[mmclover]

Has anyone heard of Smart Move? They are containers 7"Hx7"Lx6'W delivered on a flat bed, they will load or you can load, they are then sealed and locked and delivered to UPS terminal. UPS will deliver them to destination when you need them and they are insured for $10.000.

[kar guy]

That is the company that I used to move from Michigan to TV. Everything went smooth and I never had one once of trouble. Everything I packed was undamaged and in perfect condition. I would highly reccommmend them. take care kar guy

[784caroline]

Sounds like the same thing as PODS or what is the other one UBS!

[Ooper]

Sounds like the containers would be great for broom sticks and fishing poles... ;D

[mmclover]

Thanks KarGuy. They look a little sturdier than Pods and the fact that they are loaded onto a UPS trailer for delivery and insured impressed me. They quoted me approximately $4700 for four containers, and you only pay for what you use. If I fill two I will surprise even myself.

[nanci2539]

How long can you keep the contents in storage? We plan to rent before we buy so will need to store our furniture for a month or so. Will they hold it that long?

[mmclover]

They will hold the containers in storage at the nearest UPS terminal for $1.00 a day per container.

[DDoug]

WE used PODS when we moved they deliever the container you load they pickup store in their warehouse bring to your new location you unload they come back and away they go. Best thing for moving dont have to rent a truck or load and unload a couple of times and the price is good. Try it youll like it

[Muncle]

Don't know this for sure, but it seems one diff between these guys and PODS is the size of the container. PODS offers 8x8x7, 8x8x12, and 8x8x16. Smart move appears to have one size, 7x5’10”x6’7”. Might be a significant consideration for the family couch or other stuff.

Plus, I'm really lazy. Given the choice of me busting my whatever in the hot sun and giving money to 4 illegal aliens, I'm a believer is situational ethics. :redface:

[mmclover]

Smart Move will load the containers for you for a fee, also I think the size is smaller so they can go inside a tractor trailor box.

[JohnM]

Has anyone had any experience with U-Pack? They seem to be similar to PODS, slightly smaller containers (6x7x8) and shorter timeframes to load and unload (3 business days on each end), and MUCH cheaper.

TIA,

John

[captain1202]

We used a Uhaul 26' when we came down and saved mucho dinero. Although we chose to do some packing I used an internet labor connection to get some help loading and unloading.

The web site is : http://movers4hire.com/

We had two guys help load the truck that were great. I originally engaged them for 4 hours but that stretched to 7 hrs. No problem, just a few extra bucks. They were actually professional movers moonlighting for some extra money. Had lot's of good tips on packing and wrapping and nothing was broken.

At this end we had two guys that drove from Tampa to do the job. In both cases they arrived promptly as scheduled and were very professional and handle the goods very carefully.

The broker can provide people nationwide. WELL WORTH THE MONEY!!

I researched the pods, UPS, and ABF but found them to be expensive as compared to the truck option. We would have needed two PODS at about $5,000. We did the truck (From New Hampshire) for around $2300 including gas plus around $500 for the labor. The truck was brand new and very easy to drive, automatic, etc.. Made good speed on the highway.

[l2ridehd]

I also researched every method of moving and found U Haul they least expensive. TIP. Keep checking their web site as the price varies based on demand. Keep reserving and canceling until you get the lowest price. I used a 17 foot van and like captain found it very easy to load and drive. The cost from Virginia for the rental only was $571, 60 pads for $50 and gas was $270, for a total of $891. Labor total was $350. I saw the truck as high as $900 and as low as the price I paid. Also just used an Enterprize car from LSL to airport and flew back on Jet Blue.

Used local labor on Virginia end and Aurthur Martin on TV end. Both were excellent. That truck was packed so tight that I was fitting things up inside as I was closing the door. Still have a small load of stuff I will bring down in my pickup. Overall a very easy and low cost way to move things to TV.

The only advantage I saw to the PODS was time to load and if you needed storage on one end or both. I just stored every thing in my garage for a few weeks before the move and then when I was ready, got the truck, the help, and did it.

Another thing we did different. We are not yet ready to move there full time so although we had some of the extra furniture we needed, not most of it. So we ended up shopping craigslist for everything. We furnished our entire house with really nice high quality things with new mattresses from us-mattress (40% of total) for under $5000. Living room, dining room, two bedroom sets, rugs, entertainment centers for LR & MB and some other things. Bought it all in a month and placed it in the garage ready to load. Still need some decorative stuff, but will get that over time. Overall a very easy and low cost experience.