I've never understood how the pods were supposed to work. Intrinsically, they have to take up as much room as a bed, or else you can't lie on them. But they can't be double-decked, else you couldn't sit in them. So you're locked in to a passenger capacity (hence cost per seat) comparable to a conventional sleeping car, for an inferior product that has to be priced more cheaply.
That, I imagine, is why Serco didn't make much effort to resolve the issues. They didn't want pods, but had to examine the feasibility. Likewise, they don't really want the seats, but can't get rid of them.
If there was a commitment to sleeper travel for the ordinary person, we wouldn't have Caledonian Doubles, and we'd have couchettes (32 beds to a coach) replacing two or three sleeping cars.