Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  03/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been renting a storage unit at Noah's Ark Self Storage in Pensacola, Florida, for several years now. On Sunday, December 14, 2022, I was organizing my unit in the evening hours when I suddenly became dizzy and ill. I sat down on a loveseat I had stored in my unit to rest for a minute, but it did not help and the next thing I recall is waking up on the floor of the unit after suffering a medical emergency. It wasn't until Tuesday morning that the facility management and the local police department checked on me to see what was going on despite the door to my unit being open the entire time and the facility management leaving multiple voicemails for me. When assistance finally arrived I struggled to get up so I could get medical attention with their help. While I waited on an ambulance to arrive the facility manager, Kat, insisted on giving me a 15-day eviction notice in the middle of this ordeal. I set the notice to the side in my unit and shortly after was taken to the hospital emergency room where I was treated and was not discharged until 6:30 p.m. that evening. When I met with the facility management the following day I was told that I had 48 hours (as of the day before) to vacate my unit or my belongings would be disposed of at that point. The 15-day paper notice had been removed from my unit while I was at the hospital. The facility management said it was a directive from their corporate office. After involving a third party to advocate on my behalf, we were able to negotiate a new move out date of December 16, 2022, to allow me more time to find a new unit and also because I was still recovering from my illness. At that time they also stated I would not receive a refund for the remaining days of the month I had paid already, which was 15 days of prorated rent. The facility staff also disposed of some of my belongings while I was at the hospital without my consent, which I now must replace. I would like to be reimbursed in addition to the prorated rent.

  Business response

  05/01/2023

  We take all customer concerns seriously and strive to provide a safe and clean environment for all of our tenants.
  Regarding your specific situation, we must address some inaccuracies in your complaint. As you are aware, our facility rules prohibit tenants from living in their storage units, and we discovered that you had been living in your unit for an extended period of time. This is not only against our rules, but also against the law. Your unauthorized use of the unit as a residence was a clear violation of our lease agreement and a major concern for the safety and well-being of all of our tenants.
  Additionally, when our staff discovered that you had been using your storage unit as a bathroom, we had no choice but to take immediate action to ensure the safety and cleanliness of our facility. Unfortunately, this resulted in the disposal of some of your belongings that were contaminated with your feces. This was a necessary measure to protect the health of our other tenants and the integrity of our facility.
  We also want to note that the specialized cleaning crew that we hired to clean the unit of the feces incurred a cost of $912.50, which we did not charge to you. Moreover, we had to call the police to handle the situation and ensure the safety of all parties involved. It was after the police arrived that you were able to walk out of the unit on your own. This was an extremely concerning and disruptive situation for us, and we are grateful that it did not escalate any further.
  Regarding the eviction notice, we want to clarify that our lease agreement allows us to terminate a tenancy without notice if the tenant is in breach of the lease agreement. In this case, we felt that your living situation in the storage unit and the unsanitary conditions constituted a breach of the lease agreement. As such, we had no choice but to require you to vacate the unit immediately.
  We understand that this situation may have been difficult for you, and we apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused. However, we believe that our actions were necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of all of our tenants. We are committed to maintaining a clean and safe environment for all of our customers, and we hope that you can appreciate the steps that we had to take in this particular case.

  Customer response

  05/08/2023

  
  Complaint: 19621395
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the Business misrepresented the facts to absolve themselves of any liability.

  The Business claims I was living in the storage unit, but I was not. I had passed out on the evening of December 4, 2022, while organizing some items in my unit. I remained on the floor of my unit without moving because I was so weak from my illness. It was not until the morning of December 6, 2022, that I woke up to hear people outside of my unit talking that I realized it was the police and the facility management. I overheard them talking about a 5 gallon bucket in my unit that they were stating must have been where I used the bathroom (which is also not true; the bucket contains my small wet/dry vac). The police called an ambulance to take me to the nearest hospital where I was treated for colitis. The facility management had been aware that my unit door was open and no activity had taken place for multiple days as is evident by the following voicemail I received from them:

  Voicemail received 12/6/22 8:49 a.m.
  Jimmy, I am getting calls about your unit door being open at 9:30 at night…the items that are sitting outside this morning are the same items that were out there yesterday…I can't really have this going on so you need to do something about whatever it is going on out there or I will have to evict you. Call me if we need to talk about this. Thank you! Bye-bye.
  
  The facility management could clearly see that I was ill and witnessed the entire event. Their misrepresentation of facts is not a valid response, in my opinion.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Jimmy ****

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