PODS

Knowing what I know now I would have never rented from PODS.
First — when I called I was welcomed with a friendly guy that really was good at selling. He told me that for my 4 bedroom house I would be able to get everything into their largest POD.
That was mistake #1 — I hired local Accurate firefighter movers and when they came they came with a trailer. They told me that every time they come to «load» a pod they know it is likely they will not be able to get it all in… and were they right. I had to quickly find a 10×20 storage to store the rest of my stuff… so I really needed 2 pods.
Second — for the price I paid ($ 330 for a month) and only moving nearby I thought that included storage and delivery to my new house… not at all — another $ 120 to deliver — OK I have to pay and I did.
Third — the delivery — they would not put the POD at curbside without a permit. I did not want their POD damaging my driveway on my new house that was recently poured. Well only Austin provides permits. I talked to Williamson county and Hutto permits about this and they said I do not need a permit — well the PODS people will not accept this from the local governments and insisted that they would not place it curbside. I told them I am the only house (new neighborhood) and there are no homes built on the street. still they would not. They do not know anything about the permit needs outside of Austin… I was finally able to get the builder’s permission to have them place the POD on a lot that has not yet been sold. had to walk across the street and down a little bit to unload everything…
Lastly — I’d say don’t trust what they are saying… there is another POD company in town I have found out that is less expensive — and maybe more knowledgeable about local laws and permits.

they have horrible customer service, they lie, their employees have IQ’s lower then my shoe size and each give you a different story each time you call, and I am reporting them to the BBB. They gave us a «range» of time to pick up our PODS which were being delivered to their storage facility. Their «estimate» SUCKS. they call 2 ½ hours early in the middle of a Saturday as we are only 50% done with packing our POD and tell us they are on their way. Only other option is to come next business day, instead of honoring their 3 hour evening range they had just quoted us yesterday !! Can’t do next business day because we close and the new owners won’t be too happy to have our stuff on their property !! Couldn’t get me a manager because «noone was available». Whatever. So what choice do we have? wait until next business day… then guess what? we get an update email from PODS WORLD CLASS customer service saying we have a $ 60 charge for this change!!! unbelievable. what a ripoff and a scam.

I called two companies that have a «pod» big enough for my at-​home storage needs. After researching each company’s units, I decided PODS was a better fit. I left two messages for the local PODS company in Pflugerville, but they didn’t return my call. I called them again this morning and let them know what happened — they were dismissive and said they would call me back. I called the national number, and they had nothing to say about the local company. They also said they would have a manager call me back. So far, just rude and runaround service (and not a single call back). I’m trying harder to give them my business than they are to provide service. I’m glad I came by to read the reviews — I wish I would have done this three days ago. It looks unanimous — everyone’s experiences were as bad as mine have been. I think the PODS unit would have been better for me, but I’ve learned the hard way that if they don’t care about service when you’re trying to give them business, then they never will. I’ll take my chances with 1−800-Pack-Rat. Fingers crossed!
Upon closer review of the other postings, I also think it’s noteworthy that with all of these negative reviews, the company rarely acknowledges them in any way. The one acknowledgment that I did see was to give someone the customer service number (not the local number where the offense originated) — which is consistently rated poorly in these reviews. I’m pretty sure I dodged a bullet on this one.
UPDATE 2÷23÷15 — Pods actually sent me a survey, which I answered honestly (they were horrible)…and still nothing. Unfortunately, Pack Rat didn’t work for me because they needed more clearance than my driveway has, but I’m glad I didn’t go with PODS anyway.

Do NOT use PODS to store furniture! We used a 100 nice quality moving blankets and professional movers to load/​unload the pod «high and tight». We purchased additional insurance that was a complete waste of money. Do not even bother adding it! They claim any damage was «loading error». We even had pictures showing how the delivery of the pod was a complete failure. Their own driver did significant damage to their own pod. They are not an ethical company!

Beware ! They are crooks who charge your card even after the pod is returned. Getting a refund for thoes charges is a total nightmare !
I finally said you can keep all my stuff in the POD. Since I did not have and it was returned for 2 months.
PODS continued to charge me for the storage. Refused to refund my card, and eventually a YEAR later turned me in to a collection agency for non payment of storage for a POD i did not have and had nothing stored in.
A had a horrible experience from start to 12 months later not finish yet !!!
Worst customer service ever.
GO with Uhaul or ABF but stay away from PODS

I haven’t been happy with my decision to use pods to store my furniture. The communication wasn’t clear on pricing. Everyone I’ve talked to from customer service has been so inflexible and not warm. Pods was definitely not a good option for me. I ended up paying $ 650 per month for 6 months to store 3 pods. I think its a great option if you are moving within a few months. Beware, They have very HIGH storage fees. Make sure that is clear from the start. They don’t seem to work with you to meet your needs. The structure is set in place for everyone, how can that work for all??? I will never use them again.

a Pod is a great idea in theory. The drop off and pick up from our old house was a smooth process. However, when it came to delivery at the new address. You can forget about it. No only do they not prorate the storage rate for when you have the pod delivered but they also do not give you an estimated time until 9pm the night before, Good luck scheduling movers on that. We had to reschedule our delivery yet i received a call on the first delivery date from the driver telling me he was 30 min away. I told him we rescheduled for such and such date. he said ok i’ll mark you down for first drop off (7−10am), great i’ll schedule movers for the afternoon (2 – 5). I get a call the night before at 8:45pm telling me to expect my pod between 5−7pm. If you are going to use a pod be sure you will be unloading it yourself.

The POD arrived on the requested days, but really? Over $ 900 for a month of storage and delivery from Austin to Dallas?
Also, when it was first dropped off at my apartment in Austin, they called me at 6 a.m. and showed up at 6:45 a. m… On a SATURDAY. It took the driver about 30 minutes with the loud beeping noise to get it in place and it woke up half of the complex. At least 4 people came out to actually ask him to stop. I later learned it doesn’t normally take them 30 minutes to unload a pod. It was just inconsiderate, and if they were going to bring it in that early on a weekend to a complex, at least find a driver that knows what he’s doing.

I was more surprised about the reviews on this company than anything I’ve seen on Unilocal.My wife and I just used PODS and had success on all fronts. It gave us a month to pare down, bring stuff to goodwill and slowly pack until we needed a truck for the last three days of our move.
The only thing I noticed was that in the commercials the PODS look like metal storage containers and they are not. They’re just boxes with 4×4’s and plywood thrown together. Overall though, it did the job and we didn’t have to physically move everything.
Climate control was not an issue for the things we put in the POD so we had no issues at all. They dropped off and pick up when we needed and it worked fine.
I could complain about cost since I’m a tightwad but moving is a task no one enjoys. i’ll happily give away some money to make it easier.

UPDATE: Rude and incompetant. They are now arguing that my house is not in Austin and they will not pick up.
If I could provide negative stars I would. PODS overcharged on the contract rate and rather than issuing a refund/​credit they issued an additional charge for the overcharge. They refunded the overcharge but never credited my account for the original overcharge and now claim that they owe me nothing.
Further, they are attempting to continue to charge me because they will NOT schedule a pickup and remove there property from mine. THESE PEOPLE HAVE 0 CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY BORDER ON CRIMINAL IN THEIR BILLING PRACTICES. DO NOT USE THEM!

I tried to arrange a weekend to pack up my house in Austin and I had to fly in and miss 3 days of work to make this happened but they did not redeliver the POD as promised on Friday. The POD was finally delivered on Monday but they parked it in front of my garage, I explicitly said left side. This means we could not get the car out. They said they would be out in 15mins but it took them 8 hours to come back and move the POD and by that time I was back on the plane, out of money for the plane ticket and 3 days of work. This company will lie at the drop of a hat and has horrible customer service. Horrible company. I wish I could give it negative stars. The fact that Unilocal makes me give them one star is actually paining me.

Do not use this service! First of all, they charged us a full month’s rent ($ 411.00) for 5 days of use because we were desperate to find something before the 1^st of August. This means they’re going to make double on the POD after they rent it to someone else after us. They wouldn’t budge on the price either.
Secondly, they arrived very late after the time they quoted us resulting in us not being there to direct where we wanted them to place the POD. The VERY RUDE driver just placed it wherever was most convenient for him resulting in us having to carry all our stuff across the parking lot in 104 degree heat.
It’s pathetic that this well known company would treat hard working customers like this just to make a few extra bucks. IF YOU VALUE YOUR HARD EARNED DOLLAR, STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!
UPDATE: Upon arriving at my apartment after a long day of work I discovered that not only had they not provided the lock that we paid for but the incompetent driver parked the POD in a way that makes it very difficult for us to load our belongings. They have yet to return our calls (as expected).

I’m just in the obtaining quote stage. Horrible customer service. Two calls and waiting over 5 minutes each time to finally get a person who can’t tell me a thing about their «climate controlled» storage facility. Said «it’s not in the computer and I can’t make it up in my head» ! Website says nothing about climate controlled but she is sure it is. I’m going with Pack Rat. Slightly more cost — but I got a real person on the first call in less than a minute. Got very professional customer service and answers to questions I had. I am a firm believer if you aren’t getting good vibes about the service before you sign the contract, then move on.

Please be aware of PODS claims for moving and storage! Items were appropriately packed but arrived with pee — stains and dust/​dirt all over contents when they were «supposed» to be in a climate controlled storage facility. The call center for customer service is the WORST! Warning to look for other options for your moving and storage needs!