[EdFNJ]

Also note lot's of people use the term "POD" generically like they use BAND-AID, XEROX, BUBBLE-WRAP, KLEENEX etc. "PODS" is a trade name of the company PODS and a POD has become a generic term for a method of moving. There are LOTS of companies out there doing this and many may or may not be as good as, worse than or better than the PODS company. Check around and/or watch Morse and Buena Vista around the first of every month. You'll see a bunch

[ML Smith]

I used PODs when we moved to the Villages 2 years ago. We packed up the old house ourselves and had friends help load. When we arrived here and closed in the house, I called Quality Movers to unload and they were GREAT. The units sat in storage in Ocala for about 3 months and it was just a monthly storage fee. The biggest cost is when they move the PODs from your old house to here. Because I had 4 PODs I scheduled delivery to the new house for 2 units. Then I scheduled the pick up of them 48 hours after the unload. This gave me a window for any delays. The PODs sat in the drive way for up to a week.

A couple of thoughts if you are packing yourself. Make sure you have either cargo webbing and cotton rope to tie things in and down. Keep the items from shifting inside the PODs as much as possible. We put all boxes in two of the PODs and furniture etc in the other ones. Use twice as much packing paper as you think you should.

This was my fourth move cross country. Nothing was broken. We also bought boxes from UHAUL so boxes were the same size and shape. Much easier for loading. UHAUL will also buy back any unused boxes. PODs also has resources available that you can call and hirer for services.

Good luck and welcome.

[Laurel Maryland]

Originally Posted by Madelaine Amee

I am looking for information/recommendations for using PODs. If you have used a POD to move either to or from TV.

Did you have to pack your own POD, or do they provide packers?
How long can the POD stay on the delivery end before it has to be returned?

Thanks for the answers to these two questions and any other information you care to give.

I also used UPACK for my move from Maryland to The Villages and was highly satisfied. BUT BEWARE: If you are going to rent a moving container, do not confuse UPACK with UHAUL. The UPACK moving containers are made of steel and the doors on them seal and lock tightly. These containers offer good protection for your possessions. You have to provide your own lock for the door and you keep the key, so nothing gets lost or stolen. HOWEVER, the moving contains from UHAUL are not made of metal. The moving containers from UHAUL are made of plywood and the best UHAUL can do for you is to throw a big blue tarp over the top of the container to protect your things from the weather. I guess you have to hope it does not blow off. IMHO, there is no way that a plywood container with a plastic tarp on top can protect your possessions as well as a steel container. Even though UHAUL may be a few dollars cheaper than UPACK, the UHAUL product is inferior and probably not worth the risk.

[Malsua]

We used Pods when we did the final move.

We kept the pod at our house in NJ about 5 weeks just because that's how the timing worked out and we were staging for a sale.

Shipping from NJ to FL was 7 days. We kept the pod for 3 days to unload.

They charge by the month, the first month is extra, but we were well under 2 months. The shipping time counts against your months. So if you can load it in a week and unload in 3 days, you can probably manage a 1 month rental from anywhere in the country.

They arrived on time, picked up on time. Would do it again.

[Cfdettmer]

Go to the POD website. It has a lot of info on it. We ordered a POD for our MN home. We could keep it on site as long as we needed it. They picked it up when you needed it to go and delivered it to the Villages on time. We could keep it as long as we needed to unload. Nothing was damaged. They came and picked it up. They are cheaper than most anything else. We packed out own. We could buy blankets, etc. from them, but we chose not to. If we ever had to move again (God forbid!) we would use them again. No brained!

[triflex]

U-Boxes are WAAAAY less expensive. They do not cover them with tarps. They are moved inside an enclosed van-style semi trailer. They come with a heavy-duty custom cover. Any possible problem would be easily made up for by the savings. Say your OLED TV is damaged - you could buy at least one and probably two replacements for the price difference.

Originally Posted by Laurel Maryland

I also used UPACK for my move from Maryland to The Villages and was highly satisfied. BUT BEWARE: If you are going to rent a moving container, do not confuse UPACK with UHAUL. The UPACK moving containers are made of steel and the doors on them seal and lock tightly. These containers offer good protection for your possessions. You have to provide your own lock for the door and you keep the key, so nothing gets lost or stolen. HOWEVER, the moving contains from UHAUL are not made of metal. The moving containers from UHAUL are made of plywood and the best UHAUL can do for you is to throw a big blue tarp over the top of the container to protect your things from the weather. I guess you have to hope it does not blow off. IMHO, there is no way that a plywood container with a plastic tarp on top can protect your possessions as well as a steel container. Even though UHAUL may be a few dollars cheaper than UPACK, the UHAUL product is inferior and probably not worth the risk.

[Pairadocs]

Originally Posted by SIRE1

When our neighbor across the street passed away, their kids used a POD to move furniture and all the other items that they wanted. It was delivered and placed in the driveway, where they took about 2 days to load it themselves. I believe it sat there for at least 3 days before PODs came back to pick it up. And I can't believe any neighbor would complain if you took more than 3 days to unload, as long as they could see you working on it. What was disrupting was when the truck came to deliver and pick up the POD because the street was temporarily blocked by both the lifting unit and the truck.

It was interesting watching the whole POD pickup process. They used what could be described as a powered wheeled lifting unit that detached from the truck, drove up the driveway, straddled the POD, picked it up, drove back to the truck that was parked in the street, straddled the truck, placed the POD down, then raised the wheel legs, and off the truck went.

And like one of the people who replied, I recall several previous post about hiring people to unload the POD here in The Villages. Suggest you do a search for "POD" and see if any of those old post can be of some help.

I too just recently witnessed the "process" employed to place and then pick up the PODS. LOL.... it was amazing, when I first saw it, to me it looked like some kind of fantasy out of a Star Wars movie...LOL, as this HUGE, strange "thing" came "walking" down the street, it was certainly interesting ! Side note: There was one in Glen-brook WELL over a week, so perhaps when people are moving, the "rules", like those that apply to how long one can have their RV or boat on their drive, or what types of yard ornaments you can have, are not the same as when moving ?

[asianthree]

Originally Posted by kendi

The information you are looking for is on their website. Not sure why you would ask TOTV.

You must be the person who thinks every website for a business is all you need. Do they have reviews, sure, are they from happy customers with no complaints absolutely. Are there complaints for unhappy customers, who should have used a different business, probably not.

TOTV is a site that you can ask for personal views, about a business, or just a question. Are they answers honest, yes, can you get insightful info absolutely. Even the good, the , bad, and the ugly.

Can you get the poster, who tells you that you are too stupid for asking a question, or personal advice, instead of just reading a website.

Yes, sometimes one needs to make a person feel small, so they can feel far more superior by recommending just look at a website instead of bothering for real experiences.

[RPDaly]

We used one. It was an old revision so maybe this does not apply. It had wood skids so it did not cause any problems with our driveway which was painted. Not a mark at all. I would be surprised if even the newer ones metal skids but definitely if so they could damage a driveway esp. if the operator is not very skilled. Use a tarp if so.
I called ARC and they really did not have any deadline on how long it can stay in your driveway. Since you are paying for the rental and also need your belongings I assume unpacking would be swift. I had a 16' POD and it fit nicely even in a curved courtyard villa driveway. If you are still fit and perhaps have a few relatives to help pack it is the way to go to save a bunch of money. Having no stairs here in TV really makes moving in quite easy. Me and the wife with the use of a dolly and a two wheeler did it in a day - at least getting everything into the garage for unboxing. Hiring a packer takes away the advantage of packing the Pod at your pace and convenience and not all at once. Don't assume the Pod is plenty big enough at the start of packing so pack it in tight from back to front. From past experience anyone you hire to pack/move your belongings needs to be watched like a hawk and never ever leave your valuables anywhere where they have access.