CROOKED! 1/5 Stars
Dishonest Management, Broken Promises, and Deceptive Tactics!
Do not rent from Southwest Self Storage. The severe miscommunication and deceptive tactics between manager Bill Fleming and his wife, Linda Fleming, lead to total misrepresentation, unfair treatment, and predatory business practices.
The Setup: Manager Bill Fleming checked us in for our storage auction win, took our payment, explicitly waived the deposit (a common courtesy), and granted us extra cleanout days if needed. He was courteous and professional, driving us to the locker in his golf cart and authorizing our gate access so we could lock the unit and haul our first load home. We have been buying auction units for eight years and have never dealt with such dishonest operators.
The Contradiction: The very next day, Linda Fleming called demanding a deposit, falsely claiming Bill said it was required and that we had refused to pay. Even though it was their internal miscommunication, we offered to pay the deposit over the phone to keep the peace. When we asked her to review their security camera footage--which clearly shows Bill taking our payment, telling us we dont have ro pay the down-payment, asking us just to clean it out entirely, driving us to the locker, and allowing us to lock up with our lock --she refused, rudely stating it was "our word against his."
The Broken Promise: When our car's brakes failed on the highway on our way back, we called to explain the mechanical breakdown. Linda explicitly agreed to let us pay for a half-month at half price so we had time to wait for our mechanic's replacement part, which wasn't arriving until the next morning.
The Retaliation: Shortly after making that deal, Linda called back, reneged on her word, and demanded cash only for the half-month fee and the deposit in cash. Knowing our vehicle was broken down and that we couldn't physically drive to the office, she refused to accept payment over the phone and demanded we clear out the locker by 6:00 PM that exact same day. To top it off, she called back a third time just to patronize us, claiming it was a "courteous call" to remind us of the 6:00 PM deadline.
They took our money, went back on clear verbal agreements, and revoked our access while we were stranded with a dangerous vehicle failure. Saying one thing and doing the exact opposite underhandedly is illegal, unethical, and predatory.
Formal Regulatory Actions Underway:
State Attorney General (Consumer Protection Division): Filing a formal consumer fraud complaint for breach of contract and deceptive trade practices.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Reporting unfair, predatory business conduct.
Local Business Licensing Department: Filing a complaint against their operational permit for deceptive consumer lockouts.
Self Storage Association (SSA): Submitting an ethics and operational misconduct dispute.
Financial Chargeback: Initiating a bank dispute for services paid for but denied.
Save yourself the financial loss and massive headache--do business anywhere else. They are frauds and thieves. read more
