Public Storage
Reviews and Complaints

Public storage of alexandria, va unlawfully auctioned off my storage unit last year. They failed to comply with a virginia self-storage law that says a company must notify a storage unit tenant in writing, with a registered or certified letter of the impending auction even after sending postcard notification via regular mail. If you have been the victim of a shady auction practice in your state, google "self-storage laws in [your state] for detailed information on that state's requirements. If your company did not follow that state's law, you should consult an attorney and see if there are any class-action lawsuits in that state.

The following are links to legal proceedings around the country, so do your homework-they will be on the hook for the value of the contents of your unit if you act quickly:

http://www.topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/4352-public-storage-hit-with-lawsuit-over-business-practices/

http://www.chicagobusinesslitigationlawyerblog.com/2011/04/court_upholds_judgment_against_1.html

Also check out [redacted].com for more complaints against public storage or your storage company...

Public Storage does not care about long term customers. Typically, when you rent something long term and are a good customer (always pay on time, never cause any problems), the renting company will give you a good deal and will normally not raise the rent every year.

Well, it seems that public storage only cares about making money. I have been renting a storage unit for more than 6 years and the rent has gone up by more than 10% EVERY year. I called the customer service line and they say that my rental rate is below the market rate so they will not allow the rate to remain the same. (no courtesy holding of the rate or good will)

The company is taking advantage of the fact that it is not easy to switch storage unit providers. They probably have analyzed their historical data and know that people remain in units for so many years and don't move out. Customers (such as myself) are between a rock in a hard place ... do I take hours/days out of my life, rent a moving truck, and put my belongings in a different storage company's unit nearby so I can save $25 a month? Probably not ... and Public Storage knows this so what they are doing is borderline criminal.

I think people should unite and either petition for laws to protect storage unit consumers .. or .. file some sort of class action suit.

There should be a maximum that rent can increase every year ... something under 5% ... or something based on inflation or treasury bonds.

Me & my husband had a storage unit with public storage for over 2 yrs We called them to pay our payment they tell us they sold out things & they mailed us 3 letters. Ok the thing is they mailed it to the wrong address Knowing they had our new 1 I'm looking at 3 letters they have sent 2 us. They owe us money from the unit it's been 2 weeks can't get any 1 to call us back. They did us wrong I'm calling a lawyer & getting ahold of the BBB They should be put out of buisness They are rude & don't take the right steps in tryin to contact someone They will know they should NOT b aloud 2 run it any longer

I rented out a 10×10 unit (size big enough for a two bedroom apartment) from public storage on 1414 S. Wabash on Oct 31, 2009. I put all my belongings in there thinking that my things would be safe. I paid on time every month. On Feb 6, 2010 I went into Public Storage to make a payment and decided to check on my belongings to make sure everything was Okay and which it was. The next month Mar 6, 2010, I went into Public Storage to make a payment and needed to get some things out of my rental space. So when I went to open the door I noticed that I could not turn my key. So I went to the employee on duty and asked him if there was a reason to why my key was no working. So he checked the system and said ” well you haven’t paid late so we wouldn’t have any reason to change the locks”. So we went to my rental space and he tried the key as well and it still did not work. So he told me that i will have to have the locks changed and that they can change the locks but I would have to pay for a new lock (which I thought was crazy because the locks shouldn’t have been changed in the first place). He told me that his supervisor Mike Cook had to change them but he will not be in until a couple week later, but he will call him and see if he could come in sooner then that. So I told him okay just have him change the locks. So the employee called me the next day saying that his supervisor would be in to change the locks and to come in t pick up the keys, I told him okay I will be in as soon as I get off work. He called me back maybe 30 minutes later and told me that they came down to change the locks and that there was NOTHING in the unit. Some one broke into my unit STOLE EVERYTHING and changed the locks. So I left work and came to Public Storage and my things were GONE! I filed a police report and file a claim with the insurance me run around, I wanted to review the cameras and they have not cooperating with me. I’m starting to believe this was an INSIDE job. I just want Public Storage to know that this is absolutely unacceptable and I am going to fight this all the way to the end. You can not just so or allow someone things to be stolen and think that it okay. NO IT’S NOT.

I would never use Public Storage again. I've experienced the sudden raising of rates and recently I asked for my current rates. It is written on cards handed to me - yet that current rate turns out to be minus the "insurance" which is NOT optional and therefore became a late charge. They know it is hard to argue when they have your stuff and you cannot easily pickup and move everything. Paying in pennies was very passive agressive - but it felt very good. Complaints to corporate just go on answered. Do NOT use them if you have a choice!

After suffering a painful foreclosure in 1999, I slowly purchased household items so that when I purchased a new house in the future I would.

In 2009 I rented storage space from Public Storage and put all my household items in it. I had enough item for every room of my future home.

In December 2009 I noticed the lock to my storage unit had been tampered with. One of the locks had been cut through, the other lock was jammed in such a way that it was jammed and my key would not work. I had to climb a ladder to the top of my storage unit to look down into the unit to see what had been stolen.The metal grate on top of the unit had been cut and pulled back and my property had been lifted up from this whole in the grate.

Every time I had come to check on my unit before the theft, a male and a female Public Storage employee would casually strole by and look into my unit whenever I would be standing in the open door of my unit.

I found out about the theft when I went to pay my bill. As I was paying my bill the male employee did not inform me that My locks had been tampered with. There was also a policeman in the office when I was paying my bill.

Again, the employee did not inform me of the theft to my unit while the police officer was there. And he was very arrogant. I felt so devastated and violated by the theft and honestly did not know what to do. The items I had in storage represented my hope of purchasing a new home in the future. After previously suffering a foreclosure this theft was equally devastating.

After I went home I Called Public Storage and spoke with that female employee and told her I would return with the police and file a police report. She told me I could not call the police and that she would not be there. She sounded very nervous and I have not seen her there since. She seems to have vanished.

Now I’ll talk about the insurance Public Storage insisted I buy from a company that is affiliated with them. When I reported the theft they told me that the policy required that I have receipts for each stolen item. However, the insurance company refused to send me a copy of the police even though I requested it three times and pay insurance every month.

I have never been treated so badly by a company in my life. I firmly believe Public Storage employees were involved in the theft of property from my storage unit.

As I left for Dallas Texas last November 2007, I stopped at Public Storage to pick up a few items. Before Leaving the location I stopped at the front desk to see if everything was ok and up to date with my storage space, and yes I was assured everything was fine. It was made clear of my trip was job related.

As of a few days past from my departure, a phone call was made received by me from the facility manager stating a $34.00 payment was due. I told them I was at a clerk of courts office doing title work and it would have to wait, and ok was the response.

2 weeks later I get a certified letter stating a routine check on the unit revealed the lock missing and a response being requested of me. Let me tell you I did. to no avail to I get any help. Days and weeks leading up to this time frame this location had many employee problems i.e., not opening when they should, employee(s) being arrested by probation/parole officer from California and theft of cash from payments being made over the front counter.

Well the rest tells the story. Arrangements for payment were made and the parties trying to help was rejected. So, The property I had stored in this unit was auctioned off before I made it back to New Orleans, LA. I was observed bringing in and out through the front entrance computer gear and of course I went with my gut feeling to remove such gear and ship it out to Texas. Let me tell you, I know for a fact my unit was accessed by the file key and it was done by a PUBLIC STORAGE EMPLOYEE thinking they could score big.

Due to the unit going up for auction, no checks could be accepted but in fact one was deposited at the request of the location management one day after the items sold. List of Items: Personal greeting cards from years past sent/given to me by family, Clothing times, Shoes, Boots, Personal blank checks, a Brief Case with credit cards inside, Clothing Box with many Clothes(Winter), Tools, Underwear (What Perverts), Personal Art signed to me, Plaques of awards and being Published, Personalized Golf Items, Minor Computer and Office supplies, Business Publications, Just a lot of stuff that cannot be replaced. Make note they managed to get me the plastic file box with personal papers inside back with a portrait of myself and a pitney Bowes Machine that couldn't be sold anyway.

You see, upon my return, I had what was left being caught through while I was present. The District manager Kevin, told them to dispose of any evidence that was on the premises. I contacted the corporate offices of PUBLIC STORAGE and they were telling me oh that just cant be.

Well, months latter now I have possibly credit fraud attempts through credit issuing agencies and bureaus and emails going on. I am not letting this die you see I set up PUBLICSTORAGE.blogdrive.com using the color scheme and logo to spread the word of the criminal enterprise. College Campus and the like I am posting and building a strong case to close down the illegal operation.

My husband & I relocated from Colorado to Virginia. We rented a space from the Public Storage on Jefferson Ave in Newport News. We were there until July 7th, 2008. We received a letter from the facility saying that they were going to be replacing the unit doors starting in June.
The day we went to move out, we found some of our property had been moved, gone through & the glass shelves in my china hutch had been broken . My hutch had been moved away from the wall where the mover had put it.
In august I received a collection notice from Publc Storages collection agency. I contacted the collection agency, they were very helpful & froze the account so we wouldn't get any more notices. I explained to the gentleman that we had been trying to get the facility & their District Manager to resolve the issue .
I explained that they said they would take care of the problem for us initially, but then quit returning our calls.
Today 11/03/08 I have tried yet again to get a resolution to this issue. Now I am being told that they can't talk to me about the issue, even though I am the one they have been dealing with for these past several months.
DON"T REN FROM PUBLIC STORAGE EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER

I was in Public Storage for 3 months. I let them know a month in advance I was moving out, I reminded them a week in advance, I told them again the day before, and the day of move out.
3 weeks passes since I move out and they contact me saying I owe them money. I called back repeatedly trying to find out why, no answer, it would go to an answering machine for which they refused to return the calls. Finally, I sent a certified letter demanding to be contacted and they did, and the guy who contacted me said he was not trained to handle the situation and would have someone contact me back, which didn't happen til I sent another certified letter. Then I was contacted back saying that I owed them 2 months rent. I said for what, I evacuated my unit. They said there are still items in it which some may deem valuable, I requested to know what items that may be, they could not tell me. For weeks I sent certified letter after certified letter trying to get it cleared up, they now claim I owe them hundreds of dollars for the proceeding months after my evacuation of the unit. They auctioned off whatever property they claim was in the unit. They are now sending me letters threatening lawsuits and reporting against my credit. The sad thing is all this could have been avoided had I not dated one of their employees, who's boss had a crush on her.