1-800-PACK-RAT® Reviews
The storage box itself was in fine shape and arrived clean. I couldn't get ahold of anyone on the phone the day of drop off and I got very nervous that the box wasn't going to be dropped off in time for the movers to come the next day. The driver called me when he was about 45 minutes out and was very courteous. The box was left in the parking lot of my new housing community for three extra days without being picked up. I thought I was going to be cited by the leasing office for it staying too long and taking up two spaces.
The driver who delivered my pod was great about helping me find a place to leave the pod when we realized the space in front of my apartment wasn’t big enough. He was very patient and willing to work with me to figure things out. We had a bad storm that day which slowed down my moving, so he made sure I was last on his list for pickup to accommodate for the weather. It was very much appreciated during a stressful and tiring day.
We rented the 16 foot POD to be able to put all our furniture in it and have the POD placed in their climate controlled warehouse. The drivers have been excellent with respect to the care they exercised in installing the POD on my driveway and picking it up to move the POD to their storage facility.
The jury is still out. While they did deliver the container on the agreed day, it was very, very difficult to find out when it would arrive. Was on hold several times for very long times. I don't believe it was the driver's issue, but rather getting through on the phone. The driver did call about 40 minutes prior to arrival which was very helpful and he did an excellent job placing the container. Since my container won't be moved again until late next week, I may have more to add at that time.
From a logistics and customer service perspective, PackRat is far superior to Pods. We used both as we ran out of room in our PackRat (underestimated space/belongings). On the billing side of things, PackRat is not transparent, pre and post transaction therefore it's frustrating and difficult to connect charges to services.
The initial call and set up were easy. The drivers do a good job calling ahead. If there is a hiccup in their operation, they need to work on keeping the customer updated. It took 3 days to get a manager to call me. While I think their problem was reasonable, I found myself at a loss having to track them down to determine why they missed a pick up or why they were a day late in dropping off a container. Overall, a good company - they just need to tighten up their communication.
Because of Covid , our one month move turned into 5 months of storage . Pack Rat was helpful all the way through , making sure our entire house we safe and in climate controlled storage . When we finally got a new house they delivered it on time and in the same condition as the day we packed it , nothing was broken or heat damage ! .
The PackRat driver called the day before to confirm delivery time and again in the morning with a 15-minute delay update. He was pleasant, shared good advice about filling the crate and patient as he had to wait for the full "live fill" in Chicago was complete. I have another crate coming and I hope he is the driver!
Our belongings were picked up and delivered with no damage to the contents. However, the original delivery pickup driver from our origin location damaged property of our apartment complex (a light & sprinkler head). Our drop-off and pickup drivers at the destination were AWESOME THOUGH. However, communication with 1-800-Pack-Rat was TERRIBLE. At one point they tried to charge us $300 more than we were quoted and we spent a week trying to get a call back or talk to anyone about it. We also had to change our delivery date and it took another week to get someone on the phone and we were panicked! We were on hold many times for over an hour and no one picked up. And no one EVER answered any phone messages we left and called us back. Every time we needed to speak to them, I had to either go through social media on Facebook or call the sales department because THEY will answer the phone even though customer service WON'T. For all the emotional distress, we wouldn't recommend them again.
Would give Pack Rat 5 stars, but only giving 4 on account that once you book the unit, it's EXTREMELY HARD to get back in touch with them on the service end for things like confirming the destination address and billing etc.... other than that there were no hidden fees or charges (bait and switch) so to that I am thankful for them being upfront.
We just need a storage container to store furniture during renovation work being done in our home. Pack rat is wonderful and so easy to work with! Ernie brought the container, placed it where we needed it and was very pleasant in the process!!! Pricing is very reasonable compared to other companies that I priced. Container was spotless! I would use this company without hesitation!!!
