- Report: #227228
Complaint Review: Self-Service Storage - Philadelphia Pennsylvania
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Self-Service Storage
200 Hamilton Street Philadelphia, 19103 Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Phone:
215-569-0732
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Self-Service Storage Ripoff Burglary at Self Service Storage Philadelphia Pennsylvania
On September 8th 2006, I discovered that my storage unit at Self Service Storage was burglarized. In order to for anyone to access his/her unit, he/she has to key in a personal code into the DigiGate 485 keypad which is directly tied into his/her account database. If you key in the wrong code, it will not allow you access to your floor.Your personal code gives you access to your floor only. There are two surveillance camera one within the parking garage and the other along the back wall of the main office.
Whenever I brought anything to my storage unit I always carried it inside plastic bags or book bags. The only time I didn't was when I first moved into the unit in 2000 and when I moved in 2001. None of the items that were taken were placed in the unit at those times. Everything in the storage unit was inside boxes, covered by plastic bags, or inside book bags, except for few items, which stored out of plain sight. My storage unit was located directly in front of the elevator and next to the automatic light switch which turns off every 30 minutes and lights most of the floor, thus it was easy to know whenever someone was coming down on the elevator or coming towards the elevator or lights.
I initially nothing seemed out of place except for a box which I had placed on top of the washer was missing, but I assumed it had just fallen. As I was going through the boxes I noticed several other items were missing. When I had confirmed that numerous items were missing I asked the janitorial woman if she was able to call upstairs. She said no. She also said that there should be video camera on the floor and that she cleans the area every Tuesday and Friday and saw no one near my unit. So, I quickly began putting the boxes back in the unit because it was nearing 6:30 pm and the office closed at 7:00 pm and I wanted to make sure I spoke with an employee before the office closed.
As I putting the boxes back the two office employees came downstairs. I told them that several items in my unit were missing and one of the employees asked me if there was any damage to the lock. When I told them no, one of them said I would have to wait until Monday and speak with the manager, who happen to be at the New York office. Both the employees headed down the hallway and never returned that way. My unit is located on the 1st floor, there are no regular exits, only fire exits on the 1st floor and an alarm goes off if you open any of them. When I went upstairs only one of the office employees was still there whom I was told by the alleged Assistant to the President is named Alex. I asked him if I still had to want until Monday to speak with the manager, he said yes. So I asked where the police station was and he said down the street.
I spoke with a police officer who said it was definitely an inside job and that it would have been easy to climb down into the unit since I had the boxes piled so high. I returned to the storage facility on the following day and spoke with the office employee whom is allegedly named Roger. Roger asked me what had happen. I told him again there were several items missing from my unit and I asked him for a copy of my lease. He called the manager, and told me the manager said that my lease was downstairs and because he was the only employee on duty right now, he would be unable to go downstairs.
I spoke with the manager on Monday, who said she worked with these employees for years and they wouldn't do that. I have been a customer for Self-Service Storage for 6 years and the two evening employees are fairly new. I believed the one name allegedly named Alex may have started late 2005 or early 2006. Roger is even newer, in the months of June and July they had a young African American female with the initial DM working in the evening. I asked the manager for a copy of my lease and she said that it was archived in New York. When I told her; her own employee said it was downstairs, she said it was in New York. She offered me a sample contract, which I took. Before leaving for the day I asked again for a copy of my lease and the manager said again it was in New York and could take her weeks if at all to get a copy. I told her I needed to speak with someone at the New York Office and she swore she only knew one person and she didn't even know her last name. Really? She has worked for the company nearly six years and makes regular visits to the New York Office. She finally gave me the number and extension of the alleged Assistant to the Vice President.
I returned on the following week and threw several items into the trash can located near my storage unit. I was there until 8:30 pm. When I left I noticed the employee named Alex was still there even though the office closed at 7:00 pm. When I returned the next morning around 10:15 am, I noticed that someone had went through the trash can and thrown the content on the floor and in a box. On the following Monday, I spoke with the alleged the Assistant to the President who told me Roger and Alex names until then I had referred to them only as employees and she had indicated that if and she said if whether sarcastically I filed a police report that they would refund my money for the stolen property.
In October 16th, I went there to remove the final items from my unit and to close out my account. I came in around 4:40 pm and told the two office employees, Roger and another employee that I needed a move-out form and would be right back. I went downstairs to my unit and removed everything and except for the washer. When I came back upstairs only Roger was still there. He stated he had spoken with the manager and she said that I would have to come back tomorrow when she was there and complete the Refund form, because he was all by himself and thus could not go downstairs to check my unit. I told him that I was not coming back tomorrow. I asked for the Refund form, and then I filled out the form. Then I told Roger that I would be back at 7 pm when the office closes, so he could go downstairs and check my unit and then sign and copy my refund form, so I could be done. Before I left the facility, a short older gentleman comes in from the garage entrance and says Hello Ron, to Roger and Ron\Roger responds Hello Steve.
When I came back to the facility about 6:55 pm, Ron\Roger states that he has been down to my unit, and he had called the manager who stated that I would have to pay an additional $200, plus my security deposit because I was leaving the washer behind. But she was going to waive my fee for the month because now suddenly my rental fee was due on 11th of every month, instead of the 15th of every month like it had been for the past 6 years. If my rental fee was actually due on the 11th I would not have been able to go downstairs, because I would have been five days overdue. The keypad is tied directly into their account database if I would have been five days overdue I would not have been able to go downstairs at all. My code would not have worked. The system gives you a grace period of 3 days to pay your rental fees. I told him I wasn't paying anything extra and if they wanted that money they would have to sue me. Then he goes on to say that because of all the disturbance I caused and the fact I was leaving trash throughout the building, that the manager would have to there when I filled-out my refund form. This is a lie. One if I was causing such a disturbance then why didn't they call me and tell me that I could not have access to my unit unless the manager was there. The alleged Assistant to the President has had my new number since the end of September. They also have my cell phone number on file. Not once did they call to tell me I was causing a disturbance. Two, they could have de-activated my account and forced me to come in when the manager was there, but they didn't. Three, why would I throw trash around the facility after paying $150 for 3 dumpsters? I returned Wednesday (two days later) to speak to the manager whom I discovered was on vacation for the week. I also discovered that they had closed out my account without notifying me and cleared me of all supposed debts when I said they would have to sue me to get their money. Then the employee refused to give me a copy of my closed account at the time, unless I called the New York Office. If this company is on the up and up, then why all the run around?
S
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
Whenever I brought anything to my storage unit I always carried it inside plastic bags or book bags. The only time I didn't was when I first moved into the unit in 2000 and when I moved in 2001. None of the items that were taken were placed in the unit at those times. Everything in the storage unit was inside boxes, covered by plastic bags, or inside book bags, except for few items, which stored out of plain sight. My storage unit was located directly in front of the elevator and next to the automatic light switch which turns off every 30 minutes and lights most of the floor, thus it was easy to know whenever someone was coming down on the elevator or coming towards the elevator or lights.
I initially nothing seemed out of place except for a box which I had placed on top of the washer was missing, but I assumed it had just fallen. As I was going through the boxes I noticed several other items were missing. When I had confirmed that numerous items were missing I asked the janitorial woman if she was able to call upstairs. She said no. She also said that there should be video camera on the floor and that she cleans the area every Tuesday and Friday and saw no one near my unit. So, I quickly began putting the boxes back in the unit because it was nearing 6:30 pm and the office closed at 7:00 pm and I wanted to make sure I spoke with an employee before the office closed.
As I putting the boxes back the two office employees came downstairs. I told them that several items in my unit were missing and one of the employees asked me if there was any damage to the lock. When I told them no, one of them said I would have to wait until Monday and speak with the manager, who happen to be at the New York office. Both the employees headed down the hallway and never returned that way. My unit is located on the 1st floor, there are no regular exits, only fire exits on the 1st floor and an alarm goes off if you open any of them. When I went upstairs only one of the office employees was still there whom I was told by the alleged Assistant to the President is named Alex. I asked him if I still had to want until Monday to speak with the manager, he said yes. So I asked where the police station was and he said down the street.
I spoke with a police officer who said it was definitely an inside job and that it would have been easy to climb down into the unit since I had the boxes piled so high. I returned to the storage facility on the following day and spoke with the office employee whom is allegedly named Roger. Roger asked me what had happen. I told him again there were several items missing from my unit and I asked him for a copy of my lease. He called the manager, and told me the manager said that my lease was downstairs and because he was the only employee on duty right now, he would be unable to go downstairs.
I spoke with the manager on Monday, who said she worked with these employees for years and they wouldn't do that. I have been a customer for Self-Service Storage for 6 years and the two evening employees are fairly new. I believed the one name allegedly named Alex may have started late 2005 or early 2006. Roger is even newer, in the months of June and July they had a young African American female with the initial DM working in the evening. I asked the manager for a copy of my lease and she said that it was archived in New York. When I told her; her own employee said it was downstairs, she said it was in New York. She offered me a sample contract, which I took. Before leaving for the day I asked again for a copy of my lease and the manager said again it was in New York and could take her weeks if at all to get a copy. I told her I needed to speak with someone at the New York Office and she swore she only knew one person and she didn't even know her last name. Really? She has worked for the company nearly six years and makes regular visits to the New York Office. She finally gave me the number and extension of the alleged Assistant to the Vice President.
I returned on the following week and threw several items into the trash can located near my storage unit. I was there until 8:30 pm. When I left I noticed the employee named Alex was still there even though the office closed at 7:00 pm. When I returned the next morning around 10:15 am, I noticed that someone had went through the trash can and thrown the content on the floor and in a box. On the following Monday, I spoke with the alleged the Assistant to the President who told me Roger and Alex names until then I had referred to them only as employees and she had indicated that if and she said if whether sarcastically I filed a police report that they would refund my money for the stolen property.
In October 16th, I went there to remove the final items from my unit and to close out my account. I came in around 4:40 pm and told the two office employees, Roger and another employee that I needed a move-out form and would be right back. I went downstairs to my unit and removed everything and except for the washer. When I came back upstairs only Roger was still there. He stated he had spoken with the manager and she said that I would have to come back tomorrow when she was there and complete the Refund form, because he was all by himself and thus could not go downstairs to check my unit. I told him that I was not coming back tomorrow. I asked for the Refund form, and then I filled out the form. Then I told Roger that I would be back at 7 pm when the office closes, so he could go downstairs and check my unit and then sign and copy my refund form, so I could be done. Before I left the facility, a short older gentleman comes in from the garage entrance and says Hello Ron, to Roger and Ron\Roger responds Hello Steve.
When I came back to the facility about 6:55 pm, Ron\Roger states that he has been down to my unit, and he had called the manager who stated that I would have to pay an additional $200, plus my security deposit because I was leaving the washer behind. But she was going to waive my fee for the month because now suddenly my rental fee was due on 11th of every month, instead of the 15th of every month like it had been for the past 6 years. If my rental fee was actually due on the 11th I would not have been able to go downstairs, because I would have been five days overdue. The keypad is tied directly into their account database if I would have been five days overdue I would not have been able to go downstairs at all. My code would not have worked. The system gives you a grace period of 3 days to pay your rental fees. I told him I wasn't paying anything extra and if they wanted that money they would have to sue me. Then he goes on to say that because of all the disturbance I caused and the fact I was leaving trash throughout the building, that the manager would have to there when I filled-out my refund form. This is a lie. One if I was causing such a disturbance then why didn't they call me and tell me that I could not have access to my unit unless the manager was there. The alleged Assistant to the President has had my new number since the end of September. They also have my cell phone number on file. Not once did they call to tell me I was causing a disturbance. Two, they could have de-activated my account and forced me to come in when the manager was there, but they didn't. Three, why would I throw trash around the facility after paying $150 for 3 dumpsters? I returned Wednesday (two days later) to speak to the manager whom I discovered was on vacation for the week. I also discovered that they had closed out my account without notifying me and cleared me of all supposed debts when I said they would have to sue me to get their money. Then the employee refused to give me a copy of my closed account at the time, unless I called the New York Office. If this company is on the up and up, then why all the run around?
S
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
