PODS Moving and Storage

Where to begin?  I seldom write a review unless the review is superlative or, in the case, a prime example of what is wrong with customer service in America. So this is one of those perfect storm situations. The short hand version is that I used POD' service without incident in the Fall of last year to move my elderly mother's belongings from TX to VA.  All went without incident then. Fast forward to present, the problems began with the very first customer call experience (quote with the wrong price and wrong location furnished). About half dozen phone calls later (from my end), they finally got it right.  I mean what can be so hard about replicating the prior service plans? Then it got worse even though we had made travel plans 4-6 weeks in advance so as to make the stress for a senior citizen as low as possible. My wife flew to Texas pick up my Mom in time for the first POD delivery though it was delayed because of weather .. which I can completely understand.  Then after the weather passed, POD then sent the incorrect sized POD.  Matters got worse.  The POD call center manager was exceptionally rude and dismissive to my wife (wish I had gotten her name). So we now had to pay cash to a moving crew not just once but twice for no shows.  Thankfully, a nice call center person called Heather made a point to resolve the matter and indicated a price adjustment would likely by made by the accounting department provided I could provide an invoice for the out of pocket. Days later, the originally ordered POD size shows up and was in beat up condition but functional.  At last! Since I had no moving team invoice from a cash basis crew, I did insist they generate one the 3rd time around for POD's accounting department.  And this crew did do so and felt I was complying the with spirit and intent to the POD request. About a dozen calls later, the POD accounting department has  refused to honor that invoice because it occurred after POD incident one and two. I would say that their accounting department went to great lengths to provide friendly nothingness to assuage my concerns despite two incident numbers. Worst of all, my wife ending up missing a week of work (unpaid) as she runs her own business.  That economic impact was compounded by my mother and wife having to fly back versus the original plan to drive my mother's car back..which now needed to be shipped for $650.  Net net, we paid almost $2000 to be abused. So my sole recourse was to call the credit card payment and relay this story and demand satisfaction.  Which I just did..only to have these Bozos prematurely dispatch collections on my and not resolve the issue in good faith. Never again with POD.  CEO owes my wife, my elderly mom and me a personal apology and I am making it my mission to call out wretched, unfair practices and behavior.  For shame!! ps - I am saving this writeup to post and warn others elsewhere.

Service cost: $2500

It will be impossible to recommend POD’s to any family, friends or business associates due to the inaccurate quoting, billing and customer service that they provide. The PODS themselves never fit the actual room sizes that they say so you should always expect you to have to add-on to your existing order. We are currently dealing with an issue for our international move regarding inaccurate billing and compounding the issue is nonresponsive and inadequate customer service to address the issues. The all-in quote that I discussed with the representative in great detail was materially different then how their billing system ultimately invoiced us for. The billing has been inaccurate and multiple errors have resulted in POD’s billing us for additional costs which were then auto paid on our credit card that was in the system. To compound the concerns we have with the incorrect billing has been the dismal customer service. We started to address the issues in early September and we are now at the end of November and there has been no resolution. We have made weekly calls to their customer service toll free line detailing the issues with several agents with promises and expectations that someone would call us to discuss and correct (THEY HAVE CONTACTED US BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN CORRECTED AND THEY ARGUED WITH US OVER THE QUOTE). The billing was so inaccurate and full of charges and refunds that it took a full day to reconcile the account to where it should be (28 LINES SHOULD HAVE BEEN BILLED, 81 LINES ON OUR ACCOUNT WITH ANOTHER 23 TO CORRECT THE BILLING). I will say the crew who do delivery and pick up of the PODs themselves were awesome! But based on the overall cost and customer service I would recommend a full service move.

Within 24hrs of posting this review to Yelp I received a call from an Executive Resolution Specialist. We thought finally we would have resolution but this person has been rude, belittling and completely awful. Laying all blame on us and taking no responsibility and not even apologizing for the mess they have made. DO NOT USE PODS!

Service cost: $12000

I highly discourage anyone from using this incompetent company. Worst customer service! My story goes like this. Ordered 2 PODS and realized the day of loading that I was going to need another one. I called PODS and requested a new container and the call lasted for two hours and fifteen minutes. I also scheduled the pickup for all the PODS after loaded and was assured all three would be stored in Montgomery, AL, which would be the closest storage facility that would deliver to my new address in Auburn, AL. The technician told me to just call about three days before I needed them delivered to the new address and there wouldn’t be any issue. There was a big issue. They didn’t store my PODS in Montgomery, they stored them in Birmingham and claimed they needed five days for transit and three day for logistics. I spoke to three or four supervisors and nobody could do anything to get my PODS on the day I requested. They did say that if my PODS would have been stored in Montgomery like they said there would not have been any issue. THEIR FAULT! So they put in an account review and some guy called and stated they lost the 2:15 min call I had with them. He credited my account $100 dollars and said basically take it or leave it and he didn’t have to give me anything. So I accepted I was getting my PODS on the earliest date they said. I moved my entire family down the day prior because all three PODS were scheduled to be delivered. They only delivered two of the three and stated the other one was never scheduled. I asked if someone could just please contact the Birmingham facility and see if they can make an exception and deliver it the next day but was met with the standard “that is not our policy or procedure”. I had to drive my family back to my parent’s house to stay with them for another week because the one POD they didn’t send is the one with all of our furniture. It is taking them nine additional days to deliver my last POD and I’m having to take more vacation time off to unload it. They also charged me for and extra month of storage because due to their mistake the PODS were in storage for more than 30 days and they don’t prorate monthly storage fees. I will never use this company again. They have ONE job, to deliver/store PODS and they can’t even do that right. WHEN they make a mistake, and they will, they will not fix it. They will tell you to submit and account review and someone will get back to you in 3-5 days. Not one time did I call them and spend less than an hour on the phone. If you ask for a supervisor, they put you on hold for half hour and then come back on stating they are busy.

Service cost: $3600

About a year ago I had been dealing with a very big issue. I had talked to over 2 dozen different customer service representatives, 4 account managers, and emailed cooperate. No one could help me get to the bottom of this. Well some would say they did but it never happened. I had been billed incorrectly and charged for redelivery fees that never happened. I would talk to a representative and they would say sorry and fix the charges to then receive a phone call saying my items were up for auction. I had already had my pods dropped off and unloaded one pod sat out in front of the house for 2 1/2 weeks due to the the pods not fitting in my driveway. One was on the street in front of the neighbors house. They said they would be back the next day to pick it up and didn't show for weeks. I kept getting phone calls saying that my stuff is going to be put up for auction when my stuff was already in my house and I have been moved in for over a week. Every time I called customer service to schedule a pick up they said my account is on hold for a past due balance. I did not have a past due balance I paid all my bills on time because my credit card was on file and was automatically debited every month. I called pods and arranged a drop of for the pods for February 6th and they never showed. (I had emails to prove all this). The pod never arrived I called and they said a drop off was never scheduled! So I had to schedule again for the following Saturday because they couldn't deliver pods that day. So that made me have to live in a house with no beds or kitchen supplies for a week with three kids. No furniture or cooking utincels!! After my pods were delivered on the 13th I received an email saying that my account is past due for a very large amount and they charged me redelivery fees (which I never made any redelivery's) and that they were putting my stuff up for auction but they never showed up the first date I arranged! I told them I have my stuff and already moving in. They told me they had no record of it and a week later they said I asked to redeliver on a different day! All of this is lies and FRAUD! They didn't even know I had the pods and was moved in. They continued to call and claim a balance was past due for redelivery charges and my stuff is being sold at auction. I would tell them my stuff is moved in and their pod is out front empty waiting to be picked up. They would say sorry and promise to fix it and arrange a pick up. After two weeks of this, all I wanted to do is get the pod picked up. It was empty, all of my stuff was moved in and it had been out on the street for 2 1/2 weeks. I had tickets from the police for it being there (which I got waived thank goodness). I contacted so many different cooperate people thru emails and phone calls. No one would return any of my emails or left messages. They finally picked the POD up 2 1/2 weeks later and never heard from them again until last night (almost exactly a year later) I got a call at 8pm that I was sent to collections over a past due balance of redelivery charges..I'm so upset it's been a year after this night mare and it's back. I will NEVER use pods! I'm going to court tomorrow to file an action against them.

Service cost: $414

This is the worst company I've ever dealt with. The lack of communication between facilities and representatives is abysmal. The representatives are preprogrammed to give you the same repetitious answers. I prearranged everything 3 months before my move date. I received a 2 hour window late on the afternoon for my POD delivery date, and then received a call in the morning that it was being delivered that morning, well before the scheduled time. I left an appointment to rush home for the delivery. The POD was loaded and ready for pickup on the assigned date, but no one came to pick it up. I watched from my window during the 2 hour period it was to be picked up, and continued watching. I started calling Customer Service the next day, Sunday, to find out why no one came. The supervisor I was eventually connected with made every effort to contact someone in the Boston area. Much to my dismay no came until late on Monday. I received no call, but I watched to entire process from my apartment window. The next day I received a call from a POD rep stating my POD was delivered to the wrong facility, and it would be delayed getting to Nashville. When I tried to get a date and time, I was told it would be updated on line. Finally I was told it would be delivered some time on Friday, five days late from the original agreed upon Monday. When I tried to get a time window I was told that wasn't possible. The new apartment complex required scheduling a time for the loading dock. Not knowing a time, this became impossible. All calls to PODS were futile as I was consistently told there was no way to arrange time windows. I finally did get my POD delivered onto the street. Luckily Diamond Movers was very accomodating. Alex rearranged schedules and sent two men to unload my POD. They never complained even though they had to move everything from the street to the apartment in the heat of the afternoon.

When I asked PODS if they could pick the POD up the same day they dropped it off at my apartment complex so I could schedule a time for the unloading dock, I was told that would be an additional charge. This company does nothing to help you. I even bought my own moving blankets because their rental fee is higher than buying them.

In summary, I just received a call stating I would receive no compensation because it was my fault the POD was picked up late. They stated the POD was blocked by cars. This is completely untrue as there were pylons blocking the spaces on either side of the POD. Someone made a mistake and then tried to blame it on me, the customer. This is the worst type of customer service I've ever encountered. I assume they do not base their business on repeat customers. No one needs this added stress when trying to move. I would have been happy if any attempt had been made to help me during a difficult situation rather than blame me. One final note, this apartment complex does not recommend them either.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2944

Called to schedule a POD delivery weeks in advance and was told that my credit card would be billed 5 days prior to delivery of the POD (spoke to Chrissie). Upon calculation of the square footage in the POD, I determined that I would need more area and called back to request to add a 7' POD to my already existing order for a 16' POD. I was told that there would be an additional $1950.39 charge on top of the already $3260.07. This would place having PODs above a FULL SERVICE MOVE!! Ridiculous. Immediately, I told the representative (Travis) that I would have to consider other options, because of the lofty price. He told me that I was welcome to do so, and that there would be no cancellation fee as long as I cancelled within 1 day of scheduled delivery. I called and set up a different company to deliver storage units, and called to cancel the PODs on 07/15, the same day I spoke to the other company and made arrangements. I just received a bill in the mail and checked my credit card statement. PODs still charged me the initial fee prior to delivery. When I called, I was told that the representative should have told me 5 BUSINESS days prior to delivery, which is actually 7 calendar days. I mentioned that it wasn't helpful to find that out now, and that I needed the money back on my card to use it for my move. They told me it would be 2-5 business days, despite the other company coming on 07/20. Then, a manager was put on the phone (Trey), who told me that it would be 3-5 business days and that if I called to file a dispute charge with my credit card company, I would be charged twice since his associate had already processed the refund although I wouldn't have access to it for the next several days. The inconsistency and charges were something I had read about prior to booking with PODs, but I did talk to a couple of people who had positive experiences, so I decided to give them a try. NEVER AGAIN!! I am thankful they are not moving my items and will post an update to this once my move is completed, so that I can give an honest evaluation of the company I am actually having to move and store my goods.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $690

PODS is a horrible company with unresponsive customer service. They appear to be unable to respond to customer needs and misled me every step of the way including costs, pick up arrangements and delivery date. I moved across country with my family and they gave me an estimated date of arrival that was 9 days off. It took another week for them to pick up an empty container but they kept telling me they were coming sooner. Blatant lies and misrepresentation. I can handle someone telling me it will take 9 days; I can't tolerate someone giving me false information or telling me what I want to hear and have nothing happen. OVER PROMISED and UNDER DELIVERED. Never use them! A nightmare!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2500

I cannot seem to get a straight answer on anything when I contact PODS. Everytime I call I have to wait with annoying hold music to talk to someone only to be told they can't help me and I need to be transferred to another department to wait with annoying hold music again and be told they can't help me. It's like Dante's outer circle. They give you the run around and no one follows up or actually cares about helping you. Everytime I call I get a different answer on everything I feel like I'm on a game show to measure the capacity of human frustration.
In addition to wasting hours upon hours of my life with their hopelessly incompetent "Customer Service" team, my main beef with PODS is a financial one. HOLY HIDDEN CHARGES BATMAN. When quoted the amount it would cost for my cross country move they quoted me the pre-tax amount. They also failed to disclose that I would be charged 2, yes 2! whole months of storage at $205 apiece for using the POD for 13 days, because the days spanned two different months and they don't prorate as a policy. I bet they dont. So I've now paid over $600 more than what I was quoted between the unmentioned tax and the 2 months (for 13 days) storage.
They are now saying that they will not deliver the POD unless I pay an additional $180 delivery fee, also, never disclosed to me. (see a theme here?) I am moving to an urban city and have had to acquire special and expensive moving permits (that I had to go to City Hall for!) for my specific move dates and have hired movers on the most moving active day of the whole year. They essentially held my property hostage and said they just "wont show up" if I don't pay them the $180 fee (somehow not included in the $2400 I already paid to move the POD) That is extortion!!
I think it is DISGRACEFUL to treat the customers that have chosen to do business with you in this way, gouging them, giving them the run around and holding their property hostage. PODS is a disorganized, greedy corporation that doesn't care about their customers in the slightest. On top of the profound stress of a cross country move, I have this to deal with?! From a company I have already paid thousands of dollars to? SHAME ON YOU PODS for making my move a living nighmare. I wouldn't recommend you to my worst enemy.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000

Everything was ok during my first call to hired them. Of course it was going to be professional. Everything went well for the first stage of charging the service (Drop of container in IL). I call they say ok will be there. They CALL me to let ME KNOW my container was to be delivered between N hour and N on N date. I got my CC charged $400+. I call to ask why so much and they say it was $140-180 for the drop and 1 month of storage. I told them the seller over the phone told me the 1st month was free due to a special they had that month. That! was a lie. For the second stage (Transportation), I call them to deliver the container but instead to my new address to their storage facility since where I live now don't allow containers. They send me an email confirming that stage and my charge of $2,300+. I call today since I never heard from them and their website didn't say nothing on where my container was. To my surprise , she told me the container arrived 2 days ago to their facility and that THEY NEVER CALL customers. Hum, I received calls during every stage except for this one? I said. I even told her their site doesn't even say DATES of anything except when they charge your CC. Now I have to paid them another month of storage in the amount of $305.00. And I'm the one picking my stuff with a truck at their facility.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3200

I will never use PODs again and do not recommend their services to anyone. Very poor customer service. Received 1st delivery of pod which was damaged and wet inside which was picked up and then 3 days later received 2nd pod which had a lot of dirt inside and mud left on the driveway which I had to sweep and clean and remove nails before packing my furniture inside. I was over charged over $500 for both pods for delivery and storage fees and a re-delivery charge for my 2nd pod even after the initial one was picked up (which I was to only be charged for 1 pod that was shipped). After several months (June - August) and calling speaking with account manager then billing supervisor and mgrs. in accounting and customer service issue still not resolved to issue a credit for the extra charges on my card and was charged another re-delivery fee without being advised this was going to change the price that's less than 5 miles away but again never was informed of these fees. Its a rip off and everyone I have spoken to I cannot take their word at all since they do not follow through at all. Still waiting to have my call returned after leaving voice messages and calling wasting my time and energy being placed on hold and no warm transfers at all and having to repeat myself again over the several transfers.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3300