[tankdvr1950]

We will hopefully be moving to TV sometime next year. Obviously, the move itself is a decision that has to be made....at this point we are looking closely at using PODS.

One of our concerns is that we will be moviing some very expensive items....not the least of which is a large LCD flat screen...so we are concerned that eveything that goes into the POD comes out in the same condition that it went in.

Is there anyone in the TOTV community that has experience with PODS and how the POD is moved and stored and the condition of the contents when unloaded?

[Fourpar]

We used a POD to move from the Panhandle to The Villages and it worked out very well. Packing the POD is where damages are created. We didn't pay a lot of attention when the folks packed our stuff into the POD. Consequently we had a few dings on things that should have been better protected.

We hired packers to load it up and realized later that they knew they would never see us again and didn't take as much care with the load as I feel they should have. Nothing serious, just little scrapes & things, but enough to be annoying.

All in all though, it was a good idea to use the POD. And it worked well. You put your own lock on it. And the POD people also put a seal on it, so I felt it was quite secure.

I'd do it again, but understand there isn't as much room in those things as you may think. That certainly was the case with us. I had to rent a trailer for the excess. Wasn't planning on that.

Good Luck,

[Boomer]

Good morning, Tankdvr,

When I saw your question I thought of an old thread on here that has lots of information in it about PODs. I am linking it here for you.

(I have no idea why I remember these old threads when I cannot remember where I put my checkbook.) ... I digress.

Anyway, I started the thread I am linking here because I also had questions about PODs. I am still in Ohio though so I still have no firsthand info for you. In fact, you can just ignore the posts I wrote in the thread because I often have no idea what I am talking about. But others here sure are helpful.

So here is the discussion of PODs. I hope it helps.

Move via POD?

Boomer

[SteveFromNY]

We move via POD this past summer and it really worked out well. The POD was in our driveway for a couple of months as we slowly drained the stuff out of the house. On the last day my sons and their friends moved the heavy stuff.
We packed many fragile items in the POD and nothing broke. It really is a matter of how it's packed. Think of how the television came to you. There was styrofoam packing around the edges, all enclosed in a box. If you can re-create that kind of packing, you'll be all right.I'd then place the screen side of the television against the outer wall of the POD. There are sort of protected spaces between the up-right beams inside. They suggest you put large flat items there.
I packed many pictures, glasses, a large glass fronted curio cabinet, a glass shelved entertainment center, and on and on.
While in transit, the POD is of course in the weather. But in Ocala, they stored it in a climate controlled warehouse.
Again, pack it like it was new and you should be OK. The POD is weather proof. It really was an easy way to do it.
Of course, get insurance too!

[aln]

As most of the above said, the POD experience was very acceptable.
We moved from WISC - also had a glass curio cabinet etc and there was NO DAMAGE.
Stuff we did not secure, bicycle and a couple of small patio chairs, last in the POD did move around a bit, but no damage.
I'd do it again in a MCCAIN HEARTBEAT !

[rshoffer]

We checked into PODS and U-Pack. The problem for both was the meter kept running on the POD for all the time it sat in the driveway over 3 days. Someone in this thread said they had the pod for "months". That must have cost a lot of moola. We had a large and new plasma TV. It requires very special packing (check out the cost on the net--400 bucks!). In the end we hired a mover who did a fine job and almost the same cost.

[SteveFromNY]

Originally Posted by rshoffer

We checked into PODS and U-Pack. The problem for both was the meter kept running on the POD for all the time it sat in the driveway over 3 days. Someone in this thread said they had the pod for "months". That must have cost a lot of moola. We had a large and new plasma TV. It requires very special packing (check out the cost on the net--400 bucks!). In the end we hired a mover who did a fine job and almost the same cost.

I had the pod in my driveway from April 16 until June 20. We unloaded in TV on July 2nd.
It was 2 extra months, at a rate of $200 per month. They immediately charge you $200 for the 1st month, or part thereof. I thought it not a lot of money to allow me to slowly pack my stuff and empty my house. On POD moving day I went to the house (we had already moved to the condo in NY) and watched them load the POD onto their truck. They made it very convenient, as I said.
All together, moving the 16' POD, with any amount of weight inside, from NYC to TV (approx 1100 miles) cost me $2500. Subtract the $400 for the extra 2 months, and the total was around $2100.
Frankly, I thought that was reasonable.
As for packing the television, with some cardboard, some styrofoam, some tape and some work I am sure you can craft a more than adequate protective packing for the TV. By packing it in the cardboard/styrofoam and positioning it in the pod between upright poles, tying it screen first against the wall, placing blankets and pillows all around it, it would make it fine. I packed speakers, a subwoofer, DVD players, glass shelves - and nothing broke in the pod. The real vulnerable point is the screen on these flat screens. With that well protected you'd be good to go.

[Mikitv]

I don't know anything about the pods other than what I have researched for our move. What I have found on line through U-Haul is the packing items you can buy. They have some of the Styrofoam corners for pictures, plastic for wrapping furniture in etc. Their web site is very helpful.