Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  08/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I acquired storage in 2017 and have been paying for this storage unit since then. I always pay my storage **** and have always been very communicative with them. I was behind a little and adjusting to my mortgage payments of $2400 plus taking care of my mom and needed to pay my last few months at the end of July. I emailed them on July 5th asking for an extension and they responded back and told me yes and that I would have a late fee. I was fine with that. What happened instead was that they ended up auctioning off 20 years of my life. My military memories, the hard drive that contained the birth of my daughter, stocks and bonds and other phi/pii information and valuables. Nobody called me as a courtesy to say you forgot to make payment or to even ask or notify me about the auction. I remembered that I was due to pay a few days later than I told them on Saturday morning and called as soon as I knew they were open. The lady that was working on Saturday was very uncaring and unwilling to help me. I spoke her for maybe a total of 8 minutes through the entire day and she hung up on me, and started not answering my calls. All I wanted was the information promised to me that she and I discussed. I am deeply saddened, hurt, depressed and the replacement of these items and the over $15000 that I spent to maintain them over the past four plus years is gone. I had to leave ****** in a hurried and emotional state due to my divorce and now I have lost it all. Their negligence is unfair and inexcusable.

  Customer response

  08/02/2022

  
  My storage was sold and due to new management, I lost a piece of me. I acquired this storage unit in 2017 and have been paying for this storage unit since then for over 4 years 
  
  I purchased a home this year and have been adjusting to an extremely high mortgage - due to the fact that I wasnt supposed to have taxes and fees due to my military status but, I closed after January, so I have to pay an additional $700 a month that I wasnt expecting to. 
  
  I also care for my mother and pay her rent, utilities, car payment and have her on my other bills (cell phone and car insurance) due to COVID. I always pay my storage **** and have always been very communicative with them and I have never had an issue with them not communicating with me, until recently. I was behind a little and adjusting to my mortgage payments of $2400 and needed to pay my last few months at the end of July. I emailed them on July 5th asking to pay at the end of the month and they responded back and told me that I could pay by the date that I was asking and that I would have a late fee. I was fine with that. This verbal agreement told me that I had until last week to pay and would only acquire a late fee. In the past - when I was close to foreclosure or auction - they would email me a copy of the letter - to ensure I had been made aware of the status of my account. But, not this time. What happened instead was that they ended up auctioning off my entire life. 20 years of my life was in that storage unit. 
  
  I had to store my things with WCSS because I was leaving my husband and starting over. It was hard and I always communicated and I always paid. I have been paying for this storage since 2017 and to lose everything it hurts beyond repair. 
  
  I remembered that I was due to pay Saturday morning and called as soon as I knew they were open. Sometimes life gets away from you but, never too late for me. I do have a lot going on so sometimes a few days pass before I can gather my thoughts. But, I called them on Saturday to make my payment a few days late to find out they had auctioned my storage unit and all of its contents on that past Thursday.  
  
  The employee that was working on Saturday was very uncaring and unwilling to help me. I spoke with them for maybe a total of 8 minutes through the entire day and they hung up on me, and started not answering my calls (I had my boyfriend call and once they heard my voice she hung up again). All I wanted was the information on communications they stated they made to me and to know the number to the manager (which they offered to me) they also stated that some of my personal belongings were there still and that they would get my information to figure out how to get those items to me.
  
  I was told by the employee working that day that they would call me back in 30 mins to tell me what was left. She said I hadnt communicated with them since June and I knew better but, I was just so emotional (in distress I wailed a cry that I have never let out before). So, I didnt have time to check at that moment. She said she would call me back in 30 mins but, it never happened. 
    
  I finally stopped crying and called her back and by this time, I had found the email. She didnt answer so I left a voicemail. I called again and she answered and said she was busy. I told her as much as I could and then advised her I was suing. 
  
  She never called back. So I called her back. She only stayed on the phone with me for 4 minutes and then hung up on me because as she said there was nothing that could be done right then saying she was just agreeing with what I had originally said and she chose to hang up on me as she had customers in front of her. 
  
  I understand that she cant help me as my storage was already auctioned but she was supposed to call me back and devote some time to me. I need to know what communications were sent and get proof of them and also understand why no one called or emailed me - when that is how we communicate and how precious auctions/foreclosure notices were sent to me. I literally have nothing except an email saying my credit card is expiring and another for my new ****. 
  
  I am deeply saddened, hurt, depressed and the replacement of these items and the over $15000 that I spent, over the four plus years, to have them (WCSS) hold and secure my belongings and maintain them over the past four plus years is gone. Nothing can bring those items back - especially if theyve been sold already. I am distraught and cannot understand why they would do this to me when I had to leave ****** in such a hurried and emotional state due to my divorce and inability to live in ****** any more. And though I have struggled over the years I have always come up with the money to pay my storage. So for them to dissolve all of that in one day, last week because Im human and forgot to call on the exact day and ended up calling on Saturday instead to pay I lost it all. Their negligence is unfair and inexcusable. 
  
  I had a hard drive that had my daughters birth, all of her baby videos and time in the hospital etc and important tax and personal phi/pii info on it. My military memories, couture items ******* coach, etc), stocks and bonds and other items.. Nobody called me or emailed me to say you forgot to make payment or to even ask me if I had forgotten or to notify me about the auction. 
  
  Im just so hurt and the pain is immense. 
  
  I found out that they are under new management and that they changed the way they do things. But, thats wasnt communicated to the customers via any kind of communication. They wont send me a copy of the contract and told me they retrieved some personal items but wont tell me what they are - nor will they send them to me nor are they able to help me retrieve my hard-drive or any other items I lost. And said I have a year to come get my items myself. 
  
  "Carpe diem, et vivet anima tua"
  "Seize the day and live your life!"
  ********************************
  ********************* email
  ************ cell
  Sent from my iPhone
  

  
  

  Business response

  08/08/2022

  Dear ********************************* & The BBB,
  
  We received the complaint filed on 8/01/2022 regarding unit **** and have outlined our process below.
  Notice was sent to ******************** that on 5/11/2022 a late fee had been added to the account.
  On 5/17/2022 a prelien notice was sent to the last known address provided by ********************, stating that the account was further past due, and that access would be denied if the account were to become 30 days past due.
  Per ORS ******, on 5/27/2022, a Notice of Foreclosure and Sale was sent via certificate of mailing to the last known address provided by ********************. This letter stated that if the total amount due was not paid by 5/30/2022 then a $58 foreclosure fee would be assessed and access to the unit would be denied. Per ORS ****** a Lien was then placed on the contents of unit **** on 5/31/2022.
  The letter mailed on 5/27/2022, stated that if the account was not paid in full by 7/1/2022, the contents of the storage unit would be advertised and sold at public auction on or after 7/15/2022. (ORS ******)
  Due to non-payment of the account the contents of the storage unit **** were sold to the highest bidder on 7/28/2022 per ORS 87.691.
  
  Sincerely and respectfully,
  *********************
  District Manager
  West Coast Self-Storage

  Customer response

  08/09/2022

   
  Complaint: 17652315
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I was in communication with them after each of these instances. I made them aware of my situation of adjusting to having to pay my moms rent ($700+ a month) and my mortgage ($2400 - which is an increase of $800 from what my my rent was, and it was supposed to be $1700 but because my closing date surpassed the end of January I also had to oh the taxes and fees despite my military status. When I emailed them on July 5th asking for an extension, the response was yea I can pay late but, I will receive a late fee. There was no mention of my storage being sold if I did not pay. I advised them that Im the past they had emailed or called me and when I asked them why they didnt this time, they only stated that they just dont any more. They stated that, they were under new management. 

  I advised them that in the past I had given them over 15k to hold and protect my belongings so why wouldnt I pay them? I said in the past, I had a relationship with the previous manager, he knew me, he knew my story - the pain and the hardship I endured leaving my things in ****** they had no response. You cant change the way things are handled without any communication to the customers. I had no idea that they wouldntt email me anymore. I never was a user of ***** I had even declined mail on my account and my preferred method was phone calls and email.
  

  They never emailed me or called me to relay this info. I lost items that are irreplaceable. They dont care. I never complained about late fees, I always paid, I needed time and that was my message on July 5th. I called them on 7/30, I was due to pay on 7/27 and they sold my items on 7/28 without any notice or information they told me I could pay late so their mailings were irrelevant to the agreement we had via email. They dont even coincide. 
  

  they never told me they would sell my items on 7/28 if I didnt pay on 7/27.

  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

*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. ↩