ComplaintsforStorageMart

• Initial Complaint

  09/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My mother got the unit two years ago. I think it was and she has passed away so I have the unit. My name is on it too with her OK so the payment wasnt due until the third of each month because my mom had a set income on her Social Security they decided to make it the first they locked her out on the first winter payment was an in Now they do it every month and raise my rent higher than what it supposed to be now Im 2 1/2 months late and theyre saying I owe over $1040 thats crazy. They charge me every 14 days for being late and its the same charges, but they just use different names of things to put on it. This is ridiculous. I want my stuff out of there. I dont I dont want any money. I just want to get my stuff out of it Because every month every month they lock us out and they charge us late fee the feed and they already cut my lock last month. They cut it in and wasnt even a month and a half late. Im just done. Im done with this whole deal with Storage Mart they are the worst , thieving people I have ever known they dont keep their end. They always hesitate. They never give you a straight answer.

  Business response

  09/19/2024

  Per the lease agreement all payments are due on the first of each month. We offered Ms ******* a settlement in May, 2024 to pay a $250 settlement fee and vacate her unit and let her know that she would continue to owe rent for each month that she is using her storage unit. She has stopped responding to our attemps to contact her and the last payment we received from Ms ******** was 6/22 and she has not moved out and continues to rent her storage unit. 

   

• Initial Complaint

  09/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Storagemart did not process my auto payment. They then proceeded to charge me a $33.00 late fee. They did not call me to notify me of any issue with my account but only sent an email on a holiday, Labor Day. I believe that this is unjust and without proper notification of an issue it's a money grab to charge a late fee especially when it seems to be an issue on Storagemart's end. I called and asked for a refund and asked what happened & they simply said the autopayment didn't go through and they didn't know why but they would not issue me a refund on my "late fee". Horrible business practice. I would like a $33.00 refund or credit on my next statement.

  Business response

  09/19/2024

  Per the lease agreement, bills are due on the first of each month. Mrs ******** is signed up for autopayment, and her credit card rejected the charge that processed on 9/1. The payment failure was from her credit card, not our system not processing her payment. We emailed her on 9/2 and 9/5 to let her know that her payment failed and to please log into her account and update her payment information. 

  Customer response

  09/19/2024

  Complaint: 22282218
  
  I have reviewed the business' response and am rejecting it because there should be responsible time to make an adjustment.  An email which may or may not have been blocked is not sufficient.  Furthermore, a simple text message would have solved the problem.  My phone number is at the top of the lease as you can see in what they attached.  In fact, in #** of the lease it explicitly states that I give consent for such text messages or phone calls.  I want to emphasis that it was not an issue with my credit card or bank but an issue with how it was being processed and when I called to inquire the answer "I don't know" does not seem like good enough footing to charge a late fee.  There needs to be adequate time to be alerted of an issue before a fee is charged. Finally, nowhere in the lease does it say that the customer will be charged a $33.00 fee if the autopayment does not process as planned so I believe it to be unlawful to charge such an amount without due process.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ********

  Business response

  09/23/2024

  ******, I believe I can explain things so they make a bit more sense. You are enjoying the preferred customer discount rate, so long as your payment is made BEFORE the fourth. Though it is due on the first of the month, we do provide a three day grace ******* as we understand things do happen. We provide the preferred customer discount on the assumption that the bill will be paid as seen in section 3 of the lease. The charge you incurred was not a fee, simply a loss of that preferred customer discount. It resets every month so as long as the payment is made on time, your discount will reappear. Unfortunately, the **** in "auto-pay" refers to an automatic and automated payment system. When the processing of that payment fails, the notification of that failure is also automated, as per typical business practices. You can always check your account through the tenant portal, check your email, call the location, or check your bank account to make sure future payments process properly. If there are funds and automatic payments are not going through, you may need to check your settings with your bank. There is very little we can do to find out why the payment failed. I hope this helps, thanks for writing in! 

  Customer response

  09/23/2024

  Complaint: 22282218
  
  I have reviewed the business' response and am rejecting it because I did call into the location and I was told it was a late fee.  Storagemart's response is all under the assumption that something was wrong on my end but since I know that I had the funds in my account and nothing else had changed on my end that it would be a system error on StorageMart's end.  This is not unconceivable and since this was never a an issue before it seems that the proper thing would be do refund the extra fee assigned and show a little customer appreciation.  Especially since I was also told when I called in the month prior asking about a sudden rent increase of $30 that this happened because all the units my size were now rented out so they were raising the price.  What this tells me is because I gave Storagemart my business they were now rewarding me by increasing my rent by 20% after being in the unit for less than 3 months.  This followed by another $33 dollar fee is horrible customer appreciation.  It's taking advantage of your clients.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ********

• Initial Complaint

  09/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was charged a bill after I had paid the facility and vacated my unit, my information for the debit card was kept and I had no knowledge of this, I was charged again for ****** dollars

  Business response

  09/10/2024

  ****, the Settlement and Vacate Agreement you signed (attached) to be able to get you items out of storage without paying the full delinquent rent charges due had a stipulation that you remove all items and leave the space in clean condition. You did not remove all of your items by that time (photo attached), meaning the unit needed to be cleaned and items disposed of. The charge you're referring to was a cleaning deposit charge (attached). Please let me know if you have any other questions. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Facilities Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I rented a unit for three years. Half of that time I was fighting cancer. And I am immunity compromised .When we buy a house and unpack, My things are chewed up and peed and pooped on and dead mice stuck to things and some were decaying . Many items ruined

  Customer response

  09/03/2024

  More Information...*******************************************

  Business response

  09/03/2024

  ******, thanks for reaching out. As the comment you attached suggests, you can reach out to the help line, or you can reach out to the property manager. You will be directed to provide photos and fill out some claims paperwork if you participated in our coverage program, or if used private insurance, you can file a claim with them. We have systems in place to tend to such matters if you would like to utilize them. Thank you!

  Customer response

  09/04/2024

  As I am very weak and also have sometimes chemo fog I never thought to take pictures I had numerous physical witnesses. Including I spoke to a woman on a golf cart that work there and told her before I even got home and unpacked things that I was finding things that were ruined from mice. That were laying on my boxes folded blankets etc that I left there as well as a dead mouse laying on the ground. It was taken everything I had to unpack with my physical conditions. I don't know anything about insurance through you all because as much as it cost I just assumed it would be safe. It was suggested to me to try this as far as speaking with you. I have things of my deceased granddaughter that was thrown away. The blankets that was specifically made for her with granddaughter writing on it. Many clothing items many bedding items. Curtains most all household items were messed with in some way or another

  Customer response

  09/04/2024

  Also if I would have been thinking about it I'm not sure I would have took a picture still. Or pictures actually. My health is so bad and I was so horrified that I rapid fire put everything as I would find it in trash bags and wash my hands. I did not want anything laying out while I went and looked for a camera or my phone

• Initial Complaint

  08/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Facilities Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This is regarding storage marts *************** location here in *********** ********. They have a gate access and door access to get to my unit. Ive been having issues with the door keypad not letting me in the building to get to my property in my unit. I have called multiple times the manager has refused to come out and help. I called the call center line for them and the *** told me there is nothing he can do. Im paying 200 dollars a month for this storage unit and they are willfully keeping me from accessing my own property.

  Business response

  08/27/2024

  ******, I understand the keypad had some technical difficulty, this is something we take very seriously and tend to as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, in this case it did take a few days for sourcing. The manager was not capable of doing anything to help the situation, as the keypad had to be replaced entirely. This is not a willful decision to keep you from your property, but a technical error. Sometimes things do break and we do our best to provide a timely and effective response in coordination with our vendors who do the same. We appreciate your patience. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  08/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I signed a rental agreement with StorageMart on April 13th, 2024. They promised me a "Preferred Customer" rate, which made the deal more palatable. Four months later TO THE DAY they sent me an email stating my rent has been increased, and **** the "Preferred Customer" rate was history. No time limit was indicated by StoragemMart for this "Preferred Customer" rate. If I had known that the "Preferred Customer" rate was limited to 4 months I would not have gone through the whole process of moving my excess belongings into their facility. STORAGEMART clearly uses underhanded, deceitful means to TRICK PEOPLE INTO BECOMING CLIENTS!

  Business response

  08/14/2024

  ***, thanks for writing in as this is a common point of confusion. The preferred customer discount, you've called rate, still applies to the unit, which is separate from the rent increase. The preferred customer discount assumes that you will be paying on time and presents this 20% discounted rate under that assumption. So long as you pay your rent on time, the charge is the discounted amount as advertised and promised. This discount lasts the first three days of each month, although you can pay as early as you want and retain it. As of the fourth day of the month, your preferred customer discount would fall off, returning the unit to the regular price. This appears on receipts as the "loss of discount" for unpaid invoices the fourth or after. Your rental rate likely was promotional. Rental increases are used to bring the discounted new-rental rates up to market value based on market trends, while still providing quality units at a quality price. The details for the rental increases can be found in line 3 while the details for the preferred customer discount can be found on line 14 of your lease, which I have attached for your convenience. I hope this makes sense of it all, thank you. 

  Customer response

  08/19/2024

  I must accept responsibility for signing a contract with no limits as to the frequency or the amount of the rental rate increases indicated anywhere. However, having dealt with 3 other self storage facilities in the lower BC mainland and on **************** I was expecting that my rent increases would be annual, and would be reasonable (all self storage rent increases I have experienced in the past were 10% or less and were effective on the anniversary of my signing the contract).

  
  I question the business practices of StorageMart, specifically for creating a contract that gives them ************************* with respect to rental rate increase amounts and frequencies. Surprises such as the rental rate increase I experienced never occur when dealing with reputable businesses. I hope that this will be reflected in their overall rating by Better Business Bureau. 

  Customer response

  08/19/2024

  Complaint: 22139018
  
  I have reviewed the business' response and am rejecting it because:

  So, if I understand StorageMarts response correctly, what I thought was a change in my Preferred Customer Rate was simply a rate increase.  A 20% rate increase. Just four months after I signed the contract. Which I believed, in good faith, would respect my initial rental rate for one full year. But it lasted only 4 months. And according to the StorageMart agreement, I can expect another increase anytime StorageMart likes, as long as they give me 15 days notice. StorageMart is blatantly misleading prospective clients just to get them in the door, then its fleecing time. NOT a reputable business, in my opinon.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  08/21/2024

  ***, this rent increase is effective for your 6th month of rental, rather than your 4th. Leading market competitors typically raise rent every 3-4 months. We do not advertise or promise in any way that the rate won't change for a year; it is unknown to us why this was your presumption. However, upon discussing with the local management of this facility, they have agreed to waive the rental increase one time only as a customer service gesture. Thank you

  Customer response

  08/22/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  08/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Facilities Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Moved into a climate controlled storage unit. A/C stopped working until I complained about it. Now the air conditioning is leaking water, into hallways and units. Talked with the manager. Among other responses, "Feel free to move out." They've known about the water but he's been out sick for four days. Talked to corporate, they just yea after me back to local manager. Will not give numbers for regional manager or owner of building. On top of that, they raised our rent $50 a month to over $300. I have merchandise that I sell stored there which is why I pay more for a climate-controlled storage unit.

  Business response

  08/07/2024

  *****, we are sorry that you have encountered the water at your partners unit. While no one wants things like this to happen, they sometimes do, and we are glad to be able to dispatch timely responses to these unfavorable happenings to ensure we can provide a preferred quality of storage space. When our property manager arrived for the day and the issue was discovered, we immediately dispatched our HVAC team and had the needed repairs made that same day. New customers will often encounter promotional rates and should their rental become longer term, the rent does get balanced back to current market rates. We aim to provide quality storage facilities and quality rates, while also remaining competitive within the market. Thanks for reaching out! 

• Initial Complaint

  07/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I decided to rent a storage unit from storage mart on hub drive in independence. I got a 5x10 unit 1605 if was supposed to be 60 dollars a month, with one free month. I paid ***** on June 16th to start my service. Then I got a bill for ***** due 7/1. I called and ******* said that the extra 24 dollars is for insurance but if I wanted to bring in my home owners or renters insurance policy that he would take that off. Neither one would cover my storage unit. He told me I was prorated for ***** I looked online and saw that they had me started on the first of ***** So I just excepted that. The next day I got an email saying that they updated their system and I needed to change my information. I paid my bill on July 2nd through that email. When I clicked submit payment I got a red message pop up and say that there was an error with payrix and to not resubmit or customer would be charged twice. The payment of ***** posted to my account on July 3rd. But storage mart said it didn't. And that I needed to make a double payment to avoid late fees. I refused. On Monday I talked to the property manager and sent him all the information and documentation of my payment. They have continued to charge me late fees and it is now qt 114$ plus the 94 ive already paid and the 84 to start all for 1 month. I am now locked out. And cannot access my belongings. In the beginning before the July 1st payment the property manager pushed me into writing a good review and i did because at that point I was happy with the service. But it has been completely shady ever since and im incredibly worried that maybe they've been cyber hacked and my infor.ation is unsafe or also that my belongings are at risk. And I'm also worried about back lash for turning them in. When I downloaded the app and couldn't find their store I was told that I really shouldn't use the storage mart app to pay anyway. It just all seems very shady.

  Business response

  07/19/2024

  Hello ********, 

  We were planning to wait to respond as long as possible to allow a change for this to reconcile. The payment posted yesterday and IT had to go in and fix your account. Everything should be fixed now. The door dash card is not a traditional bank, it's re-routed funds although they call it a pre-pay card, and therefore (we believe) takes longer to reconcile. I would definitely recommend transferring your funds to a bank account for bill pay purposes to avoid things like this. 

  For the first-month-free discount, that is only available for units in high supply. You selected a unit that had low availability and the discount falls off in an automated system based on those occupancies. The coverage automatically defaults to the most popular plan for all online rentals, however, it is available in different tiered plans, allowing you to carry the level of coverage that suits your needs best. You can also opt out with your own homeowners or renters insurance as mentioned, only a certificate of insurance or declarations page is needed. 

  I hope this resolves your problem. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Climate controlled units are not kept at appropriate temperatures throughout the day.As advertised, they are supposed to be kept at 85 degrees max **** round. Our unit is almost always above 90, and is liable to cause damage to items stored

  Business response

  07/16/2024

  Hello *****, 

  There was an issue with the air conditioning at this location for a very short time. The problem was identified and remedied approximately two weeks ago. Due to people leave bay doors open as they move in and out, some areas may experience more temperature variance. I hope you find the problem had already be resolved. Thank you! 

  Customer response

  07/16/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  07/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I rented a Unit from Storage-Mart in ******* ******* ******, for two months during a move, the location 5th ST. in ****************** was close to my home and seemed to work for us. During this period (March 2024 to Jun 2024) my unit was broken into, and a number of items were stolen. The Units lock mechanism was cut and my lock removed. The location of my unit in the ********** location had no security cameras. I purchased separate insurace with the rental agreement. We filed a police report, had an Storage _Mart internal management review, them an an adjustor from Storage-Mart in the US contacted me about the lost, this seemed to be over the top investigation into the receipts from the all the items, many of us do not keep our receipts for all our items in our house. So we found a value and it was given of the replacement cost of the items. the adjustor came aback with a much lower offer take it or leave it. I did not take the offer which was way too low and now feel I have been ripped off twice, along with the cost of the insurance. Users should check out the facilities before renting now a days there are cameras every where, except Storage -Mart.

  Business response

  07/11/2024

  We are so sorry to hear about your loss. We require insurance on all of units for cases such as these, because no one expects a loss. In cases where our guests do not want to purchase insurance for their rented space, we offer our value coverage (see yours attached) with tiered pricing options to fit your needs. We offer this value coverage free for the first rental month, and there is never a deductible. Just like most insurance policies, our coverage agreement offers compensation for losses of a similar quality, or an actual cash value. This means that you get reimbursed for the actual value of the items at the time of the loss rather than what they cost at a brand-new retail value. This coverage is intended to restore a customer's actual losses, rather than provide customer's a means of profit by replacing pre-owned items with brand new items, thereby preventing fraud. Replacement cost is a specific type of insurance that often requires specially written endorsements. While initial purchase receipts do make the claims process more efficient and accurate, when such a time has passed that none are available, such as in your case, they are not required although identifying the items without any form of documentation can feel more strenuous. You were provided an offer of reimbursement within these parameters of the contract, although accepting that reimbursement is entirely your choice. 
  StorageMart provides surveillance cameras throughout the facility at common choke points with the intention of discouraging criminal activities and identifying criminals committing crimes on our property. While we always hope that cameras will discourage these behaviors, they cannot truly prevent crime, only witness them. We always cooperate with local law enforcement and detectives when it comes to footage requests of crimes committed. We hope this answers your questions; thanks for reaching out. 
   
  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩