PODs aren't the cheapest way to move, but they are *incredibly* easy and *incredibly* reliable.

I've used them. They were amazing, and did just what they claimed they would do. Highly recommended if you have enough quality "stuff" to make it worthwhile.

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Thankyou!

Do they charge you per-day when loading?

We are debating the same thing for our move from Gainesville, FL to Lansing, MI! We probably won't use PODS though because we live in an apartment and there really isn't anywhere to put them while we load it up (and may not be a place for us to unload either once we get there), so I guess that's something to consider.

We haven't priced out Uhauls yet, but I got several quotes from moving companies, and the lowest was $990 for the 1200 mile move with about 2000lbs of stuff.

Someone told me Penske was the cheapest in truck rentals.

Best of luck to ya!

We moved, locally, 5 years ago and for a local truck uhaul was the most expensive by far. We ended up using a truck rental through Sears, which was not only a lot less expensive but the people were SO much more customer friendly!

My husband used a relocation cube years ago from CT to MI and had a great experience with it. It was a bit pricey but super easy.

I moved last fall using ABF's pod-like cubes. I needed two for my approx 1000 sq ft house (two ABF containers approx = 1 POD). The cubes and move from Wisconsin to Boston cost around $1300 (if I had only needed one it would have cost around $900) and the entire experience was very easy. ABF was great about contacting me when they brought the cubes to my place, when they arrived in Mass., etc. I paid for movers to load and unload the containers but that's up to you.

ABF was the cheapest way I found. I also priced renting a truck from Penske and found it would cost more once I factored in gas and tolls, plus I did not want to tow my car. The one caveat is that ABF does not ship on air ride trucks (and they tell you that) so if you have high quality furniture and goods it is not the best way to move. If you do go with the containers, get some ratchet straps to hold your stuff in place unless you can pack the cube to the top. Some of my stuff wasn't held down tight enough and got some scuffing and marks, but they weren't great pieces so I didn't care. Nothing was ruined and none of the things in boxes were damaged.

I agree with the ABF comment. They are much cheaper than pods and the service was awesome. You can get also get a truck from them and just use whatever space you need (which I think is cheaper than using their cubes). Then they pick it up and drive it to your new location. Definitely look into it.

I used the actual POD company last Sept-Nov 2010. I LOVED them. They brought the POD to the apt, we loaded it that day (saturday), they picked it up Monday and stored it at their facility for 2 months. When I was ready, they dropped the POD off at the new place, we unloaded it and they picked it up on Monday. I also moved over Thanksgiving weekend and they were able to drop it off on Wed with no problem.

I also had to get into the POD while it was stored. I called them, they moved it to the ground for me and I got into the POD for no charge.

I moved a 3bedroom townhouse and nothing was broken. A few things got scratched but that was from how things were packed on our end.

In the end it was a bit more expensive than U-Haul because I had to store things for an extra month but honestly it was so much easier to pack things once and then unpack once.

They sound pretty good then, customer service wise. Just looking at prices now.. Thankyou for your help! :D

Just be careful that you have somewhere to put a PODS when you arrive. In the city where I live, PODS are banned from being left on the street in public parking spaces, and the city has been known to confiscate them and charge hefty fees for their retrieval. If you use a PODS, you should check to make sure you either have somewhere to store it on private property or that the city doesn't have any rules about leaving it in the street.

Yea I'm definitely going to call the apt complex where we're moving tomorrow to find out, thank you! ;D

Honestly, in my experience with Uhaul, I wouldn't trust them for anything longer than across a tri-city move.

OH Yea I remember last time we moved, we actually scheduled to use a u-haul truck, well when we got there they didn't have one. D:

We eneded up going to Penske, but I don't want to use them again either cause their seats were so damn dreadfully uncomfortable! D:

-decisions, decisions-

Thx btw :)

We used PODS for our move a year ago and we were very happy with them and their service. Everything went according to our wishes and they made it very easy.

If you are a member of AAA, ask about a discount. I forget how much ours was discounted, but every little bit helped. :)

Good luck!

Great!! Thankyou for the discount notification! ;D

PODS are fantastic. I moved from Virginia to Texas with one and it was incredibly easy. The best part is when they drop the POD off you can keep it for up to a month. So no rushing to get the boxes out in one day because you need to return the truck.

Thankyou! Very good to know! I appreciate your input! That's great there is no time limit (basically cause a month is a long time to unpack!) lol

We're making a move from Arlington, VA to Denver, CO and decided on a Budget truck. We priced out PODS and were told it would be just under $4,000 for our mid-July move. The truck, gas, a dolly to tow my guy's car, and gas for my car, plus hotel and food for four days, ended up being about $3,500. It's not *that* much of a difference looking at it that way, but when you take the $4,000 for POD, plus food and hotel, plus gas for both cars, it ends up being a good $1,500 more, which isn't really something we can afford.

This will be my third time doing this trip (ridiculous, YES. Planning on staying out there for good this time, thank GOD), and each time we've driven a truck instead of using moving services. It's a bit of a pain, but in my opinion it's the safest way to keep track of your belongings and I kind of enjoy road trips. Would I use PODS if we could afford it? Absolutely. If you're worried about a budget though, driving your own truck is the most economical option.... though if gas continues to go up in price who knows what the cheapest option will be.

Good Luck with your move! Thankyou for your input! I'm going crazy with planning! I'm so freakin excited! :D

When we moved cross-country (NY to CA) it was cheapest to hire a moving company. It was about $600 less than a pod (moved from house to house) and I called my local Mayflower company and got a quote.

gotchya so many decisions I'm writing everything down and going crazy with trying to find the best deal! Thankyou for your help! :D

We used a portable storage company (don't remember if it was PODs or ABF) when we moved from Texas to Idaho, with a side trip to Michigan and vacation in between - Left Texas June 2nd, arrived in Idaho July 30th.

It was VERY handy, but it was a bit pricey, and worth every penny for our situation. We called them up and arranged to have it dropped in our driveway in TX, and we spent 2 days loading it up. We then called for them to pick it up and store it for us "approximately 2 months". Most of this was reimbursed by work, though, which was nice. I don't remember there being a fee, unless it took beyond a set time to load or unload. (3 days or so)

When we called, it was delivered and parked squarely in a parking space w/o overlapping, taking up the less space than a smaller U-Haul would. Our complex didn't say anything to us about it, but our parking spaces weren't a high commodity. I'd imagine if there are extra spaces allowed in wherever you are moving, they won't mind either as long as it's removed quickly.

Size-wise, it was perfect for our 1000 sq. ft. apartment. We had a big desk, dresser, kitchen table, end table, tv, but our couches and bed didn't come with us. Tons of dishes and books and clothes and and and, but the smallest fit us just fine after we sold/donated the stuff we didn't want to take. If you have significant furniture, opt up from that size.

Thankyou for your opinion! So many decisions! lol

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