i have a need for some relatively permanent extra storage. i signed up with these folks in february of 2008. their move-in offer at the time was ten bucks for the first month and then $69 a month. i wanted to get their billing cycle in a similar groove with my credit card billing cycle, so i went in several days before i needed the space so that i could make sure that could happen. i was told i would be able to set up things just as i wanted. i went back on the day i wanted to move in, set up everything with the manager, and moved in my stuff. when they sent me my first bill the due-date was three days earlier than what we had agreed upon. strike one.
4 months later (jul-08) the price increased $6 from 69 to 75.
9 months later (apr-09) the price increased $5 from 75 to 80.
9 months later (jan-10) the price increased $5 from 80 to 85.
6 months later (jul-10) i received another rate increase notice ($5, from 85 to 90). i called the facility and spoke with the manager (the same manager i had talked with in february of 2008). i told him that the rate increases were ridiculous and that i was moving out. he said he would have to check with the district manager but that he was certain he could keep the rate at 85. he said he would call me back in a few days to confirm, a month later, when my bill was due again, i hadn't heard a peep from him. i went in to the facility. he remembered our conversation but said that he hadn't heard from his district manager. he said to pay just the 85 and he would take care of it. i insisted he do that while i waited. he called the district manager and, after some time, confirmed that they would keep my rate at 85. i told him i would move out the next time i received a rate increase.
strike 2: frequent rate increases.
a side comment on the rate increases: the notices always say they have to increase rates due to "the rising costs associated with providing top-notch service and a clean, secure facility." bullshit. in two years and four months my rate increased by 30%. the cleanliness and security of the facility did not change one iota in that time. did employees get a 30% raise in that time? did utility costs go up by that much? did mortgage costs go up that much? or did corporate management get 30% more greedy during that time?
in the middle of 2011 they made some changes to their billing system and ended up double-charging me one month. once again i called the facility and spoke with the same manager. he said that he would have to contact his district manager (sigh) to get it reversed and that he would contact me (sigh) when it was taken care of. i checked my credit card statement regularly and never saw a credit, and after a few weeks of not hearing back from the manager i just contested the double charge with the credit card company. eat the charge-back fee, extra space!
strike 3: crappy customer service and no follow-up.
in july of 2011 i received another rate increase notice. up $7 from 85 to 92. i moved out at the end of the billing cycle.
the place is clean, i'll give them that, and you do need a security code to get in to most areas, but there's lots of piggy backing that goes on. there are also a lot of sketchy people who go in and stay there for long periods of time. i once even saw someone with most of their stuff out of their space so they could sleep in it.
about a month after i moved out of extra space i received a letter from them, welcoming me as a new customer and telling me my monthly rate would be $92. talk about a bunch of incompetent boobs.
i have written a letter to their ceo about these exact same things but i sincerely doubt they give a damn.
i moved into a different facility managed by a different company. i have 30% more space costing me 20% less. their customer service is fantastic and their employees can and do get things done. its almost like i have my own attic. ;-)
the net net: avoid extra space storage like the plague.
update 26-jan-2012: julie from extra space storage says "I am sorry to hear about your experience. If you ever have any billing issues please contact us at social@extraspace.com and we will make sure those changes are made. If you are storing long term we do provide the option of locking in rates, just contact us at the above e-mail about switching to a long-term lease. Thank you for your feedback. "
this is exactly what i'm talking about. julie, did you see where i said "i moved out"? why would i need to contact you about billing issues, or any issues for that matter? if you really want to be effective, do something about your very crappy customer service, and actually read the reviews you are responding to. read more