View Full Version : Move via POD?
Boomer
02-22-2008, 02:20 PM
Snow again today, so my thoughts, once again, turn to TV. My msn.com opening page is showing the sun coming out for those of you in TV. Even when you have a little cloud showing all day, your temps are beautiful.
Even though we have not bought a home in TV yet, I am beginning to plan how to get it furnished. We are likely to buy a patio villa and keep our home here which is about a thousand miles away.
I have been thinking about using a POD to get some stuff from Point A to Point B.
I have been accumulating (maybe some would call it hoarding :) ) a few pieces of wood furniture. -no valuable antiques or anything but some good sturdy stuff. The plan is to figure out how to transform it into the shabby chic look I like. I think I will paint it white and then beat it up a little. We shall see.
Going to all this trouble might not even make sense. It might be better to just try to find things there. But I kind of like doing this sort of thing.
What I am wondering is whether anyone can share the experience of using a POD or whatever those things are called. I think there are other brand names, too.
I know that moving the stuff into the TV house could be an issue. But we are not bringing the piano and we could take the drawers out of the dressers. We are relatively able bodied types, not great but still fairly sturdy. - just like the old furniture I want to move there.
I know I can pick up a phone anywhere and have the beloved Sleep Number delivered so moving a big mattress in by ourselves is not an issue.
So...has anyone tried the POD move? Any advice?
JohnN
02-22-2008, 04:02 PM
pods.com I'm thinking about using one for a lot of stuff that I'd prefer to pack and move
but I've not used 'em yet
l2ridehd
02-22-2008, 04:50 PM
I looked at pods, smart move, U Haul, Penske Budget, etc. Pods and smart move were very expensive compared to U Haul. Almost double and that was looking at everything including gas and all but my time driving it there. The big advantage to the pods is you can take a week or more to load it and then have it delivered. With a U Haul you have 5 days total. One interesting thing about truck rental is the price seems to change daily. I saw a low of $541 and a high of $968 for the same trip, same truck, and everything else. Check it several times until you see the lowest rate and then lock it down. Once reserved you maintain that rate and rate structure even if you upgrade to a larger truck or move dates. I have gone from a 10 ft, to a 14 ft, and now a 17 ft. The cost only moved from the original $541 to $578 for the larger truck. I also went on craigslist in Ocala and under services found moving help for $50 an hour for 2 people. Haven't used them yet, but have them reserved for now. Will let you know if it works. And Southwest and Jet Blue also have cheap one way tickets for the return home. So even doing all that, truck, gas, airline, rental car to airport, it was still over $1000 less then the pods. And I probably shouldn't count the airline, even with a pod, you will need to be there.
Boomer
02-22-2008, 05:24 PM
Thanks JohnN and I2ridehd,
Regarding getting local movers for hire: Have you found that they are covered with workman's comp insurance or whatever it is that covers them if they get hurt? I recently hired someone to haul away basement stuff for someone I was helping with a house sale. The big guys with the big truck had to fax me the papers first.
Prudent? Paranoid? - don't know. It's just the way I have to do business. While I don't worry so much about somebody dropping my stuff, I do worry about our liability for an on the job injury. There are some circumstances under which it is not an issue for me, but with movers, it is. I know that litigation can try to hit everybody in the lineup, but I just like to build in a little buffer zone where possible.
I think hauling the stuff to TV yourself and hiring locals to help you move it in makes good sense. I would just have to understand the liability coverage aspect. :dontknow:
l2ridehd
02-22-2008, 05:31 PM
I called them and asked that question and they said yes, I have not seen the paper work yet, but will have them fax it to me before I use them. Here is a link to there web site so you can check for yourself.
http://home.earthlink.net/~martinrelocation/
l2ridehd
02-22-2008, 05:33 PM
Right now it is scheduled for March 20 and 21. Will load on the 19th, drive on the 20th and unload on the 21st. At least that is the current plan.
mmclover
02-22-2008, 05:48 PM
I have been in contact with SmartMove. The price for containers 6'Wx7"Hx7"L is quite reasonable. I plan only to bring small personal items and household items, very little furniture. I think I will have my hands full driving a van with the dog and cat. SmartMove
loads the containers on UPS and will hold them at the nearest UPS terminal until you are ready for them for like a dollar a day storage fee. They will also provide loading and unloading help is you want it. I am hoping that I can get by with two containers, but can have as many as needed. They will brigng four and charge you only for what you use/ You lock them with your own lock and unlock when they arrive at destination. That is the way I plan to go when???? I sell my house and make it to TV.
l2ridehd
02-22-2008, 06:46 PM
The price I got from smart move was a little over $1500 a container and there containers were small. This was from Virginia to Florida. That seems really expensive to me when the space for 2 containers is only 27 cubic feet more then the 17 foot truck. So they would want over $3000 and the truck, gas, tolls, pads, dolly, is under $1000 for the same trip. What am I missing?
Boomer
02-22-2008, 07:21 PM
I wonder if prices will eventually be affected somewhat by the fact that fewer people are moving anywhere.
Muncle
02-22-2008, 09:57 PM
I've never used Pods so I have no real-life knowledge about them or, surprisingly, even an opinion. However, Boomer said they'd likely be moving into a villa. With the parking situation and real short driveways in Villa communities, I'd give a lot of thought to the timing. With a single family home, you could park the Pod in the drive or even on the street for a few days while you paced your unpacking. It might be a bit more complicated in a Villa.
Boomer
02-22-2008, 10:02 PM
I've never used Pods so I have no real-life knowledge about them or, surprisingly, even an opinion. However, Boomer said they'd likely be moving into a villa. With the parking situation and real short driveways in Villa communities, I'd give a lot of thought to the timing. With a single family home, you could park the Pod in the drive or even on the street for a few days while you paced your unpacking. It might be a bit more complicated in a Villa.
Good point, Muncle. Thank you.
I love this site. I will get this TV thing figured out yet, but I would never have gotten this far without the advice I find here.
l2ridehd
02-23-2008, 06:21 PM
I just called Pack Rat and they don't deliver to TV. They have to have a warehouse within 25 miles of your delivery location and the closest one is Orlando. I talked to there agent and they would not bend on that rule. They wouldn't even give me pricing for a 16' pod. So they are not an option for moving to TV. If you hear something different from them, be glad to know what it is.
I used a POD from WIS. The great part about it for me was that we contracted with it just before we put our house up for sale. Put all the stuff we felt made the house look 'cluttered' in it. Took the POD away. After the house sold (6 weeks), brought it back. Repacked for the move. At the time, 2006, they would only use 16 footers for interstate moves. My cost for about 3 months of using the POD was $3,000.00.
Another nice part about the POD is that it is virtually at ground level for packing. Also, we had 2 curio cabinets with allot of glass in it and they made the trip with no damage.
Overall, a satisfying experience and I'd use them again.
Patty
03-06-2008, 04:58 PM
Last year we used PODS to move from a North Atlanta suburb (Woodstock) to TV. they were very professional and timely. We even changed our date of delivery and did not have any problems with them accommodating us.
We had it delivered on a Friday to TV, unpacked it in about (2 hours - we hired some high school boys to help us) and they picked up the POD from our driveway first thing on Monday morning. Even though it was on our villa driveway for over 24 hours, we did not receive any complaints from our neighbors.
total cost was less than $1500.00 and I would use them again.
SteveFromNY
04-04-2008, 05:54 PM
I recently made arrangements for PODS to do my move. I am having the pod delivered in April, moved from NYC to Ocala in June and then to TV early July.
I will come down and empty it, and then, unfortunately, return to NY and work a few more months!
l2ridehd
04-04-2008, 06:00 PM
Arthur Martin and a helper showed up on time, did an excellent job, and were very careful with all furniture. They helped assemble and set up beds and tables and things and overall I would give them good marks and I would recommend them and use them again if I move from there. Here are 2 numbers for them. One was their office and one was a cell. Not sure which is which.
352-347-3420
352-207-4896
Boomer
05-31-2008, 01:01 PM
This is a bump of an old thread that I started last winter.
Someone on here recently was searching for POD information so I thought I would bump this one.
When I asked my question (encased in a big long story that you can skip) I was really happy and impressed with the excellent information and advice TOTVers gave me.
So here is a rerun of "Move via POD?" I hope it helps someone else.
Boomer
JohnN
05-31-2008, 02:03 PM
I talked to the PODS people and they say you can put a POD in your driveway (private property) to unload it but you can't park it in the street in TV.
Rokinronda
05-31-2008, 02:12 PM
We used http://www.minimoves.com/aboutus/about-us.html A good alternative for smaller loads. They are nationwide they quoted a great price. I did a lot of research before deciding. We were very happy with their service.
dklassen
05-31-2008, 02:43 PM
I used upack.com to move from CA to TN. The cost was $2300 for 16 ft in a large ABF trailer. Couldn't be happer with the service plus you don't have to pay for any gas. It was way less money than Pods, u-haul or any of the others.
KathieI
05-31-2008, 03:59 PM
DK, thanks, I'll look into that since I'm coming from CA to TV. Good cost, but what's an ABF trailer (oh I'm so girlie!).
Do they load and unload too?
Kath
chuckinca
05-31-2008, 04:01 PM
Arkansas Best Freight
Large trucking company
KathieI
05-31-2008, 04:06 PM
Chuck, I'm LMAO, you always answer my stupid questions. You must think I'm such a girlie, welll, duh! I am!
Thanks for the info.
Kathie :redface:
chuckinca
05-31-2008, 04:18 PM
That's not a stupid question - how many people know what ABF stands for, it could mean anything.
Being girlie is OK with me (I have much experience with my wife, two daughters and three granddaughters)
dklassen
05-31-2008, 04:57 PM
ABF is one of the largest trucking companies in the US. Basically they drop off a 28 foot trailer. You load it, they pick it up and take it to your destination and drop it off. Then you unload it. I hired a couple guys on each end to load and unload for a very reasonable fee. Whatever space you don't use on the truck they fill it with commercial freight separated by a bulkhead you put up after you load it. You only pay for the space you use. Upack got very high customer satisfaction ratings unlike some of the other movers I checked and I checked every conceivable way to get our stuff from CA to TN. They were right on time and did exactly what they said they would do. It was a no brainier for us and much less expensive.
dklassen
05-31-2008, 05:11 PM
Here's a couple pics to the trailer being loaded.
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/pics/abf1.jpg
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/pics/abf2.jpg
JohnN
05-31-2008, 05:54 PM
wow, that's a big trailer.. and the cost was comparable to a POD it seems? I might have to check them out
dklassen
05-31-2008, 06:02 PM
It would have taken me at least two pods which would have been $3k maybe more. We used 16 feet in the truck.
Sidney Lanier
05-31-2008, 06:22 PM
We have no personal experience with PODs but know people who have (not in relation to a move to TV). They were happy with how the move itself turned out but afterwards recognized that it was a pretty pricey experience in contrast with other moving possibilities. For what it's worth....
784caroline
05-31-2008, 11:40 PM
I figure 2..16 foot pods at 80 plus cubic feet (each or 160 total) is slightly more than a 26 foot Penske truck which can supposidly carry 6 plus rooms. Am I right or wrong??
JohnN
06-01-2008, 12:54 AM
caroline, pods are 8x16 = 144 sq.feet each,
but likely about the size of the truck,
I have some high furniture (entertainment center), the penske truck is only 6'2 I think , fyi
JohnN
06-01-2008, 01:01 AM
I just visited the Penske guy locally, and about three times during the conversation, he kept saying... ***but we can always deal, that MIGHT be negotiable****
so you may get a better rate, be sure to ask for it.
I'm looking at about $1200 for Penske vs $2500 for PODS,
not moving real soon so still considering other options
784caroline
06-02-2008, 12:31 PM
John
You have to be concerned with Cube dimensions and when I called PODS they told me the actual interior deminisions of a 16ft POD taking into consideration the beams are
186 inches long, 83 inches wide and 90.5 inches high. Whe you say likely the size of a truck..what size truck? My figures show 2....16 foot pods are slightly bigger (200-400 cubic ft space wise depending upon how you calculate the pod space) than a 26ft penske truck. Again this is Cubic ft not sq ft dimension.
Most of my large furniture (Entertainment center and dining room china) breaks down into sections.....but still VERY heavy!
JohnN
06-03-2008, 02:15 AM
784caroline,
yes, cubic feet is a key, but I'm also very concerned about height since my entertainment center doesn't break down (at least height-wise). It's about 6'8 and I don't want to lay it sideways. PODS seem quite workable but a tad expensive compared to some other alternatives.
I'm not yet sure what I'll use, I've got a little time to think on it.
784caroline
06-18-2008, 09:47 PM
I just booked 2 pods from N. VA to TV and it will cost approx $3100. My problem is I just hope (like fingers crossed) that we get rid of enough of "stuff" that we can fit it all into 2 pods. WE have some very heavy stuff so a moving company that uses a weight based scale...well no thank you...that plsu the fuel surcharges thay are now hitting you with.
A Penske 26 footer would be ALOT cheaper....but I dont think a 26 footer would fit all I have, risk of drivining somethign you are unfamiliar with, inconvience since you are not ground level for load/unload purposes PLUS as someone mentioned they have a height restriction. The real issue would be the hassle since I have 2 cars ..I would have to fly back home and then drive another 2 days stay in a hotel ...just to complte the move ....not worth it. With PODS I mean everything is scheduled and I can delay delivery for when I am ready and hire the unloaders for a specific day here in TV.
One problem with PODS is that they do not rent furniture pads or blankets as Penske does. (you can buy them from PODS but they are expensive) HOwever you cannot JUST rent Furniture pads from Penske for the pads are invoiced and controled wiht the truck rental. SO in addition to renting boxes paper and bubble wrap I now have to "buy" 2 dozen Furniture Blankets...found a place on the net called Maddox Trading who had 5 lb weight moving blankets on sale for about $65 per dozen shipping included!
Anyone have a better place to buy or rent Moving pads/bankets...or better yet anyone have some????
SteveFromNY
06-18-2008, 10:03 PM
I am doing the same thing, only we've already ditched most of the furniture. My house in TV was in property management, so it's furnished. Knowing my better half we will be spending a lot of time and money upgrading the rental stuff, but it's good enough to start.
We're basically moving one pod with a few pieces of furniture and a LOT of boxes. The pod is leaving on Saturday, 6/21, and will be dropped on my driveway in TV on 6/30. I have the guys coming to unload on 7/1. The pod will be gone on 7/2. Quite different than in NY, where the pod has been in my driveway for 2 months!
We also bought lots of bubble wrap (on-line) and boxes (Home Depot) and 6 blankets on-line. They were about $10 each, but they are huge and thick. I don't know about their weight, but if the ones you are looking at are even near what I got you are getting a great deal. I don't remember where I got them (I ordered thru Amazon, but don't remember who actually sent them).
I agree the pod is the way to go - street level and the convenience of pick up and delivery seemed well worth it. The whole thing, including insurance, from NYC to TV will cost between $2400 and $2600 (including 2 months rental while packing).
Perhaps other ways are cheaper, but this one seems to be the least amount of headache for me. And at this time (selling the old house and settling into a condo in NY and the house in TV) I have more than enough to keep me busy.
By the way, the pod does hold a lot of stuff. Pack it all the way to the ceiling as they say. And if possible, use the same size boxes. Makes for much more efficient stacking!
l2ridehd
06-18-2008, 10:38 PM
I also bought 2 dozen furniture pads from Maddox and they were good quality. I live in N VA, but most of the pads are still in TV. I am flying down in a few weeks and driving my truck back here and will bring all but a couple of them back with me. Don't know your time table, but if it works I would lend them to you. But you really need to pad furniture well to prevent damage so $130 for pads is cheap. I first did the U Haul 17 foot truck and I rented 5 dozen pads with that plus my 2 dozen. But I always pad things well. Like every bureau would take 2 pads, end tables one, wraped table tops and table legs in pads, etc. When I got there I had zero damage. Did the same thing with the pick up truck and no damage either.
Good luck with the move.
SteveFromNY
06-19-2008, 02:11 AM
l2ridehd - I arranged with Arthur Martin to help empty my pod. Thanks for the tip!
784caroline
06-19-2008, 01:10 PM
Steve/I2ridehd
I also need to get "unpackers" in TV. With Arthur Martin I assume you need to reserve their services in advance. How are they priced..BY hour number of unloaders ? Were they able to handle the heavy stuff?? How long did it take to unload ..I think you said you had one pod??
I am using http://www.emove.com to identify loaders in N VA ..(using Minero Movers to load who have received great ratings) have not checked on their services for arrival in TV.
l2ridehd
06-19-2008, 01:22 PM
I used Arthur Martin. I had a 17 foot U Haul that was packed to the very limit to the point I was sticking things on the very top as I was trying to close the rear door. And it was all furniture and boxes. Mostly furniture though. Bureaus, hutch, tables, sofas, beds and also very heavy stuff. I brought the lighter things down later in my pick up.
Their cost was $50 an hour for two men. Both were strong and able to move heavy things with ease. They had the entire truck unloaded, furniture set up, table legs installed etc. in 3 hours. They showed up on time and worked hard. I gave them $200 as they were very careful with everything, always laying pads down and never put a scratch on anything. Very satisfied and would use them again if needed.
trumbull
06-19-2008, 02:29 PM
I am early stages of figuring out easiest way to move to TV. Can you tell how large the pod is - length and width. I will be moving only a bedroom set, kitchen table and few memory pieces and then boxes. Second question how does the insurance work if something is damaged. I will be moving from Connecitcut - 60 miles from NYC.
JohnN
06-19-2008, 02:42 PM
POD - length and width for trumbull,
I'd like to confirm the height too. Thanks
SteveFromNY
06-19-2008, 03:36 PM
The pods come in 2 sizes. 8x8x16 and a smaller one 8x8x12 (I think - I have the 16 footer in my driveway, so I am sure about that).
Arthur Martin quoted me $200 for 2 men for 3 hours (minimum). I guess it's around $70 per hour if it goes longer.
Insurance is an additional charge. I know how to purchase it (just say "yes" when they ask if you want insurance), but I don't know how to make a claim. They advise not to put anything that's irreplaceable in the pod, so we left out family pictures and important documents and will move them in the car.
784caroline
06-19-2008, 07:49 PM
Pods for interstate (or inter-district they call it) moves will be the BIG ones 8X8X16 ...thats the only size for this type of move. A AAA card gives you the biggest discount of 10% while most oher organizations offer 5%. What is more important is the interior dimensions of a POD or truck to determine the useable cube space for packing. If you measure from the lowest point of the beams inside the pods the useable dimensions are 186" long X 83"wide X 90.5 " high. Where the beams donot exist you can actually place more items. They say one 16Ft POD is equivalent to a 32 ft Penske Truck...BUT if you have tall items the penske truck is not that high.
As for insurance my homeowners insurance (USAA) will cover a move using a POD
784caroline
06-20-2008, 02:09 PM
I just found Arthur Martins on http://www.Emove.com and he has the following rates posted
2 people $50/hour ...with $25 travel charge
3 people $75/hour..with $25 travel charge
4 people #120/hour with a $50 travel charge
784caroline
07-04-2008, 12:24 AM
I will let you all know how it works out for the PODS will be delivered in 1 week and I used Emove to arrange for local movers to load and Emove to have Arthur Martin to unload. The real hassle is all the preparation in getting ready for the loading and move....but by doing it yourself you get the opportunity to see what you really have that you will not be using in TV, I unload the PODS in TV on 7/25...Stop by in the am and see how it all works!!
BigGuy
04-11-2009, 09:22 AM
how did the move with POD go?
SteveFromNY
04-11-2009, 10:56 AM
It was last year already, but the move went well. The POD was delivered on time, the movers (Arthur Martin) came the next day, and the POD was gone the day after that.
Given the convenience of packing slowly (we had it in the driveway for around 2 months up north so we too our time packing), the low ground height, and the timely delivery (right on my driveway), I'd say they are definitely worth a look and would do it again the same way.
ajdeck
04-11-2009, 12:09 PM
Does anyone know if PODS also have people who will load the pod???
mokey
04-11-2009, 12:26 PM
I used a POD to move from Virginia. We had not bought a house here, and was going to rent for couple of months. I was looking at truck rental, gas for car and truck, then rent storeage(unload and load truck again when I bought house). The POD you can take your time to load and unload. It is right on the ground so no lifting up and down from truck. My wife and I did it with help from a friend. We also had them store the POD until we were ready for it. They can put them anywhere, and compared to other types PODs are lifted up and down level so there is no shifting. You can get 12 and 16 foot. We used a 16 and you would not believe how much it can carry. 8ft wide x 8ft high and 16 ft long. You tie off every 4ft. For move from Virginia with 2 months storeage was about $2300, but well worth it in our case.
:coolsmiley:
katezbox
04-11-2009, 06:35 PM
I am surprised in all of this that none of you mention TV relocation services. It basically works that they recommend realtors for you to use where you are selling plus a TV sales rep. Both ends rebate part of their commission and you get a 65% discount on your move.
We moved from Conn (about 5 total rooms) and had our stuff in storage for 3 months until our home was ready. We took some things with us to our condo in SC where we have been living while the new TV home was being built. PODS quoted me a price equal to about 1/3 of what we paid for the total move to bring our clothes and some other items from SC to TV.
In other words they moved about 95% less - including NO furniture - 33% of the way for about 33% of the price. That is way too high for the convenience of packing/unpacking at your own pace.
784caroline
04-12-2009, 12:34 PM
PODS worked great for us with one exception..that almost got me thrown in jail. The delivery and packing in VA went fine and we used Emove to arrange for the movers to place the boxes etc that we packed ourselves. One thing that will make you packing easier for the movers is if you use standard size boxes.
For the Villages we made arrangements both PODS delivered on July 25 and also made arrangements via emove to have Arthur Martin unload the PODS on the next day 7/26....with POD removal scheduled for 7/27. Well here is where my problems started. When the first POD arrived they dropped it on my driveway and teh driver told me to unload it adn they would bring the next POD. I said no I had professional movers scheduled to come the enxt day and unload both PODS. The Driver told me he could not put a 2nd POD on my driveway for it would go partly (and I mean a very small part) on my grass and they would not be liable for damage. I wanted to talk to his boss and he said his boss would call me .....well I stood in front of the truck until I spoke to the Boss and the the driver proceeded to take pictures of the driveway etc. The boss agreed to call me back later that afternoon once he saw the pics. I was furious especially not knowing what POD I had for one POD contained heavy Dining room furniture that I could not move even with the best of help.
Well The boss did call and said he understood my concerns after seeing the pics........I mean this is a designer house with golf cart addition (meaning wider driveway than most) and he said he would send a more experienced driver with my POD and see if they can get it in. HOwever in teh meantime a neighbor ( I never met before) stopped by toask me to play golf and tehn learned of my problem....and we both unloaded the POD once we determined it was the easier one to unload. The new driver came with the second POD later that day and told me they could have gotten a second POD in but the new driver did not have the experience and did not want to mess up by causing damage his first week on the job.
Overall I was pleased with my POD experience with this one exception.
chuckinca
04-12-2009, 12:57 PM
We looked into using pods but opted for a moving company that cost about a thousand more than a pod.
For the thousand, we got to direct four movers work 4 hours bundle up all the heavy furniture and loose items too big to fit in moving boxes in moving blankets, box up all the pictures and mirrors, load up the truck, store for a month, deliver to our door in Fla and unload and set up furniture where we wanted it - another 4 hours for two men. They lost one piece and delivered it two weeks later - a door to a garage storage cabinet that had a value of next to zero. We would have had to buy a few hundred dollars in moving blankets and clear wrapping tape to match what they used.
Best $1,000 we spent last year.
.
champion6
04-12-2009, 01:26 PM
I just saw this on television, but I haven't used them. It's a competitor of PODS.
SAM -- Store And Move SAM (http://www.getasam.com/sam/portable-storage)
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