Invasion Of The Pod Movers Has Disastrous Consequences
Matt and his family used the portable storage company PODS for their recent move. The company rents you a storage container, then stores it or moves it around on a truck for you. Their system sounded pretty great, but then things started to go wrong. Very, very wrong. What followed was a tale of broken promises, underestimations, and their belongings being held by the police (!) that would put fear into the heart of any person planning a move.
He summarized the things that went wrong in handy bullet points:
- They promise some free moving supplies, like boxes and tape, which never show up. No big deal.
- I ask for a quote for two pod units, but am talked down and assured by the salesman that one pod will fit everything in our 2-bedroom apartment without any trouble since they are designed for 2-3 bedrooms. After packing, unpacking, and repacking the pod three or four times, everything does NOT fit. In fact, the leftovers have to be divided up between two cars and an SUV, all packed very tightly.
- The delivery ends up taking longer than I remember the salesman saying, but it's not a big deal. Everything seems to be going fairly smoothly. Until...
- I get a phone call around 7:30 am the day our things are scheduled to be delivered saying that the pod has been delayed two days and there is nothing I can do about it. I will have to take another day off work to unload this thing. They don't mention any recourse at this point.
- Later that day, I get a call back saying the pod will be delayed a further day. This is a big problem since I need my inlaws' help to unload the thing, and they had planned to leave that day. The CS Rep admits at this point the truck is stuck at a weigh station because it is too heavy, and the police won't let him leave. This seems to me like something they should have checked first. In the meantime we are staying at a hotel with them since there is no bed in our apartment.
- We are dining out a lot since we do not have kitchen equipment. I am supposed to work at home the next day and now do not have a desk or a chair. I end up setting up my computer on boxes and contorting myself to use the computer. We moved our aquarium fish to the new apartment and had to buy some new supplies for them since ours are lost in the pod. Incidental expenses continue to add up. They will not talk about compensation at this time.
- I call to be sure the pod can be delivered early in the day when it finally gets here. They can't guarantee that, and then say there may be a problem putting it on the street. Of course, the guy selling me the thing said nothing about that when I hired them.
- I press the CS Rep about compensation and he tells me they can give me the standard $50 a day, which comes out to $150. This is actually kind of insulting to me. My work day alone is valued over $200. Add the chair, food for 4, hotels, and incidentals (not to mention the stress) and I was thinking like something more along the lines of $750 would be about right.
- When I tell them I am considering having a lawyer write them a letter, they threaten to not even give us the $150.
The contract disclaims responsibility for delays due to "circumstances beyond their control," but since they were the ones who loaded their truck up too heavy (potentially breaking laws and being a hazard on the road), I think this was firmly IN their control.
As of this writing, Matt has not yet received his pod. (Update: the stray pod arrived earlier today, with everything in fine condition.)
In the case of the overweight truck, it sounds like the "circumstance beyond their control" is that the truck driver got caught.
It sounds like Matt has already carefully examined the contract which would be my first recommendation. This case sounds like a fantastic candidate for small claims court if the company still refuses to admit fault.
(Photo: lordsutch)
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As I say every time you all post a moving article...
MOVINGSCAM.COM
To the guy this happened to, PLEASE go there and post your story.
To anyone considering a move, go there to check out the company you are thinking of using OR to find a good one so this doesn't happen.
I speak from experience!
@calquist:Yes!
Friends w/ trucks who appreciate a half rack of cold beer and decent pizza.
We moved over the course of a month a couple months ago. We could take daily trips with a few boxes in our two cars. Then on a couple nights, the friends came over and we moved all the big stuff.
Nothing lost, only a few things damaged, no overcharges, no late deliveries... except for the pizza guy who couldn't find the new place.
I do not question the OP's story at all, but my own PODS experience was great. They kept to their delivery times at the beginning and at the end. We had two units (full house remodel); one of them had to sit in our yard for a few days while we finished unpacking the boxes from the other one to make space, and while it sat, someone broke into it. PODS was really quick to make good and we had a check for our loss inside of 30 days of making the claim.
That said...I agree 100% that the OP shouldn't have to suffer because PODS overloaded the truck. He should be compensated.
I know some of you are from Chicago, so I'll put my vote in for the Professionals ([www.thepromove.com]). I have used them once after looking at reviews on Yelp and had a fantastic experience. Friends who I have recommended them to have also had similar experiences.
"The contract disclaims responsibility for delays due to "circumstances beyond their control," but since they were the ones who loaded their truck up too heavy (potentially breaking laws and being a hazard on the road), I think this was firmly IN their control."
Agreed. This was very much in their control. This is failure 100% on the company and the driver. I also don't understand 2 things:
1. Why the weigh station won't let him leave. When you're overweight at a station, they give you a ticket with a fine to pay, and you're on your way. Ten minutes tops. It sucks, but they don't imprison you at the station.
2. Assuming they absolutely would not let him leave the weigh station, (which only happens if you're running over your hours on your logbook, or you are impaired by drugs or alcohol), why did they not have another vehicle sent out there immediately to off-load some of the weight?
If the driver knew he was pushing the limit and also knew he was going through a weigh station, why did he either a.) not avoid the station by taking another route, or b.) have the truck weighed first to verify that he was legal?
This falls on the company, completely. Fight for it.
@Skin Art Squared: I'm just guessing but possible explanations (not excuses) might be:
1. The truck was over the weight limit for a bridge up ahead. Allowing the truck to continue could result in bridge collapse.
2. That's probably what the two delay was for - to send another truck out to offload some of the weight. It's also possible that they were low or overbooked on trucks at the time and this was why they wound up overloading this truck in the first place.
This is a case where if you immediately go to your guns and get ready to fight you may find that your belongings either disappear or somehow become damaged during the move--at which point you'll hear them claim that YOU must have packed them that way and it's not their fault.
I'd say, get your stuff home first without making too many waves. If there's anything for you to sign once you have the stuff make sure you sign it with something that gives you the ability to go after your claims and doesn't absolve them of responsibility. I'd try not signing it first and only if they're going to take your stuff again, cross out what you don't agree with on their agreement and then sign it.
Once you have your stuff, THEN they're ripe for a claim. Before that, they still have the ability to bend you over...
For some reason the pizza guy can never find the new place. And I moved into a house that has been here 50 years, in a town of 17,000.
@Skin Art Squared: What I don't understand is why the original salesperson turned down the chance to sell the guy on a second pod.
Combined with your #2, I have to wonder if this particular office only had one driver or something...
@Zoom:
I would never use anyone but Midway Moving and Storage. After all, they are the offical moving company of the Chicago Bulls! (What does that even mean?) I don't care as long as my stuff is moved in a truck that potential could have been used to move Dickey Simpkins stuff when he was traded to the Golden State Warriors.
Word.
@henneko: "What I don't understand is why the original salesperson turned down the chance to sell the guy on a second pod."
Yeah, that one is a total mystery. From a salesman's point of view, who cares if they use it or not. If they do, score and extra fee. If they don't, no loss greater than talking them out of it.
I would guess that the driver that was sent (by radio) to deliver his pod probably only had one empty available on his truck and no other drivers were in the area, and they didn't want to bring him all the way back to pick up an extra. Nothing else really fits. But who knows for sure.
@Skin Art Squared: Some states make the trucker get the load legal before being allowed to leave the scale. If he is over gross--that means removing some of the load. If he is over weight on an axle--that means moving the load around until the distribution on the axles is right. It's highly likely that this load was brokered to s small company that has neither the equipment or resources to get the problem straightened out.
So, the police are holding this truck for being overweight? Can you talk to the police about getting your things back? At least let them know that there's someone on the other end of this shady scam who's waiting for his stuff. Since the company is prolly already in trouble for unsafe packing etc, maybe the cops can expedite things.
@torgonius: Okay, sure... but what if you're moving something more along the lines of 50+ miles? I guess you could still pay for everyone's gas. But how about if you're moving more like 600+ miles? I don't have any friends that would be willing to give up their time for multiple trips across that distance.
@henneko: The salesman might have stood to make more money selling 2 pods to two people then 2 pods to one person (assuming they offer a slight discount to those renting more than one pod).
@Skin Art Squared: My bet is that he's not getting the whole story, and the driver falls under category 2 somehow.
Unfortunately in most cases you have to go to exec care or take the EECB route for proper compensation as you'll either get stuck with CSRs or Supervisors that have no power to compensate you, or they'll make ridiculous lowball offers.
When I worked at Sprint the ONLY compensation we were permitted to offer for just about any kind of CS snafu was...100 Free minutes. Yep, that's all we were allowed to do and we were even discouraged from doing it unless "absolutely necessary".
I remember a call I took from a guy who was basically demanding compensation for a lot of hassle we'd put him through, the call went to my Sup, who promptly shot down all his demands for compensation and said all he would get is an apology. I think the guy eventually hung up.
@Zoom: We used the Professionals as well when we moved into our condo. Great company and a pleasure to deal with.
They might be using an independent contractor to haul the pods, in which case they could claim its the fault of the independent contract and not theirs. If it is their truck, then it is clearly within their control. Also, I have a hard time believing that being stopped at a weigh station would cause days and days worth of delays. Most likely they overbooked, had too many pods to deliver, delayed some, and then when delaying some didn't free up the bottleneck, overloaded the truck to get them done. Glad to get the warning about these guys though.
@GiselleBeardchen: He would have to be seriously over gross to be held though, or it's one major hardline chicken house operator. Household items just don't weigh enough to push him into that kind of territory. Especially in those pods. I suppose it's possible, but I've rolled through 6k over gross with lumber before and been sent on my way with a ticket.
I also had a bad experience with PODS. They were 8 hours late dropping off the POD at the old home and late once again when they dropped it off at the destination. I was completely unimpressed with their service and will have to try yet another company when I move again. Its a crap-shoot out there when it comes to moving companies.
It sounds like the service should be greatly discounted. But you can't expect them to pay for expensive hotels rooms. You could have gotten some air mattresses for like 15 bucks a piece, hell even futons, folding tables, and folding chairs for much cheaper than that hotel room.
I have a feeling that your real expenses did fall in that 150 dollars.
And do you know for a fact that truck is 100% theirs? Was another companies stuff on it? Are there weight terms for the PODs? Was your POD above that?
If in fact the truck was 100% theirs and there were weight issues with your POD, I would expect then to pay your expenses(not including hotel as that is not really valid here, you chose to do that) plus the $150 in compensation.
@BytheSea: Hiring a truck and a forklift to go get the POD is going to be expensive and the POD company isn't going to let you touch PODs that are not yours. So this is basically impossible.
I'm not one to blame the OP but really, getting a hotel room because you don't have your bed? Can't get any work done because there is no chair? Can't cook because there are no utensils? Come on, really? You can't just sleep on the floor for a few nights? I saw the contortion thing regarding the boxes, but really a little "engineering" goes a long way. As for the no utensils, just go to the 99 cent store buy a skillet some cheapo plates a couple of glasses and some forks and knives.
I take it you never had a girlfriend/wife clean you out? Trust me there are ways to make this work that are much cheaper than a hotel stay or a dinner for two.
I'm going to rent a POD, use it as an outhouse for a year, and then have them deliver it to a strangers house.
Get your shit first. THEN talk small claims, lawyers, and compensation. Why give them an excuse to hold it hostage or otherwise mess with you?
Don't push too hard until you have your stuff.
You want to maintain a decent relationship (as much as possible) until you have your belongings.
Talk of compensation can be good (it encourages them to hurry up and deliver), but threats can be bad and lead to things like "here, sign this disclaimer with binding arbitration clause and we will deliver your stuff immediately, otherwise, we'll have to consult our lawyer about your legal threats against us first".
After delivery, of course, they won't want to talk to you, unless you still owe them money. You should try to make sure you still owe them money afterwards and/or pay by credit card so you can work on a charge back.
Otherwise, it's off to small claims court.
@veronykah: That site kind of sucks. I haven't found any info (good, bad, or otherwise) on any of the moving companies I've used or heard about in the Seattle area.
I am shocked at the number of posters that are suggesting that if it wasn't PODS' truck, but rather a contractor's, then PODS isn't responsible. PODS is responsible for the contractors it hires. If it turns out that they hire crappy contractors, then that is their problem, and they can sue their own contractor after they pay damages to the OP. What they can't do is pass the buck to absolve themselves from blame.
@rhys1882: The OP has a contract with PODS, though; who they subcontract with is their problem, not the OP's. Unless the guy signed a waiver relieving PODS of responsibility if a sub got used, it's still PODS on the hook.
@calquist: The best moves I've had have been with professional movers. The monetary cost is more but the savings in emotional cost totally make it worthwhile. For local moves look into packing yourself and then ask around for suggestions on local moving companies. I had a company I loved in Chicago (Joey's Movers based in Skokie), and was sad I couldn't use them this spring when I moved to Seattle. For that move we had Graebel pack and move us. Everything went pretty much precisely as we were told it would, and only one item arrived damaged: a large framed picture, the glass was cracked. We received compensation within a few days of filing a claim.
@Zoom: For the past 20 years or so my family and I have been very loyal to Joey's Movers, based in Skokie. They do great, fast work, even on short notice.
[www.joeysmovers.com]
@Skin Art Squared: Is it possible they held him for being a repeat-offender with outstanding tickets?
@kerry: Maybe your Graebel owned mover was good, but the ones my parents got for a move (in 1993 mind you) were horrible. Lots of damaged items, and at first we could only take part of our items (stuck in a rental before finding a house) and they delivered all the wrong ones.
@Froggmann: I agree on reading this $750 is enough to buy a bed, some kitchen utinsels and chair for working.
People seem to think that if a company causes a problem that they can charge any level of accomidation that they want and the company should cover it. When these things happen negotiate with the comany on the spot and find out what you can be reimbursed. He was spending $250 + a day when he could only expect back $50.
How can a company over come that kind of discrepencey? Maybe they could have given the OP 100$ a day with discussion. I also doubt a court would uphold a $750 settlement for 3 days.
atleast the fish are ok (:
Talk about synchronicity! Earlier today, I came across a link with a great many horror stories about PODS. Too bad I forgot the site that linked to it. It might have been movingscam.com. I am researching moving options and was looking into Pods. Unfortunately the smallest pod offered is way too big for the amount of stuff we have. And there is no price advantage to the quotes we have from professional moving companies. Good luck to the OP with getting this solved. And next time consider packing or buying an inflatable mattress and cheap sheets to minimize lodging costs at the final destination. It saved my wife and I a chunk of change.
@Froggmann: That's the reason why they hired the movers and arranged their schedule to fit: they don't want to sleep on the floor, they don't want to buy a bunch of junk at a 99 cent store. It's not unreasonable to expect that the company would provide the service they offered to provide. "Just sleep on the floor" is not an acceptable answer.
@DePaulBlueDemon:
Ugh!
Midway is terrible!
I remember when Pam Zekman did a report on how they ruined thousands of dollars of people's goods by storing them in a leaky & not bonded warehouse. They then denied any claims because it wasn't a bonded warehouse.
They moved my father & wrecked some of his stuff because the idiot driver decided to go under the C&NW Ry tracks at Leland & Ravenswood to go for lunch. If you know that viaduct, it's less than 11 feet high & he wrecked the truck, peeling the top off of it!
Even though the OP was confident in PODS' ability to do what they promised, as adults we all know to plan for a worst case scenario. "But I'm right!!" won't get your stuff to magically appear. Every time we make a move (we are military) we have to wait 4-5 weeks for our stuff to be delivered. We also pack our own vehicles and have a tote or two we can live out of for that time, and yes, we supplement it from the dollar store and local Goodwill type store.
@torgonius: My daughter was born a couple weeks early and left the hospital the day we were supposed to move into our new (larger, kid friendly) place. By the time we got their, our friends and family had already moved 90% of our stuff in with a u-haul and a couple SUVs. Pretty awesome of them.
Are there any non-shady options for moving? Maybe Best Buy should look into their own branch of movers.