Be aware of the following (long term renter). Owner says he can't (won't) negotiate…read more 1. Changing Prices National self-storage companies use a system called "revenue management" to set their prices. At the national storage conventions, owners take classes about how to use this software to increase revenue by raising prices on customers. What is revenue management? This practice is what airlines and hotels use when they quote you a different rate for the same flight or room based on demand. Big storage companies do the same thing, reassessing their prices hourly. This means if they only have one 10 x 10 unit at the moment you check, it might be priced at $200 a month (compared to $100 last week). You can get the same unit at a company that is not using this software for much less. Why are they doing this? To make sure they are charging you the highest price they can get away with to maximize their revenue. 2. Increasing Rent All the Time When you sign a contract with one of these companies, you think that you've locked in a price for the rest of your lease, right? Not true. Almost all contracts in the self-storage industry are month-to-month. This means they can increase your rent at any time with a 30-day notice. National companies increase rent for current customers frequently, oftentimes twice a year. So, a unit you thought would be $70 per month suddenly costs you $115 per month. If you stay a year with that new rate, you'll be dishing out an extra $540 you hadn't budgeted for originally. 3. Charging High Fees National self-storage companies often reel you in with attractive pricing or a special but get you with fees. You may think you're paying only $70 per month, but wait, there's more: Admin fee ($20-$30) Lock charge ($20-$30) Late fees ($50-$60 for more than 30 days late) Deposit fee ($25-$45) Those fees add up, especially if you stay in your unit for a long time. Your bill inevitably ends up being much larger than you initially planned. 4. Ripping You Off with Insurance The big storage companies try to squeeze every possible penny out of you. One of the ways they do this is by requiring you to buy their storage insurance. While it seems like it adds value for customers, storage insurance is just an additional revenue stream for storage companies. Often, the insurance provider is the self-storage company. Other times, it's a third-party provider that gives the storage company a monthly kickback for selling policies. Public Storage automatically enrolls you in its insurance program, and you have to opt-out later to get out of it. They don't even offer good coverage. When you try to make a claim, you'll find the policy is selective in what it covers. Storage insurance is just an easy way for national storage chains to make an extra $15 to $25 per month from you. In fact, most renters have homeowners or renters' insurance that automatically covers items they've put in storage without additional cost. Our experience in managing 5,000 storage units is that it is very rare -- under 1% -- for something to happen that affects the contents of a storage unit. If you wrap your furniture in thick plastic wrap available on Amazon, and pack all your other items in plastic crates with tight lids, you will avoid almost all of the possible incidents that can affect your contents. That effort would eliminate rodent damage, mildew, and water damage, plus protect against absorbing the smell of the unit. The only thing left that could happen is theft. You have dropped your risk to .1%. Let's look at what would happen if you somehow incurred a loss: If you buy their insurance and stay for two years paying $25 extra a month, and if their policy covers the damage you incur, you have paid $600 for the insurance plus the $100 deductible. So you would have to experience over $700 in damage for it to help you. Do yourself a favor and spend $100 on packing supplies and rely on your homeowners or renters policy. 5. Making You Buy Their Expensive Lock Unfortunately, most national storage companies require you to buy their lock for $15-$20 (or more) instead of providing one to you free of charge. You can get the same lock at the local hardware store for $6.

So easy to register online. Spotless 5x7x8 unit, perfect for OOS student at UMD-CP to store larger…read moreitems for summer. Made our end of year move so much easier! Thank you!

Unit was ready when I got there Unit was clean…read morePassword was easy to remember Easy access and out

The manager was very helpful, went through the rental procedure efficiently. The facility was clean…read moreand well-maintained.

It is not often that you get great customer service nowadays. My first interactions were with Ell…read moreand Josh. Ell was very helpful and have a thorough explanation of the rental process and she did it with a genuine smile that you could feel that she was happy to assist without any hesitation. I was able to get the units I needed in the time frame I was looking for. I have to say that it was the team work between Josh and Ell that made that happen. Josh assisted and was able to find the units that were becoming available. He and Ell made this process such a delight when I was expecting it to be somewhat stressful with the time frame I had. Not only was this experience a breath of fresh air, but it continued each time I was at the facility. The maintenance and care of the facility is just as nice. Each time I have made a trip to my unit I see all of the crew doing something around the facility and each time they make eye contact and greet you with a smile. Josh was painting on one occasion and stopped what he was doing to acknowledge me and say good morning. You do not get this kind of acknowledgment anywhere these days and when you do it's definitely recognized. Thank you Josh, Ell and the other extremely kind and helpful maintenance helper that all I can remember is he has been with them for 4 years . I didn't want to get his name wrong. Keep up the great work and keep smiling . We need more experiences like these.

This is Sam I stay there 2 days…read moreEverybody nice specially The manager, she very very, very nice Thank you so much.

The public storage experience was amazing. I purchased our unit last week and due to unforeseen…read morethings our shipment wasn't able to arrive until this week. I stopped by the unit this morning to give it a look before our shippers arrived. The first thing that stood out to me was that the automated process through the app was amazing! I made a few simple setup requirements and wallah when I pulled up I was able to open the gate and door with the push of a button. I pulled through and pulled up the map they gave me. They had a blue tie on the unit to keep folks out and already had my locks and what not waiting for me. I gathered my things and left so that I could meet my shippers. I forgot to lock the unit and although nothing was in it they reached out to me to make sure it was me that had visited the unit. They even placed another blue lock on it so no one would bother it until we returned. Upon returning the process was efficient and the movers were able to drive in and out. Public Storage in Arlington is 5 star. The ventilation was great and the service was even better.

I would not recommend this storage facility. There were bugs inside, and the doors were frequently…read morebroken or not working properly. What was especially frustrating was that the price increased after I had already moved my belongings in. Overall, the experience was disappointing and I would recommend looking elsewhere for storage.

Awesome experience through and through here…read more I had to get a storage unit for the first time and ezStorage Odenton made the process quick and painless. It started with me going on their website for some size and price research. Online, they offer special rates that they may not offer at-location, plus other promos like first-month free. For sizing, they had visualizations of the different units and what could fit in each (whole medium bedroom, for example). I submitted a quote for a 10x10 unit and got a call immediately after for follow-up. On move-in day, Amanda and Bridgette got me processed and settled so fast. They discussed the T&C with me and then walked me to the unit before signing. Immediately, the cleanliness stood out to me. So happy I chose to rent here! Some quick, helpful tidbits: - You can purchase a lock with them on site. They do not hold any keys. - Rent is due on the first of the month and can be paid via customer portal. - Someone lives on-site to help you with all your needs (I did not know this!)

Great staff and owners, very friendly, love the location and website that I could manage my account…read morewith. I would highly recommend.

After going through a pretty traumatic break up and having to move unexpectedly, I immediately…read morecontacted Bookstore Movers through Yelp. I had had a great experience with them just last year when I last moved and knew they'd be able to get the job done again. My project was immediately responded to and they were able to help me move two weeks later on their soonest available date. The three movers, Pat, Renaldo, and Kevin were incredible. Communication leading up to the move and theday of was great. They were able to move all my large furniture within 2 hours. Everything was wrapped carefully and efficiently. They were kind and thoughtful, helping me make adjustments to the furniture layout once we got to the destination. Their positivity through one of the hardest situations I've ever gone through was much-needed and made me feel confident in entering this next chapter. I even had a last minute change to the destination (originally everything was going into storage but I ended up finding an apartment just in time), and the professionalism and patience from the entire Bookstore team through this change was excellent. Pricing was reasonable yet again and came out to about $500 (excluding tip) for the truck fee and moving of 16 large items. Thank you Bookstore Movers for helping me when I needed it most!

We were disappointed with our recent experience with Bookstore Movers. The crew was polite, but the…read moremove felt much slower and less efficient than it should have been. We had a dedicated elevator, yet workers often brought items down only one or two at a time. I also saw team members on their phones or standing around in rooms and hallways instead of actively moving things. These delays added up quickly. The crew also misplaced parts of our bed frame, and the pieces had to be found before it could be reassembled. That alone added nearly an hour to the move. Because the move took much longer than expected, the final cost was significantly higher than the estimate we received. We were also charged based on an arrival time that was recorded as ten minutes earlier than when the crew actually arrived. The team was courteous, but given the inefficiency, added time, and higher final price, we would not use Bookstore Movers again. This is unfortunate, because we had been happy with them in previous moves.

What can I say about the service provided by Spacemaker? Well, it was so amazingly exceptional that…read moreit drove me to write my first ever Yelp! review. Right off the bat, they were right there to answer every question, respond to every email and return every call. They truly were a life safer, from drop off to pick up and everything in between they could not have been better. Personalized service doesn't come close to the level of service provided. Even under atypical circumstances everyone went above and beyond. Thank you Jim, Jena and Jose, you guys are the best. I would give you 10 stars if I could.

We needed a unit within 3 days. Spacemaker got it there in 2. They were very responsive to the…read morequestions I had. The entire experience from deliver y to pickup went smoothly and they were the best price I found. Highly recommend them.

Top notch facility, with a very professional staff and very clean facilities. I had the choice of…read moremuch closer storage facilities, but went with Telegraph for their reasonable price and professional appearance. I was not disappointed. When I signed up, the manager gave me a realistic recommendation and did not try to upsell. The automatic payment system was very efficient, and check out could not have been easier. Every time I went, the building was very clean, with perfect climate, and I always felt safe in there with my kids. Separately, they offer great prices on moving supplies and great recommendations on moving support.

Prices are competitive , and employees at the office and extremely welcoming. Easy access to units…read moreand clean. Look no further :)