PODS® Reviews
For my move across the country, I don't know how else I could have easily have stored my things (a two bedroom house) & moved them as conveniently, but I feel like they increased my monthly rent as often as they were able without good reasoning (I was 'long distance' even though the stuff was in the same pod, same place, no change) then kept the price over $100 higher than when I started once I was moved & needed to continue storage locally. I ended up getting a truck to move the extra things in to & storing locally for much less than PODS price. Very frustrating because I couldn't refuse the price increase when they were holding my things. I felt like they were holding me & my things hostage! I would never use them again.
There isn’t a big message in four stars - we used two 16 foot moving containers and I think the first one was a little ‘tired’ compared to the second. Their customer service is quite good on the phone, but their CSM agents don’t totally understand their business and loaded the POD in the wrong direction for our house delivery - the driver knew how to spin the POD around. Also the first agent forgot to send me the names of helper companies. Be careful about their helper third parties as they are agents and you might get helpers from a local mover at a lower rate. We used an over the road certified moving company for furniture, electronics, china, glassware and other fragile items. PODs worked for us as we needed long term storage while building a house in another state. Mover storage is quite expensive but the out of state delivery is better than a POD container.
There were some scheduling issues with PODS, but we got it worked out. Mainly because Portland Movers were flexible and stayed until the job was done. They down loaded my pod 4 days ago and it is still sitting in the driveway in front of my building. Apparently they don't keep enough trucks or drivers onboard to keep up with the demand.
Pods is an awesome answer to my needs. I was notified well in advance of pick up & drop off times. The drivers were very helpful & accommodating. I had no problem requesting drop off & pick up date. The container was perfect size & most important ... Clean... as I have all of my belongings stored in it..
I had many interactions with PODS to adjust and arrange my deliveries. My only frustration was they would only allow me to select a day and not the times for delivery or pick up. Had I been aware that my pod wasn’t going to be delivered until nearly 4 pm, I would have chosen a time for the day before. Overall, this seems like it would make their process easier and more agreeable for all people involved.
They had instructions to contact the rental office or myself when they arrived. They did not, and instead left the container illegally parked in a handicapped space. When contacted, they originally said they'd send someone out to move the contained, but called back to say they didn't have any drivers available.
PODS is a tremendous value for your dollar. The initial phone in set-up of my Moving needs and scheduling was painless. The POD arrived on time, was picked up on time, and delivered on time. My only complaint was that I couldn't schedule a timely removal of my Empty Pod once I had cleared it out. It took a few extra days to find a pick-up delivery window. This delay managed to make my neighbors annoyed with us, but it's gone now, so all's fair.
I used PODS for the third time over the past couple of years and continue to be absolutely pleased to have done so. The units are always clean and well maintained and the two men with whom I've worked, Michael and Jerry, here in the Asheville, NC area have been top drawer professional....and nice guys to boot! I will be using PODS again and when I do, I will be sure to request Michael and Jerry! Dr. C. T. H., Asheville, NC
We packed the PODS ourselves so I can't really complain about the things that did not fair well in the trip because that was on us and how we packed it. However, I did find some frustrations in the fact that when I called 2 days before my PODS were scheduled to be delivered, no one could tell me where my stuff was. Ultimately, it worked out but I was a little frustrated.
This was my first time using PODS and I did so because I had a gap in the time of my move out and move into my new place. That said, you should know the limitations to avoid any conflicts, like HOA rules, adequate space for the pod, etc. Also, plan to have the pod delivered the day before your actual move in and picked up the day after. Schedule it that way to avoid problems. Then schedule your movers for the middle day. And, if push comes to shove, you can actually call and get in contact with your driver on the day of the pod delivery to see if they can accommodate a specific request. I had Brittany in the Suwanee, GA branch. She was a Godsend! Brittany went above and beyond, out of her way to make my delivery as pain free as possible even when it seemed like everything was blowing up in my face! She definitely made my experience much more enjoyable and I sincerely appreciate excellent customer service like this when I receive it!
As much as I want to say this was an enjoyable experience, it just was not. I scheduled the pod containers a month in advance before actually using them and had the dates scheduled for when they should be picked up and delivered. The pod was delivered and picked up as scheduled for the first part. When it was time for the pod to be delivered to my new home, it was not. I had it scheduled on a Friday. They called me on Thursday and told me I was confirmed for a delivery time of 115-415 pm. At 530 I called and was told the driver was late. I called again at 7 and was told again the driver was running behind. When I called back at 8 they told me I was not on the route and not going to have my belongings delivered. When I asked why, they couldn't tell me. After an hour and a half on the phone with their company, they were not able to give me a reason and in fact told me they could see me on the route (route 10) "clear as day". They put a rush on it and said I would get it the next day. I had to cancel movers and reschedule the move entirely. Additionally, after an automatic payment was withdrawn from my account, and after reviewing the invoice, PODS charged me $100 for a rush same day delivery fee. I scheduled a delivery for a Friday one month in advance. They did not deliver on the day they promised they would and then charged be $100 to deliver the following day. It is insane. Also, when they finally did deliver it and came to pick it back up, they took the blankets I rented out of the pod. I had to call immediately so they wouldn't deduct any more money out of my account for their own foul-ups. awful experience. I will not use them again and will not recommend them to anyone I know.
They charge you for "storing" your container when it sits in your driveway to load it and unload it. They don't tell you upfront that it takes weeks to schedule times to pick it up after it is loaded, deliver it to your new address and pick it up after you unload it. I moved to an apartment and can't have the container sitting in paid parking spaces for weeks! I wish I knew this when I first scheduled it.