Public Storage Reviews

In the past, I have rented a small unit and my parents also rented a small unit. They sent out a letter last year stating that they would be doing some work and if we wanted to cover our things up in the unit to do so as to avoid getting things dirty from the repair work. In the past, I have never had a problem with any type of dust in my unit. I was in my unit around the middle of May 2009 to go through some things that I was to put in a garage sale. After the sale, I put some hanging clothes that did not sell and laid them on top of my couch so they would be ready for another garage sale I was going to put them in around the middle of July, which I never did end up putting them in the sale, because they were all dirty and I wanted to leave everything the same so people could see the damage.

When I went to my unit on July 3rd to get some lawn chairs for the 4th of July parade, I saw the contractors doing some type of work on the unit across from mine. When I opened my unit door, I saw a thick coat of cement dust all over my clothes, furniture, and grandchildren's toys that were in a net type toy box. I took my couch cushion and tapped it and all the dust came flying out. I was very upset, because this were all my belongings and there was cement dust everywhere from the front of the unit to the back where my mattresses were. The hanging clothes that I had just put in my unit a couple of weeks before were covered in cement dust, which just proved that the dust was not just accumulated dust.

The lady in the office was busy so I went home and talked to my mom about it and then called the office and they told me I needed to call Dan **, the District Manager of Public Storage. They gave me his number. I called and left him a message. I went in a couple of days later and took pictures of everything in my unit. Dan called me back about a week later. I asked him why the letter they sent out did not say anything about covering our stuff up like they had done in the past. He told me that he didn't know what the letter said because he didn't write it. Yet it is his name that is signed at the bottom of the letter. Dan told me that it was not Public Storage's responsibility; it was the contractors' and he said he would call the contractor and have him call me.

Greg, the contractor, called me and we set up a time to meet at my unit so he could take a look at it. On July 20th, my mother and I met Greg, the contractor, at the unit. He said he could see the dust and that he could try and clean it up for me. I told him that there was this cement dust in my couch, recliner, mattress, clothes and that wiping them down would not work for me. So he told me to call him when I decided what I would like him to do.

I then called the Attorney General's office and they told me that it sounded like it would be Public Storage not the contractor that would be responsible. I then called Dan from Public Storage back and told him that I spoke with the Attorney General's office and what they told me. He asked me what I would like to fix this problem. I told him what I would like done (estimate attached). I emailed Dan the pictures and the estimate replacement costs for the damages to my unit.

Dan called me back about a week or so later and told me that one of the guys from an office in a different state flew in to look at my unit with Greg, the contractor. Dan said that after they looked at it, they said there was not any abnormal dust in my unit and that they were willing to offer me $200 and 2 free month's of rent. I told him that was not an acceptable offer to me due to the fact that I would have to get a new mattress and my couch and recliner professionally cleaned and some of my clothes dry cleaned, plus all the time it would take me to clean everything up in there. Dan said he would tell them I declined the offer. I also asked him why I was not informed that they would be looking at my unit, because I would have liked to have been there. I also told him that from here on out, I do not want anyone in my unit without calling me first.

On July 29th, Greg, the contractor, called me to tell me that I needed to come to the Public Storage office and get a new key because they needed to cut the lock on my unit to get in there and fill some cracks so they replaced my lock free of charge. I got off the phone with him and thought why didn't they call me and who gave them permission to go in my unit? So I called Greg back and asked him who gave him permission to go in my unit, and he said that Dan ** gave him permission. I then called and left a message for Dan and also emailed him asking him why he gave permission to go into my unit when I told him that I did not want anyone in my unit without calling me first. I never got a response back from him. I went to the office and got my new key and looked at the unit. There was no work done inside my unit so I don't know why they had to cut the lock.

I have attached a copy of the estimated costs to repair and replace my belongings that were in my storage unit. I don't feel that it is an outrageous request considering that all my stuff was covered in cement/paint dust. The contractors sanded the old paint, filled the cracks along the outside of the whole row of storage units and then sanded the cement again that was filled in the cracks and painted. Cement dust is harmful to the lungs when breathed in and it is in my furniture cushions and all over clothes. The pictures don't do this damage justice, because it's hard to see the whole picture of this damage.

I feel that they should have put in the letter like they have in the past about covering belongings in your unit when they are doing work. This is not just regular dust that may have accumulated in my storage unit; the cement/paint dust that is all over my belongings is a direct result of Public Storage's failure to inform their renters of the work that was going to be done. The letter they sent out did not say anything about filling cracks and sanding or to cover my belongings. I did file a complaint with the MN Attorney General's Office and today I just filed a court claim. There is some more to the story, but I think all that I wrote gives you some idea as to how Public Storage deals with customers.

Please help me, they are charging and not providing the necessary documents for the excessive charges like the lien. I will be following up with the attorney general's office as well. I had a truck that I rented for the day, which was $90.00 plus two men to move me which was $150.00. Also, they had removed my lock from the rented space. The lock was $25.00. Altogether I am out of $265.00.

I was connected to a CSR (Tierra/Tiana - I have it written down somewhere) because I needed to change a preexisting reservation. She is the rudest CSR I have ever talked to. She was rude from the time she answered. I asked her a lot of questions, and she seemed very irritated by this. Her attitude was so apparent that I stopped and asked her if there was a problem. The call disconnected at this point. I called back again, and got her again. She was still rude, and in the middle of me talking to her, she blurted out Blah, blah, blah. I was speechless.

She then started talking. I asked her why she said that, and she replied, "I don't know what you're talking about." I asked to speak to her supervisor, and she said her supervisor wasn't available. She kept being rude, got kind of loud with me, talked over me, then disconnected my call. I called corporate and left Debra a message a week ago. She has not returned my call. I am still irate. I have 3 storages that I pay already at PS and I am going to move them, as well as continue to spread the word via the web about this experience until I get a call/resolution.

If you can avoid PS, do. There are other storage companies who would love to have your business. Don't be fooled by the $1/first month scam either. They charge you administrative fees and you have to buy their locks, you can't use your own. Your first month will cost you $50-$60.

I chose Public Storage because I was going overseas to Amman, Jordan to study Arabic. Within the first week I got robbed in Amman, Jordan, and, though I explained this and had a police report, Public Storage would not let me Western Union them the money. And after placing a $100 lien, they sold my storage cube within the month, making a total two months rented.

I was desperate and had a friend back home money order them. They claim they did not receive the money order my friend back home sent in time to stop the sale of my cube, though admit receiving it, and the website led me to believe it had been paid. They claim this was a communication error. I came home to a few pieces of mail, the last one being a notification that my unit was sold. The one before it was a notification that the lock was tampered with or missing. It did not elaborate. There was no notice of intent to sell. They claim this piece of mail was returned to them. The last piece of mail was a check for $135, which was a punch in the gut. This was the one on Ft. Meade road in Laurel.

What makes it worse is that customer service and the manager won't release the name to me of the person they sold it to, even though this person has access to my vital information, and claim they are unable to reach the person. I am devastated and crushed, really. I just got out of the AF and that was all I had. That was the only picture of me with my deceased father. I am afraid of identity theft now because they sold my medical records and personal records. I am worried about the uniforms and military records falling into the hands of terrorists or insurgents in our country.

Now, they have me arrested for trespassing so the police cannot see I was robbed. They called the next day and said I do have the right keys. I went back on June 18th to open the units and more than half of everything was gone (still taped everything that was said). They still wouldn't release info on who was allowed in, since I was the only one allowed in. I finally called Glendale, California to complain, a very nasty guy Mejerdethin **. Now, Jim called me complaining that I'm calling the main office and said no one has ever been in those units. I know how full they were and what's missing. I also have them on tape. I have been bullied, lied to, robbed, harassed and arrested. These people are a nightmare. I cannot sleep. I'm filing a civil suit and disclosure so I can get information. I hope you can help me as well.

I rented space #**. This unit is one of the two that I rented from this location. I am fully aware that storage facilities auction off belongings that are not paid for by the consumer. I am also aware that it is up to the business to notify the consumer before this action is taken by the business. Public Storage did not take the proper steps to notify me of the auction allowing me to respond appropriately as a consumer who desires to keep their things. They had no problem informing me of the auction of my first unit.

On July 2, 2009, I made a payment on my storage unit. The cashier behind the counter said I could pay the remaining balance at a later date. On Sat, July 10, 2009, I received a letter (dated July 6, 2009) stating that my unit was found without a lock. This lock was not removed by me or my husband. On July 13, 2009, I received yet another letter stating my things were auctioned. I do know that the tenant is to be notified of an auction, I was never notified. Not through a phone call, letter or public notification. I was not informed in writing of such an auction.

This business has not had any past problems contacting me via phone. Now their defense is that they've tried to contact me by leaving messages. They do not claim to have spoken with me, only that they've left a message with no return. This seems to be the easiest way to claim they tried to contact me, claiming to have notified me of the auction. Yet, they had no problem informing me through the mail that the lock was "missing" from my unit or the auction had already taken place. The unit contained many personal items, things that cannot be replaced or duplicated.

It seems as if the business took it upon themselves to assume that I no longer wanted my things. Payments owed were not beyond the allowance stated on the contract between the consumer and the business. Their actions were outside of the agreement/contract. This is illegal. They claimed to have posted the auction in the Inner City Express or the Inner City Press. This announcement cannot be found.

I also consulted and paid $300 for Expediant Environmental Solutions to take samples of the mold. The results were heavy Aspergillus species and Penicillium species. They told us that we are not allowed at the unit unless suited up. Public Storage told us in more ways than one that it is tough and I am responsible for removal. How can I go into my unit being a 61-year-old and a husband of 62. I want them to help in someway to remove and clean what I can salvage. I have 40 years of slides, pictures and last words of my Father on film. I have expensive china and silver, couches, tanning bed and anything else that anybody may have in their home. I flew home completely devastated.

The experts told me that I have been paying $200 a month for a climate-controlled facility, indoor one as a matter of fact. They feel that there had to be a leak or they did not keep the climate properly set. Now what? The rent is due on June 1st for a dumpster at this point. A mold company wants $8,000 to put belongings in a pod, take it to some premise to be cleaned, with a family member so they can see what is being done. That is insane. My children live in homes in the New Jersey area.

By this time, an hour had gone by and a crowd had grown in the office. It was the first and everyone wanted to pay their bill. I even tried to help her out and let customers skip me! I ended up leaving my driver's license there and she didn't even bother to call me about it. I had to call her! She took her personal frustrations out on me saying out loud one day, "You look tired." I mean, what type of manager acts like that? They always have bad attitudes and made ignorant remarks every time I come into the actual office. In addition, in the past, when I go to my unit which is on the inside, one of them will always come and close the outside door (so I can't get air inside of the hot building) and walk up and down the hall to watch what I'm doing in my unit.

I have asked for the manager above Nicole but she has refused and I'm just sick of the poor service, minimum wage attitude and other bull. I would not recommend this site to anyone. Nicole said out of her own mouth that in December of 2008, they had 23 break-ins! I'm moving out as soon as I can and will never use this chain of storage units, period!

Moreover, Public Storage officials, to the highest level of its Directors and Officers, as advised by the District Manager, Richard **, affirmatively sought to cover up this water damage scandal. The egregious behavior by Public Storage and its senior Directors and Officers includes: not calling, emailing, or in any way informing its customers with property at the facility of the damage to irreplaceable personal items, in delaying removal of the water due to a never-ending cost cutting mentality and a continuing "cheapness" to remedy this terrible situation, in affirmatively lying to customers about the cause, the cleanup, and the extent of the damages, in causing dangerous carcinogens like mold, mildew, and upon information and belief, ASBESTOS, to be released into the air and on customers' property; and many other terrible corporate misrepresentations and abuses that I will be putting into a Class Action complaint against Public Storage, its Directors and Officers, and its District Level managers.

Finally, also to be included in my Class Action complaint is that Public Storage misrepresents the SIZE/Dimensions of all of its storage units - the units are not 5' by 10', 10' by 10', etc., but much shorter in dimension. Public Storage knows this, yet it affirmatively misrepresents this to customers, thereby committing violations of Securities laws, state unfair business practice laws, and false advertising laws, among other lies the corporation commits daily.

The young man then said if I do not want to pay this required monthly insurance charge, I can go somewhere else. I was not happy, but was not in a position to argue for I had come to Public Storage with a car filled with boxes. I was given no choice, but to pay this required fee if was to be given a rental unit. On this evening, I read my contract and it plainly reads that insurance is the occupant’s sole responsibility. I returned to Public Storage on 1/28/09 with my brother whom I had discussed this matter with. We told Grace, the young man not present, that we had read my contract and that it states that the insurance was my responsibility, and that in this contract, Item # 4, I have the right to waive insurance; and that according to my contract, they are not able to require I purchase this insurance as part of the terms for rental.

I asked her to show me where in the contract it states that it is mandatory in order to rent a unit to pay this $8.00 a month fee for insurance. She stated it was not in the contract but that it came directly from Corporate, and they are trained to require this insurance fee with all new rentals. Grace said that I would need to speak with ** regarding this insurance fee that is charged to ALL new renters. I told her I would go to my car and call the Corporate Office to inform them of this mandatory fee that is AGAINST COMSUMER PROTECTION LAWS. I then left the office and went to my car to call Corporate. I spoke with customer service (the representatives’ names escape me at this time but will call my brother for he will remember and get you her name), and we were on speaker phone with her.

I addressed this mandatory insurance fee that is being charged that is not part of the contract. She put me on hold a number of times as we went back and forth regarding what had occurred over the course of these days. She finally came back and said that I have the right to waive this fee if I were to initial the contact indicating such, but that I would not be reimbursed the $8.00 that had been charged to me; but that there would not be any future insurance charge. I told her I expect my $8.00 to be credited to my MONTHLY RENTAL charge and that they could not keep this money that was illegally charged to me. I told her that she was also missing the point, that this location is not renting unless this mandatory fee is paid, and this is the matter that needs to be resolve.

She then told me to go back to the office so she could speak with Grace. I did, only to find that Grace had locked the office and placed a plastic clock sign on the door that read return time of 4:30pm. It was approximately 3:30pm. Grace knew that I was on the phone with Corporate for I had told her I was going to my car to place this call. I told the customer service representative that I had been locked out of the office. She then put me on hold, came back and said that I would have to speak with **, the Regional Manager. When she said this, I became completely frustrated. She said she would no longer speak with me, and hung up. I am in hopes our call was recorded. This is a matter that MUST be resolved, and I am prepared to proceed with full force.

These are very hard times that our community, family, friends are facing especially when it comes to the loss of homes and the high demand for storage units. I am certain that, as I, hundreds of tenants of this ONE location are being charged this mandatory insurance fee of $8.00. This REQUIRED monthly fee must be addressed and stopped. I will be sending certified letters regarding this illegal practice to Brian J. Fields, Self Storage Sr. Vice President and Chief Legal Officer; **, Self Storage Operations President; and John Reyes, Sr. Vice President and CFO. I will also advise of this complaint I am sending you. I ask that you direct a copy of this complaint to these individuals. I work for a Court Appointed Receivership, and I am educated in the manner that Class Action Suits work. I will be speaking with other tenants at this location and will provide you names and numbers for others that are being REQUIRED to pay this mandatory fee. I will be waiting on your correspondence in regards to this matter.

Consequence: A required $8.00 MONTHLY insurance fee to all new renters of storage units at this location. This may be happening at other Public Storage locations. If you do not pay for this REQUIRED insurance coverage, you are not able to rent a unit. So, let’s look at the big $$$ picture - over 100 UNITS at $8.00 PER MONTH for the REQUIRED INSURANCE PREMIUM in order to rent a unit. No payment for the required insurance, no unit. This must STOP!

When returning to the facility to pick up my things six months later I was horrified at what I found. Mice or Rats had been living in my unit. My sofa is DESTROYED. There is rat feces and urine everywhere. There are holes in the sofa and it is pulled apart at every corner. There are rodent nests in every crack of the cushion. My Boxes were chewed open for RATS to urinate and defacate on my 100$ King Sized sheets and clothing. My photoalbums are chewed to garbage.

The staff in the store was rude and ignorant. Customer service was at the bottom of their list. When asking for a manager, everyone we spoke with replied I am the manager.. Right.. I had to take matters into my own hands and contact the insurance company and the district manager.

The insurance company is reimbursing me 250$ Unbelievable. And now this company is trying to tell me I have to dispose of my things myself, even though THEIR facility has rats. Whats best is when we brought this to their attention, they said We thought we had this under control. Meaning they had this problem and knew about it and neglected to call me. What kind of business is this? I feel like an idiot. PLEASE DO NOT CHOOSE PUBLIC STORAGE.

When I got there the front gate at the property was not working, it appeared to be stuck open and would not close. When I reached the door to get into the storage building, it also was not working correctly as the door would not completely close or lock. Upon arriving at my storage locker I found a lock on there that was not mine. Being after hours I called the 877 number. I was told there was nothing that they could do and I would have to wait until the morning. A few minutes later I realized that the unit next to mine was missing a lock, at that time I walked around and discovered several more units were also missing locks.

Again I called the 877 number to let them know that there were units that did not have locks on them and again, I was told very impolitely there was nothing they could do until the next day. My boyfriend also made a call to inform them that the front gate was not working and was told they were aware, as problem had already been reported earlier and a email had been sent to the manager. I decided to file a police report at that time (case number 08-7066).

When officer H. arrived, he made note of the front gate not working and complex door not properly closing, during his inspection of the units without locks, found numerous that had been cut and thrown back into the units. At that time he could not complete my report as I didn't have access to my unit, and would return the next evening. The next day, Friday the 27Th, I called the office to make sure they were aware of the break-ins and not to touch the locks as the police officers would return to collect them for possible evidence. I was told with an attitude that the employee knew and it was fine. That evening I returned after work at approximately 5 p.m.

The same gentleman I had spoke to on the phone the day before, Yamen, was working at the time. He told me that an employee must have placed the lock on my unit because it had been found without one. When we got to my unit he looked at the lock and asked if I was sure it wasn't mine because it wasn't one of theirs, I told him no, it definitely wasn't mine, I had purchased a round lock from P.S. and the one that was on there was a common masterlock.

At this time he left to make a call to the property manager. When he returned I was again told I would have to wait until the next day to have the lock removed, which was complete crap to me as I felt that the lock had been placed there so whom ever had broken in could return to help themselves later. We walked back to the office, I asked Yamen how often the employees checked on the storage units, he told me once a day. Which makes me wonder seen as how I had been there 15 minutes after the office had closed, how all of the units without locks were not seen earlier in the day. Also while I was in the office I noticed that the video cameras that were outside had been covered up because of the painting.

At this time officer H. and his partner officer P. arrived. While questioning Yamen about the front gate, he falsely stated to the officers that when he left the previous day at 6 p.m. the gates were working at that time, and also that there were no issues with the door that led into the units. While the officers were gathering information from Yamen I decided that I would go to Lowe's to purchase bolt cutters as the police officers would need to get into my unit to indeed see if anything of mine had been stolen to finish my report, not to mention there was no way I was going to leave my unit for one more night with a lock someone else had put on there.

When I returned the officers were collecting all of the cut locks so when they finished they helped me cut the lock on my unit, once opened surprise surprise my car audio equipment that was worth approximately $1300 was gone. I did have some jewelry and a t.v. that were also in the unit, but those were not taken at that time. I finished moving all of my things out at 1:30 A.M. A few weeks later I returned to get a copy of my lease agreement.

When I first rented my unit I went through P.S. for insurance and was covered up to $2000. I was given the number to Willis insurance and filed a new claim on a Thursday in July and was told that I would be called on either Friday or Monday. Three weeks and 3 messages later left with Willis that I would like someone to contact me and no return phone call, I finally get a hold of a representative who informs me that I refused to switch to Willis when they took over as insurance provider for P.S. leaving me uninsured, and that they had mailed me a letter stating this, which of course, I never received. She verified at that time that they had my correct address on file, which they did.

My address on the lease is not current, my bad, I should have updated it. When I asked how I could have refused if I knew nothing about it she told me that letters were sent out and I had refused is all she would tell me; this lady unfortunately was very unpleasant to deal with also. The alternate contact on the lease however is my parent's current info, were never contacted. I do not understand how it is possible that I am required to have insurance, but was allowed to go so long without, unbeknownst to me. I am also aware that the price for insurance did not go up, but stayed the same at $8 when Willis took over and I would think that the new insurance would just be transferred over. In no way did I knowingly want to be uninsured, at any time.

So, I am obviously very frustrated with my experience. I just cannot believe every ones snotty attitudes throughout this whole ordeal, both from P.S. and Willis. I know there are 40 or so others that this also happened to, and I sincerely hope there experience hasn't been as ridiculous as mine. As I stated before, I do have a copy of the lease. I do not think that with these circumstances asking that I be reimbursed is unrealistic and I hope that you agree. What I am asking for is $1300 to replace the car audio equipment that was stolen. I really do not want to go to small claims court, but will if needed. I had approximately $1300 of car audio equipment stolen. I am unsure of the situations of the 40 or so other people.

He continured to argue with me when I asked for the address of the corporate location and the address of the owner or manager. I asked for a refund of the first month fee I had just paid and also for the lock they made me purchase. Then I asked for the documents back which contained my personal information. Wayne told me he could not release the documents because he had to have proof he wasn't trying to steal money from the company. I asked him to black out my personal information, and again he refused. I called the owner of the facility, Dave and he has not returned my call. If I start to receive unsolicited mail, emails and phone calls about moving or anything remotely associated with knowledge that I rented a unit, I will know they released my information. I subsequently rented from U Haul and did not have any of these issues or demands.

The next weekend I went into the office anyway to have them check my records. Again they said everything was okay, but I offered my credit card to them so they could make a copy of it for their records, but they denied my offer. A couple weeks later I received another voicemail, but when I called back they said everything was okay. A few weeks after that I went on vacation and they called again. My family received the message and couldn't get in touch with me, so they went to the office and paid by check to prevent any further problems. Finally, yesterday, November 9, 2006, Victoria called and left another message, except instead of asking me to call back or coming into the office, she only left the phone number for their bill pay phone system. Today, November 10, 2006, I left a complaint with their online Consumer Complaint system and also left a voicemail asking them to call me back.

Several hours lost calling them back and visiting their office, and the time my family spent to visit them and pay, which should not have happened because they have my current card information and I have automatic bill pay, but they can't seem to put it together and pay the bill like they used to.