What to Expect When You Are Moving with PODS—Bridget’s Move

PODS Moving & Storage is one of our favorite moving container companies. Between its low prices, exceptional customer service, and durable containers, there’s a lot putting PODS ahead of its competition.

We wanted to learn how it feels to actually be a PODS customer, so we helped one family move long-distance using a PODS moving container. And—in a stunning surprise to no one—PODS delivered on everyone’s expectations.

Bridget and Aaron found the company’s service impeccable, its price affordable, and the container sturdy and reliable, though the family’s things did get pretty dusty en route. The company also lived up to its full name, “Portable On Demand Storage,” by giving the customers the storage they needed at multiple stages of their move.

If you’re in the market for a moving container company, read on!

Before they decided to hire PODS for their move, Bridget and Aaron actually checked out a few different moving companies and got quotes from several of them to compare prices.

As you can see, PODS’ quote was actually the highest that Bridget and Aaron received. U-Pack’s quote was roughly $1,000 cheaper and U-Haul’s was nearly $1,500 cheaper. So why did they end up hiring PODS?

Because they were looking for more than just a cheap move. They wanted a moving service that was stress-free and convenient, and anyone who’s driven long-distance in a U-Haul knows it’s anything but.

Bridget and Aaron also had a few time constraints that would require purchasing additional storage if they went with U-Haul or U-Pack. For one thing, they needed to keep their house in Salt Lake City mostly empty while they staged it for potential buyers. For another, they needed a place to keep their things while house hunting in Appleton.

It’s worth mentioning here that PODS’ quote included several months of storage, while U-Haul’s quote was just for the truck rental and U-Pack’s was just for their container rental and transport.

Given their storage needs and time constraints, here’s how everything would have went down if Aaron and Bridget moved with U-Haul:

1. Load everything into a truck.
2. Drive the truck to a local storage facility and unload their stuff into a unit. Sell their house.
3. Load their stuff onto another truck. Drive the truck to Wisconsin.
4. Load everything into a storage unit in Wisconsin. Hunt for a new house.
5. Rent yet another moving truck. Load it and drive it to the new home.

Hardly stress-free or convenient.

And when they factored in the prices for all the gas, storage, and extra truck rentals not included in U-Haul’s initial quote, it became clear that their final price with PODS would probably be lower than their final price with U-Haul.

U-Pack would have been a slightly better option for Bridget and Aaron since it wouldn’t require moving things between several moving trucks and storage units. However, the two of them had another important consideration: they wanted access to their stuff while selling their old house.

PODS allows you to keep your container on your property for as long as you need, so you can basically use it for on-site storage. U-Pack doesn’t. Instead, the company picks up your container as soon as it’s full and takes it to a storage facility. The clincher is that you can’t access your U-Pack container while it’s in storage.

Taking all of these considerations into account, Bridget and Aaron decided to go with PODS. Its on-site storage policy and the ability to store their container at a PODS facility while looking for a new house made it the best fit for them.

PODS’ original quote included storage through the month of September, but Bridget and Aaron were able to find their new home in Appleton by the end of August. So PODS delivered their container on August 27 and didn’t charge them for September storage. This is why PODS’ price actually went down from its original quote.

It may not seem like a big deal that a company only charged customers for the services they used, but it’s actually a huge trust boost for a moving company. Many unreputable movers increase their prices after giving lowball quotes, and they often overcharge and add hidden fees for services that may or may not be necessary.

While we’re not surprised that PODS pricing was honest, we’re still happy to report that you can trust your PODS price to be fair.

PODS provided exactly what Bridget and Aaron wanted for their move:

• It let them keep their container in their driveway in Salt Lake City to store stuff while selling their home.
• It kept their container at a secure storage facility while they hunted for a new home in Appleton.
• It delivered their container from their old home’s driveway to their new home’s driveway so they didn’t have to drive a moving truck.

Additionally, PODS’ crews were always on time for pickup and delivery windows, so Aaron and Bridget never had to wait longer than they expected for their crews to show up.

Stress-free. Convenient. Just right.

Bridget and Aaron’s move left very little to be desired. Overall, there were only two things that surprised us about PODS’ service, both of which had to do with the moving pod itself.

When their moving pod arrived at their new home in Appleton, Bridget and Aaron had some difficulty opening its door.

PODS containers have sliding garage-style doors, meaning they slide up into the container when you open them instead of opening outwards. If your stuff shifts during transit—which is almost inevitable during long-distance moves—something might move into the door’s path, holding it closed when you try to open it.

This is exactly what happened to Bridget and Aaron. And while they were able to get their pod open eventually, they wouldn’t have had this problem with a container that had outward-opening “barn-style” doors like those on 1-800-PACK-RAT and U-Pack containers.

This isn’t really a reason to avoid PODS, but it is something to be aware of. You can avoid this problem by securing your stuff in place with ratchet straps and bungee cords to lessen in-transit shifting.

PODS containers are waterproof and weather-resistant, so we expected that they would be dust-resistant as well. However, when Bridget and Aaron got their container open, they found that everything inside was powdered with a thin layer of dust.

Luckily, nothing was ruined by this dust. They just had to wipe each item clean as they unloaded their pod.

However, this experience highlights the importance of plastic-wrapping items that could be damaged by dust—such as musical instruments and electronics—before moving in a PODS container. If Bridget and Aaron had sent an unwrapped acoustic guitar or a computer in their pod, it may not have fared well.

Despite the two small issues with the pod’s door and the dusty contents, Bridget and Aaron’s PODS move couldn’t have gone better. From the convenient storage options to the timely deliveries, PODS gave Bridget and Aaron exactly the kind of move they hoped for, and it did it all for a fair price to boot.

At the end of the day, Bridget and Aaron gave PODS five out of five stars for their service. And since the only issues they ran into can be avoided with careful packing, we agree with their assessment.

If you want to learn more about PODS or see how it ranks against its competition, check out our full PODS review or read our list of the best moving container companies.