Packrat v. PODS v. ???

atlastmrsg

Yay!  My single lady house sold yesterday.  Buyer wants fast closing to get their kids into school district, so I need to move out in two weeks.  I moved into FI, now husband's rental house, but it's been nice to have my furniture staging the old house, and the things that I don't use as often.  Unfortunately, these all need to go into storage until husband's lease runs out and we buy/build our own house in coming months.

I realize that UHaul truck, movers, and storage unit might be cheaper than PODS, Packrat, etc., but I'm okay with paying for one of these services to know that my stuff is packed, stored, and ready to go to the new city (husband is from about 120 miles away from my house).    

Anyone know of a service other than Packrat or PODS, or have personal experience deciding which company to use?  Thanks!

lyndausvi

We used PODS moving from NOLA to Indy.  I hated them.   It seemed like a good deal, but when you add in all the extra fees I wish I had gone with a major moving company.  It might have cost us more,but a lot of less hassle and nickel and diming.  

When moving out to CO from Indy I did go the major moving company route.  It was a much smother process and they do not require payment up front.     One of the managers used a service that required upfront payment to the company, then he had to pay in cash to the driver.  Then the driver hit him up for more money in order to get his stuff.  It was like extortion. 

One thing every major moving company I spoke to when getting quotes told me if they ask for the money up front or require them to pay the driver's in cash run, run far away.

AprilH81

I used PODS when staging my house for sale and had a good experience. It was worth the extra fees to know that the POD would be delivered to the new house without us having to touch every box/piece of furnitures a ton of times.

lyndausvi

AprilH81 said:

I used PODS when staging my house for sale and had a good experience. It was worth the extra fees to know that the POD would be delivered to the new house without us having to touch every box/piece of furnitures a ton of times.

*** SITB ***

Were you fairly local?     I can see how they are good for a local trip and storage. 

 Long distance they sucked.

mysticl

UHaul has a service similar to PODS.  Or at least they did a few years ago because I have friends who used it.  Though about halfway through the process they were saying it might have been easier to just hire movers. 

atlastmrsg

The UHaul crates are a lot smaller, from what I've gathered from online research.  Right now, it's looking like PODS or Packrat unless someone knows of something else and I can research them/get a quote quickly.  Relocube can do it but they'll have to send two cubes--theirs are smaller than PODS.

AprilH81

lyndausvi said:

AprilH81 said:

I used PODS when staging my house for sale and had a good experience. It was worth the extra fees to know that the POD would be delivered to the new house without us having to touch every box/piece of furnitures a ton of times.

*** SITB ***

Were you fairly local?     I can see how they are good for a local trip and storage. 

 Long distance they sucked.

Yes, we were a local move...

climbingsingle

Check out if there's a MiBox in your area. 

atlastmrsg

No MiBox in KY.

Viczaesar

When I moved from Boston to California in 2007 I used ABF Upack, which was similar to PODS, but 1/3 of the price.  PODS estimated it would cost $6K, and ABF estimated it would cost $2157.  The final total was the exact same as the estimate.  There were no fees or hidden costs.  It was also larger and held more than we expected; I ended up having a ton of space (I didn't move much furniture beside a bed, desk, and bookcases, though).  I would highly recommend ABF.