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Issues like this are why I used PODS for my last move. Hire a local packing and unpacking crew at each end yourself, it's a lot less expensive and you get more

Issues like this are why I used PODS for my last move. Hire a local packing and unpacking crew at each end yourself, it's a lot less expensive and you get more control but assume more responsibility. Alternatively a rental truck, but you can still hire local crews for the labor.

abruzzi 2y ago
Just still be cautious and carry some insurance on your stuff. My brother broke up with his girlfriend, she moved back east. She packed all her stuff up in a PODS and shipped it home, and the pod dissappeared. PODS completely lost it.
- thephyber 2y ago
  Curious if an AirTag (or similar BTLE device on a mesh network) could mitigate some of this risk…
  - ajb 2y ago
    If this is a metal box like a shipping container, you'd have to attaching it to the outside somehow. However the website just says "steel framed" which suggests the sides might not be metal, in which case it might work. However it's quite possible that something else happened to it that they don't want to admit. Like maybe their driver was DUI and crashed it.
    - sgerenser 2y ago
      PODS are advertised as having a transparent roof for light, most likely polycarbonate. Not sure if that would be sufficient for an AirTag signal if the rest is metal, but I suspect it would be.
      - lesuorac 2y ago
        My experience with PODS is it's basically a smaller shipping container with a rolling door. I didn't test airtags at all but they definitely stack them pretty high up in a warehouse so idk if an iPhone is always going to walk by yours.
      - AmVess 2y ago
        Aluminum frame with fiberglass panels. I put a cellular GPS tracker in the one I rented and it worked fine.
  - datavirtue 2y ago
    Isn't that PODS job?
    - thephyber 2y ago
      Did you read the parent’s comment? The company lost the Pod and paid compensation. Sometimes money / replacement value can’t fix the sentimental value or living during the inevitable delay before payout.
  - AmVess 2y ago
    I bought a cellular GPS tracker for my PODS. It worked fine, and being able to track it every step of the way added a bit of stress relief. It also came in really handy when the driver claimed his truck broke down and he wouldn't be able to drop it off on schedule. I told them I could physically see the container in the storage yard and would like it delivered on the agreed upon date. They dropped it off 20 minutes later.
- gautamcgoel 2y ago
  That's crazy! How does something so big go missing? Did they ever find it?
  - jcgrillo 2y ago
    Maybe two records getting written to the database in the same millisecond somehow getting the same uuid primary key... could happen if they use some javascript library to come up with the uuid ;)
hx8 2y ago
I moved a lot. * If there is something of high value, either handle it yourself separate of the movers, or package it yourself if it's too large. Make sure it's adequately insured and take photos. * If it's a one day job, hiring a crew with a truck is fine. Keep an eye on the crew and the truck throughout the process. * If it's a longer job, you can rent one or two trucks and hire a crew to load and another to unload at the destination. If everything is boxed, and you have good access to the front door, then a crew of 3 or 4 should be able to fill a large truck in 2 or 3 hours. Unloading goes quicker. * I've always regretted using PODS. They are small, and I tend to keep them in the driveway way longer than you should. With a truck rental the time urgency helps me complete the project faster.
- rattray 2y ago
  Any tips on hiring movers?
  - hx8 2y ago
    Unless it's a 1bedroom apartment don't accept less than 3 guys. Anything heavy really benefits from multiple people. Get three quotes for the job, talking to someone on the phone for each quote. Ask questions during the phone call. Ask about the company and the service they provide, treat it like a short interview. Select the company that sounds the most professional, unless their price is exorbitant compared to the other two. When the crew arrives, let the leader of the crew know you'll tip cash for good service.
    - Mbwagava 2y ago
      Letting them know you'll tip cash is the best advice here. The movers will treat your stuff better and stuff won't go missing (although I have no reason to think this is specifically a concern, I do understand the paranoia).
      - neilv 2y ago
        > and stuff won't go missing (although I have no reason to think this is specifically a concern [..]. I once hired a moving company that was a bit scammy. I lost a nice component stereo system that they secretly took. I later learned that other people had trouble with that same company "forgetting things on the truck". It seemed to be one of their tactics to enforce scam pricing while they had you over a barrel. If you still didn't buckle on the spot, they'd secretly take away obvious valuables, and hold them hostage until they could extract more money. (They were based in Providence, RI, shortly before "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plunder_Dome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plunder_Dome", when the FBI cleaned up some local government institutionalized corruption. Occasionally, talking with someone who'd also lived there in that period, I'll hear an anecdote about crossing paths with mob-lite connected people. My favorite was someone whose apartment was burglarized, and their nice landlord told them he'd take care of it, and that they should temporarily be away from the apartment at a specific time; they come back after, and their belongings had been returned. I say mob-lite, because it's not tommy-guns and broken kneecaps, but there did seem to be an alternative system of rules by which some played, distinct from the law, and there was just a faint background awareness of that. Other than that, Providence was a nice place, and presumably is even nicer after the FBI cleaned up some corruption.)
oplav 2y ago
Another good option is U-Pack if you have more things that can fit in PODS. ABF Freight drops a container off on your street and you have a couple days to fill it. Then they pick it up and drive it to your destination. You only pay per linear foot you use in the container. The downside is that it’s a little slower than PODS or traditional moving because the unused space is separated and then resold to a local freight partner going to the same destination area. If you can live with that constraint, the process was very smooth and the U-Pack customer service was extremely good and responsive. We hired local movers on both ends to just load and unload the container (did the packing of boxes ourselves, left furniture to the loaders) and paid a little under $6K to move a small 3BR house from the midwest to the east coast a couple years ago.
datavirtue 2y ago
Ad.

abruzzi 2y ago

Just still be cautious and carry some insurance on your stuff. My brother broke up with his girlfriend, she moved back east. She packed all her stuff up in a PODS and shipped it home, and the pod dissappeared. PODS completely lost it.

thephyber 2y ago
Curious if an AirTag (or similar BTLE device on a mesh network) could mitigate some of this risk…
- ajb 2y ago
  If this is a metal box like a shipping container, you'd have to attaching it to the outside somehow. However the website just says "steel framed" which suggests the sides might not be metal, in which case it might work. However it's quite possible that something else happened to it that they don't want to admit. Like maybe their driver was DUI and crashed it.
  - sgerenser 2y ago
    PODS are advertised as having a transparent roof for light, most likely polycarbonate. Not sure if that would be sufficient for an AirTag signal if the rest is metal, but I suspect it would be.
    - lesuorac 2y ago
      My experience with PODS is it's basically a smaller shipping container with a rolling door. I didn't test airtags at all but they definitely stack them pretty high up in a warehouse so idk if an iPhone is always going to walk by yours.
    - AmVess 2y ago
      Aluminum frame with fiberglass panels. I put a cellular GPS tracker in the one I rented and it worked fine.
- datavirtue 2y ago
  Isn't that PODS job?
  - thephyber 2y ago
    Did you read the parent’s comment? The company lost the Pod and paid compensation. Sometimes money / replacement value can’t fix the sentimental value or living during the inevitable delay before payout.
- AmVess 2y ago
  I bought a cellular GPS tracker for my PODS. It worked fine, and being able to track it every step of the way added a bit of stress relief. It also came in really handy when the driver claimed his truck broke down and he wouldn't be able to drop it off on schedule. I told them I could physically see the container in the storage yard and would like it delivered on the agreed upon date. They dropped it off 20 minutes later.
gautamcgoel 2y ago
That's crazy! How does something so big go missing? Did they ever find it?
- jcgrillo 2y ago
  Maybe two records getting written to the database in the same millisecond somehow getting the same uuid primary key... could happen if they use some javascript library to come up with the uuid ;)

hx8 2y ago

I moved a lot. * If there is something of high value, either handle it yourself separate of the movers, or package it yourself if it's too large. Make sure it's adequately insured and take photos. * If it's a one day job, hiring a crew with a truck is fine. Keep an eye on the crew and the truck throughout the process. * If it's a longer job, you can rent one or two trucks and hire a crew to load and another to unload at the destination. If everything is boxed, and you have good access to the front door, then a crew of 3 or 4 should be able to fill a large truck in 2 or 3 hours. Unloading goes quicker. * I've always regretted using PODS. They are small, and I tend to keep them in the driveway way longer than you should. With a truck rental the time urgency helps me complete the project faster.

rattray 2y ago
Any tips on hiring movers?
- hx8 2y ago
  Unless it's a 1bedroom apartment don't accept less than 3 guys. Anything heavy really benefits from multiple people. Get three quotes for the job, talking to someone on the phone for each quote. Ask questions during the phone call. Ask about the company and the service they provide, treat it like a short interview. Select the company that sounds the most professional, unless their price is exorbitant compared to the other two. When the crew arrives, let the leader of the crew know you'll tip cash for good service.
  - Mbwagava 2y ago
    Letting them know you'll tip cash is the best advice here. The movers will treat your stuff better and stuff won't go missing (although I have no reason to think this is specifically a concern, I do understand the paranoia).
    - neilv 2y ago
      > and stuff won't go missing (although I have no reason to think this is specifically a concern [..]. I once hired a moving company that was a bit scammy. I lost a nice component stereo system that they secretly took. I later learned that other people had trouble with that same company "forgetting things on the truck". It seemed to be one of their tactics to enforce scam pricing while they had you over a barrel. If you still didn't buckle on the spot, they'd secretly take away obvious valuables, and hold them hostage until they could extract more money. (They were based in Providence, RI, shortly before "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plunder_Dome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plunder_Dome", when the FBI cleaned up some local government institutionalized corruption. Occasionally, talking with someone who'd also lived there in that period, I'll hear an anecdote about crossing paths with mob-lite connected people. My favorite was someone whose apartment was burglarized, and their nice landlord told them he'd take care of it, and that they should temporarily be away from the apartment at a specific time; they come back after, and their belongings had been returned. I say mob-lite, because it's not tommy-guns and broken kneecaps, but there did seem to be an alternative system of rules by which some played, distinct from the law, and there was just a faint background awareness of that. Other than that, Providence was a nice place, and presumably is even nicer after the FBI cleaned up some corruption.)

oplav 2y ago

Another good option is U-Pack if you have more things that can fit in PODS. ABF Freight drops a container off on your street and you have a couple days to fill it. Then they pick it up and drive it to your destination. You only pay per linear foot you use in the container. The downside is that it’s a little slower than PODS or traditional moving because the unused space is separated and then resold to a local freight partner going to the same destination area. If you can live with that constraint, the process was very smooth and the U-Pack customer service was extremely good and responsive. We hired local movers on both ends to just load and unload the container (did the packing of boxes ourselves, left furniture to the loaders) and paid a little under $6K to move a small 3BR house from the midwest to the east coast a couple years ago.

datavirtue 2y ago

Ad.