I am a mother of young man who is disabled (can not read or write very well his IQ is below 60) my son went with his ex step-father to get a storage unit in his name to store his belonging. James signed agreement he couldn't read or even understand if read to him, and the storage manager would have known that by just talking to him that he had an disability or the way he signed his name. Do to a family issue the storage unit account got behind so it went in lien status. My son never received any snail mail correspondent from the storage company stating that it was in lien or any email correspondent. We did move since opening the storage unit but gave the storage company the new address a PO BOX, and also any mail would have been forward to our new address.
The storage company was contacted on many occasions asking what the balance was and if there was any lien on the property by myself and my son they gave us the balance but never stated that there was a lien on the unit or that mail was returned due to incorrect address or unable to forward. I called the storage company to complain about the store manager CIndy, and how she was being unreasonable. I called her on 11/18/13 to get my son's balance to pay on it, and she wouldn't except it because I didn't have the total in full. I had money for two months of the unit, and would have the current month rent that friday. She said if I didn't have all the money by close of business on that thursday they would be charging him a lien fee. I didn't have that extra money.
I spoke to someone at the main office and they said that the district manager of Maine stores would get back to me with in a few days. So a week went by, and didn't receive a call from the district manager. So I called back the main office and complained again about not receiving a call back from the district manager. The gentleman that took my complaint on 11/30/13 was very nice, and said he would send to VP of Maine stores. That same day I finally received a call back from the district manager, and informed about my son and his disability, and informed him that James didn't received any mail or email from the company about his account. I wanted to know what actually cost, and if the property was in lien and the auction date. He said he would investigate this situation, and get back to on monday.12/2/12 He returned my call that monday and said that they wouldn't waive the fee due to the lien. I never ask them to waive any cost just wanted to know why he had not received any notice about the lien or any correspondence from the company. He became agitated and I said that I would call his supervisor because he wasn't not listen to what my complaint was.
Well today 12/5/2013 received a message from the storage company that James unit was auction off and any personal information was available for him to pick up. So the storage unit that had a new 60 inch tv and furniture and personally item of his late grandfather was auction off without any notification. Called the office and she said that all notices of unit was returned to sender, and when ask why she didn't contact James about a forwarding or a new address so they could send out this information to the correct address she hung up on me. She was giving the correct address in a voicemail on there answer machine because I also have a storage unit at uncle bob's, and receive all my notices and bills without issues. I have all saved voice message saved on my cell phone from the storage company, and not one of these message state that mail was returned to sender.
In the state of maine after 45 days of being late they can open unit to see if there is more than $750 worth of value in the unit. Well they must have seen what was in storage unit, and decided to make a profit of a 19 year old disabled boy. The furniture and tv can be replaced, but the items of his late grandfather can't be replace since that is only father figured he has ever had in his life. I had to come home today and tell my only son that his belonging and memories of his grandfather was sold to stranger who only see the value not the meaning of the item he will sell or trash. He got so upset he ran out of the house, and hasn't been found. I notified the authorites and they are looking for him, and I was told me to stay put in case he cameback. I found this site to vent, and get the word out the Uncle Bob's Storage will screw anyone even a disable boy. The reason we got behind was the death of my mother, and thanks to the government shut down he lost his SSI check. I went on a storage auction site stating when Uncle Bob's Storage our today wasn't on there. Thier next auction isn't intill December 19th, 2013 this must have been a special auction just for my son's belonging. I bet we will get a bill with the correct address if they didn't get the balance they where looking for.
Sincerely,
ONE PISSED OFF MOTHER OF A YOUNG DISABLED BOY
Robert
Irvine,#2Consumer Comment
Sat, December 07, 2013
Your son started off being a 19 Year Old Disabled person who can't read, write, or even understand items if they are told to him. But in just a matter of a few posts he is all of the sudden capable of making his own decisions, and even comunicating with the outside world about specific matters.
he still a young man that is over the age 18 and allowed to make decision with or without my consent
- Then perhaps if he is making bad decisions you should fix that. You can create a conservatorship in which you would be responsible for all of his legal decisions. If his is as bad as you make him sound in your first post the courts should have no problem granting this. Of course if he is as good as you have him come off in the other posts, it is doutful that any court would agree to your request.
If James was being used as escape goat why would I try to get this issue taking care of,
- Why? Because you mentioned it in your title that they took advantage of a "Young Disabled Man", and keep mentioning it to get more sympathy for your situation.
Now let's do a little.."what if". Let's say just for the sake of argument they actually did inform you of the Auction Date. Then let's say that if they did this you would have paid the bill. So the question is why would you need the "threat" of the auction to pay it when you know you owe the bill? If you had the money you should have paid it without a threat. Now, if you didn't have the money the reality is that it doesn't really matter if they infomed you or now..now does it?
Sorry but these are just the facts and no..contrary to what you think I seriously doubt that they held a "special" auction for one deliqnuent unit. Of course if you can prove that they didn't follow the laws for the sale of the Storage Unit you can use the laws too sue them.
Finally, before you go off on the "you don't know what it is like raising a disabled person". Well if you actually knew my life you would realize how silly that comment was and in reality I probably know more about it than you do.
pissedofmother
Old Orchard Beach,#3Author of original report
Fri, December 06, 2013
- Wait a minute. Isn't James your son with an IQ of less than 60 and can't read or write and doesn't even understand things if read to him? So how exactly would them have notifying him of any of this helped? For that matter..how do you know that they didn't?
If they had notified us aboutt the returned mail they would have to called my cell phone to reach James, and they didn't call him asking for a new address. I still have all the message saved from the company. If anything was sent to him it would have come to my address, and I would have taking care of the matter before it was to late.
Company was ask many times when myself and my son called about the storage unit and chose not to tell us that property would be auction of within days, and that his mail was returned when ask why he didn't receive any mail from the company.
Does that answer your questions?
pissedofmother
Old Orchard Beach,#4Author of original report
Fri, December 06, 2013
I am sorry that everyone feels that way. No one was using James as a scape goat for anything. You r all right I should not allowed him to get a storage unit, but James is an adult and has the right to make his own decision. I advise him not to that why he ask someone else to bring him. James was concerned about his belonging being left behind in our move that he decide to take upon himself. I understood that property would be placed in a lien if it wasn't paid by that Friday, but my issue is that myself and James both spoke to the lady on speaker phone and ask her what was the total owed after the lien fees was place, and that he didn't receive any mail saying that property would be auction off on this day or informed us that his mail had been returned.
Then receive a call saying that unit was auction when we spoke to her the week before and the district manager on Monday and both ask them the same question, and both never informed us of the auction date was with in days. That is my complaint! Before people should judge anyone raising a child with a disability they should understand that there all kinds of disability and my son has a low IQ with educational issues he still a young man that is over the age 18 and allowed to make decision with or without my consent. If James was being used as escape goat why would I try to get this issue taking care of, and also be so upset that his property was sold if I was to use him as escape goat. My issue when ask by both of us the storage company decide not to inform us the upcoming auction and the returned mail when asked.
Robert
Irvine,#5Consumer Comment
Fri, December 06, 2013
The only RipOff going on here is the people that are probably supposed to be responsible for the care of this 19 Year Old Disabled boy with an IQ of 60 using him as a Pawn for their benefit. Sorry if this is too "rough" for you but this is exactly how you are coming off, and I truly feel for your son because of this.
James signed agreement he couldn't read or even understand if read to him, and the storage manager would have known that by just talking to him that he had an disability or the way he signed his name.
- So why did the Ex-Step Father allow him to sign it? Oh...probably because the Ex-Father in law thought he could be "tricky" and use him as some sort of scape goat.
I never ask them to waive any cost just wanted to know why he had not received any notice about the lien or any correspondence from the company.
- Oh really? So what did you think the lady meant on 11/18 when she said that if full payment wasn't received by Thursday they would add a lien fee? Perhaps your son isn't the only one with a low IQ.
Called the office and she said that all notices of unit was returned to sender, and when ask why she didn't contact James about a forwarding or a new address so they could send out this information to the correct
address she hung up on me
- Wait a minute. Isn't James your son with an IQ of less than 60 and can't read or write and doesn't even understand things if read to him? So how exactly would them have notifying him of any of this helped? For that matter..how do you know that they didn't?