charges when it was too late for us to make other arrangements.
We realized what a pain the butt it would be to have our friends, cousins, etc help us load a truck than sitting in a truck for 5 hours didn't seem fun, then unloading. ugh!! and decided to hire someone. I was impressed with the reviews, and my initial moving consultant Jim was very helpful. He always returned my calls and answered all of my questions.
Let me say this - when it comes to moving, these guys are beasts! We had Steve as our foreman. He looked like a strong safety and moved like one too. Steve and his crew did a phenomenal job of moving stuff that was really not easy. Yes, we had all the boxes and stuff, but there were things like a solid oak, antique grand piano and a large, very awkward to load gun safe that weighed hundreds of pounds. Oh yeah..we also have an 8 ft. 4 in. leather over steel elephant that is nothing short of being completely unwieldy to tote up a bunch of stairs and through an average size door.
When these guys work, as my son put it, they "kick ass." The move was done quickly and continuously until everything is done. They even helped us pack some of the last minute stuff that we weren't sure how to box. It took them about 6 hours to load two 26 ft. moving trucks, which they packed to the gills. It was like poetry in motion watching these guys stack the trucks. They were playing Tetris with my desks, entertainment center, chairs, and cabinets. In the process, they had to dismantle things like the beds and the baby grand piano.
We weren't closing for a few days and my wife was worried about the piano possibly warping in the heat of the truck, so they promised to unload it and store it, then reload it to make the drive. Seriously, who does that? Nobody that we've ever worked with before! I went to their state of the art climate controlled warehouse. I felt so comfortable. It was like dating a girl that lets you go through her cell phone.
We called them as soon as the house was closed and we had the key, which was fairly late in the day. They were there, again, right on time. Our new house is three levels and there are substantial steps up to the main floor from the driveway. The four of them worked at a phenomenal rate and had us completely moved in that same day. Just hauling the piano up those steps was killer! They had all the furniture in place and everything reconstructed by 10:30 that night. My daughter asked them if they ever took a break and they said, "We break when our job is done."
And that, folks, is how a moving company should operate; on time, at the promised price and with integrity. Boom! These guys are promising pros and care. They show dedication and passion with what they do!

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $9700

As many people know, moving is stressful regardless of where you're moving but moving from one state to the next is pretty much a nightmare. You need to make sure that you can count on a company that understands your needs, and also puts your mind at ease. With so many companies that make you feel uneasy just by looking at them, this is not one of them. You can ensure that all of your items are safe, that they listen to directions and that they are not one of those shady companies that take your money and your stuff, because I have seen that happen!
They made my life less stressful and the move much easier, I am recommending them to everyone I know.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000

I was really happy with the job that California Relocation Systems did for me and my family. They made the pick up of our goods easy, with me coming home from work for the pickup and my wife already at home with kids- they called an hour before arrival as they said they would and showed up on time. They were polite and respectful and did a great job in quickly and efficiently packing everything up.

The foreman Eamon was great, he made sure that the crew was very careful with the furniture, kids toys, everything. My husband was really concerned with some glass table tops and a big china cabinet with glass doors, but thankfully everything made it to Texas without a scratch. It was a big move, and at the end of the day what I feel is relief because it’s all over now and I was able to save quite a bit of money with Cali Relocation- the big national movers were about 30% higher with their quotes.

From price to convenience to delivery time window to how smooth the whole move went, I’d recommend California Relocation to people making a long distance move. Thanks for a quality and value move, it’s my pleasure to recommend you to others out there looking for a moving company.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8400

This is my first cross country move and California Relocation provides a quote for $4800, then after my belongings were loaded in the truck, the price tripled. Then the price changed based on a different person. They held my property hostage for weeks until I paid double my original quote. My motorcycle and furniture was damaged, boxes thrown and missing items. They have lied to me multiple times and I am now in the process of filing a claim and demand for neutral arbitration. They have changed their company name multiple times, subcontract out trucks and movers. I DO NOT recommend this company. They are not ethical, professional and should not be in the moving business.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $9000

OMG! This is the most terrible, dishonest, unethical company that I have ever had the dis-pleasure to encounter. The way that they conduct their business goes something like this:
They reel you in with a moving quote that is below market price.
You give them a call, they are only too happy to tell you all kinds of miss information about why their service is cheaper, how they are able to offer discounts etc, etc. So you sign up with a 30% deposit.
Moving day comes, they start moving your belongings onto the truck and oops there is a problem! The quote was wrong and now the price is 3 or 4 times more. They won’t take your belongings back off the truck and of course will not refund your deposit. In fact we were told that if we canceled we would have to pay another company to collect our stuff from them.
To make a long story short, after being held to ransom, feeling violated and extorted, we ended up paying 3 times our original quote to end this mess. This was only getting a third of our belongings delivered.
When I read other reviews online there are so many positive reviews. One has to ask the question: are these from real people? Are they talking about the same company?

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $4500

So if I could give zero stars I would. I have called the USDOT and California Consumer Affairs office which stated the company has an interstate license but no intrastate license listed with them. Consumer Affairs will be following up on that. The USDOT will investigate only if they deem it proper and the company doesn't follow established Federal Regulations for Moving and Shipping companies. So lets say if you get [NAME EDIT] as your sales guy he is the biggest [EDIT] I have ever talked to. So after your loaded you will never hear from him again, he will be in a meeting, away from the office or on another call. He will refer you to [NAME EDIT] who is a piece of work herself. She will promise to get back to you but never does and you have to try and continually text both parties since you never will talk to a live person once you are loaded. So I have gone down to the Hollywood Police Station and talked to office LU who stated that I probably should fill out a police report since his investigation shows no real phone number, google only, they never responded to his inquiries, and [NAME EDIT]'s phone number has someone named [NAME EDIT] on it with a full mailbox.
So my experience mirrors all other negative reviews. [NAME EDIT] called and called to earn my business. I finally looked at the their website(all [NAME EDIT] by the way) and said to send a Foreman and worker out to my place to look it over and then report to [NAME EDIT]. Then [NAME EDIT] gives me a $4000.00 quote, sound familiar to other reviews!? Upon loading the truck my quote goes to $7000.00 for a 1 bedroom apartment. The workers were late, the foreman, [NAME EDIT] had a bad knee. I had two shelves to pack in the kitchen so I left him to it, to my surprise I find broken pieces of my grandmothers dinnerware all over the floor after they left. Then a friend of [NAME EDIT]'s shows up and doesn't follow the order of the move, I had labels for everything. They also ran out of supplies for a 1 bedroom apartment. According to [NAME EDIT] this was his best foreman.
So times goes by and after the 18th I never hear from anyone again. Oh [NAME EDIT] will text with no answer and she will says its all my fault(sound familiar to the other negative reviews)?! I have the $3000 in money orders from the USPS waiting but I probably will never see my things again or as previous reviews mentioned it will be all broken and scratched or missing tvs and appliances like on the BBB website for April.
Please contact me if you need further information about this company. All the bad reviews are true. I wish I had seen them, down in LA. $7000 dollars later.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7000

I had to move to NY with short notice and was nervous about hiring a moving company, since I've never used one before. Jim was the representative that I spoke with and he explained the moving process and things I should expect. He also told me that it would take about 2 weeks for delivery. There were some complications with scheduling times, but they stayed in communication with me and were able to get me loaded in time. Dawn and Cindy really went out of their way to help make this move happen. Because of my situation, I didn't have time to get a couple of items I needed to pack some valuable pieces in and the guys had special boxes/wrapping on the truck and did it for me. I was expecting 2 weeks to get my things and they arrived in 9 days!! There were a couple of boxes that had minor rips at the top, but nothing inside was damaged and all of my furniture was in good shape. One dresser drawer handle had a small crack, but nothing major. I really appreciate all of their efforts. It wasn't perfect, but my overall experience with California Relocation Systems was very good and I would definitely recommend them to others!!

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $6800

Moving can be very stressful and after looking at many moving companies and their reviews, I finally settled on California Relocation Systems to help with my move from California to Florida. Their quote seemed reasonable and the customer service was extremely helpful, answering any questions that I had. They were very receptive and responded to all my questions in a very efficient and timely manner.
The movers that picked up my furniture were very professional and on time. They were well equipped and they packed all my valuables within 1 hour.

When I received my furniture the driver was professional, courteous, on time and very efficient. Your team made it possible! My sincere appreciation goes to George and Dawn. Because of them, it was possible to move in a stress-free manner. Thank you so much. I would recommend California Relocation Systems for any long distance move. You did everything that you said you would and the whole relocation process turned out amazing.

You ROCK!!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5891

This was a very straightforward experience with California Relocation Systems which is refreshing considering most moves are needlessly complicated and lengthy due to involuntary actions and mistakes made along the way. Sometimes those mistakes and actions are voluntary.

With the California Relocation Systems team we were fortunate enough to witness a well orchestrated moving process that was thoroughly planned frommthe time they picked up our belongings in Santa Monica, until they finally dropped them off in Florida.

I was very impressed with their knowledge and experience throughout this move. It really showed that they cared about the condition of their customers belongings as the move went on. The final results were favorable.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5500

This company helped me move to RI. They picked up my things from a storage site in CA and dropped them off at our new house in RI.
My main issues are: 1. They use shady temp people to load and unload.. trucker placed a craigslist ad when he arrived and that attracted the scum of the earth into our home. 2. I discovered about $5k worth of power tools have been stolen out of our things. Not surprisingly, as they use the scum of the earth.
No exaggerations or anger here.. just completely disappointed with their business model and I wish I had used a more reputable company!

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $19000