I initially called a few storage places before making a decision on where I wanted to keep my furniture during a move. I'll admit - I got sucked in my Public Storage's low first month rates (I was only hoping to rent for a month and wasn't bothered by the fact that their normal non-first-month rates are at least $10-$30 higher than neighboring storage facilities) and shrugged off the hidden administration fee when I made a reservation over the phone for a specific unit size. I then called a nearby Uhaul rental facility to reserve a truck for that day as well (since Public Storage does not provide a courtesy moving truck like other facilities in the area do). I arrived at Public Storage at my appointed reservation time. After a short wait for the office staff to get off the phone I was taken back to the unit to check it out. This is where the problems started. First off, one of the gates of the facility was described as "Oh - that one is broken". Secondly, we walked up and down the aisles of storage units to find the unit I had reserved. The manager who was helping us could not seem to find it; apparently it did not exist. She said, "Wait here, I'll be right back" and walked back to the office - leaving me and my friend standing in the middle of an outdoor storage facility with no idea what was going on. She came back and said she had the number wrong - off by one. So we proceed to walk to the "correct" unit. This had a lock on it - indicating that it was being rented by another tenant. Again we were left to wait in the middle of the facility while she went back to the office to find out where the mistake was. After standing there for about 15 minutes she returned with a sheepish grin and finally managed to find a unit in the size I had reserved that was available. I was thoroughly unimpressed when she opened the unit door; The walls looked to be made of drywall with tape along the seams and my unit had three fist sized holes in the back wall, the floor was dusty and dirty and needed a good sweeping, and there was a broken lock on the floor inside of the unit door. After being assured that it would be swept while we got our things to move in I figured that it would have to do - I was running late for my Uhaul pick up time as it was. We proceeded back to the office where I was prepared to pay $21 plus tax ($1 for the first month and a $20 administration fee). I was then hit with a fee for the lock AND I was told that I would have to pay for insurance on the unit (which is mandatory with Public Storage though I am not sure why) - bringing the total closer to $45. That was the last straw - a disorganized staff, unsafe looking unit, broken equipment, and hidden fees are NOT something I am comfortable with. I explained to the office staff that I was no longer interested and left. I called Uhaul to cancel my reservation on the truck and went over to Cardinal Storage (they were everything that Public Storage was not - safe, professional, helpful, and all around great) and paid around $50 for my first month's rent PLUS a moving truck was provided for me to move in - saving me the $50 I would have spent at Uhaul. I would NOT recommend Public Storage! Go elsewhere!! read more
