The good: Everyone I dealt with at Albany-Menands Self Storage was very pleasant and nice to deal with. I booked my unit through the SpareFoot website - it was quick, easy, and I received my first month free.
Introductory pricing is the best in the area (at least initially... more on this later.)
You also get a small, one-time discount for setting up automatic payments - better than nothing, I suppose!
The units are newly constructed and clean.
The bad: Access hours are very limited, compared to other options in the area.
Additionally, and most problematically, the only elevator available for use at a 3-floor facility is a very large freight elevator that cannot be independently operated. Only management can take you up and down, which means if they're tied up with another customer or otherwise unavailable, you'll be waiting until they're ready.
The ugly: About six months after signing my lease, I received a notification of rent increase in the mail. The letter stated that due to increased expenses it was necessary to raise my rent. This seemed odd, especially when I visited their website and noted that units the same size as mine were currently being rented for less than I was initially paying, and about 20% less than the rate to which my rent was being raised.
I called to ask about this, and was told that rents were automatically raised - initially at the 6 month mark and then yearly going forward until a "cap" was hit. Needless to say, this wasn't something that had been mentioned when I signed my lease.
The inconveniences listed above were things I'd been willing to deal with for a unit that was renting under market rate, but if I was now going to be paying the same as other facilities with better and more convenient access, it was time to take my business elsewhere. Plus, I just didn't want to reward deceptive business practices with my money. It was a pain to move all my things less than a year after moving in, but it was the right decision to make.
I would recommend Albany-Menands Self Storage if you are a) renting for fewer than six months and b) if you do not need frequent access to your unit. It would be perfect for a student who wanted to store their things over the summer. For long-term tenants, don't make my mistake - go elsewhere. read more