SMARTBOX Portable Storage® Reviews
Pickup from our house to warehouse: fine. First delivery date: at 4:00 after many attempts to contact them we learned they weren't coming. Local company said they'd only gotten the order that day. Rescheduled for 1 week later. Second date: throughout day corporate dispatch said they were coming but no show. Next day: headquarters arranged for delivery, but when the driver arrived the forklift had a flat and he had to go back to warehouse. Contents of containers were in good condition.
I chose SmartBox via Allied Van Lines because of my previous experience with Allied. From the beginning my moving coordinator, Ms. Latoya White, patiently answered all of my questions and make inquiries within the company on my behalf. The driver who delivered my container (Andre) was very helpful and remained in touch throughout the process. My only area of concern is that the size of the container was a little smaller than expected for a one bedroom apartment with furniture. I had to leave things behind (which I reconciled with the thought so it ended up being okay).
I didn't enjoy working with Smartbox. I didn't encounter much trouble with them, but I find that they lack customer service. They always said they would call ahead of time but they never, besides the branch in Colorado, which seem to have the best service. Also, their box is too small. This was our biggest issue. I wished I had paid more for a POD. The interior is essentially a wooden crate, which seems a little shabby. I had some dead bugs, dust and grass in my items. Also, they don't deliver/collect on certain days so you have to check ahead of time. Finally, my biggest complain, is that they damaged our Masterlock. We had to borrow a pair of shears from a neighbour to snip our steel lock open. It was a huge hassle for us.
I really liked this company for a while - I stored my stuff in the boxes for two years before I had it shipped across the country. When my boxes arrived at my destination, there was significant damage to my stuff, which I think was largely the fault of the loaders. BUT quite a few things were soaking wet - I have no idea how that happened but it ruined quite a few things, including an expensive wool rug. I would not use them again.
Smart Box just does not quite make the grade. Smart Box scheduling process is (at best) unreliable. Customer Service and Dispatch Department does not implement common logistic controls (like call ahead, call back and reschedule/no-show to control job flow based on driver routes) and ensure happy and satisfied customers! My moving job fluctuated by 30-minutes in a two-hour delivery window for Smart Box pick up and they could not wait to reschedule or pick-up within a 1-hour timeframe. In fact, Smart Box risked further property damage and fines from my community association by unnecessary delays, despite a promised "back-up timeframe of 48-hour pickup window" to 96 hours! Wow! What a dissed-apppointment. Wonder what the claim would look like for negligence?
Great price, great service! My delivery guy, James, was amazing and very helpful, as was the local owner, Ned. I only ordered 2 boxes for this move, but would have been more successful with 3. 2 was not enough for a 2 bedroom. I haven't had my boxes delivered yet, as they are still en route, but I have every confidence the remainder of the process will go as well as the first half. Highly recommend!