PODS PODS outrageous error to our family during our move Internet
My family has been a client of PODS' since 2006 for our first cross-country move. We currently have three 16' containers and one 7' container in a storage facility and we pay PODS $679.68 monthly.
In March 2012, we requested a 16' container and because we lived on a busy thoroughfare, we had to hire movers to load our belongings, deliver them to the PODS facility, and move them into the new POD.
On the day of our move, we and the movers were scheduled to start unloading at the PODS facility at 3pm as it was booked by a PODS employee in the days prior. We found out on moving day through another PODS rep that the facility actually closes at 3pm, the time we were supposed to be arriving. I only found this out when I called PODS, requesting a larger container to be put out (If I hadn't called we would've appeared onsite with a loaded truck to a closed facility). So, we were stuck on the DAY OF OUR MOVE with movers at our house that had no facility to which to deliver our belongings. This led to a string of events and costs incurred that PODS refuses to refund our family to date (it is now 3 months later).
In canceling our entire move we had to:
1) Reschedule the PODS container to be pulled out earlier the following day.
2) Send the movers home and book another moving company last minute for the following day at a slightly higher rate, the difference of which we did not even request from PODS as we were most concerned with the larger incurred costs.
3) Request from our apartment rental community that we stay an extra day in the unit
4) As this was a cross-country move my elderly mother and I had plane tickets booked for the night of our move. We had to rush to change our tickets for the following day, for which we each incurred a hefty change fee. We even went so far as to book to an airport 30+ miles away which did not result in a change in airfare, because the only option to our original airport was a $600+ fare change PER PERSON that we did not want to charge PODS. Instead, we took the further airport and arranged for a $70 cab to take us back to our initial location. Mind you that this was a red eye flight, with one elderly woman who has documented leg/walking problems over the last 7 years and two distraught pets after 24 hrs of pure hell, using mattresses wrapped in plastic that we had to sleep on the night of this grave mistake.
The total monetary damage from the scheduling error of the PODS employee was $1058. When this PODS error was discovered on the day of our move, our customer sales rep showed great concern and reported the issue immediately. He agreed with me over the phone that this was a serious error that caused a great amount of damage and inconvenience to our family. He told us to submit our receipts to PODS for reimbursement and I was assured that PODS would resolve the issue that they caused due to the negligence of one of their employees.
It is now 3 months later, and we call and email PODS frequently to try to have this issue resolved. Many of these charges were placed on credit cards which have been incurring additional interest costs on this balance. We received an email from PODS this morning stating they will only refund $240 of the full amount owed. This is not acceptable, as all charges that were submitted to PODS for reimbursement were fair and true. We expect, as returning customers of PODS who pay nearly $700 monthly in storage fees, and as honest citizens expecting ethical services from any company they use, that PODS will reimburse us for the full amount of damage totaling $1058. We will report them to BBB and continue to pursue until this issue has been resolved rightfully and justly.
And upon my first return back to the city at the end of this summer, I plan on having all of our PODS emptied into another storage facility as we plan on never using the company's services in the future for moving nor storage.