Sell all your stuff now. Based on my experience with this company, the stress you will incur is not worth the material value you have placed on your stuff.
I moved up here in Feb. '15. I got a small apartment, but everything wouldn't fit in my space so out of desperation I went online and secured a storage unit here. The unit I got was on the second floor. It was, at the time, the only 5 x10 that was available that was 'climate controlled'. The unit I got was oddly shaped as it had a large portion of the unit taken up by the back of the elevators. It was not 5x10. Out of desperation I took the unit.
A few months after I rented the small unit, I got transferred. I had to get a bigger unit to move my apartment into. A 10x10. The weekend I moved, was mid month. I was told I needed to redo all my paperwork AND I had to buy another lock. Another lock that works on nothing but the 'Public Storage' units doors. I expressed that I had already paid for a lock but they demanded I get another. So, now, I have 2 locks at $20+ each and one unit. I had told them that I wanted the 2nd half of the months payment to go towards the new unit. They demanded full payment up front and said they would look into getting my half month pro rated and maybe credited to my account. My account was never credited. So, about this 10x10, I thought this would be fine as I would acquire some warehouse racks that measure 9'6'' and I should be good to go. I would be able to get my apartments worth of belongings into a 10x10 with warehouse racks on the side and furniture in the middle. Well, I got racks, and they didnt fit. The unit was not the advertised 10x10 it was less than 9'6"x9'6". Awesome!
I got transferred back into the area and didn't require the 9'6"x9'6" of space I had and got I a 5'x10" By this time your wondering why I'm still using the disservice provided by Public Storage, well, I travel a lot, this property is near where I work. I digress, I got the 5'x10', Once again, it was mid month. Once again they demanded full pay for the new unit even though the smaller unit was cheaper. Once again I requested the pro rated amount I had already paid for the bigger unit be credited on the smaller unit. I got the unit on a Sunday. I went in on the following Monday, the very next day and asked for the wrong to be righted. Heather said she would ask her supervisor. I told them, 'well, at least I have the bigger unit for the rest of the month'. I was quickly informed that the unit had already been taken out of my name and they had put their lock on the unit. Did you catch that? They're not going to reimburse me for the remainder of the month and that they had already put the unit back into circulation.
My new unit is on the 3rd floor. I was thinking if the units on the 1st and 2nd floor are 'climate controlled', the 3rd floor temperature should be okay. I was wrong. It's hotter than blazes up there in the summer. You could use the upstairs as a sauna. It will slow cook meat up there. If you get a storage unit up there, stay hydrated, and only go up there few minutes at a time during the summer. I'm sure any wood furniture you have in there will crack from the heat. If you go up there in winter, dress warmly, very warmly.
The rate for my 5x10 was $82.39. I got a letter dated November 29th stating that effective Jan 1, 2017 my new rate would be $97.37. That's $14.98 more each month, that's about a 17% increase in rent, for no reason. I talked to some of the other renters and they confirmed that Public Storage has a history of randomly increasing rent. Many of the renters are not happy with their business practices. On December 28th I got a letter saying that effective Jan 1, 2017 the state of New Jersey was going to decrease its state rent tax to 6.875% and my new rate was going to be $82.29. On Jan 1.2017 Public Storage charged me $97.37. On Feb 1st I was charged $97.15. This is AFTER they tell me that the taxes are lower. So, Public Storage figures if you were prepared to pay the full amount before the tax break, you should be fine paying the same amount after the tax break? That extra money isnt going to the state, it's going to Public Storage.
Now, sometime in January, a renter ran into the exit gate. This is not Public Storage's doing. They had no control over that. But istead of making the units available during the posted hours, the hours posted on the website, the hours posted on the walls surrounding the property, Public Storage, in their effort to take care of their patrons, decided that if you want access to your stuff, you have to come during their regular business hours. Instead of rearranging the office staff to make the property available until 9pm, they chose to create unnecessary hardship on those who pay to store their treasures. This was the icing on the cake. I chose to move out and find a different business to patron. read more
