PODS - Pick up and deliver 6 days a week except from White Marsh location

Storage and Moving - Complaint

Review by clemsonstudent on 2012-09-25

Rating:

WHITE MARSH, MARYLAND -- I called PODS to find out about their services. They said they would deliver a POD to my current address, pick up the POD and take it back to their storage center and then deliver to my new location. I was asked about where I was moving to. I informed them that I was moving to zip code PA. They did not inform me of any limitations with that move. I schedule delivery of my POD to my old address in MD for Friday, 24 Aug 2012. They delivered it on time. I scheduled pick up on Monday, 27 Aug 2012. They picked it up on time. On 30 Aug 2012, I called PODS to schedule delivery to my new address in PA. They informed me that the only dates they had available were 11 Sept or 13 Sept. I asked for something earlier, but they did not have anything. I hung up and later received confirmation in my email. However, upon inspection of the email, I noticed the address was incorrect. So, I called back to correct that. During this call I was notified that the reason they only had, at the earliest, 11 or 13 Sept was because the Baltimore (White Marsh) location was only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, I asked to speak to a supervisor. I explained that I was never told that there was such a limitation when I originally signed up with PODS. She apologized and said she would contact the location. She then told me that when she tried to contact them, nobody answered because of the time of day. She said she left a voicemail and sent emails. She said she was off on Friday 31 Aug, but she would let me know if anything could be done for me by Saturday. I was not satisfied with waiting until Saturday, so I called back on Friday 31 Aug and spoke with a different team leader/supervisor. I explained that I was never informed at time of original order. She said she would call the location to see if they could do anything for me. After a minute she came back and said there was nothing they could do for me except put me on a wait list in case someone cancels. She said she would also check on my account to see if anything changes. I then asked about why I was not informed of such a limitation. She said because the customer service representatives do not see those delivery limitations until the schedule the delivery. I had to tell customer service where I would want final delivery, but I guess they do not take the time to find out any limitations. However, I was informed that this location has this limitation for the foreseeable future. It is not as if this limitation changes on a daily or weekly basis. Had I been aware of this limitation, I would have never used PODS. I feel like I have been deceived by this practice. Simply because there computers do not list these limitations at time of original orders, my wife and I have to be severely inconvenienced and not move into our new house completely until a week after we originally have planned. We went with PODS, which is more expensive than other options, because it was sold to me as the most convenient option. However, due to these limitations that were never explained it is anything but convenient. When I suggested they pay a driver extra money to work longer and deliver my POD on a different day, that was not even entertained. I felt like PODS was holding my property hostage. I cannot state this enough, I would have never used PODS if I knew about the limited delivery days when I placed the initial order. If anything is a great example of deceptive practices, this is it. On the PODS website under the long distance moving and storage, there is a FAQ that states, "Do you pick-up and deliver on weekends?
PODS operates all locations 6 days per week and in some locations 7 days. We recognize the need to offer loading and unloading flexibility and we do not limit the time the PODS container can stay on your property. Local ordinances may be applicable. You may want to check with your local authorities." My move was approximately 1 hour from White Marsh, but I was told that because of the distance, the only days the White Marsh location delivers are Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is in direct contrast with the information on the website which states they are opn 6 days a week. This information would have been helpful when I initially placed my order. Like I mentioned earlier, with these limitations, I would have chosen a different route and not used PODS. Everything with PODS is computerized. How can these limitations not pop up on the customer service representative's screen when a customer tells them where they live and where they are moving to??? This mystery baffles me. I highly recommend to anybody that asks that they avoid PODS and go with something more reliable and affordable. PODS deceived me and from the different reviews I read, seems to have deceived others too. The company does not seem to care and the individuals I spoke to offered a hollow apology trying to get me off of the phone.