Buying guide

Nine things to check before you sign.

Ten minutes with a quote in front of you. These are the lines that decide whether the number you were shown is the number you pay.

Acoustic office pod in use on a working office floor

Before signing an office pod quote, check nine things: whether delivery is to your floor or the dock, whether installation is included, whether furniture is included, the lead time in writing, the acoustic standard and report number, the airflow figure, Australian electrical compliance, the warranty term and where parts are held, and whether multi-unit pricing has been applied. Most quotes in this category are silent on at least four of them.

The nine checks

Ten minutes, several thousand dollars
1

Is delivery to your floor, or the dock?

The most common gap. Overseas sellers and some local suppliers quote to the loading dock, which leaves you booking a lift and moving 300 to 970 kg of pallet through a building you may not control. Ours is to your floor, and we book the dock and lift with your building manager.

2

Is installation included or extra?

Both are legitimate — just know which you are looking at. Ours is listed separately from $995 ex GST so you can choose, because two people genuinely can assemble a one-person pod in an afternoon with the tools supplied.

3

Is there furniture in it?

Pods ship as empty shells. A quote without a furniture line is a quote for a box. Packages start at $449 ex GST.

4

What is the lead time, in writing?

Twelve to sixteen weeks is standard for built-to-order imports, and it rarely appears prominently. Ask what is physically in Australia today, in what colours. Stocked FocusPods dispatch the next business day.

5

What standard is the acoustic rating measured to?

Class A under ISO 23351-1 is the answer you want, with a report number. A decibel figure with no standard attached can be measured any way the supplier chooses.

6

What is the airflow, in m³/h?

The most under-asked question in the category and the reason perfectly good pods sit unused. Also ask whether ventilation runs when the booth is empty. Ours cycles for five minutes every half hour.

7

Are the outlets Australian?

Get it in writing, along with wiring to AS/NZS 3000. Units configured for other markets cannot legally be used here without a licensed electrician reworking them.

8

What is the warranty, and where are the parts?

The term matters less than the location. Parts held in Australia is a two-day fix; parts shipped from overseas is a two-month one. Ours are on the Gold Coast, with ten years structural and three electrical.

9

Has multi-unit pricing been applied?

Most suppliers hold a discount back for the second and third pod and will not offer it unprompted. We apply it automatically, but ask whoever you are buying from.

Refuse the bundled total

One number is not a quote

If a quote is a single figure with no breakdown, ask for the lines. Bundled totals are not comparable between suppliers and that is usually why they exist. Pod, freight, installation and furniture, separately, on one page.

It also helps internally: finance can approve part of a request that is itemised, and cannot approve any of one that is not.

What ours looks like

Published, for comparison
Model Solo Solo Plus Duo Team Meet Max
Capacity 1 person 1 person 2 people 2 people 4 people 6 people
Exterior W×D×H 1080 × 1000 × 2338 mm 1600 × 1375 × 2338 mm 1600 × 1375 × 2338 mm 2300 × 966 × 2338 mm 2300 × 1785 × 2338 mm 2600 × 2605 × 2338 mm
Interior W×D×H 942 × 960 × 2146 mm 1462 × 1335 × 2146 mm 1462 × 1335 × 2146 mm 2162 × 926 × 2146 mm 2162 × 1745 × 2146 mm 2462 × 2565 × 2146 mm
Floor space ~1.0 m² ~2.2 m² ~2.2 m² ~2.2 m² ~4.1 m² ~6.77 m²
Weight 290–335 kg 442–502 kg 442–502 kg 504–564 kg 635–700 kg 852–970 kg
Ventilation 0–70 m³/h 0–110 m³/h 0–110 m³/h 0–110 m³/h 0–218 m³/h 0–327 m³/h
Air change ~1.6 min ~2.3 min ~2.3 min ~2.3 min ~2.2 min ~2.4 min
Power draw 40 W 52 W 52 W 60 W 120 W 120 W
Price from $7,595ex GST, delivered $10,595ex GST, delivered $10,695ex GST, delivered $11,695ex GST, delivered $12,995ex GST, delivered $14,995ex GST, delivered
Installation + $995 ex GST + $1,295 ex GST + $1,295 ex GST + $1,395 ex GST + $1,495 ex GST + $1,795 ex GST

Delivery included Australia-wide in every figure. Installation is the bottom row and is optional.

Common questions

What should an office pod quote include?

Pod, freight, installation and furniture as separate lines, plus the lead time and the acoustic rating with its standard. A single bundled figure is not comparable against anything and usually exists for that reason.

Is delivery normally included in an office pod price?

It varies, and it is worth checking whether delivery means to your floor or to the loading dock. FocusPod delivery is free Australia-wide, included in the published price, and goes to your floor with dock and lift access coordinated with your building manager.

How do I compare two office pod quotes?

Break both into the same four lines — pod, freight, installation, furniture — then compare the acoustic standard and report number, the airflow figure, and what is in stock. Two quotes that look thousands apart often converge once freight and installation are added to the cheaper one.

Should installation be included in the price?

Either is fine as long as you know which. Self-assembly is realistic: two people, two to four hours, tools supplied. Professional installation from $995 ex GST covers delivery to your floor, assembly, connection and testing.

Do office pod suppliers discount for multiple units?

Most do, from the second pod, and most will not mention it unless asked. We apply multi-unit pricing automatically on quotes.

Compare the working layout before comparing totals. Our phone-booth comparison covers Solo and Solo Plus, while the meeting-pod comparison covers two to six people.

Want it itemised?

Send us the space and you will get a fixed quote with pod, delivery, installation and furniture as separate lines — which is usually exactly what finance asks for.

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