Zippy Shell Reviews 278

There has been a litany of issues regarding this company since we first began the process of our cross country move. The product was sold to us over the phone as 15 business days from home-to-home, come to find out in the fine print it is 15 days to move the pod from facility to facility. Now our pod has been sitting at a facility 2 hours from our new home for nearly two weeks, Zippy Shell will not provide us the phone number for the facility to confirm our items are even at the location or any documentation of their arrival. Our delivery date has been moved back 4 times now, it is almost a month since we initially received our pod and we feel that Zippy Shell is purposefully delaying delivery so they can charge us an additional month. We have an infant and a 3 year old and are sitting in an empty home with no toys, clothes or items for our children except the basics and Zippy Shell has provided zero customer support. At this point we are looking in the process of contacting a commercial attorney due to predatory sales tactics, disingenuous advertisement, and Zippy Shell violating their contractual agreement with us. If you have had a similar experience and are interested in potentially looking at a class action lawsuit against this company, I will research a way to share my email address (this site does not allow you to post email addresses). I have compiled multiple pieces of documentation regarding our individual experience, how we have been mislead or flat out lied to by "managers" in customer service, etc. I would love to hear anyone else's story to share with a suitable firm to see if they agree that litigation may be an option. Going on 30 days and hoping we receive our property soon (they wont even give us the phone number for the facility it is supposedly being stored at).

So, I knew I was getting a discount moving service. This company is definitely not PODS. They're the budget sister of pack rat. Communication is somewhat lacking and the corporate phone wait times are brutal. That said, I'm overall satisfied with the service.
The Sale: the rep on the phone was helpful and determined to get me a better price than PODS. Offered a really flexible drop-off/pick-up schedule that was tailored to my moving needs and answered all my (very detailed) questions. I was able to reserve a second container, just in case I needed it, and canceling it was not a problem. I had to pay more up front, but the 50% for the second container was seamlessly applied to my final bill. I will say that they're online marketing needs serious work. The type of container I was told to expect (and ultimately did receive) was NO WHERE on the website or any promotional images. The rep had to email me a picture of what I was getting, lol.

The Drop-off: Leading up to the move date I received a lot of emails from ZippyShell that were mostly confusing and lacked any solid info. The local driver in FL called a day ahead to confirm the drop-off window, he called again 30 min before arrival. That guy was great and I have zero complaints. We did purchase the extra insurance and our own lock.
Packing: We elected to self-pack. The container was a sturdy metal box (no cage) with 800 pack rat on the side. There were some metal ribs at about two foot intervals that we used to tie-off sections as we filled the container. We sold a lot of our furniture, so we had no issues getting everything to fit into one 15 ft container (though it was pretty tight): Big wooden king bed w/bookcase headboard, dining table, nightstands, 2 desks, garage storage cabinet, yard tools, 24 ft ladder, 8x10 rug, tall bookcase, water softener, bicycle, bench and MANY MANY boxes. On day two, we knew we could make it and cancelled the second container by calling the local driver directly. There was no confirmation or communication from Zippy corporate, but it ended up being fine.

The Pick-up: so smooth, zero issues.

The Wait: 15 days from pick-up to delivery to our new address in CO. I called at about the 10-day mark to get an idea of where my container was, but there could be no scheduling of any sort until they confirmed arrival to their CO facility. Thankfully, it arrived the next day. I got a choice of delivery date, with two alternates in case of schedule issues, which helps to manage expectations, but is kind of a bummer if you're planning to hire help. Luckily, I got my chosen date.

The Delivery: we got a call from the local driver to confirm the window. It all went just as smooth as the drop-off.

The Unload: not much shifting, we secured things pretty well so there was no damage and we had no trouble unloading. I lost one bar of soap that melted, so I'd count that a win.

Removing the Empty: they picked up the empty 2 days later than promised, but it was just blocking part of my driveway. I wish there was better communication, but that has been the theme.

The Price: I got what I thought was a VERY good price. Less than 3k for my move from FL to CO. Granted, there was no itemized receipt or calculation of any kind. Just a straight number on the final bill. It worked out to less than I thought, but I'm not sure how canceling the second container affected things.

Again, I knew I was getting a budget service. I expected there to be some hiccups and planned accordingly (truly precious things and everyday necessities came with us in a trailer). All in all, I would recommend them. But if you're expecting a ton of high-quality communication and hand-holding, you tend to pay more for that.

One star ONLY because of the nice young men who showed up to do the job (from a subcontracted company - Morris Movers). As soon as they loaded my 1st item, I could see that the actual space inside “the cage” was MUCH smaller than what they sold me. I had previously called to verify that my 84” cabinet could fit standing up inside. Instead of 7’x7’x15’ it was 6’3”x6’3”x14’8”. So I called ZippyShell & heard “outside dimensions are 7’x7’x15’” to which I replied “this is NOT what I was sold - only 3/4 of my things will fit”. Then heard “we can send a 2nd unit for another charge” - doubling what we planned to spend. After a long wait, the supervisor said “we can discount to $7,890” - 1st cage already cost $4,350 - I asked to speak with their superior & was told that they would call me back within 30 minutes so I asked the movers to wait. 5 minutes later, they left, ZippyShell superior never called me back. Today I get a call and learned that they will deduct $774 from my refund (of 50% required 2 days before) because the movers showed up. BEWARE!!!

We hired Zippy Shell including with movers to load our stuff and they showed up on time and loaded our things and send it to our destination out of state. We didn't actually move until a month later and then we called to have the things delivered to our new residence. But due to unforseen circumstances we had to call the day before and delay it an extra day. It was no problem whatsoever. When it was delivered the guys were so friendly and helpful and professional. First time we've ever had to do this and it was the best experience ever and I will/have recommended them!! Thank you so much Zippy Shell!!

Currently dealing with Zippy Shell, they have completely made our cross country move even more stressful than it already is. We purchased a 7x7x16 container, which was supposed to be delivered to our house, we paid extra to have movers load our items into the container and haul off cross country. The sales rep Audrey who signed me up made it sound so simple. No.
Container was “scheduled” to be delivered Saturday 9/24/22, we were blown off by zippy shell and their 3rd party moving companies until 9/26/22. What they sold us is not what we got. Movers came today in a small u-haul truck, which we already told them we needed enough for a 3 bedroom home. Movers had to take one load, drive an hour to where zippy shell’s facility is, and then come back to take another. The movers loaded our items into what looks like a mesh shell, not a storage container as advertised on their site. The movers left our nice sofa pillows on top of the shell, while they headed back to get the 2nd load. Unsecured, just laying on top there for anyone to take. One of the movers even took a crap in our toilet and left it all stained.
I could go on and on about how much zippy shell and their 3rd party movers sucks, but I think you get the idea. They’re all nice in the beginning to get you signed up, after that it’s a complete mess. This place is a joke, listen to the negative reviews- I wish I did!

UPDATE 10/11/22:
WARNING: DO NOT USE ZIPPY SHELL!!!
TRUST THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS, WISH I DID!!! This company will sell you a moving dream, then once you sign up it turns into a nightmare! We were told we’d receive a weather proof container, delivered to our driveway and movers to load and ship it. Instead we got 1) no container delivered on the date they promised, 2) we had 3 different 3rd party moving companies assigned to our move, 3) when the 3rd moving company finally showed up they brought a small u-haul truck (when we originally told Zippy we needed a container for a 3 bedroom home), 4) the movers had to make two trips (Zippy container facility an hour away) so by the time the movers got to the facility with our 2nd load the facility was closed! 5) our 2nd load of belongings sat in the u-haul somewhere overnight, we still don’t know where or if it was locked, 6) the movers left our nice sofa pillow on top of the shell for anyone to take, 7) the movers used our bathroom without asking, took a crap in the toilet and left with a bunch of skid marks in it, 8) days later we were finally provided with photos, which shows that the the movers didn’t load our belongings properly, which forced them to load in a second shell and a new charge of $6k! 9) we were finally told our belongings would be delivered “on or around Oct 17th” at a location that’s 2 hours away from where we’re at! Originally I was told our belongings would be delivered to a facility where we’re located. 10) They make continuous $500+ “fuel surcharge” charges to your credit card, with no warning. They say it’s in the contract but we weren’t provided with a copy when we signed up and they certainly did not tell us that!

The entire process has been a complete stressful nightmare! Terrible communication - you have to call them to get updates, they don’t call you back when they say they will, and they leave you guessing where your belongings are! They deceive you to believe you’re getting a container, when you’re actually getting a shell that goes into a container. At this point we don’t know if we still have all our belongings. Are they locked up, did they pack them all together, have some things been stolen??? This should be criminal how they rip people off! Straight up lies!!!

Don’t waste your time, money and your days stressed out because of the negligence of Zippy Shell! Spend the money on a reputable company, had I read the reviews prior I would’ve gone elsewhere, and if you’re going to end up spending $6k+ anyway you might as well!!!

DO NOT USE ZIPPY SHELL/PACK RAT EVER! I booked a long distance move from VA to MO. From the day of pack out it was delayed, and I was overcharged for labor that was not used. Once in MO, my delivery was delayed by 2 weeks. I was subsequently charged for storage in transit roughly $1100 an undisclosed fee on my contract, with some back and forth and escalation that was partially refunded, but never should have been charged in the first place. After repeatedly pushing back my delivery nearly 2 weeks, finally the labor I prepaid for was scheduled. But only after charging me an additional random undisclosed fee for a fuel charge and some kind of transit fee. After some back and forth they relented and refunded me part of the fee. The first unit set to be delivered wouldn't fit in their truck, causing the movers to have to cut my lock and 'loose load' my items into their box truck. Someone at the warehouse that day decided they didn't want to wait around and left my items unwrapped in a metal cage in the pouring rain for hours and hours, causing everything to be water damaged, and some items completely destroyed. 4 of the 5 units ended up being scheduled for delivery ALL locks had to be cut and items loose loaded, with no timeline for the final unit to be delivered. My husband and I ended up hiring movers of our own and renting a Uhaul to retrieve our last shell, spending an additional $600 to just get my goods away from this wretched company. Upon arrival I was given a hard time about not having access scheduled, because the customer service reps can only put in for access, and nothing is confirmed ever. I will NEVER EVER EVER recommend Zippy Shell/ Pack Rat to anyone. I paid $15000 for my move and ended up with an entire unit water damaged, boxes, books, clothing electronics destroyed, and so far I've been offered $100 reimbursement (that I haven't received). The amount paid versus service rendered does not equate. This company is garbage. To make matters even worse, they have tried to charge an additional $219 for storage when I have nothing in storage. I had to call twice to have that fee reimbursed. Do yourself a favor and avoid this company ZippyShell/PackRat

I’m honestly shocked the negative reviews they have received. Everyone at the company was nice. This was the first time I’ve used a pod company and I made sure to review all the reviews and check out pricing of all the pod and moving companies out there — I made an excel sheet to keep track of all estimates and options. I moved from FL to NY in the summer and they were nothing but accommodating. They’re sister companies with 1-800-Pack-Rat and I was concerned with Zippy Shell’s largest storage pod and they said they’ll ensure I’ll get a Pack Rat one, because it was bigger, and sure enough they delivered. I even heard horror stories about overage rates and gas price increases so I had them — in writing — state this would not happen to me (and it did not). I was able to fairly negotiate a great rate. It appears some folks didn’t do their due diligence and ask the appropriate questions and/or assumed 3rd party movers actually care about their belongings (they don’t).

Anyways they arrived on time to drop off the pod. I and my family chose to pack our own container and we made sure to protect our valuable items and pack it appropriately. I did buy a tracker for my own piece of mind. We didn’t have any damage to our items (nothing out of normal when you’re moving — think light scuffs on items we didn’t wrap). Anyways my only complaint was that the delivery time of the pod. They give you a month of storage (this does include when they originally drop of the container, annoying, but seems typical of this market). I didn’t need my pod immediately upon arrival to the new state, but I had thought my pod drop off would be early and not end of day. I was originally told 12-4 after I called when it didn’t arrive by 12, but it didn’t come until 5. A minor inconvenience but my stuff arrived. They tried to charge an additional ~$50 for protection but I was able to get it reversed. No fights or fuss just a simple wait 3-5 business days and the charge was reversed.

This is my honest experience. Every single time I called (which was often) everyone was polite and great. Minor hiccups but if I were to move again I would use them again.

Avoid this company. Details below:
Initial sales call seemed fine, but things quickly went downhill from there. The shipping container they delivered was not what they had promised, and the trailer had a flat tire. After we loaded the moving pod they were unable to provide us any information in regards to its location while in transit. After about 11 days our moving pod was at its destination warehouse so we called them to schedule delivery. They missed 3 delivery days, each day giving us weak or outright false excuses when we pressed them. Finally, we decided to schedule an out by owner since it was clear they would never actually deliver our things. Initially we were told this could be accommodated next day, but they later claimed there was no forklift driver to move the unit. At this point, we decided to just show up early in the morning in hopes to collect our belongings. Upon arrival at the warehouse, learned that the forklift operator excuse was a lie, as the warehouse staff told us that our pod was ready the previous day. They offered very little money back ($200) in terms of compensation for many days of hassle, stress, and waiting on hold. They customer service agents know nothing about where your moving pod is, and even management will outright lie to you when you make inquires. Absolutely terrible company. I am sure we will get a generic response to this review, and zippyshell will continue to defraud people.

I wish I could give negative stars. They are the worst moving company! I filed with BBB and it did nothing. This company screws people over and gets away with it constantly. It's actually horrifying. So now I'm just leaving reviews to help warn people to avoid ZippyShell!! They will not keep to their word. They promise things and don't deliver on any of it. They were suppose to refund me a month ago and I am still waiting, good thing I didn't hold my breath. They have no management and the people in customer service are never on the same page. It's disorganized and honestly dangerous. Avoid this company!!!!

I would rate this zero stars if I could. The delivery of our items was a nightmare. We had a long distance move from VA to MA, two containers. Confirmed delivery of our items, to our home on 8/2 for a delivery on 8/13. Received a call, after 6 pm on 8/12 that our delivery date was now scheduled for 8/15. Called their service center - got zero assistance. Received another call on 8/14, once again - after 6:00 pm stating our delivery was now rescheduled for 8/18. Again - ZERO assistance from the people in their "service center". Was finally able to get some help from a member of their logistics team that helped coordinate two separate deliveries of our containers - which were still delivered 4-5 days late. I've since received another charge from their third party labor partner for services not received - you guessed it - no one at their "service center" could assist and I am to deal with THEIR service partner. Having spent over 12k on this move and having experienced 8 moves in my lifetime, this has been, hands down, the worst experience ever. They staff their call center with kids that have no ability to actually help you when there is an issue - and there have been many issues. The origin team in VA was very good to work with. After that - it all went downhill and downhill quickly. I would RUN AWAY from using this company. With the money I've spent on this move - I could've received white glove service with a more reputable provider. I will never recommend for anyone to use this company - you would be better off loading a U Haul yourself.

My belongings are still at the origination warehouse 3 weeks after they were delivered there from my house. I have gotten bad information multiple times. Unfortunately for them I have a "tracker" in one of the containers that proves they have not moved since 7/29.

UPDATE 8/29
Containers

I got a call from "senior management" last week with a promise the containers would be picked up Monday the 15th and arrive in NY by the 17th. I even got a confirmation email on Tuesday. But my Tile tracker told me this morning they are still in Louisville.

Next step is to report this to someone I know who has 460K followers on Tikok.

I wish I had looked into this further. I got their name from a business I trusted who had referred clients there before. She will no longer and apologized for giving me their name.

UPDATE 8/29/22
Despite several promises and confirmations, my containers were NOT moved and remained in the origin warehouse one month after they arrived there. I was told last Friday that they were confirmed IN TRANSIT and received another automated email saying that. But this morning I am told they were NOT picked up until this morning. At this point I don't believe that is true.

DO NOT USE!!! Not only did they charge me more than double quoted after moving, but they also lost my containers. They packed trash in boxes, empty boxes in boxes, boxes full of balls of paper with few items and full boxes in bigger boxes to force another container. Trashed my items I cannot replace and wrapped many items in blankets upon blankets to later charge $20 per blanket before I even had a chance to unpack to return blankets. Uhaul only charges $5! Other zippy shell locations were appalled when I said $20 PER BLANKET!!!
Trying to get them on the phone they keep pushing me around or returning me to original entry call selection or even better, sending me to the same poor fella at Pack Rat. Zippy Shell has no entry of me because the neighborhood location undercut them, and no one is taking responsibility! I paid for climate control for 2 months and all my stuff is melted, mildewed and damaged. THIS COMPANY NEEDS TO GET SHUT DOWN!!! Now I have to file with an attorney.

DO NOT USE ZIPPY SHELL!!! Moving out of Los Angeles, I used Zippy Shell storage until I decided where I’d like to live. This was explained to the Zippy Shell ( aka Pack Rat ) service representative. I’d scheduled a road trip to visit sister in South Carolina. For my consideration-& the service rep offered a very reasonable long distance moving quote. If I’d choose this service just call and let them know. Told I was Paying for storage, I was SHOCKED to find they included 1/2 of the long distance transportation quote!! Not knowing where I’d be living- How could they charge for a service they hadn’t provided??I hadn’t authorized this. They wouldn’t reimburse my card —& because all my belongings were in their possession, I was stuck. Relocated- I had them transport the zippy shell. It’s the middle of week 4, and after calling 6 times-I was given a delivery date. Hoping they show up to put this nightmare behind me. Once they get your credit card info- your at their mercy. Please take this is a very real WARNING

BEWARE (do yourself a favor and check out their rating from the Better Business Bureau before signing anything- they also operate as 1800 PACK RAT).

This dumpster fire of an organization has left my 9.5 month pregnant wife and I stranded for weeks without any of our belongings. They were scheduled to deliver our container to our new home in CA on 8/1 - its now 8/15 and we just found out that our belongings are likely still sitting in a warehouse somewhere in Boston. Better yet, they are now trying to charge us DOUBLE WHAT WE AGREED TO. That's an extra $5k they want to charge us, on top of the thousands of dollars its cost my family to stay afloat while they hold our things hostage.

I could've moved my entire family cross country with a reputable carrier 3X over for the amount its cost me just to deal with this mess so far.

And the best part is that we still have no idea where our stuff is or when we might receive it.

RUN AS FAR AS YOU CAN from these criminals before you never see your stuff again.

If I could rate ZERO I would. The sales guy was just too good. He OVER promised and the company never showed up as scheduled per agreement. They breach the agreement, they lose business. Don’t bother with this company. Save yourself the headache.

I have two complaints with my cross-country move:

1) The empty container has been sitting at my destination house for 2 weeks now (blocking the garage), even though they keep saying it will be picked up in 2 days.

2) I was charged fees that were not included in my initial calls or contract with them: a fuel surcharge and extra insurance.

Other than those issues, my moving experience was very good.

I called for a quote. The representative was very short with me. It was a very unpleasant conversation. The verbal quote was double what PODS quoted. I DO NOT recommend this company.

On 7/7/2022, I booked a zippy shell with the promise of it arriving to my driveway for loading and unloading for our cross country move. They were unable to drop it off which resulted in me having to rent a uhaul for $161.31 and gas for $50 to transport the items to their facility and load the items myself at the facility. I was not offered reimbursement for these costs. I was told then that it'd be okay once it gets out to Florida that when it arrives they'd call me. I did not receive a call on expected arrival day. On 8/5/2022, I called them asking where it was at and that's when I was told it arrived. I asked for drop off immediately as it's already running late. They tell me it will be an additional week possibly 2 weeks for drop off. This is resulting in us acquiring another uhaul for $89.50 and gas for $30 just to get our items. I then showed up after spending this and now they are refusing to give us our items. I am beyond livid. I need my stuff ASAP and a refund!

I went with this company because they were the cheapest…..”my mistake”.
If customer service, promptness and truthfulness is important to you then run from this company!
1. I was overcharged more than $1100 which took almost 3 weeks to get rectified.
2. The guaranteed delivery date was pushed back by three days so I had to cancel the helpers I had lined up.
3. The lock I had placed on the container was cut and replaced with a different lock, I didn’t know this until the container arrived and my keys didn’t fit. I had to go to HomeDepot and buy a hacksaw to cut the lock.
I was the one that had to initiate contact almost every time except for twice out of approximately 30 phone calls and numerous emails. I feel sorry for those people that must answer the phone calls and deal with all the frustration the customers must be experiencing.
My final recommendation is to RUN from this company!
By-the-way……this company is also affiliated with and partners with another moving company “PackRat” which quoted me at a higher price (about $400).