This Saturday we had our first experience with one of those fancy new moving PODS (Portable On-Demand Storage) containers. Yeah, I know, we’re a little late to the game on this one; PODS containers have been around for a while, but this was our first chance to use one.
Our good friends, Mary and Eric, just bought a foreclosure in a neighboring county and are moving out of their townhome into a 4 bedroom fixer-upper (good fodder for a houseblog). Instead of going with the traditional moving truck, Mary and Eric chose PODS. They had two PODS containers delivered to their house over the course of several weeks; we helped them load the second on Saturday morning. They chose large-size PODS containers (8x8x16) for their move. PODS also offers two smaller sizes, 8x8x12 and 7x7x8.
PODS Review
PODS containers are great. They can be dropped off at your house the night before you plan to pack them. You can take as long as you want (or as long as your neighbors will tolerate them in your parking spaces) to fill them up. Then, when you’ve finished packing, the nice PODS folks will take them back to the secure storage facility until you’re ready to have the container delivered to it’s destination.
How do they get the PODS container on and off the PODS truck? One word: PODzilla.
You can see the PODzilla video here.
How Much Do PODS Containers Cost?
PODS’ pricing varies based on how long you’ll need the container, how far you’ll need the container transported, and whether you use a PODS secure storage facility. For local moves in the Maryland area, PODS charges $229 to deliver the container to your current home, pick it up at a later date, and drop it off at the new home. They charge an additional $39 fee to remove the container from your location after the move is complete. You’ll want to finish your move in less than a month, or PODS gets another $179 per month until they retrieve their container from your premises. While the pricing is reasonable, a 24′ budget rental truck will hold nearly as much as two PODS containers for around $200/day. Of course, with the Budget Truck, you must complete the move in 1 day, where PODS containers will let you pack and unpack at your leisure.
How Much PODS Container Does One Need?
At 8x8x16, a large container holds 1024 cubic feet or about 38 cubic yards. In plain English, I estimate it takes about 2 large PODS containers to move a moderately-furnished, medium-sized, 2 story, 3-bedroom townhome if you can also make a few runs with a truck/van. If you aren’t moving locally and EVERYTHING has to fit in the PODS container, you’ll want to disassemble as many things as you can and pack them in boxes. You’ll probably still need a third PODS container to move all the odd-shaped stuff leftover (think lamps, large kids toys, odd-shaped furniture, etc).
We managed to cram a lot of stuff in this container. I didn’t take an inventory, but here’s some of the items that fit into the second PODS container:
- 2 full size couches
- 1 queen bed (headboard, footboard, rails), mattress, boxspring
- 1 set bunkbeds w/ 2 mattresses
- 1 trundle bed frame
- 1 womens dresser
- 1 mens dresser
- 1 toy chest
- 1 large entertainment center
- 1 bookshelf
- 15+ medium-sized boxes
- 1 large TV. 1 small TV
The Bottom Line
PODS is a great alternative to the traditional moving truck if you’re willing to shell out a few more greenbacks to move at your leisure. For more information, check out our SAM vs. PODS Comparison.
What do you think? Have you moved with PODS? What kind of experience did you have?
I’ve never used them, but it sure seems like a good idea. I remember when we moved into our house how nice it was to have 10 days between closing and our lease end for slow moving/unpacking.
Jennifer – it was definitely a cool experience – the ease with which you can just stand around, realizing you’ve got days to pack this thing 🙂 I still think I’d choose the 24′ moving truck option – a good deal cheaper – but you have to do ALOT of coordination to make it all happen in one day.
I have to agree about Home Depot’s return policy being awesome. I always buy too much then take back what I don’t use, which usually is then spent on new stuff. I’ve also returned stuff months later without the receipt, just the same credit card I used, and they gave me cash.
Nice site, btw.
PODS is definitely the way to go if you don’t mind packing yourself and you want some flexibility, We used PODS to move across the country and it worked great for us. Not only did we save money by packing everything up ourselves, the best part was that it wasn’t a big deal storing our pods (we used 2 as well) with them when we arrived and our house wasn’t quite ready to move into. We stayed in an apartment for about 2 months while they held onto our pods .Then when the house was finished they delivered them right to our driveway (with Podzilla — neat!). It took about a week to empty all our stuff — our pod was absolutely crammed full of stuff.
Hi,
I used PODS in a move from Wisconsin to DC and I have to say that they are not as great as they seem. We packed our stuff pretty tight and secure (we have pictures) and when we got it, the stuff was shifted. PODS swears it was our packing and not their movement, but how can stuff that was secured move? And don’t bother to get the insurance because they won’t honor it. Basically, it’s just another way for them to scam 200 dollars out of you. Lastly, PODS is notorious for quoting one price and then charging 20 percent more after they have your stuff. If you have friends and can rent a U-haul, I would suggest you move it yourself or figure on having broken stuff and paying at least 20 percent more than what PODS quotes you.
Caveat emptor! First, make sure your driveway is wide enough, long enough, and level. The wonderful staff at PODS neglected to inform me about these potential problems. I even asked about how much space was needed and was told that a PODS container will fit in a parking space. While this is true, the unloading mechanism on the truck requires a lot more width than just a single parking space (15 ft wide X 15 ft high). When my driveway proved too narrow, the enterprising PODS delivery driver decided to just drive off with the container rather than leave it curbside. Apparently, PODS requires that a permit be obtained for this, which they didn’t mention. I would have been glad to arrange for this had the driver arrived at the scheduled time, between 8 and 11am, which he did not. Thus, at 4:15pm on a Friday, I was already 15 minutes too late to get to my town’s municipal building. Customer service was apparently powerless to help me, and wasn’t remotely apologetic or concerned. They re-allocated my container and canceled my order without telling me. I spent much of Saturday morning on the phone with a string of unapologetic customer service reps who told me the soonest they could arrange another delivery was Thursday. At this point I utterly lack confidence in PODS to do their job, so I’ve arranged for storage space and a moving truck from a helpful, local, inexpensive company.
Thanks, PODS, for making our move, which is never easy, that much more stressful!
To move from Chicago to Oregon with PODS will cost $3,294.00 per a quote I got today
From Cincinnati OH to Glendale AZ cost $2,645 for the large POD. I called today.
Yeah, $2400 from CA to CO, 1100 miles. Forget that. Website and phone service were lame. I enter my info on the web site, then I have to enter my phone number on the website, then I actually have to call anyway. During the call you have to enter your phone number, so it can jive with the web site info you enter, then wait for an operator, then you have to give your phone number again (don’t they have caller id??) And in the end it is what??? $2400. This is such a good business idea, should be way cheaper. You would be better off buying a truck and selling it where you are going.
PODs central has no control over the local PODs sites to adjust delivery schedules and won’t give out the phone numbers to the local PODs handlers. The local PODs sites have total control over delivery schedules which puts the consumer at considerable risk as each individual PODs site schedules as they wish. For us that means the delivery date we were promised by PODs central wasn’t honored by the local PODs site. We hired movers and now will have to pay a cancelation fee and try to find new movers as the others are booked up for weeks. We are very angry that PODs won’t even try and honor the original delivery date. They said they’d review our phone conversation where they told us we would have our POD delivered and then give us $100 for our trouble if they did give us the wrong date. Bottom line, don’t believe the delivery dates that PODs gives you. Expect to wait at least 2 weeks to get your stuff.
Do not use PODS. I moved with them from Oregon to CA with the intent on just avoiding having to drive a moving truck with my own car in tow.
As stated previously PODS has no control over the local PODS nor do they have any control over the distance haulers, which should be stated are not related to PODS and are third party carriers.
The POD was delivered to my address in Oregon but could not fit in my driveway due to space restrictions I was not informed about over the phone so the unit had to be placed in the street. This was not a problem until PODS said they couldn’t pick it up for three days at which point the city stopped by on multiple occasions to inform/state that a POD can be placed in the street and that it was a fine if it was not removed. After a frustrating conversation with the PODS associates regarding this information they finally agreed to pick the POD up.
From here the story gets really fun. Monday after watching my POD get picked up I drove down with a few items (things I would need in case the POD was delayed) four days later PODS called to tell my my shipping container was not going to be delivered on time due to a delay. Their new estimate was that it would be delivered the following Monday. This is a drive from location to location that takes about 8 hours, I know this because I had just finished it. After pressing why this was the case through several “associates” it turns out that my POD had never left OR.
Later in the weekend I was informed that the POD would be delayed again and not arrive until Tuesday for reasons. Again after pressing them for information and going through several “associates” the reason I discovered was that the driver didnt show up to pick up my POD until Sat. Then asking what took the POD three days to move 8 hours I was told they couldn’t contact the driver. Which was the case each time I called for the next three days.
My POD finally did arrive on Tuesday (later that the expected delivery time I was told on Tuesday morning). Since then for the past month I have been attempting to get some sort of refund from PODS related to the experience and the fact that I had to lose salary and pay for things that I would have had had my POD arrived on schedule.
Recently I checked my billing statement from my CC and it now appears that PODS has also overcharged me for the service based on the initial quote. I strongly recommend that you never use this company. There are significantly better alternatives and competitors.
PODS has had a container of mine with the contents of my house for 9 months now. When I went to schedule delivery of this container to my new address, I called their customer center and was advised by a rep that I only owed $15. Although I thought all monies were paid at the beginning of the contract ($468), I agreed to pay that amount. When I called back to firm-up the delivery, a second representative first advised me that I owed the $15. Later in the conversation, he retracted and said “wait a minute, I am confused” and put me on hold. She then advised she thought I owed more than the $15 and put me on hold again to speak to someone else. When she returned, she told me that she could not figure out my account and that I needed to speak with her supervisor. I was transferred to one “Ba” that advised me that I owed them $900 additional!!!! After an hour of back and forth, he told me he would request an investigation on this case and issued a case number (495404) that would require 72 hours to pull all recordings. Three days later, I called them back (they did not call me as promised). Now I speak with one “Kyle” that confirmed what “Ba” told me. Not only that, in addition to the $900 that all of the sudden I allegedly owe, I would now owe an additional month’s rent of $220 because this delay puts the delivery of the container after my monthly cycle ends! During this conversation “Kyle” promises that he can give a courtesy discount but later retracts and tells me that I need to pay both the $900 plus the additional month. I have paid them over $2,300 and they want another $1,000! Insane! These guys have absolutely no customer service skills whatsoever. Please stay away from PODS. Do not surrender any of your assets or property to them. They will hold you hostage until you pay. Had I checked the web before I engaged them, I would have found all these complaints and not be in this big mess.
We used a large POD to move from Pennsylvania to Florida. It was the best decision we made and we actually did the packing in 3rds and around each 3rd of house goods we tightened everything with cord and we packed it tight. Only one glass frame was broken. Nothing else and it was flawless. Delivery and pick ups went smoothly. Would not hesitate for a second in getting a POD. Safer than hiring movers of which I can vouch for being military at one time and moving frequently.
Take your money elsewhere! What at first looks like a bargain ends up being a nightmare! As previously stated, the PODS company has absolutely NO control nor will take any responsibility for what their individual franchisees do with regard to delivery and pickup times. They do not honor the times they set.
The individual franchisees do not care a fig about you since they answer to no one at PODS. PODS customer service reps paint a rosy picture of how you will be able to have the pickup and delivery schedule you choose with a 3 hour window when in fact the delivery folks don’t have to honor anything the reps say.
PODS needs to get their act together. They need to have complete control over their franchisees or disclose to their customers that it’s a crap shoot when they sell them their services. It’s deceptive on their part to give the impression that they are a cohesive company when if fact their rogue franchisees do what they want. The idea was and is a great one but it’s not working IMO.
Next time I will call a moving company and save myself the stress as well as my back.
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE PODS!!!! It was a living nightmare. I have never had
such poor customer service, such terrible confusion nor such anxiety in any move
I have done and I have done a few. This company is very poorly run and when you call with your concerns there is no empathy, there are only excuses. I started
feeling like I was some crazy customer. I have never even done an online review
before but I feel like I need to spread the work to not use this company. I am so
exhausted from my experience with them, that I will wait until a later date to fill
all the details but basically I had similar or worse experiences than the other reviews on this site.
My experience with PODS was great all the way to the re-delivery. BUT…I received an email the night before they were to be delivered stating that they would deliver one between 5:30-8:30 PM!!?? and the other between 7:30-10:30 PM!!!??? These delivery times were completely unacceptable! Great way to meet your new neighbors… have the POD truck banging around at 11:00 at night.
I asked these to be delivered on 10-23-09 assuming they would be delivered during the day so I can actually unload them. I had help scheduled for Friday (day) not night. So my whole day was wasted! NO ONE communicated that it would be Friday night when these get delivered. Especially since I scheduled one to be picked back up on Saturday since I can’t leave the POD on the street for longer than overnight. If I would have know this I would have scheduled them for Thursday so I know they would have been there.
I paid over $4000 to have them stored, shipped and delivered… the least they could have done was deliver them at an acceptable time or give me a heads up on the time. The problem is that when you call customer service they have no control because they are in Florida. They have no local numbers to give only that they can submit a incindent report.
I set up PODS for my elderly parents move. The day of delivery the driver was extremely late and delivered supplies I had not ordered but did not ask my Dad if he wanted them. They also billed us for blankets not ordered or received. We took back the extra supplies to the Sacramento PODS unused. I called several times to get my parents credit for the supplies returned and for the blankets. The accumulated time on the phone lasted hours and they were totally incompetent. Promising to check for me and never getting back to me. It has been over a year and I have never heard a thing. However, the driver that delivered our POD when we ended the storage was on time, courteous and very helpful.
PODS sounds like a great idea, and it was helpful rather than renting two uhauls, storage space, and having to lift everything 4 times. I was unsatisfied with the company policies. First of all… I placed my order and then came across a 10% off coupon. The company refused to honor it at any point during my involvement. The company also charges you a month fee of about $250. They will not agree to charge you a fraction of that cost should you have your pod for less than a month. In my situation we were trying to close on a house while my things were in the pods storage. My monthly cut off date was the 21st of the month. We closed on the 4th of the month, had the pod dropped off, unloaded, and had the pod picked up on the 7th. PODS still charged me for the entire month as though I had the pod until the 31st (because I could have “had the option of the pod sitting in my drive way for 21 unnecessary days”). There has got to be a better way to please your customers. In addition, they throw in multiple fees you are unaware of. My drop off invoice had a $50 charge for unpaved surface fee. Mind you, the pod was placed on my paved driveway. I assume they also charge you if there are too many trees or power lines nearby. PODS really needs to re-evaluate their customer satisfaction policies. It would likely bring them more business during this economic crisis.
YES! Pods is an excellent company with excellent service. They will call you at every step of your move to confirm. They even work with you on payments and deadlines. This company is worth the extra money. Use them!
DO NOT USE PODS!
LATE DELIVERY & POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! Then They bill you whatever they want…and do not expect PODS Customer Service rerspond to any of your attempts to contact them….
I originally booked PODS with the understanding that my PODS would leave Streamwood, IL on 2/26 with a 4 day transit. I called to schedule delivery in NC and was told the PODS did not leave IL until 3/3 and it would be a 6 day transit. I waited. Then I called to coordinate the order of my PODS delivery and was told my PODS went to the wrong service center, they would open a review ticket to determine who was at fault and I would be contacted within 72 hours. How could the destination Service Center be my fault? Why do I have to wait for a review? After not hearing anything on 3/9 I called, demanded my belongings and said that your investigation into why my belongings went to Greensboro, NC could wait until after I received my belongings. Only then, did I receive a call back and assistance in getting my belongings. PODS has now caused tremendous stress on my new job because I was unable to complete my move in the expected time I took off to do so. I am now traveling and the PODS are scheduled for delivery on the earliest date available of 3/11, of which is a day forecast for thunderstorms. This is 2 weeks from when the PODS should have left IL. The PODS customer service pitch about being better than movers has completely not held true in my case. It has been a nightmare of stress. I fully expect an adjustment to my PODS bill to reflect PODS mishandling, my time already expended, the hassle and the additional unpaid time away from work that I will need to complete my relocation.
The driver, Bud, from Greensboro, NC was terrible and refused to put the POD where I requested it and he damaged and scratched up the driveway with a pipe used to leverage the POD into moving over about a foot.
Sincerely disappointed in the service,
PODS sounds like a good idea. Unfortunately, in actual practice they are terrible. This is mostly due to a completely disorganized delivery system, hidden charges, and almost no way to tell when one’s POD will arrive. They essentially have your stuff as a “hostage” and seem to know it. If you live outside of a major metro area, beware – they will hit you with an extra delivery charge at the end. Save yourself some stress and (believe it or not) move it yourself. In fact, you could probably hire a proper moving company to do it for you for not much more than PODS charges. PODS is by far the most expensive “do it yourself” moving option. With the stress that they add due to their poor service, it is probably also the worst option.
First I went online to get an estimate. Pretty easy for Uhaul and other moving companies. PODS site said I had to call so I did.
I got the big sales pitch about how great PODS is and she wouldn’t answer my questions. I asked her very politely I might ad to please stop the sales pitch and just give me an estimate and she continued with the sales pitch as if she had to read it from a card. I finally got an estimate. I told her I could not afford it but thank you. She got rude and started grilling me about how else was I going to move that far, who else gave me estimates, etc. I asked her to remove my name and phone number from their database and I did not want telemarketing calls or for my info to get into others hands. Through all this she continued to interrupt. I said thank you and goodbye and as I hung up I heard her continuing to talk. The whole experience was absurd.
I called PODS today 6/1/2010 to get a quote to move Sept. 2010 from the Bay Area to the Minneapolis area. I will be moving a studio. Will have about 25 banker boxes, and some furniture (6 chairs, a couple of tables and my TV Center). I was quoted a $3600.00. I was shocked. I told the customer service rep “how can it be $3600.00? I’m just moving a studio apt. with very little furniture.” That is the same quote I’m getting from moving companies, and unlike PODS, they, the moving company, will be doing the packing and putting the stuff in the truck for me. I can’t see how PODs, can charge high rates when you are doing all the work and they are just delivering the cubciles.
I sincerely appreciate the comments submitted. Thank you, everyone, for your honest, candid submissions! Your comments are critical to anyone’s decision-making process, re: using PODS. Kudos!
I’m glad I cancelled today! I did not read these comments prior to this, but for 2 days my little voice was telling me what the guy told me on the phone wasn’t quite right…
Not quite filled 2 bedroom townhouse and quite a few boxes. Guy said 1 large pod would do, but I was close to jam-packed in a professionally filed storage locker prior to coming here; granted, I have disposed of a few things since, but not that much. The cubic footage is almost 50% less in a large pod compared to the 10′ x 10′ x 20′ locker (and moving van to fit it all in): 1024 in the pod, 2000 in the locker
So, don’t believe their estimation. I would have needed 2 large pods, and it would have turned into panic time. The perceived cost savings also go POOF!
Then, with people reporting so many problems with their moves, I’m definitely going the traditional route.
Thank you for all these honest submissions! I have been looking into sending some inherited furniture from Texas to Michigan over the next month, and thanks to these helpful stories, I will not be using PODS. I’m not sure how to inexpensively send these things, 2 leather chairs, a bookcase, a tall dresser, a nightstand and a coffee table. The cost just might outweigh the value of the furniture. Makes me very sad. 🙁 I don’t think I can trust PODS to not break my glass either and I’m afraid of organizing pickup and delivery times long distance with them.
I, too, would like to thank everyone for giving honest reviews- we were going to Pod our move from IN to TX but it looks gloomy- the guy on the phone sounded very nice but to read all of these bummer comments is a wake up call.
So glad I read this before drinking the Pods Kool-aid!
It sounds like they need a taste of there own medicine 20/20 style. I don’t know why someone doesn’t record every conversation, I use a recording app on my iphone that states this call is being recorded. I don’t know of a company that says they don’t record calls for ” quality & training”, we can do the same. If they try to change the price quoted and are in essence extorting and holding your hard earned belongings and if you are forced to pay more do it with a money order so it becomes a federal offence.
The other thing I would do along with the recording is put a cheap battery powered gps superglued to the top or bottom of the container. The sale one the size of a thumb drive at BB for child tracking that costs $30 and you can pay per ping to locate your container or a monthly $10 all you can ping. The container just shows up on a map and keeps logs. I know they still might pull some of the above issues, but now you have call and gps logs that counters every lie and extortion attempt, let alone your ammo for mail fraud. I have found out that honest people have to do things like this because companies that should be bending over backwards for customers in this economy have found a better way to pad the bottom line and it’s a shame
i have no doubt all these things happened, but for the people who have booked and are now worried, please know, for a bit of balance, that my two experiences with PODS in Canada were excellent. I had a lot of fragile antiques – none were broken. When I needed to access my POD unexpectedly, I was given directions to the giant pod warehouse, no problem, and was able to locate my stuff. Customer service was helpful. When the PODS were delivered to my new place it was equally uneventful. Because i had a couple of months between moving out of my old home and moving into my new home, using PODS saved me a huge amount of labour — didn’t need to move stuff in and out of storage. Based on my own experiences, in my location, I would certainly use them again.
I strongly disagree with your favorable review of PODS. I used PODS to move and I had a horrible experience dealing with their customer service and I think the way that they structure their quotes is totally disingenuous. The quote only includes drop off and first month’s rent, not the necessary relocation and final pickup. I had it quoted as a storage deal, but plans changed and we used it to move. I had to pay for storing the container at the PODS storage facility even though the container was never at the storage facility. To anyone considering PODS, check out their reviews on other sites and I think you’ll get the idea.
I was very excited to use PODs for my move from San Francisco to Chicago. They let us know there may be some variance in the delivery date, so we worked out that they would take the PODs two full weeks early, in order to have them in Chicago on time. When we arrived in Illinois, the PODs had not even left California! The PODs came a week late, therefore my fiance and I went without all of our belongings for 3 weeks. For our first week in Chicago we had to sleep on the floor of our apartment. We also had to eat out every meal because I had nothing to cook with. We had no towels or a shower curtain. The day the PODs finally came, my fiance was traveling for work, so I was left with 2 PODS to unload alone. I had to reserve moving men to help me. The delivery was also very late, and I lost my reserved elevator time in my building. We asked for a refund, because of the inconvenience and added expenses- they gave us $200 back on a $2,000 bill! I do not think this was fair compensation. I also worry about families moving with children, and how this added time would hender their lives.
Pods. A huge rip off.
It costs $181 a mile to move the POD once you’ve paid the initial $500 drop off, AND the monthly charges (if your stuff needs to be stored). But, they don’t tell you that. They give you the drop off charge and the monthly cost and leave out the fact that it costs $181 a mile to move your stuff. Pretty sure I could ship via good ole UPS for less than the $3,200 it cost us in mileage.
Perhaps the military gets a discount (I know they use PODS), but for regular folks this is REALLY EXPENSIVE! Oh, and there is a “Change of address fee” if you don’t know what your new zip code is prior to moving, give them one then change it. Yup, another $35 for them to retype that new zip code in the computer.
Our move across the country ended up costing us almost $4,500 with PODS; and that doesn’t include the movers to pack and unpack the POD at each end. Beware what you are in for. PODS may work for some, but it is not cheap.
August 25, 2010
Moved from CA to TX
I worked all day getting quotes to move some family antiques from NY to KS. I am trying to avoid having to drive the truck myself. I looked into PODS. I had to call them to get a quote – their online quote is a joke. They want to talk to you because they are salepeople. I got my quote and was asked what I thought. I said it costs the same as a budget truck. She said we can beat that and she applied some discount and took off $500. I kept my quote by providing charge card (not to be charged for a few weeks) to think about it. I decided a few hours later to call and cancel as we thought for the money we might as well see America and make sure nothing gets broken. I called back to cancel. But wait there’s more….the lady said what would it take for you to use us? i said get it close to a thousand and she did. My orig quote was nearly 3K, then discounted to 2400, then finally it ended up at 1500. Now why didnt’ they just offer tha tin the first place?? I am still undecided if I want to use them, but I am going to try calling back again and get an even better price. I suggest if you do use them you negotiate with them because clearly they are in it to make money and put good business as low priority in their quote dept.
The company is based on lies and deception and hidden charges. NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THEM
I had an HORRIBLE experience with this company and would never use them or recommend them to anyone. Phone agents are completely unknowledgeable about the company or costs. Almost every time I called, even for a simple delivery, I was on the phone with them for at least 20 minutes. One time, it took almost two hours and two representatives and mangers to get a price quoted.
DO NOT USE PODS!!!!! They made a mistake in scheduling my delivery date and scheduled it for a year from the day I asked for. Although no fault of my own, I now have to wait 14 days for a POD to travel 4 states, a drive which took me 12 hours. The unhelpful, unapologetic customer service staff informed me that instead of rushing the POD per their screw up, the fastest they could get the POD to me was 14 days. I am now camping out at my new apartment with only the belongings which fit in my car. Not to mention my parents made the drive to help me move only to get here and realize we would not be receiving the POD and they made a worthless trip. After numerous attempts to speak with a higher-up in PODS, none of my phone calls were returned and a few customer service representatives got snippy with me. DO NOT USE PODS!!!!!
DO NOT USE PODS FOR MOVING. When talking with a customer rep, I was told one POD would be sufficient for a 2-3 bedroom home. WRONG. I did not get all my things into the POD and had to rent a local truck and store the rest of my items in a storage unit. I had to move four states away. Now, I’m trying to get the money to go get the rest of my things. It is a good concept for a one bedroom or studio apartment but not a home. After shelling out $1700 for this move, it continues to cost me more each month. Other movers would have gotten all my things and I wouldn’t have these problems and anxiety over my things left behind. Maybe you can use PODs for other things, but they’re trying to get into the market of moving and using false advertising to do so and they just don’t belong there. Extremely disappointed. 🙁
Great idea but who can afford it.
Thank you all so much for your honest comments. I called them to get a quote, since the website that “says” they offer an online quote, did not. I am moving to Ca from Ga. told me it would be $4,152 to move our things, storage is an additional $250 a month until we choose a house. I dropped the phone! The guy said is that in your price range, I started laughing. Told him I can get a budget moving truck, the largest they have, with unlimited miles for $1246 for 10 days. Total joke! I would not recommend this to anyone. How can a company rob people legally! What a sham. Thanks everyone!
I recently got a quote from PODS to move from Tucson, AZ to Ft. Myers, Florida. It was around $3600 for a single POD, plus storage…..and other fees I’m sure. Renting a U Haul 17ft. truck and a trailer for towing my car (including gas) is only around $3000 total, which also saves putting the mileage on my car, worrying about break-downs, etc. U Haul is also much easier than dealing with PODS. Just go online, see the rates right there and reserve the truck. It took about five minutes total without having to talk to or deal with anyone……and U Haul is everywhere. Very easy to schedule a convenient pick-up and drop-off location. I also get eight days to move with the U Haul truck which gives 5 days to load and unload the truck, and three days to drive it to Florida. Storage of my stuff is only $100 per month in Florida (first month free with U Haul rental). PODS charges $250 per month, plus all their other fees. Plus I can park the U Haul in my driveway or the street or wherever without any problems with permits, fines, etc. I’ve used U Haul many times over the years and have never had any problems with them. Sometimes they’re not the most friendly or courteous people to deal with, but it only takes a few minutes to pick up the truck and you’re out of there and on your way – no unexpected charges or fees either. Forget about PODS. There are better ways to go for the same or even less money. And NO, I DON’T work for U Haul. I just found PODS to be a rip off and from what I’ve read, a really difficult company to deal with.
Wow! Thanks everyone for taking the time and effort to provide this info! We’re getting ready to make a complicated move and were considering using PODS in order to stage things. Sounds like it’s not worth the aggravation. I understand that Mayflower, another national moving chain also utilizes a pod type option. I’ll seek out some reviews on their program. Thanks again for saving us big headaches.
I recieved a quote today for a 7X7X8 for just under 1K. The quote includes a 5 day required use and drop off fee. The also said they charge 470ish 5days before the drop off then the other 500 or so afterwards. I just needed some things moved from Lubbock, TX to Dallas, TX over a one day period…at the most. I have a studio apartment where I am getting rid of most of the stuff and techically need a cargo van -but no one does one way cargo van rentals. It seems the only option is a 10foot truck.
Cheers to all!
I am also grateful for the info I’ve found here. I had been thinking PODS sounded like the way to go, but I just advised my husband that we will be renting trucks and hiring a couple of strong guys at either end.
Many thanks to those who took the time to post. Off to the U-Haul site now!
THANK YOU for your feedback/comments about PODS, I was just about to call them and sign up…but I won’t. I have all of my beloved mother’s things I need to have shipped to my home in PA from Iowa, and I’m so glad to have been saved a hassle when I’m already going through the grieving process. THANKS.
I am writing this letter to communicate to my dissaticfation with the Pods services that I have unfortunately experienced in the beginning of October 2011.
It was necessary for me to move to Louisiana. After lengthy research I decided to contract with Pods due to the representations that Pods made to me. One of my main reasons for contracting with Pods was that after giving the Pods representative a lengthy description of my household goods, I was given a price for a storage unit that would be adequate to contain my household movables. This price was quite acceptable to me. Further, I would need to store my goods on the container before delivery to my new home. I requested that a complimentary one month storage fee and it was agreed to. I was also told that the fee for any additional months, would be $199.00. These were terms that I could financially afford.
I would point out that in my conversations with THE PODS representative, I was quite clear as to the size and amount of furniture that was involved. Despite this, on the day of the move, when the movers arrived, I was immediately informed by the movers, that the container would not be able to hold all my contents. In addition to this, on the day of the move, I spoke to a supervisor, named Don. The story
suddenly changed as my belongings were being loaded onto the container. Don indicated that I was wrong as to the first month of storage being free. We had an extensive conversation, never meeting a satisfactory resolution. Don insisted that the company representative had not communicated that information to me. While I insisted that I would not have contracted with Pods, had the first month not been free. As I have previously related, I researched movers and costs extensively and all movers were willing to give one month free storage.
My experience with Don in the call and all other calls was quite frustrating. This man was overbearing and repeatedly threatened me. When the situation worsened and I began to realize that Pods representatives were quite literally liars and crooks, I decided for my well being I needed to immediately cancel the contract. It became apparent that the current nightmare I was experiencing would undoubtedly worsen if I continued with the move with Pods.
I also used their reccommended packers Moving staffers, what a nighmate! Damaged antiques, the list just goes on and on
I very soon realized that if I had been given a realistic quote, I would never have contracted with Pods, as their costs would be triple what I was initially quoted. I now realize that this is a scam that Pods uses
“quoting a very low price by deliberating under quoting the size of the container needed. Quite obviously, many unsuspecting customers, caught in a stressful situation, onCe Pods has made the initial pickup, are faced with no other option but to allow Pods to provide the additional containers, and thus end up paying far more than initially contracted for. I feel that I am onwe of the lucky one in that I caught onto their scam and cancelled the contract before I suffered greater damage.
I advanced Pods $722.16 , I in my haste to move did not notice that Pods was including in that amouny $199.00 for storage. Pods was negligent in quoting me inaccurate fees and in quoting me inaccurate storage needs. Although I paid $722.16, I have only been reimbursed approximately $300.00. I stongly oppose Pods refusing to refund the full amount that I paid in good faith. Pods errored in calculating the correct space that I needed for storage. Due to their faulty misrepresentations I advanced them monies that I have been unable to recover.
I dicussed this issue with Don, but he doubled his efforts to force his position by bullying me. This man and his tactics were transparent to me. After reading the complaints on the internet concerning your company, I am not surprised by the tactics your employee attempted intimidate me with. His attitude and abusive treatment of me have shocked me to the core.
This experience combined with my experience with Moving Masters has been one of the most horrible and blatantly crooked experiences I have ever experienced in the business world. Pods and Moving Masters deserves to be publicly censored.
I will not be satisfied or quieted until at best I am refunded all funds that I have paid to Pods.
It is my intent that If I have not received the funds in full within 10 days of the receipt of this letter, I will proceed with a letter to all Better Business Bureaus in Florida and Louisiana. I intend to also contact the news media in each all over these states and make them aware of your business tactics. I also plan to write a complaint to Aarp to warn their members of your unethical tactics. And, lastly I intend to file a civil suit against you’re the companies, claiming breach of contract, unfair trade tactics, and fraud, this suit will be filed in federal court with the intention of this becoming a Federal Class Action matter.
The abuse by Don, their representative and their negligence in carrying out the companies duties havefueled my intent to pursue this matter in any imaginable venue . I feel that Don intentionally attempted to bully me because I was a female and a senior citizen, which also opens up additional causes of action. Putting it mildly your companies business tactics have invoked a dedication to pursue your companies unfair trade practices publicly until Pods ceases to exist.
I feel that Pods is the Bernie Madoff of the moving industry.
Wow! Seems like PODS may be an acronym for PO’ds. Good idea, but apparently some competition with good customer service and honest practices could really take a bite out of their business.
We just moved from Phoenix to Oregon. Our solution was an ABF U-Pack. they drop a trailer, we filled it, they picked it up and drove it, and delivered it on time to our new place. All for one price, cheaper than any of the podlike services. Priceless tip for anyone dealing with moving companies: get multiple quotes, call your preferred choice back and let them know if their price is too high. I have gotten hundreds off the price by doing this.
I used ABF back around 1989 and it was a perfect move. I don’t remember the exact price, but I moved from Tampa to Colo. Springs for around 800.00. Now that was a few yrs ago, but really, this way of moving pre-dates PODS and worked fine. Maybe the owners of PODS got their idea from this type of move, which is basically a “freight” move. I will look into again as I plan to move from Tampa to Charlotte. Moving prices are high and I cannot afford an over priced mover. Good article, good replies, thanks.
Go with YouCrate! We did and they saved us tons.. plus they have no weight restriction! Just gotta be able to fit everything within their crate that they deliver for 2 days and then come get back from you 2 days later to ship, and vise versa up delivery. PODS sounds like the worst way to go..
PODS are horrible. They refuse to pick the PODS in my driveway up. It has been there for over a week and I cannot get a straight answer.
With havin so much content and articles do you ever run
into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement?
My website has a lot of unique content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my permission. Do you know any methods to help reduce content from being stolen? I’d certainly appreciate it.
So many people are upset with Pods! Maybe my experience was the exception but I liked Pods. I used them for my move to Austin and they did just what they said they would. They showed up on time and were friendly. I even saved $50 with a Promo code (R101). Maybe it’s true that only upset people leave reviews 🙂
20 hours before we were scheduled to move my husband was admitted to the hospital for chest pains where he remained for five days.
1. The moving guys recommended by PODS on their website (specialists in weight loading and distribution) cancelled 15 hours before they were supposed to arrive, six hours after my husband went to the hospital.
2. They referred replacements “we don’t endorse.” The new moving guys were nice but inexperienced in loading, weight and distribution.
3. Due to these factors, I had to order an additional PODS unit. When it arrived, I was asked to move my car. Then, I left our garage door open and went inside.
4. The drop-off driver for PODS entered my garage and took two dozen new moving blankets (new in package with UPS shipping labels) purchased from PODS and delivered by UPS. The driver admittedly took my husband’s leather moving gloves and new rope (in package) from my garage.
5. PODS said they found no record of these blankets. I gave customer service the UPS tracking numbers and credit card receipt for these blankets. After this, customer service stopped taking my phone calls.
6. I left customer service a message about filing a police report against this driver when he failed to return these items as stated. In response, I received four harassing phone calls from the drop-off driver’s supervisor who accompanied the drop-off driver back to our home when the last unit was picked up. I felt threatened.
8. I filed a police report for stolen items and harassment and received police case numbers.
I was unable to spend the first four days of my husband’s hospitalization by his side. I was unable to eat or sleep for several weeks after this experience. I still get nauseous over it. I never received a refund for stolen blankets, never mind stolen gloves and rope. I haven’t felt well since our move and have not pursued this issue—yet. I think this is what PODS counts on; that moving time is exhausting and follow up is difficult.
Our moving company doesn’t offer PODS but we do provide labor for them. I personally called to get a quote for a POD to have in my driveway while we cleaned out and re-painted / waterproofed the basement.. It was going to be a few hundred to just have it sit for a month.. Seems crazy when it only has to be dropped off and picked up!
Pods are awesome. When hiring movers, be sure to get the best one that offers a lot of services because for sure they are great and a lot of experience.
Tried to schedule my Pod to pick up 10 days in advance. They did not have availability to pick up until 7/23. This is 5 days after my one-month usage is up. I was charged for a whole month $201.53. And customer service is unreachable. Will never use them again and do not recommend anyone using them unless you have a few extra hundred to spare.