Extra Space Storage Extra Space Ripped Me Off, Locked Me Out, Then STOLE Everything I Had!!!! Please HELP!!!! Dallas TX
I need advisment on what to do about my nightmarish situation with Extra Space Storage. PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP!!!
I had lost my job and decided to move in with a family member in February of 2013. I packed up everything I did own and had it moved to a unit at Extra Space Storage, in Dallas, TX. They were wonderful when I moved my belongings in, but were never cooperative about anything after.
I found Extra Space Storage online. I called their toll free number, a CSR told me about a $10 special and advised me to rent a particular sized unit. I agreed and proceeded with the transaction. The day before I was to move in to the unit, I visited the facility to see where the unit was located inside of the building. I discovered the space that was reccommended was too small and decided to rent a larger unit. I was charged an additional $20, but was told the next month would be free. The on-site manager helped me with everything that was necessary. Then, I had my belongings delivered the following day.
After moving in with a family member, in another state, I returned to Dallas to take care of some personal business. While there, I went by my unit to collect a few things and make sure that everything was secure, only to discover that I had been denied access. My visit was with-in the two month period that the rent was paid. I went to the on-site office and spoke with the same manager that had previously assisted me. He said that I had been "locked-out" because I was late on my rent and owed $200+ in rent and fees. He had no recollection of the terms he had quoted me, initially. I pleaded with him because I had driven 600 miles to allow me access and I offered to pay $140, all that I could at the time, even though I technically owed nothing. He would not acccept a partial payment.
I called Extra Space customer service and requested to speak to a manager. I was told one would contact me within 48 hours. This started in the first part of April and no one contacted me until the last part of May. I called numerous times during this period and the amount I owed kept sky-rocketing. On one of my later calls, a CSR told me that a lein had been placed on the contents of my unit and that a date was set for it to be auctioned. I kept begging to talk to a manager and was told that texts had been sent for one to call. I informed the CSR that I had been told that on eleven different occaisions and had never received a call from anyone. She researched this and promised that I would hear from a manager within 24 hours.
An important note: Each time I called I was asked to confirm my address. I would state my current address and was told that was not the one on file. I would provide my old address, then clearly inform them of my new address. My address was never updated.
Finaly, at the end of May, a manager did call me. She informed me that I, now, owed $485, and it had to be paid by June 7, in order for my belongings not to be auctioned off. I begged her to assist me in making a payment plan, as I was still without a job and trying to survive off of very meager unemployment benefits. The only option I was given was that a portion of my late fees would be waived. if I vacated the unit within 72 hours. That was impossible as I was 600 miles away. somehow I scrapped together the $485 and mad the payment one day prior to loosing everything.
After making the $485 payment on June 6, I fell behind, again. I made the following payment on July 31, for $384.91. I had, then, returned to Dallas and made that payment in person. The manager who I spoke with in June had updated my address, which now was no longer current and I provided a new address to the on-site manager who never bothered to update it.
I had taken a new job in August and had very little money to live on until the end of September as I transitioned from unemployment to salary. I made the next payment on October 11 for $380. I explicitly told the on-site manager that I wanted to bring my account current. That was a Friday. I, also, told the manager that I would need to have access that evening as I had to return to work. He told me that I had access then, when he processed my payment and that my code for the door was working. I came back later that evening, only to find my code did not work. I returned the following evening and my code still did not work. Monday, I went back while the office was open. He apologized and said their "system was down." I, finally, got in to get some of my clothing. Tuesday, I returned and placed other clothing in the unit, as I was staying with a freind and had limited space. Thursday, the weather had turned cold and I went to my unit to retrieve a coat, only to find that I had no access.
I called the after hours toll-free number on the door. The CSR told me that I was denied access because I was late and that I owed another $200+. I asked how that could be as I had brought my account current only six days, earlier, paying $380. She said that my account was current the day that I made the payment on October 11. But, a payment for $125 was due the following day, October 12. I was, and still am, livid! I had, expressly, told the on-site manager that I wanted to bring my account current and he made no mention of a payment being due in 9 hours, or the subsequent late fees. I demanded to speak to another regional manager. Again, I was promised that one would be in touch withiin 72 hours. And again, I heard from no one.
I had faith that my account was regarded as "in-dispute" with Extra Space, as I continually called their customer service line. Each time I made it very clear that I was not going to be making a payment until I spoke with a regional manager and I called, at minimum, of twice a week. Still, no contact was made by Extra Space to me. this coninued through the holidays.
Finally, I rented an apartment the first of January and conceded that I would pay all of their exorbtant late fees and charges and all the back rent. I called the on-site manager to get the balance. He said that my unit and all of its contents were auctioned off the previous day, adding we tried to call you. BULL!!!!!
Angry, I called the customer service number. Again, having to confirm my old address, as no one had bothered to update it the 50 other times I had previously called. I did speak with a very rude supervisor who said "We mailed you noticed that you were up for auction. And, reviewing your account you were, always, behind anyway." I told him that NO ONE EVER bothered to update my account, thus no notice was ever recieved. He said it was my obligation to provide them with a current address. I ask how I could have been any clearer about it, each time I called. No response. I demanded , once more, to speak with a regional manager. The next day she called and said , "You were behind and we sold your stuff."
How is this legal? I provided them with my correct address with each call I made. No one took note of this. Each time I called no onne shared that I was on the auction block. NO ONE AT EXTRA SPACE STORAGE DID ANYTHING BUT ROB ME OF EVERYTHING I OWNED, TOTALING OVER $40,000!!!
HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Robert
Irvine,California,
Too Late
#5Consumer Comment
Wed, April 30, 2014
Too bad you didn't ask for "advisement" before you got your stuff LEGALLY sold off. Because the advise would have been to borrow what at one point was about $60 from one of your relatives to get back into your unit, take out a couple of your items from your $40,000(yea right) in stuff you were storing to sell it off to be able to pay for the unit for several months.
I am not going to go through step by step your constant payment(or should I say lack of payment) history. Just to say that it shows a trend. You gambled by letting yourself get delinquent, and only when it got to the very last moment would you by a miracle come up with the money that you owe..time after time. Unfortunatly, just like when you Gamble in Vegas..in the end the House always wins. Where they got tired of your BS and while they may have let you slide in the past, they decided to take what are very legal steps in auctioning off your unit to pay off your back rent. Now, of course you are going to come up with 100 reasons why they should be "considerate" of your situation and should be "nicer" to you. But the fact is that they are a business..NOT a charity.
So we now get to this latest "dispute" you have. It appears that it was just another delay tactict and in this case you gambled a bit too long and lost. Oh and why do I say it was a delay tactict. Because you keep trying to dispute it from October, November, and December. Then amazing in January which is right at about the time you seem to know that they can auction off your items you again "conceeded" that you would pay the back due amount. Isn't it amazing how time after time you seem to be the one to "concceed", yet if this place was so horibble you never moved your stuff. Oh another reason, you may have "disputed" the amount on October 12th, but there was no dispute for the monthly rent you know you owe in November, December, and January...all of which you have given zero indication that you paid.
If you truly had a dispute, how come you didn't put it once in writing? How come you didn't send them a single Certified letter that would be proof of what you are saying. If you truly only disputed the October 12th amount, sending them a Check for the regular rent in November, December, and January would have gone a long way to that claim. But no instead according to you, you called twice a week every week for 3 months. Which is even more of a problem for you because you can not legitimatly claim that in a single one of those calls you did not know or ask what your regular rent is.
Look in the end if you want to go after them for in your mind illegally selling off your items, then go for it. I do hope you post the court information when you do so everyone can follow it. But realize a few things, first you will present your side. They will present theirs..including your laughable payment history. Also, if you go in with saying you had $40,000 worth of items you better have proof. Because the second a judge sees that they are going to be very skeptical.
Oh and NO I do not now or have I ever worked for this company or any Storage Facility.
Brades
Dallas,Texas,
No! GET YOUR GLASSES!!!!
#5Author of original report
Wed, April 30, 2014
The last payment was not made August 1, a**hole. It was October 11 and I did not withold payments, I ask for a statement. I ask for a manager to review this with me, to disclose why this was so. I want to know why on October 11, I paid $385, then was told that I owed $200+ on October 12. I want to be provided with a statement explaining why and what is being charged for what, how much are the fees, and how much is rent.
I would like someone of authority to explain how all of this is calculated and why a statement of any type was never provided, at all. Any other business is not allowed to demand blind payments without stating what the charges are for. Why should they or you, as I suspect that you are one of Extra Space's extortionists. And, why they did not seize everything when payment was not made from February til June, 5 months, but the three months from October to January, 3 months, was sufficent enough to take what they wanted.
Brades
Dallas,Texas,
Thank you for clarifing this for me, Mr. Esquire.
#5Author of original report
Wed, April 30, 2014
By no means am I a deadbeat, nor am I arrogant enough to make blind statements like that regarding others. Maybe you don't understand laws that govern defamation, either. I have researched the Texas Laws governing the process that storage facilities must follow in order to place leins and gain the right to sell. Ultimately, there are two ways. One, to notify the tenant of the intent to sell in person or by certified mail. They couldn't, wouldn't, and didn't.
Extra Space failed, time and time again, to update the correct and current address when it was provided. Two, Extra Space would have had to publish the notice in a known newspaper that is published in the same county. The only notices that they publish are done so in Collin County, not Dallas county, where the facility is located. And, I have read every one of those notices. My name appears on none. As far as your stating that the on-site manager could not be aware of future payments because he was not the bookkeeper, baloney!
He is looking at the same screen as the CSRs that sit in a cubicle with an ear-piece hanging off the side of their heads. I am sure that they can see any notes that the on-site manager would make regarding the account and vice versa. And as the title alone would indicate, he is the MANAGER. And, the foremost priority of any manager is REVENUE.
Without tenants or accounts there would be no facility to manage. By concealing the fact that rent was due, or soon to be due, he added to their profits and profitibilty, perhaps his own bonus. If you have time to reread my statement. The account was, again, past due nine hours after making an honest attempt to have it paid in full. When I made the payment that month was due. That is why they charged me another $100. And, Mr. Johnny Cochrane can you explain TRANSFERENCE to us lay people? You kmow, we deadbeats have a terrible time locating the Google search bar!
Thank you!
Tyg
Pahrump,Nevada,
Sorry...
#5General Comment
Tue, April 29, 2014
Sorry there is NO HELP for you, they are well within their LEGAL RIGHTS to sell YOUR stuff if you havent made any payments. This shouldnt be a shock to you, YOU chose to NOT make a payment until YOU spoke with a regional manager. Guess what...You didnt make any payments, they want the money that is theirs by LAW and by the terms and conditions of the storage contract you signed. YOU had shown a pattern of late payments. YOUR personal issues have ZERO bearing on their job. Which is to safely store YOUR belongings as long as YOU make your payments. When you DO NOT make your payments, then your items are theirs. Plain and simple.
From your own report you state..... I made the following payment on July 31, for $384.91. Then you go on to state.....Finally, I rented an apartment the first of January and conceded that I would pay all of their exorbtant late fees and charges and all the back rent.
So from August 1 to January 1 you made NO PAYMENTS.
So they held onto YOUR stuff for 5 months with ZERO payments. All because YOU wanted to speak with a regional manager. You do realize that when you made your payment the verbage YOU used is what has caused this. You paid your account so it was CURRENT. Meaning that a FUTURE bill would more then likely be in your future. The person YOU were paying IS NOT that same person who does the billing. How exactly would they know that YOU had a bill due in 9 hours? They wouldnt. SO you did this to yourself BECAUSE YOU DID NOT PAY!!!!
They wont hold your crap forever. YOU were a deadbeat and they sold your belongings to make back WHAT YOU OWED!!! Nothing more. Maybe in the future drive a bit further and store your crap with a relative. Most times they will just shove it someplace out of sight. The worst YOU will have to deal with is dust.