PODS® Reviews
Absolutely awful experience between the loaders/unloaders (3rd party through PODS) and then the PODS itself. Many of our items were damaged from rain/water, and there was also mold damage too. We were told that the movers would bring blankets, but then the movers told us that PODS was wrong and we needed to provide them. Several of our possessions were damaged, including, but not limited to: a knife set (molded), our TV stand (broken), dining room set w/ table and chairs (scratched & chipped), glider chair for our son's nursery (molded), two cribs (chipped and molded), couches (molded). If we knew that PODS would be inconsistent and reckless with our items, we would have went with another company. And they need to do better with recommending 3rd party movers. It reflects poorly on them.
We have used PODs for 3 mioves over the last ten years, and would use then again were we to move in the future. The PODs drivers delivered the pods within their time windows. Each driver called about 25 minutes before arriving to let me know they were coming. And did the same a few days later once the PODs were unloaded. I needed to delay the delivery date for one of the PODs and it was very easy to do.
I think PODS is a great option for a long distance move like mine (OH -> MD) in terms of cost and flexibility, but going through the process for the first time I did a lot of things wrong just due to lack of information. So, while overall I think I had a good experience, I believe they could do a better job of guiding folks new to the service. This could take the form of a better organized or more detailed website, training their phone staff to give information about what to expect, or even preparing the delivery drivers to spend a tiny bit more time with customers after dropoff to ensure the POD is able to be opened normally.
website down for over 9 days, could not log in, phone "support" took 3 hours on hold, when they finally answered, they could not help, nor would they give me a local number to inquire where my pod was. It arrived as if by magic only 6 days late, thus costing me another month of charges, trying to get this resolved, wish me luck...
We hired a wonderful two-men crew to empty the remaining items in our PODS containers. These men are hard-working and very patient with customer demands. Boxes to be figured out (where to put them) and heavy items to be handled up the stairs (quick reasoning and teamwork). They went above and beyond making sure that all went in where we wanted. They even found fallen hardware pieces for various items. They measured walls for a few items to decide whether these would fit or not, willing to move the furniture several times before our final decision. Prompt and precise arrival time, a full-on toolbox and expertise to assemble furniture items (we asked assembly for an unusual rustic table, so he finished it in a breeze!). If we ever move away from here, I can use this company again.
Awesome experience with PODS both at our house in CA and here at the condo in Detroit. Very friendly and super helpful drivers. The driver in Detroit helped find a spot to put the POD when the one the HOA had approved did not work and even waited for an HOA board member to come down and approve the new spot.