Devon Self Storage Incident
I have an indoor storage unit at the 3040 Austin Peay Devon Self Storage location in Memphis, Tennessee. On 11-18-2016 at approximately 5:00pm I was trapped in the storage unit for little over two hours. While I was in the unit the power went out due to a storm. At first the lights flickered a few times then it was complete darkness. I was alone no one else was there inside the unit with me. I called out for help and I didn't receive an answer. I turned on the headlights and called the Devon Self Storage main phone number so I could get some help and the call went straight to voicemail. I then searched for a way out through the huge dark maze of indoor units. When I finally got out it was raining very hard. Although I was now outside, the main gate had me trapped too. I knocked on the office back door to get the manager's help, (the power was out in the office area as well). The Manager opened the door and I informed him that I was trapped inside the indoor unit with a vehicle. He told me that he was also trapped, (only by the outside main gate). I called the main number again after talking to the manager so that I could speak to a corporate manager. I requested to the lady that answered to have a corporate manager to call me back as soon as possible to discuss this incident since someone from corporate was not available at that moment to talk. I left my name and phone number with her. To date no one from corporate has called me, (It has been eleven days and counting). Meanwhile, I called 911 for some help. The police arrived and we informed them of the situation. Several minutes later a man and a woman manager from another Devon Storage location came to help and they first unlocked the main outdoor gate then they worked on the doors and gate that had me trapped. The large garage type door nearest me would not open even when they attempted to release it so they had to use the door behind the vehicle. As soon as they got the large door up enough for the vehicle to get through the power came back on momentarily and the large door started to come down on the vehicle. Although I could see and hear the large door coming down the three of them were shouting very loudly, "Hurry up the door is coming down, Move!!!" It was a very close call. The door came down enough to have crushed the vehicle I was in. Not only was I trapped inside a very darkened Devon Self Storage unit for over two hours with a cell phone with low battery power, I was frightened by the large door coming down on me. I shook nervously for over an hour and I thought I would require medical attention to calm my nervous shaking. What a horrific incident. Before this incident I may have recommended Devon Self Storage to someone, now, NO WAY. I feel like I was imprisoned in an indoor storage unit with no way out, no backup generators to automatically raise the gates and doors, no power outage contingency plan, no emergency lights, just trapped by an ill equipped Devon Self Storage unit company who didn't even care enough to give me a call back as requested nor to see how I was doing. Store At Your Own Risk!!! read more
