Nancy B Nze
map-marker Carol Stream, Illinois

INCOMPLETE INFORMATION

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This month I purchased a queen-sized plastic mattress bag thinking that I might need it to return a mattress. There were no signs in the store saying no returns and no mention was made of it when I purchased the item. Since I did not need the plastic mattress bag after all, I took it back to the U-STORE-IT store located at 120 Tubeway Dr, Carol Stream, IL 60188. What was my surprise to be told by Gloria that there were no returns, and it turned out, no exchanges. This certainly was a surprise for a company that talks about EXCELLENCE. U-Haul, for example, makes a practice of refunding money for items you do not need for moving. This practice will harm your business. I know that I will certainly not patronize U-STORE-IT materials again.
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Loss:
$900
Pros:
  • Store and the location
Cons:
  • Policy for reimbursement and exchanges
Reason of review:
Return, Exchange or Cancellation Policy

Preferred solution: Full refund

Anonymous

I was made to feel threatened by the manager

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The first accuse me of living there. Then he accused me of doing business there. I contacted their Corporate Offices he put me in touch with her Oklahoma City Manager. Organizing my storage up there which I didn't know the way I keep my storage is up to them I like to have my things neat and orderly. I would suggest highly that you did not go there he was threatening and his voice town and his body mannerisms and he waited until I was up there alone and not with my fiance
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Reason of review:
Poor customer service
Anonymous
map-marker Fort Worth, Texas

RUN AWAY from U-Store-It Facilities!

For 15 years I had used the National Self Storage facility at 5127 McCart in Fort Worth, TX, and had no problems. In February 2016 they sold it to U-Store-It, and it's been a nightmare ever since. The due date for payment to National was always the 10th of the month. U-Store-It didn't bother to notify customers that the fee for the upcoming month now had to be paid by the last day of the previous month, so I got locked out on the 1st of March. I asked why they had not notified customers, but all I got was a shrug. I paid for March, but I did not appreciate the lack of notification and the attitude of the new owners, so I scheduled movers to move my things to a different facility in mid-March. They showed up and were ready to move my things, but when we arrived at U-Store-It, I found the storage unit door OPEN. All of my boxes had been dumped out and the unit had been vandalized. The movers said they couldn't move it in that condition, so they left. The office manager said the unit had been vandalized and that 12 units had been hit in one night. I asked why I hadn't been notified, and they couldn't give me a reason. I was furious. So we started cleaning everything out. All that was left was some large items and trash that we were going to haul to the dump, but I was unable to get there by April 30. I called to see when I would be locked out, and was told we had a 5-day grace period through May 5. I went there today (May 2), and was told I was not allowed on the property until the bill had been paid. I told them I had called and was told we had until the 5th of the month before payment was due. They said we only had until the 5th to avoid late fees, but that we would still be locked out on the 1st. That was not what they said when I called. So I left the trash for them to haul away and I will never set foot on their property again. HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE company, with absolutely NO customer service. AVOID U-STORE-IT!
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Reason of review:
Poor customer service
donconard C
map-marker Hastings, Michigan

Cover up U Store It Self Storage

I had a 1984 Cadillac Coupe Deville D'Elegance that I bought and put into a storage unit at U"ยขStore"ยขIt Self Storage 1202 Antioch Pike Nashville TN, 37211. I have been a customer of theirs for years & years I have been in several different units in my years there. I rented a storage unit that a water main broke in that flooded my unit so they moved me to a bigger unit# 1220 at a discount witch I moved my classic car, boat, truck and all my personal stuff into. I work out on the road so I don't get in to often but when I am home I go there to pull out my Pickup truck or Car or Boat and work on them or use them. 2 weeks before Christmas 2010 I came home and pulled my pickup truck out of storage to find all of my belongs to been damaged by paint overspray from a unit next to me. So I went to the onsite manger to file a claim & complaint with the office due to paint over spray to all my stuff in storage from someone doing auto body work & painting in the unit next to me. witch I was told they where warned about painting in there before! I asked the manger how the INS claim would work and what it would cover that's when I found out it only covered 2000.00 worth of damages So I asked him to increase it to the max cause just my boat alone was worth more then that witch he said he would take care of, Then he asked me to work out a deal with the people that did the damage to my stuff or he would have to evict them, So feeling bad about it did. but they never fix a thing then 2 days before Christmas 2010 the storage unit next to mine caught fire (the same unit that did the paint overspray) burning my unit to the ground, and several others units and lots of cars. I then later found out from other tenets and victims of the fire that the on sight manger was letting people run businesses & repair shops & body shops out of theses storage units for years!!!! witch is not aloud at all! The unit that caused all the damages next to my unit was changing a fuel tank on a customers car in the winter time with a propane heater next to him witch caught fire and blew up causing all the damages. When I confronted management on what was going on and what was going to be done about it there was no answer given but to call the INS company. I then knew there was something wrong and fishy about the whole thing so I called FOX17 news for help. they have video footage of these guys working on cars and doing repair work in units farther down from me, that they took the next day. I also have pictures of all the cars that where being worked on and there plate numbers. I also have audio recorded of on site manger admitting damages, proof of repair shops being run out of there, as well as body shops, and painting damage done from over spray. After talking with onsite management again 5 days after the fire the storage company had evicted anyone that was running a business or shop out of there place the very next day! after I confronted them, trying to cover it up. Since then I have tried to settle out of court with them but the offer was to low so I denied it. now there saying it not there fault so there not paying, witch brings me to this! and You. I had been restoring this Cadillac for over a year and have been plain it for 2 years I have thousands in that car alone! not including paint damage and personal stuff from a auto repair shop once owned. I have recites for parts I bought & EBay & Paypal Invoice's for parts too, I have proof of everything!
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Loss:
$50
3 comments
Guest

Wow u really got screwed! However hate to point this out if your insurance cap was $2k thats all you should expect unless your state has some kind of additional legal tools if the management was negligent.

Thats the max mine will pay unless I want to pay a higher premium.

Guest

I agree with Pulltype, you'll need an attorney, but with all the proof and receipts you have I can't see you losing, and you should get as a part of the final settlement a full reimbursement of all attorney's fees and any other fees, court costs, time lost from work do to all this, pain and suffering from loss of the personal items and records, and I could go on and on. You deserve to get all this after their violations!!! Go For it, they obviously want to play hardball!

Guest

Out of court will not work and you will need an attorney. May cost some money, but you should get attorney's fees as well as long as you win. Good luck.

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Anonymous
map-marker Patuxent River, Maryland

Illegal Activities

I was talking with one of their not so friendly managers the other day, (they think we are friends), and was informed that they are now being told to go in and stage all the units that are up for auction. It is illegal for any person to enter into the unit, and touch any belongings that they do not own. They are no longer sending out a notice, they just are to cut your lock on day 30 and are now suppose to stage the stuff to make it look better. I can tell you first time they touch my stuff, late or not late, there will be a law suite on their hands. This against all the laws written for storage.
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3 comments
Guest

Local chain here admits to going into past due units to inventory and photograph units in case there are any issues-so they say. That can be taken in several ways with the first being they are going into past due units.

Now it's a little fuzzy if it's a state requirement or company policy but the property manager admitted to going into units pre auction. What employees are going in is the question. An employee who does nothing but pre auction, the property manager and employees or the company owner.

After the seeing the lawsuits filed in regards to Storage Wars where a star admitted things were staged that is just more verification of a legitimate chance of theft from a past due unit. This is also throws the integrity of any auctions into doubt because now the bidders could be purposely given a unit void of any valuable items.

The storage business is right up there with 30% pay day loan/check cashing outfits,used car dealers and slum lords at this point.

The storage unit owners associations track and lobby for legislation in their favor like lien laws that favor the property owners.

Think twice about using storage especially after the first year because that's more than temporary at that point.

Guest

To former lien specialist,

I truely hope that your lien experience is not only from your experience with U Store It like it sounds. I can tell you that the Arizona State requirements are far more stringent on timelines for cutting locks.

As for entering a unit, you may only do so if prohibited items such as alcohol or firearms, etc. are in view.

Although it may legally be considered company property when in default, as a manager you had better watch yourself if you enter a unit. You could easily find yourself in court or even jail with your so called corperate office looking the other way.

Guest

Well, I am a former employee of U-Store-It, and I can assure you that you are wrong. Please refer to the Business and Professions Code for the state where you store your property.

It states that the owner or agent of a self storage facility may enter the space upon non-payment of any part of rent or fees, after a specified period of time, and prepare the space for public sale which includes but is not limited to "removing property to a place of safe keeping". The law also requires a description of the property stored to be listed in a public notice advertisement, which can only be adhered to if a general inventory is to be taken.

"Staging" the unit for sale serves the purpose of the customer in default just the same, and it helps to ensure that "fair market value" is reached in the bidding process, which either lessens the remaining debt once sold, OR ensures that excess proceeds to the lien amount are returned to the customer, once bids are completed. Don't be late, and you won't have to worry about it, will you?

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Stephanie p Pxb
map-marker Woodbury, New Jersey

After I complained of insects and RODENTS they retaliated by raising my rent!

After I complained of insects and rodents they retaliated by raising my rent! Turnersville, NJ facility. They just raised my rent! I used Public Storage for years and it was clean and never had a problem with them. I went into my U Store It unit and found layers of rodent droppings and insects in my clothes and expensive dresses! I notified the management and the next day I got an angry phone call for me to call them and they raised my rent again! I asked them why and they had no explanation other than "you had a rent increase" even though they just increased it! Jerks! My stuff is ruined and I don't have the money now for a truck to move it all back to public storage! They ruined my stuff! And raised my rent to retaliate! Horrible company!!!!!
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2 comments
Guest

Rodent/pest problems might be a local code violation. I would call local code enforcement to see if they could send some one out.

If nothing else it might get the problem fixed if not your money back. This is typical of many storage unit companies-do as little as possible, they actually think they can run an expense free business.

This is also why they frequently raise rents to raise their profits because raising rents is about the only way to increase profits, not just make A profit.

Guest

Perhaps you would have the money for the truck if you hadn't bought "expensive dresses" that you couldn't afford.

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Ikisha J
map-marker Conway, Arkansas

I have to call the exterminator

U store it on lakeland blvd has roaches! I stored my things for 2 months, just moved into my new Home and I was freaked out when I saw a roach, how nasty, They should freaking exterminate on a regular basis, I have never had roaches, and now I have to dish out money for a exterminator. Yuck, yuck, yuck!!! I know that it is more than likely that another customer more Than likely brought the little nasty things, which is why they should Exterminate on a regular basis. Gross! I am pissed and will never use them Again ever.
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3 comments
Guest

And furthermore, you should have read your rental agreement...You know, that thing you SIGNED that clearly states that OCCUPANT is solely responsible for pest control within the confines of their rented space. It was YOUR responsibility from the start.

How could U-Store-It (or any other company and their employees) KNOW that there were roaches in your unit if they did not have access to it? Honestly, common sense.

RememberTheTimes F

Not all facilities are that nasty and thank you for the warning Shedevil216. i am shopping for a new storage unit as I also do not recommend Kangaroo self Storage for their unethical practices and insufficient security.

Guest

well, when you use a storage facility where several hundred other people store their items, it is unreasonable for you to think that any company could know of, nor treat such an instance. People move in and out all day long, everyday, people of all walks of life, and yes, some of them are dirty and poor.

Stop ***. You should have been smarter and bombed it before you moved it out.

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Greg H Qtb
map-marker Moorpark, California

U-Store-It a den for thieves

On June 11th 2008, I spoke with Donna Washienko the manager of U-Store-It on 7370 West Cheyenne Ave Las Vegas. I was in need of storing my new R.V. in Las Vegas while I was waiting on some repair parts to be shipped from the manufacturer. When I met with Donna I asked about the security system that is in place at the storage facility. I also asked how many R.V.’s had been broken into this year. I was showed the security system and was told “we have only had one RV broken into this year. Because of our Superior security system, we were able to recover this travel trailer within 1 week.” Donna then proceeded to take me out to the storage lot and showed me the space I was assigned by your customer service people (from the 800 line). She then suggested that I move to a new spot because “it will be easier for you to get in and out and will give you more space on either side”. What I did not know until later is that this row of storage did have 2 cameras monitoring it, front and back, however both cameras were pointed down making them ineffective. I left my unit at the U-Store-It that day. On June 26th, 2008 I returned to U-Store-It to retrieve my R.V. for the repair shop, only to find that one window was broken and all electronics were stripped out. Further more I noticed that these thieves did not just take the 45 inch (150 lbs.) flat screen T.V. but they also took the bracket holding the T.V. on the wall. These people had more than enough time to remove 12 hex-nut screws and remove a 60 lbs bracket. But then I noticed they did the same thing to the 27 inch T.V. and Bracket in the bedroom. All in all the thieves took a 27 inch T.V. and wall bracket, 45 inch T.V. and wall bracket, Xbox with wireless remote system. I immediately contacted the Las Vegas P.D. only to find out that it is standard routine that they will not come out and look at the unit. Maybe that is why it was ok for the thieves to leave their finger prints all over the RV; they knew they would not be caught because Las Vegas PD would not come out and dust to stop these criminals! The fingerprints were so distinct, that I was able to take a picture of them using my cell-phone camera. Once I filed the Police Report at the station I was able to get a hold of management. I now talked with Al Washienko the General Manager of the U-Store-It facility on Cheyenne Ave. Al swore that the RV was fine the night before when he did his drive by check on all the units. I figured this was good; we would be able to find the thieves in less than 12 hours of video. However when we got back to the office after examining the unit, I found out that neither Al or Donna knew how to work the security system. What little that they were able to figure out showed the row that my RV was on at 11:00 P.M. however the camera is pointed down and is installed directly under a light so the only video that was captured was that of the 1st RV unit in that row, you could not see anything past that first RV unit. After fumbling around with the security system, Al came up with a brilliant idea, he decided to pull out the detectives card that is currently investigating a storage unit robbery (Grand Larceny is what Al called it) in which the entire storage unit was cleaned out. Al then proceeded to leave a message for this detective and then let him (the detective) and myself know that this now makes the 6th RV break-in this year! Al then told me that he would review the video and contact me on my cell-phone. I contacted AL later that afternoon and asked AL if the security system for the gate showed anyone coming in and then leaving an hour or so later. Unfortunately he did not know how to operate this system either and would try to figure it out and get back with me. He did give me one piece of information that I thought was useful during our conversation he stated “you know during our other break-ins there was always a man wearing dark clothes that we were able to see on video camera. Now between you and I the only type of people that would want to break-in on a cold rainy night is well you know the homeless Mexicans that live on the street out front”. On July 2nd 2008 I decided to try and contact your company’s corporate office since I did not hear from Al again. I left a message for Kimberly your operator to call me back. On July 7th 2008 I tried to call again since Kimberly never called me back and left another message. On July 8th 2008 Kimberly finally called me back and referred me to Laura Winter. I talked with Laura and she referred me to Jeoff who asked me to send a copy of the police report and description of what was stolen. After sending this to Jeoff I got a letter from your legal staff stating that you had no intention of doing anything about this situation and that it is unfortunate that it happened. As of July 21st 2008, the grand total for repairs and displacement because of the situation incurred at your facility is $5,822.46. On July 25th I was contacted by Jeff Crossman asking that I give him till Monday July 28, 2008 to investigate what is going on and possibly come to an agreement to a resolution. On Monday July 28th Jeff called with John George VP of operations for this division. They did some investigating and found that “when Donna told you one unit had been broken into; she was not trying to deceive you that was the case. Subsequently since signing the contract on June 11th 2008, 6 units including yours had been broken into”. Also on July 25th 2008 Jeff stated that I could have bought insurance that would have protected me in cases like this and wanted to know if I had been offered this insurance. I told him that Donna stated “you have insurance so you don’t need ours”. Jeff was blown away with this comment and wanted to know if I had paraphrased this. I told him that was her exact words. However on July 28th 2008 Jeff now states that they do not offer insurance for RV’s, only for storage units. Jeff and John offered to pay me $1000 for my troubles and problems that I have encountered. I told both Jeff and John that this is not about getting $1000 for my troubles; this is about fixing a wrong that was done at their facility.
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21 comments
Guest

:( Would never recommend this company to store your things. First they never mention till you get to the facility that they have a MANDATORY $10 insurance that is non negotiable.

You either pay it or you dont store your stuff there. Second in less than a year my rent has increased by $20. LESS THAN A YEAR! Thirdly, this last increase of $8.30 was never even mentioned to me.

I never got an email, a letter, NOTHING!! I will NEVER refer anyone to this company and will post on as many public forums for people to steer clear of this Thieving company

Guest

Be aware that U-Store-It is now called Cube Smart. I had worked for them in the past as well and do not recommend them for storage.

Also, be aware that sometimes they post promotions on their website that are not actually running. The staff is told to lie about it.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-530700

This company does expect their employes to lie. ***, they lie themselves.

Don't recommend anyone working with this corporation. If you don't suck (well you know), then you are pretty much cone. It's pretty comical to listen to the upper management. They sound like broken recores.

They are like molded, and if you break that mold.... well you might as well say bye, bye. Don't expect other empooyees to back you up, cuz they all act like that afraid of the management there and kiss butt. Upper management doesn't like a chanllenge.

I am curious as to how many lawsuits this company has had since the start of business. I bet quite a few.

The properties are old and nothing is kept up, unless absolutely nesessary. Just a greedy corporation that one day will know what it is like to be treated unprofessional.

Guest

U-Store it - now CubeSmart also treats their employees very badly. One of my friends was just fired from his job when he had to use vacation days to have bilateral knee joint replacement surgery.

He was promised by his district manager "you are a 5 year employee with the company, we are not going to kick you to the curb", only to call him last week and fire him. He has a stellar work record. While he was using his vacation time, his insurance was cancelled by CubeSmart leaving him to have to purchase COBRA insurance to cover the rest of his medical bills which are thousands of dollars. I never heard of a company cancelling your health insurance while you were taking vacation days.

Now they will not pay him for his sick days and his PTO time which is about 43 hours of pay.

I would not use them to store anything and I will advise anyone I know to never use them as well. This company is not "doing the right thing".

Guest

I have a unit in Cape Coral, Fla. i got the unit july 16th 2100, my daughter n i went Sept 25 to put more items in, we we robbed of all household items!

but no damage to unit or lock!!! it was locked! Office manager told us they do not know how it could have happened.. n they keep security tapes for 3 mths.

but then i was told by district manager it was 6 mths, then managet said 2 mths!!! i mean what is it 2, 3, or 6 mths???? they r looking at tapes but officer that went out when it happened said manager set up for him but he couldn't go back to date i told him... manager said she looked at that day now its gone!!!

well something is real fishy with the iwhole thing!!!! but not getting enough cooperation ftom them or detective!!!

Guest

You're kind of an ***.

RememberTheTimes F

In great appreciation for this information, i find most people will not go out of their way to create bad publicity for any business or company unless something terribly offensive has occurred. Just as the often do not go out of their way to give kudos, unless some extraordinary service has been rendered.

I am currently searching for a new self storage. I also highly Do not recommend Kangaroo Self Storage on Smoke Ranch for unscrupulous business practices, insufficient security, people off the street can jump over the wall in flip flops, and walk the property after office hours when there are no security measures to prevent theft, and they are okay with it and more concerned about staging for their monthly auctions, primarily renting to people they hope to make more money off of their property than their rent.

Guest

I HAVE A STORAGE WIT HTEM, WHICH OFF COURSE WILL TERMINATED IMMEDIATELY. THEY ARE THE WORST..IF YOU ARE READING THIS "DONT RENT FROM THEM"..THEY WILL CHARGE YOU FOR SERVICES FEE???

WHATS THAT?

THEY WILL CREATE A NEW CHARGE JUST FOR TRYING TO PAY IF THEY HAVE TO. THEIR CONTRACT SAY THEY WILL SEND A NOTIFICATION BEFORE THEY RAISE THE RENT BUT YOU NEVER RECEIVE ANYTHING AND OFF COURSE YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR LAY FEES AND OTHER *** FEES...PEOPLE DO NOT RENT FROM THEM..

Guest

I used to work at ustoreit in their sales center and trust me they won't do anything for you. The complaints you file at their corporate office don't go anywhere but in a huge circle, and half the time the supervisors are told not to believe anything the customer says in the first place. Sorry to say the company is all about getting as much money from you as possible and not caring about you at all once you are a current customer.

Guest

USTOREIT IS THE WORST PLACE IN THE WORLD TO WORK. THEY LIE CHEAT AND STEAL AND THEN THE BLAME IS PUT ON THE EMPLOYEE'S. THEY SPY ON YOU ALL DAY LONG, AND THEY MAKE PROMISES THEY DON'T INTEND ON KEEPING.

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billyork
map-marker Parkersburg, West Virginia

U store it.....legalized robbery

If anyone is looking for storage, you might want to steer clear of these facilities. In today's economic structure we all know every dollar counts and from time to time we have to stretch those dollars. Well needless to say if you are in this situation like almost like every other American......if you are late more than five days at these places.....you should not plan on seeing your stuff until you pay your bill, plus a hefty 20 percent late fee. Yes I said 20 percent....higher than most high rate credit cards. Thought everyone should know about U store it business practices......they don't care about you or your stuff.........
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Loss:
$1000
4 comments
Guest

Storage unit companies know who their demographic is and lobby for things like lien laws in their favor. The contracts are rigged in the company's favor to help ensure profit and not just cover expenses.

They also know rent increases will only go so far so to make their desired profit and not just a profit they nickel and dime the customer to death. It's pretty bad when a storage unit agreement is more complex than some apartment rentals I had and they had no problem evicting problem tenants.

That being said always find out about the grace period, if they pay attention to things like a post mark and make sure you can pay at the unit office. Many companies make you mail a check to a central billing office so no matter what you tell or deal you make with the property manager the corporate policy will usually win out or take effect especially in a day and age of computers.

Also find out about the double lock and auction policy even though you have no intention of sticking them for a bill. In this day and age of shows like Storage Wars I guarantee there are naive property managers that can't wait to get stuff up for auction.

And as stated read the fine print in ANY document you sign period-it's a contract.

Some stuff they shouldn't even be allowed to put in a contract but it will be enforced until someone fights and wins a legal battle. Many slumlords wind up paying off a lot of litigants early on to avoid a documented record of *** which actually can make things tougher without a history of violations.

Guest

unfortunately they have a love/hate customer relationship with people who don't pay their bills. they love getting those late fees and if you have a problem paying them, then you should not store there.

remember, they do not see you as a 'person' you are nothing more than a monthly premium plus a nice hefty late fee occasionally. 'the bottom line' is the only issue of importance to ustoreit.

they basically suk *** so don't store there if you care about your stuff and you care about who you give your money to.

Guest

At the time of leasing/renting a space each customer receive a lease agreement and state rider which explains detailed rules. READ, ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND AND THEN SIGN...REMEMBER WHEN YOU SIGNED YOU AGREED TO ALL TERMS.

Guest

Sounds like they did some "legalized robbery" to combat your "illegal robbery". If you do not pay for the space you rented you are stealing from them.

The 20% late charge is probably in a contract you signed when you rented the space. It should not be a suprise.

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gregdpatton
map-marker Palm City, Florida

Rat in my storage unit.

$12,000 worth of household items destroyed at U STORE IT in Southwest Ranches, Florida. Could of been avoided if they told us they had a problem. They knew they did and did not notify us. 1 month of free rent is not worth it! Company says they are not responsible for any damage that happens at the facility. Rats are not paying rent here, but you do and more when you have to replace your damaged items. They will not pay to replace items damaged. "Should of bought the insurance", even though the insurance does not cover rodent damage. No insurance will cover rodent damage. BEWARE!
View full review
Loss:
$12000
1 comment
Guest

Come on dude, you have to be smarter than the rat. Your rental contract CLEARLY states that you are not allowed to store property above the value of $5,000, for one.

And for two, it ALSO clearly states that OCCUPANT is solely responsible for insect/rodent control within the confines of their rented space. SERIOUSLY, do you want strangers dumping poison on your personal belongings at their leisure? Besides, you have the key. YOU.

How can anybody else know if there is a "rat" in your unit, unless they enter it??

And then, you would be saying they burglarized you. Again, be smarter than the rat.

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