Long story short. I was given the monthly rate for various sizes on February 12 and let them know I would be moving in by February 15 (depending on when I could get my movers). I scheduled movers and rented a 26' truck, filled out the form and waited to receive the contract lease agreement. It is $300 MORE per month than what was quoted to me only 3 days prior during my site visit on February 12. I asked if my original quote could be honored -- there has been no communication to that end and my 26' truck is still packed with two warehouses worth of material. I'm paying for this truck daily until I hear back from someone. I felt strong-armed and a bit blindsided to accept a higher monthly price. I'm hoping that this is all just a communication jumble due to a weekend move, especially a holiday weekend move. Up until this point I've had mostly positive interactions with the company. I'm happy to revise this review if the issue is resolved.
Full story below.
I'm the owner of a small business that has been in operation for less than a year. I was working out of two spaces in DC and looking to consolidate into one space. Ready spaces seemed like the perfect fit and I was excited about the space. I inquired on January 20, 2020 about pricing and availability. Amy R. was helpful, responsive, answered all questions, found the exact space needs I was looking for. She is one reason this is not a 1 star review. She emailed price quotes for several size units and the prices were reasonable. I wasn't ready to move at that point, but scheduled the move for mid-February. We had 2 major year-end reports due and I wanted to hold off on moving until after those reports were submitted. I called Ready Spaces a week in advance to let them know that I was interested in a mid-February move, and met with Ben to look at available spaces on Wednesday, February 12, 2020. Ben was also friendly and helpful (another reason this is not a 1 star review).
I inquired about the monthly prices + prorated amount for several units ranging from 725 sq.ft. to 2,000 sq.ft and was given similar quotes from what was emailed to me on Jan 20. I wanted to know how much money I needed to put down that day, and knew that I would move when I had movers and the truck in place, but went back and forth on the unit size.
I also asked what the process was for signing the lease. Ben told me I could do everything online, that I didn't need to physically come into the office to sign any papers. I took this to mean I could reserve and pay for the unit online. Instead, the process is you fill out a form, someone will request for more information, then they send a contract lease agreement that you sign, then you pay.
I emailed Amy on Friday to let her know which unit I was interested in and she began processing the information. I scheduled movers, let my current space know that I was moving out (I let them know in January), I rented a 26' UHaul truck and hired movers.
Everything was underway. My movers packed up the 26' truck. I received the contract lease agreement from Chris that I'm supposed to sign before they send me the link for payment. This contract agreement lists a monthly cost that is $300 MORE per month than what was originally quoted to me just three days prior, and on two separate occasions. This is not an insignificant amount for small/mid sized business owners.
I forwarded Amy's email to all three parties (Ben, Chris, Amy) and asked why I was being charged $300 more per month. I asked for the rate I was given to be honored. I was told by Chris, "The prices below were quoted about a month ago and we have had a price increase since then."
I told Chris that these quotes were given to me 3 days ago on February 12th when I toured the facility. There was a $30 increase from the email quote... which I understand. But a $300 increase was unexpected and makes me feel uncertain about a company that changes pricing arbitrarily and without transparency. The contract lease agreement also already includes an annual increase. I'm paying more for this space than I was for the two spaces in DC.
It is February 15, and I have a 26' Uhaul truck packed with two warehouses worth of stuff, and paid for two movers until 6pm. I feel strong-armed into accepting an agreement that would force me to pay $300 more per month than what I was told.
I will amend this review if anything changes. read more