There’s nothing I hate more than moving, especially when it’s a long-distance move. The whole process of putting all of your belongings into boxes shifting from Point A to Point B stirs up lots of memories but often leaves us with sore muscles, making it difficult to move for days. My family has moved around quite a bit, but usually, these moves are local so we can get a U-Haul for the day or use our own vehicles to shift our belongings with the help of friends. However, our latest move was several states away, so you can imagine the moving process was a bit different than we were used to. Neither myself nor my husband was looking forward to driving a U-Haul that far so we started looking into different options. While the sheer number of options available is overwhelming, we eventually decided to go with PODS. Here’s a bit about my experience.
Why Use PODS for Moving?
Honestly, I picked PODS because it seemed like the easiest option in my price range. Sure some services will come and pack your house up, ship it, and then unpack it, but they are costly! Sure I compared PODS with other moving container companies, and PODS was among the cheapest options for my move. And when you add in the promo code they offer, it was the best deal. I think the best way to share my experience with PODS is to break down what I liked and disliked.
What I Liked About My PODS Unit
The part I liked most about using PODS was the flexibility in scheduling. In the past when I’ve moved everything had to be rushed on the same day to save on costs in renting a truck. This time, PODS simply delivered a container to my residence and it was able to sit there for a few days while my husband, myself, and some friends were able to load it as we had time. It didn’t have to be a rushed job, eliminating a lot of the headache of the move. It was super easy to get it dropped off and picked up. This was the case when it was delivered to our new home too, which was especially nice since it gave us more time to organize rather than shove all the boxes into the garage at once to sort out later.
Another thing I was surprised about with PODS was the quality of the containers they use. Some of the other moving services I have used in the past had containers that weren’t swept, were poorly constructed, or damaged. The container that was sent to my residence was top-quality. I think this was a big factor in my stuff actually arriving in one piece. I also liked the fact that PODS offers storage. We had to move rather quickly with the new job offer and didn’t have a place picked out right away. PODS was able to store our container and all we had to do was call them and arrange for delivery once we found our new home.
What I Disliked About PODS Moving Unit
As good as my experience was with PODS, there were definitely a few things I disliked. Firstly, every time you call customer service you get a different agent. This means each time you call you have to re-explain the situation each time. Plus, sometimes you get a different answer (which of course is annoying). There was a slight issue with the delivery time and I needed to get it changed and I had to call several times to get it sorted out. But, in the end, it was all figured out and the container arrived to our home so we could pack it.
I also disliked the fact that while the PODS were clean and relatively undamaged, it didn’t seem like it would take much for it to get damaged. It really seemed like they would be easy to break into or could easily get damaged which could expose the contents to water. Despite this, all of our stuff arrived relatively unscathed and the container didn’t appear to be damaged upon arrival so I guess they know what they are doing.
What I Wish Was Different
There were also things that I would have liked to be different but didn’t necessarily feel strongly enough to dislike about the experience. For starters, I had never packed a container for a long move before. It would have been helpful if there was some kind of guide either inside the container or given to the customer beforehand to explain how to load it. Knowing the best way to put furniture, where to place breakables, etc. would have been helpful.
Secondly, I would have liked to have more areas to tie down the contents of the container so there was less shifting. I had several boxes fall over in the move (which luckily didn’t have anything breakable inside). Really there needs to be eyebolts, hooks, or something to tie your things in every 3-4 feet that way everything isn’t shifting in a 16ft container.
Would I Use PODS Again?
Overall, there are certainly things I liked and disliked about my PODS experience. Would I use PODS again? Absolutely. While it was a bit more expensive than other options out there, the convenience they added to my move was definitely worth the extra expense. They made it easy to load my things into a container in a way that worked with my family’s crazy schedule. Better yet, they held onto our things while we sorted out and arranged for housing in a new city and state. This gave us the time we needed to get to know the new city, find a neighborhood we liked, and find a suitable home for our family without the stress of getting our stuff delivered without knowing where we were going.
I would definitely recommend using PODS for your move, whether it is just across town or a cross country move. PODS is a must if you have a crazy hectic schedule and can’t dedicate a whole day to packing a truck. It gives you the convenience to take your time and most importantly organize! If you’re gearing up for a move, you have to consider using PODS, you won’t regret it!