Here is the letter I wrote to Minerva Mini Storage almost 2 months ago, and surprise, surprise, no answer. It is long because I faced a barrage of false accusations:
David Steinbrenner
[email protected]
780-240-4931
May 21, 2012
To Otto & Monica (father & daughter team)
Minerva Mini Storage, 10024-79 Ave., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6E 1R5
http://www.minervaministorage.ca/
I was going to let your refusal to renew my storage locker lease last September go unanswered; however, you are supposed to argue when someone makes so many mistakes. In July, Monica said We are not going to renew your lease, what I refer to as July verbal eviction notice day. Beginning of September, Monica taped a letter on my storage locker saying We have received complaints, some of which we witnessed ourselves; therefore, your lease will not be renewed. I was accused of such a barrage of unfair allegations, that they are confusing for people without a summary list followed by a proper explanation of the conflict of orders, double standards, lying, and even entrapment by Debbie who ratted on me both for being late and using the empty storage locker next to mine on July verbal eviction notice day.
List of all allegations leveled at me by Monica, Otto & informant Debbie
1) On July eviction notice day, Monica said I stacked boxes in empty locker next to mine against her will: Im innocent because Otto had complained of me stacking boxes in hallway, clearly a conflict of orders. I was trying to stay out of trouble, but itching to snitch, Debbie ratted me to Monica in the office. Clearly, anyone who has been in a storage locker knows the tenants have to stack boxes on the floor to get to the back of their storage locker especially as most lockers get more full over time.
2) On July eviction notice day, Monica said Not leaving on time: Im innocent because I almost always left on time or very close to it because I knew the security guard would come to set alarm anytime after closing. Again this was from Debbie itching to snitch, ratting on me in a case of entrapment, when Debbie was late herself.
3) On July eviction notice day, Monica said, The security reports, this is costing us money: Im innocent because Monica shouldnt blame me for general security costs. Frankly, the storage locker was more secure with me there. I had even helped the large white Palisade security guard with the dog catch a shoplifter at Macs on 82 Ave. & 102 St, in 2011. It was his decision to let the kid go on a warning even though his crotch was full of goodies. I had offered to pay for the 1 false alarm I set off when I was locked in 3 years previous, which was caused by security not saying Is anyone there? At the time, Otto said dont worry about it, and it was not specifically cited in my eviction.
4) On July verbal eviction notice day, Monica said Another woman said shes afraid of you!: Im innocent because I was polite to everyone, and I dont beat my wife either, hahaha. I still dont even have a clue whom Monica was talking about.
5) On eviction day, Monica said, You left a mess when I had cancer. Of course we are all very sorry Monica had cancer; but how was I supposed to know she ever had cancer. Monica, Otto, and I rarely talked about anything other than business. Regardless, I never left a mess other than normal wear & tear. Usually if it was raining, I even left my wet bicycle outside. I got back 100% of all damage deposits in my life and have never gotten a littering ticket from the police, and when I pick bottles, people have seen me chasing napkins across parking lots in the same area. Therefore, the evidence is I dont leave a mess other than normal wear and tear.
6) On eviction day, Otto said The woman in the locker below yours moved because of your boxes lined up along the floor: I still believe Otto was lying about this because:
i) Id never once met this woman, and
ii) I would have gladly gotten out of her way, even out of the building for her privacy and ease of movement and
iii) I hadnt been in Minerva Storage many days, so it was not likely we would have ever come at the same time. Usually, the whole storage locker was empty when I was there.
I had always left enough room for the dolly to go past my boxes anyways.
7) On eviction day, Otto said You broke the sink: Im innocent because that was normal wear and tear. The sink was not properly installed to take any weight in case someone trips against it. I reported the broken sink to avoid water damage if the taps were to leak, so why should I get in trouble for doing the right thing.
8) On eviction day, Otto said You were washing yourself in the washroom: False, Otto lied, or someone else lied to him. I never did this; the sink has no warm water; and there is no rules regarding the washroom anyways.
9) On eviction day, Monica said, You were yelling at neighbors: False, Monica lied about this on eviction day, or someone else lied to her. Nobody called police about me disturbing the peace; thats for sure.
10) On eviction day, Otto said, The neighbors complain: Im innocent. Otto didnt say what they complained about, nor who they are aside from yelling at neighbors according to Monica in previous point.
July Verbal Eviction Notice Day
A big reason I was evicted was complaints, and the chief complainer was Debbie, a middle-aged white woman (brown permed hair & glasses) I met at McDonalds. She didnt like me and had a storage locker down the hall from mine on 2nd floor of the blue door section. I knew she didnt like me because in August 2010, she said in a very sarcastic voice Were you here the whole day? This even though my locker was disorganized because I was not there enough. On another occasion, she came over to my locker for no other reason than to snoop inside my locker. Both times, I let it go, hoping, she would decide to leave me alone. I also wrongly presumed Monica & Otto would defend me if Debbie made frivolous and vexatious complaints. I did finally complain about the snooping in my handwritten September letter to Otto & Monica.
On July verbal eviction notice day, 2011, it was Debbie who snooped in the empty locker next to mine and, upon seeing my 6 boxes inside and itching to snitch, went straight to the office to rat me to. Monica came straight out, opened the empty locker next to mine, and finding nothing, accused me of stacking boxes in the empty locker. It was empty when she got there, which is why Im absolutely knew Debbie ratted on me. I said I have to put the boxes on the floor. Monica I told you not to do this. We are not renewing your lease. Monica shut me up by saying Im not going to argue, preventing me from explaining that theres a conflict of orders because Otto had given me a both a hard time about boxes in the hallway.
I told Monica I know Debbie is complaining about me. She is not going to stop, and I cant make her stop. Monica admitted its Debbie by saying its not just her, another woman said she is afraid of you!. I said I dont know what you are talking about; Im polite to everyone. I admit I dont look like a choirboy because Im a muscular 229 pounds, but since when is it okay to just ostracize anyone based on profiling. I would remind Monica that women liked Ted Bundy, the Boston Strangler, and Paul Bernardo, etc, so profiling is a tool for police but not something she should be acting on.
Monica then said not leaving on time. Because I had been always leaving on time or very close to it, again I absolutely knew Debbie itching to snitch had ratted on me. I said, I put a lot of effort into leaving on time. I didnt discuss how Debbie had accused me of not leaving on time on July verbal eviction notice day, but I did explain it in my handwritten September letter to Otto & Monica, which neither one refuted.
What happened was a case of both entrapment and hypocrisy: Debbie, itching to snitch, had also ratted on me by reporting me for not leaving on time the previous weekend. Because of the time lock, my bike was locked inside by seconds, but Debbie came out late herself obviously, and said in a caring voice You have to get your bike and she let me in, so I got my bike out. This is clearly hypocritical entrapment by Debbie because she invited me into a locked building that I would otherwise not enter. What normal well meaning person wouldnt get their bike in this situation? Was I really expected to say No Debbie, I have to refuse your seemingly caring invitation to get my bike because if I do, you will report me for being late even though you are late yourself right now? Its unimaginable; you got to laugh sometimes. This is why we have laws against entrapment for the police, which is enticing someone to do something they wouldnt normally do on their own. I explained what happened to Monica and Otto in my September handwritten letter, which they didnt refute.
Monica then said The security reports, this is costing us money. Again, I had no clue what she was talking about
End of September
At the end of September 2011, I took down my eviction letter taped to my door all month. I had not previously seen this letter because I was gone for all of September, and I had hoped Monica would have backed off upon realizing that Debbie was being vexatious and petty.
Because Monica had shut me up by saying Im not going to argue on July verbal eviction notice day, I gave Otto & Monica a hand written letter the end of September signed Guilty of not being liked. I explained how its unfair to evict me over a conflict of orders: Otto had given me a hard time over boxes on the floor, and after that, Monica told me my lease wouldnt be renewed because I stacked boxes in the empty storage locker beside mine against her will. I again explained that I had been polite with everyone and the situation with Debbie itching to snitch on me. I told Monica that I leave on time by closing or so close to closing time that I rarely met the security guard locking up, so I really dont know why she had blamed security costs on me. Monica clearly understood the conflict of orders over the boxes, but just said Well, then you need more space, and were not going to give it to you!
Monica then said You yell at the neighbors in the alley to which I said Thats not true; I dont know what you are talking about. They kept the neighbor(s) in question anonymous.
Otto came and told me to leave Monica alone. I said Im not doing anything to you. Youre doing it to me.
Otto then accused me of breaking the sink a couple years back. I told him the sink was not installed properly because I did not put a lot of weight on the sink normal wear and tear. I had fresh stitches to my big toe, so I had washed my toe and changed my bandage, but I never put all my weight on the sink. Muslims wash their feet 5 times/day before their prayers, so this kind of thing is part of Canadian life now, so lets not be culturally insensitive and try to ban it. At the time, I didnt even have to tell Monica about the sink, but I told her because I wanted to avoid potential water damage if the taps were to leak. So, I get kicked in the nuts for doing the right thing? . Otto also waited over 2 years to blame me on eviction day. Thats even beyond the 2-year limit to sue people in Alberta, so he should have dropped it.
Otto accused me of washing myself in the washroom. I said No, I didnt to which he said Well, you come out of there (sic). Amazing, he accused me of something for which he had no evidence. I used the washroom for various things because it was available in a usually vacant building such as washing dusty items from my locker. The sink had no hot water, so I dont think many people would be tough enough to totally wash themselves with such cold water. Makes no sense Otto, and besides, Otto has now rules about the washroom anyways. Why isnt Otto happy Im a clean guy and like to drink lots of water?
Otto then said The neighbors complain, but again I didnt know what he was talking about. Frivolous & vexations complaints are supposed to be dismissed anyways. I warned Otto that my stolen stuff was in the 2 brothers yard beside Edmonton Bicycle Commuters, so maybe the 2 brothers who live there said something. Otto said No, Its not them, but again kept them anonymous. I was polite to everyone, and the Vietnamese mechanic next door responded to this by saying, You are a nice man; why would I complain.
Otto also said the woman with the locker below mine complained and even moved because of the boxes on the floor, already explained well in my summary list since this is the issue that set of my eviction notice.
I also complained to Otto how, at 10:30 A.M., August 3, 2011, he was walking right behind his cleaner Rick while Rick swore at me. Otto obviously heard it all and said nothing. Rick talking to Otto said This bike belongs to that a*****e upstairs, and then when he saw me said Get that bike the f**k out of here so I said Why are you swearing at me, to which Rick said You get the f**k out of here. I was leaving abruptly anyways just to politely get out of the cleaners way. In September, even though Otto would have obviously not let me swear at the customers, Otto didnt care at all if I was swore at because he shut me up by saying Im tired; I worked all day yesterday. Caring people dont talk like that, clearly a double standard. Clearly I had been bad-mouthed in the office by Otto and/or Monica for this to happen because I had never met Rick the cleaner before. Ironically, Otto and Monica never swore once ever, just like me.
Otto never cited me setting off the alarm 3 years before my eviction, possibly because his security never said Is anyone there before setting the alarm, and when I had offered to pay for it, he turned me down. This is why I have not made a claim for my ripped Thermorest air mattress that got an inch long rip last September from the sharp screws that were sticking inside my storage locker. I have since tried patching it twice unsuccessfully.
Maybe because I had defended myself well, Otto just said Its my business; I can have who I want here; however, initially, he tried to make it look like he had just cause, which he never proved in the end. Their response to me every time Ive defended myself well was to hit me with more groundless allegations, so I had to give up. Its unlikely they will finally admit that I was wrongly evicted to please their East German style informant Debbie, whom I suspect they encouraged to inform on me. Some informants would turn in Ann Frank to the Nazis, so discretion is obviously important. Debbie exhibited no discretion when informing on me. It was so spiteful, that, just like for judges, it really was up to Monica & Otto to dismiss her frivolous & vexatious complaining.
Please reply as soon as possible
David Steinbrenner
Minerva's website says you can stay as long as you want, but that is obviously conditional on Minerva's father & daughter team (They are unlikely to go against each other) liking you. As Otto said: "It's my business, and I can have who I want here" and he said "You've been here a few years", implying that a few years is long enough, so their website's claim you can stay as long as you want was false.
I feel they did not answer me because they have the attitude that I am not important enough. In my last year, I only had to put a lot of boxes on the floor once when I reorganized, and twice when I had to fix my bike, which I like to fix in the Minerva Mini Storage's alley because Edmonton Bicycle Commuters has their community work shop there for fixing bikes. Therefore the claim that I had too many boxes on the floor was false.
Minerva Mini Storage should consider that when I fixed my bike, it is very impractical to reload heavy boxes into an upper storage unit immediately before I'm done fixing my bike because that means unloading & reloading all the heavy boxes twice using a stepping stool. I suggest Minerva invest in perhaps dollies that can hold boxes temporarily in such a situation.