On lordy. I rented at a Public Storage in a different city almost a decade ago & had a fine experience, but my attempt to learn more about renting at this location just turned me off of Public Storage permanently.
So I called what *appeared* to be a local number off their website (not the 866 number listed on Yelp), and the person who answered the phone SAID he was at this address--although he clearly sounded like he was in a call center. He made sure to get a phone number out of me right off the bat ("in case we get disconnected"--no, to put my info in your database), then proceeded to drag me through his whole sales pitch like I've never rented a storage unit before.
I finally managed to break in and say, "First thing's first: I need to know if I can park an unattached 28' trailer here for two days." (I'm moving long-distance, & if my freight company can't drop the trailer for a partial unload, then this isn't the right storage facility for me.)
The guy said, "That's a property-specific question. I'd have to have the property call you."
Ok, fine...er, wait: Isn't he supposedly *at* the property?
I then asked what the difference is between a "medium" outside, drive up, 10x10 unit ($88) and a "large" outside, drive up, 10x15 unit ($82), and why the larger one is less expensive. The guy said, "That's a property-specific question. I can't answer that" ...& tried to drag me back into his sales pitch. "About how many pieces of furniture--" // No, you are not wasting my time talking me through a decision process I have already made repeatedly over the last 12 years: I have a 10x10 now, and I need a 10x10 in my new city--though I'll also take the extra space in a 10x15, once I understand what the difference is that warrants a $6/mo discount.
Anyway, when I interjected to ask how I can call "the property" to get my questions answered, the guy told me I can't. I can't call them, and he supposedly "can't" ask them to call me. He insists they only call people who have reserved units.
I asked, "How do I know if I want to rent here without knowing whether I can park the trailer? And how do I know which unit I want to reserve if I don't know what the difference is between them?" I mean, these are some pretty basic questions.
And with that, the guy told me that he was "just an employee" and that "that's where my duty to help you as a person ends."
Wow.
The Twin Cities are apparently crawling with storage spaces that are a lot cheaper than where I live now--so I'm scratching Public Storage off my list and calling the next one. The people on-site may be perfectly reasonable, but I'm not going to risk it without being able to talk to them first. read more