When I chose PODS for our move from Portland to Minneapolis, I set the pickup and delivery of my unit to coincide with our arrival in Minnesota. I scheduled the delivery for the first day we could gain access to our new apartment, June 1st.
I did not know it at the time, but this is where my problems with PODS began. In signing a contract with PODS, at no time, either in placing my order or scheduling the delivery of my unit, was I notified that the City of Minneapolis has a ban on PODS within their city limits.
It wouldn’t be until later that I would hear of this ban. I would be able to access my pod at their storage warehouse in Eagan. So Minneapolis’ ban on PODS wasn’t a deal-breaker. But it did mean having to rent an additional moving truck to transport everything a considerable distance between the apartment, and the warehouse. But, that is the kind of company PODS is. They are the kind of company that leaves out what I consider to be a massive detail that anyone moving to Minneapolis would want to know.
When I called Pods, around the 18th of May, to confirm the pick-up date for the 24th, I was notified the earliest delivery date wouldn’t be until the 8th of June! We’d be living in our new apartment without any of our items, for over a week!
My brother-in-law had taken the day off from work to help us move into our apartment on the 1st. Because of this delay, he had to reschedule his day off to the 8th. I also had to reschedule a rental truck I’d reserved to facilitate the move.
A new date to access the pod at their facility in Eagan, Minnesota was set for the 8th of June. My Pod was picked up on the 24th of May.
On a whim, I called on the 3rd of June, just to confirm that I would be able to access my pod on the 8th. After spending close to an hour on the phone with PODS, I was informed that my delivery date would not be until somewhere around the 20th of June!
I told PODS this was unacceptable. Regardless, I was ushered into a labyrinthine complaint services voicemail to explain my situation and wait to hear back from them.
Again, I had to cancel my plans and the plans my brother-in-law had made for the second time, because of PODS misinformation and ineptitude. At this point, on June 3rd, my complaint with PODS was recorded.
This time, I had no pick-up date set in the future since my order was now in limbo, pending my complaint. Also, PODS couldn’t tell me where my unit was, other than the last it had been recorded was at their storage facility in Portland, Oregon.
Eventually, through multiple phone calls and incredible conversations with clueless and unhelpful customer service representatives, I was able to secure a time to access my Pod for the 12th of June and again on the following Sunday, the 16th of June. Again, my brother changed his day off to help us, a tall order, since so far, this ordeal had become obnoxiously complicated and costly for him to keep requesting days off to help us, only to have those plans repeatedly changed. A hassle for which I may never be able to repay him.
Because my journey with PODS had been fraught with so much trouble, misinformation, and incorrect scheduling, I called PODS on the 11th, just to confirm that I would be able to access my pod. I am glad I did because they informed me that, somehow, the date had been set for that very day, the 11th, and my pod was waiting for me and, for some reason, it would not be available on the 12th. They said the earliest I would be able to schedule a time to access my pod would be the 24th of June! A full month from the pick-up date in Portland, Oregon.
PODS assured me I had no recourse in the matter and put me into another voicemail to lodge my complaint with a customer care representative (whose voicemail was boilerplate, but you could tell, from her voice, that she was dead inside) who would be out of the office until the 18th (one week later) of June to address the issue.
Again, this was incredible to hear. It was especially frustrating that, at that time, my Pod was located in Eagan, but was mysteriously inaccessible. Again, I called customer service, and after some lengthy phone calls with PODS’ now consistently very unhelpful customer service, I was able to schedule an access time for the 12th of June.
Again, my brother changed his day off work, and I requested another day off from my new job (I’d only been working at my new job a week, and, with this issue, I was quickly becoming a problem employee). Thankfully, I was able to access my Pod and remove half the contents.
In retelling this incredible story to PODS, their indifferent claims resolution representative informed me PODS would only refund $100 of my order. I asked for 40% off my $3200 bill since PODS only completed what I calculated to be 60% of our contract. (It was a generous calculation.) They refused to budge and held her offer at $100. But to get the money, I would have to sign a gag order not to discuss my ordeal, complain about PODS on social media, or write an account such as this and submit it to the Better Business Bureau, or any other customer protection agency.
So basically, I am paying $100 to tell the world that PODS is just a terrible company and if you’re moving, you should go with their competitors. After gross mishandling of my order: continual misinformation, persistently irresponsible and inept service, and lousy scheduling, PODS created a massively costly and incredible mess of our move from Portland to Minneapolis.