Complaint Review: Public Storage - Nationwide

On April 18th I rented a storage unit from: P.S. Storage located at 14880 Wallisville Road, Houston TX. 77049 On May 2nd I received a call from a woman saying she was the “Manager” (Frenchy) of PS Storage and that when security had been doing “Rounds” they had discovered my unit unlocked. She wanted to notify me that she had placed a lock on my unit, and I would need to come into the office to get the key, and that No Units are allowed to be left unlocked. I assured her that MY Unit was locked! I placed a heavy duty lock on it the previous week when I moved my personal items into storage. I drove straight to PS Storage, and went down the rows to MY unit G-26. My daughter was riding with me, and when we turned onto the row my unit was on, she told that she say A large wooden planter of mine (my younger daughter made it for me last year for Mother’s day) in an open storage unit. I backed up and got out to look. She was right, it was my planter. I opened the trunk of my car, and put the planter in, then drove down to my unit.

I then called the office, telling the “Manager” (Frenchy)   that I indeed had been burglarized. She asked me “How would you know that? I have the key” I explained that I found my wooden planter in an open unit; it defiantly had been in my unit. She asked me what lock I had on my unit, I told her it had been a very strong Master lock. AT that point she told me “I don’t allow those locks here, they get cut off every time someone uses one, I only allow the round ones from the office” I called the Sheriff’s office to report the Burglary. I then left my daughter at the unit and walked to the office with the Manager. I told her that no one had told me about the locks when I rented the unit. She gave me the correct lock, the insurance contact form (you are obligated to buy insurance on the unit you rent, you have no choice in the matter) for: Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. I then went back to the unit and filed a Burglary Report when the Sheriff showed up.

 I followed all of the steps that the insurance policy required; I sent them a copy of the Sheriff’s report and filled out all of their forms. I listed everything that I could remember was missing.  A few days later I received a letter from my Adjustor “Michelle” that they would NOT be accepting my claim. In order for them to accept a claim, there has to be “Physical Damage to the unit” MY LOCK WAS CUT!! All of my things were STOLEN!  I ALSO found out that my certificate of storage insurance provided coverage up to a maximum of $2,000, subject to a $100 deductible. When I rented the unit I agreed to the $15.00 a month for $5000.00 of insurance on my unit, it would be a $15.00 charge along with the unit rental.  $2000.00 is not even a coverage listed in their Brochure. The “Physical Damage to the unit” is not in their Brochure either. I was talking to the Woman who leased the unit to me and ended up agreeing to $3000.00 of coverage. I actually went into a PS Storage and got a copy of the Insurance contract I signed, because I wasn’t given one when I leased the uit,

 I was so mad that I went to PS Storage, to talk to the manager who had called me when my unit had been burglarized.    When I arrived at the PS Storage office I was surprised to find the new onsite manager and another employee. I explained to them what had happened. The manager (Jamie?) told me that she had heard about the break in, but didn’t know all of the details. After recounting my conversation with the “Previous” Manager (Frenchy)   Her response was; 1st of all we don’t tell anyone what locks to use; you can use anything you want. We don’t GIVE the locks away; you have an option of buying them when you move in.  2nd of all, we don’t- nor have we ever had security here.

I then told her what Michelle at Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. had told me about not paying the claim if there was no Obvious Physical damage- or Destruction to the Unit. The manager told me that that made no sense, if the lock is cut – there would be NO damage to the unit!!  She nor the other employee present both stated that they had never heard of that policy, AND that she knew of several customers that the same thing had occurred to, and Sedgwick Claims Management Services had covered their claims. She told me that I needed to contact the General Manager at the office to straighten it out with her. She then gave me Katie Gunderson’s (not sure of last name) name and number.

The following day I called the General Manager of PS Storage here in Houston, Katie Gunderson. She told me not to worry; she would talk to Michelle and straighten it all out. I was so relieved!  (So many of my things had been taken, I hadn’t been insured for nearly enough after inventorying the things that I KNEW were missing, I should have had $10000. On my unit, I only needed to have them in storage for 2 to 3 weeks MAX- so I wasn’t worried about it. Nothing was going to happen no Hurricanes or other Disaster.)  BUT Thanks to Katie, at least I would be able to replace some of it. I was still upset, but much calmer after talking to Katie. I received a letter in the mail the following day informing me that PS STORAGE was changing all locks on their units, No more hanging locks, they were changing all locks to the ones that inset in the door. REALLY? After mine was CUT??

OUTCOME

Katie called me this morning and told me she had spoken to Michelle (06/20/2014) and it was all straightened out and if I needed her help with anything else, just to call her.

Michelle called me soon after that she had spoken to Katie and let me know that in no way would they pay my claim. There had been NO SIGN OF FORCED ENTRY for me be eligible for payment they would have had to damage the door or the unit. I was so mad; I told her “THEY CUT MY LOCK OFF!!”  Michelle then told me “Just because your lock is missing, does not mean it was cut off” I have the only 2 keys, The ONLY way they could have opened the unit was to have CUT the lock off!!! I then reminded her that the manager, who had been there when I spoke to the Sheriff, (Frenchy) had informed me that many other units had been broken into. Michelle’s response was that those units had nothing to do with mine. I am so MAD; I have been FORCED to pay the insurance to protect the Property (PS Storage) from liability in case of Burglary. THEN when I am burglarized, they refuse my claim! This is a Racket!! It should be illegal! I KNOW that I am not the only one this has happened to, OR if it is, WHY ME?? While I was at the unit trying to itemize the new things I have stored, another renter in a unit across from mine told me that a while back she and her husband had come in after dark. They saw a man with the roll up door to his unit up sitting in a recliner just outside his unit, cooking on a Bar-B-Q pit. She said that they reported it to the office (I have no idea to who) and were told that he just likes to “hang out” there. He did not live in the unit; he just liked to relax there. I chose PS storage because they have Security Cameras, Which apparently are not used for security purposes. It seemed like a reputable place, and it is close to my unit. I can’t believe that this happened, and NOTHING has been done to rectify the situation.

TODAY

I just signed to my PS online access. Looking at my 1st receipt-(I signed up for auto pay, and paperless billing) I see that I WAS charged for the Disk lock, BUT it was never given to me they never even mentioned it to me!! That along with the fact that they CHANGED my insurance coverage WITHOUT my permission, AFTER I had been Burglarized Really has me at a loss for words. Had I been given the lock I WAS UNKNOWINGLY CHARGED FOR, They wouldn’t have been able to cut the lock and burglarize the unit. At this point, I’m not sure what I am going to do. PS Storage is responsible for what happened to me. Katie assured me that I had coverage and it would be taken care of. When I told Michelle that I had spoken to Katie, and she told me that it would be covered, she told me that she works for Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Not PS Storage. It was up to her, not Katie to decide if I was covered or not, and my claim was denied.

I trusted PS Storage, Believed that I was insured and my things were safe. I was wrong. I know I am just one of thousands of people you rent units to, and I’m sure no one even gave me a 2^nd thought when I lost some of my most important, sentimental, possessions.

I work long hours all week and I obviously don’t have the kind of money to back me that PS Storage does, but I’m not walking away from this.

Both Katie and Susie have been in contact with me, trying to help me with this situation, but if they are unable to.. The PS Storage Employee I believe her name was Jamie, who leased the unit to me. Charged me for a lock without bothering to tell me, and then NOT giving me the lock I paid for lead up to my unit being burglarized.