On my second visit, I had a very bad experience with Stephanie, who I had not met before, and who was rude and dismissive of my concerns. Because I was just bringing in two small things to my locker and bringing out one small box, I made the mistake of parking on the street on what turned out to be the "enter only" side of the facility (?!), a fact about which no one had ever informed me. I walked in through the open bay door with my items, did what I needed to do, but when I was ready to leave, the bay door was closed and I could not figure out how to exit. There was a human sized door next to the bay door, but it was covered with warnings that an alarm would sound if I tried to use it. The bay door itself had a control box to open it manually, but the control box was padlocked shut. And there were no signs telling a human on foot how to exit. I walked all around the first floor for about 15 minutes, dragging my box with me (luckily I had a rolling cart!). I consulted the "map" by the elevator (which did not indicate the location of the exit door); I tried to get to the office from the corridor (impossible; it was also impossible to get into the bathroom, which I needed by this point!--a sign instructed people to get a key from the office) Eventually, another person appeared, unloading her truck, and she pointed out a human exit door at the opposite end of the facility from where my car was parked. I made my way to that door and exited onto what was by now a fairly dark side street. I probably don't have to tell other women how vulnerable one feels on a dark, mostly deserted and unfamiliar street, dragging a box on a cart (and urgently needing a bathroom). If anyone were to attack me, no one would even hear me scream. I hurried all the way around the building, my heart beating a mile a minute, and decided to ask the office to put a sign on the inner alarmed door, explaining where the exit door is for those who may have entered on foot, so that no one else would have to have a similar, scary or just inconvenient experience. When I got to the office, Stephanie reluctantly unlocked the locked door to let me in. She was rude, sarcastic, unsympathetic, and talked over me several times. She clearly did not care that I was frightened and anxious, and showed zero interest in hearing what had just happened. She insisted that "everyone" "always" comes through the bay door in a vehicle, and "no one ever" parks outside. She angrily dismissed my request to put up a sign informing pedestrians of the exit location. I actually think exit signs are required by law. I had been on the verge of exiting via the emergency alarmed door, which I am sure would have been a huge pain for her. It's really in her interest, and the company's interest, to make sure confused people know the location of the pedestrian exit. But she was having none of this! It was more important to her to yell at me and scold me for my stupidity in not knowing where the unmaked exit door was, and not knowing that I "should have just driven in, and none of this would have happened." read more
