relocube/PODS

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

in regards to this post i'm looking for moving solutions. a good handful recommended ABF/upack/relocubes (all the same company) but when i try to get a quote i'm told my move is "too short." (i'm moving from arlington to warwick, RI.) i couldn't quite tell in the other post if the people that used them used them for moving within MA or what, and i wanted to post again in case the person i replied to doesn't have notifications on or others had input on this.

i need to get out of my current place ASAP so i'm using all my resources here, thanks for any help! (i've looked into PODS which seem to be way too expensive. obviously my other option is a truck but since it's just me and i have car to drive down too, if a pod-like thing is more affordable than what i've been seeing it would be ideal.)

Comments

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

only vaguely helpful: a friend of mine recently did a x-country move with PODS and she called them, getting 1/3 the price knocked off. I have no idea what magic she pulled to do that.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

yeah, it definitely won't hurt to call. part of it was a sort of "included" one month of storage thing...i don't know if you could say you only needed them to move it in a day and maybe cut a chunk of that off. the initial drop off/use fee was very reasonable, but then the 'delivery' fee was like, another $300+!

[dial-zero.livejournal.com]

If you feel comfortable doing so, driving a Penske while towing your car is not actually that bad. I did it from TX to MA and it was cheaaaap, way cheaper than any other option I looked at. I also found a Penske coupon code somewhere online.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

truthfully even my mom's camry feels like a boat to me (i drive a golf), and the only other time i was in a moving truck (as a passenger obv) i had to get out and walk because i couldn't deal. of course, that was also trying to navigate allston on moving day, not going basically burb to burb which is something i probably could handle.

also, penske is a great company and has always served me well (as opposed to uhaul which we all know sucks balls.)

[dial-zero.livejournal.com]

I can certainly understand that--I drive a lil Nissan so it was a bit scary driving the 26 foot beast at first (they were out of the 22-footer on my pickup day!) However, the prospect of paying for a cross-country POD/ABF was scarier. :) There are pros and cons for every method, but I just wanted to chime in and say that if you are really backed into a corner financially, I bet you can handle towing with the Pensk (as I affectionately called it after day 3 of my move).

And yes, UHaul generally sucks major balls, but I actually had a good experience with the one on McGrath!

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

I did a long distance move with ABF so can't comment on shorter ones. I just wanted to mention that there was a $50 coupon for them in the movers packet you can pick up from the post office (lots of coupons included with the form to forward mail).

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

thanks! (maybe a dumb question - any post office will have this packet, or a specific one you've been to recently?)

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

Not sure, actually my new landlord gave me the packet. But I have seen stacks of them at the post office in Davis. Any post office should have them but you might have to ask for one.

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

Friends of mine had a terrible experience with ABF earlier this year. They were moving from California to Florida, and when the truck got to Florida, everything inside it was smashed up and ruined. After a lot of back and forth and threats of legal action, ABF paid replacement value for their stuff, but it was a nightmare. ABF is not a residential moving company—they're basically packing your stuff into a truck, probably with other people's stuff, and shipping it as freight. I'd advise against using them.

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

Most of this is due to how tightly and securely you pack your own stuff, barring the truck getting into an accident. If you are not confident that you can pack it such that it doesn't move around and smash, you shouldn't use a pack-it-yourself place. Our stuff went cross country and looked the same when it got to its destination as when we packed it. movingscam.org has hundreds of moving reviews, and that's how I decided what company to use. Good luck OP.

[squirrelitude]

I assume you mean movingscam.com.

[ringrose.livejournal.com]

If it's only to RI... rent a truck. Pack your stuff in. Drive down, drop off your stuff, come back and return the truck. Then drive your car to your new place.

Last I knew (and it was a while ago, so things might have changed) truck rental was cheaper if you were returning it to the same place as you start anyway.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

i second this

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

well yeah, that's my last ditch option. but i'd obviously like to avoid a.) a bunch of annoying unnecessary travel and b.) driving something i'm not sure i can handle if at all possible.

truck rental right now even if i return it in RI is still cheaper though, so it's looking like i might have to do that.

[rainbow-spork.livejournal.com]

I don't know how much stuff you have, but you could also rent a van from Enterprise. They're smaller than a truck, so it my be a little less daunting for you, plus they charge the rental like a car rental, not a truck rental-- meaning they charge you per day, not per mile (though you have to lie to them and tell them you're not leaving the state with it in order to have unlimited milage). You would, of course, have to drive back and forth as ringrose described, but at least you wouldn't be doing it in a big truck.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

hm, thanks! think they could fit a queen mattress/boxspring? the rest of my stuff is ikea things that can go flat, or in small uhaul boxes & i drive a hatchback so the bed's the only thing i'm worried about fitting. a van would definitely be much more comfortable for me to drive.

[rainbow-spork.livejournal.com]

I know for a fact that they can fit a queen mattress/boxspring, as that is precisely what I used an enterprise van to transport!

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

amazeballs!

[teko.livejournal.com]

For that length move, you'll be best off just going with U-haul.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

i will never, ever use uhaul again, but thanks for the suggestion ;)

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

Just *don't* use A-Plus Moving and storage. Myself and several friends that used them in the month of August have horrific stories to tell about how rude and crappy the service was. They seem to have hired a new foreman that should stay behind a desk and NOT be dealing with other human beings!