I called Shurgard Storage from the yellow pages, and a woman told me Shurgard was bought by Public Storage and I was talking to the "Public Storage" headquarters. She said I had to go through Public Storage to reserve a space at the Madison Heights location.
I was told on the telephone that it would cost $1 to move in and there was a $20 administration fee. "Does this sound good to you? " This sounded good to me as the other place I was planning to go was more expensive. She asked me how long I wanted the storage and I said one month, two months tops, and was I still eligible the first month for $21? They confirmed that Yes, I could still get it for $21. But if I took it for three months, I would get a discount of 5%. I said I didn't want it for 3 months, I wanted it for only one month, maybe two, and she said that was fine.
Great. I made a reservation and was told to show up at the Madison Heights store by 1 p.m. I then received a call from the manager at said location who said she would be there until 2 p.m.
I went to the location about 1:15pm, and was greeted by a friendly girl at the counter. She walked me to my reserved storage place and I agreed to its conditions. I asked her again if it was only $21 for the first month. She said that it was. I told her I was only staying for a month, possibly two, and she said no problem. We went back to the office.
I filled out an application and was given an insurance paper that said I could put the insurance on my homeowner's policy. I signed these papers. I put my drivers license information on this paperwork and let the girl do something with my license. (Not sure what she did with it.) I paid her $21.
Now I get the invoice. It says that I paid $21, but that on the beginning of the month (5 days from now) I would owe $12 and some odd cents. I questioned her about this, and she said it was prorated. I didn't really understand this, as I paid $1 for the first month, so what was being prorated? She said this was because I signed up for the three months when I was on the phone.
I told her I did not want to sign up for three months, only one month and then for month to month. She said she was disappointed with the headquarters and was tired of the problems (with the Shurgard buyout) that everything has to be done on the phone now at the headquarters. She could not sign people up in the store or change anything.
Then she wanted me to sign a 3-month contract, assuring me that she would put a sticky note on it and someone would issue the new paperwork and new invoice in the morning. That this was just a mistake and it would be straightened out in the morning, and yes I was still eligible for a month-to-month contract and only pay $1 for the first month. All I had to do was sign the 3-month contract.
I said that I would not sign a 3-month contract unless they would change it, or she would write a note on the contract in pen and sign it that it was for 1-month, and not 3. She said that she couldn't change any of the paperwork, that it had to be done by headquarters. This worried me, as if this was really a mistake, why wouldn't they just write that?
I continued to refuse to sign the paperwork, so she called the headquarters, but there was no answer. I tried as well and there was only a busy signal. We waited a few minutes and tried again and then she got out another list of phone numbers and called one. I did not talk to this person or even know who it was, but she argued with them in my stead that I wouldn't sign anything unless it was changed first. After listening to the other person on the phone again, she again asked me to sign the 3-month contract, and I said, no I will not sign it. And she told me that I would have to cancel out the order and come back on another day.
The person on the other line apparently heard this because the impression I got was too bad that I didn't want to sign it, the deal was done, and that I had to sign it. I shook my head. The girl behind the counter said into the phone that I wasn't going to sign it, and the person on the phone would have to help her clear out the order from the computer, and she would have to give me my money back.
This was okay by me! But the person on the other line argued with her and said she had no authority to give me my money back. I heard the girl behind the counter say "I don't have the authority to give a refund? " She obviously was frustrated at this point, as was I. Any chance that I would resolve the issue with this company, in any condition, was gone at this point.
I would not deal with a company that was going to keep the money I gave them only two minutes before and send me packing with nothing to show for it. I looked at her and said very calmly, "I will get my money back before I leave here today."
The person on the other line was trying to coerce her to make me leave and not give me back my money.
This I knew was absolutely wrong as I had been lied to and they tried to coerce me into signing a contract I had never agreed to, and I paid before them ever showing me the wrongful contract. Before I saw her about to hang up the phone, I held up my phone and said, "I'm going to call the police."
The girl fretted. I was really sad that she was caught in the middle of this, between me and the anonymous person on the phone. She was only following orders after all.
She said to the person on the phone that she didn't want to be there when the police came, that she didn't understand why she had to be caught in the middle of this, it wasn't anything she did, and she was going to give me my money back and void out the order. She went into the register and gave me my twenty-one dollars back with an apology. I apologized to her as well, as I felt bad for her.
I don't believe that my plight is over. I have a feeling I will still be billed for this order and that it won't be wiped out of the computer. As other people here reported, this company has a way of billing you for months you do not owe and threatens to ruin your credit if you do not pay. I have not experienced it, but am still worried about it. If that is the case, I will be forced to take this incident to the courts.
I write this here to warn people about Public Storage and their deceptive ways. At least some of the people with authority at this company do not believe in giving an honest day's pay for an honest day's work. They will be happy to keep your money whether they allow you to use their facility or not. I hope others will take this warning to heart when considering Public Storage's too-good-to-be-true offer.
Ron
Madison Heights, Michigan
U.S.A.
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