Storage West Self Storage Public Storage thinks you work for them and your stuff is their hostage Fullerton, California

I actually work for a competing storage company, and can tell you that asking someone to wait while their employer is called is not uncommon, and benefits the security of the customer.  People often try to 'tailgate-in' the gate systems by quickly following the person in front of them if they do not know the code, or are locked out by the gate system.  Most often this is just innocent, one person who pulled in behind another and just followed them in instead of punching in their own code.  However, some people are not quite so honest or innocent and will attempt this, even waiting for hours at a property while the managers are gone for the day, until someone else pull up and uses their code.

It may be a minor annoyance for some people to be stopped, but most people will understand when you explain that keeping a electronic log of all tenants on the property enhances security.  In the case of businesses, many employees may come on the property to get things for their employer, and not all of them remember, or were ever even told the code.  However, it would be foolish to assume that all people are operating in good faith, and handling the situation with care and respect ensures that those who are stopped don't feel accused, but the manager can safely verify their honest (or dishonest) intention. 

Many times when a theft occurs, the person who stole from the unit knows the tenant personally, and surprisingly may already have the key.  They already know what items are in the unit, and as said, may know the tenant personally.  In this case, it is useful and prudent to call the tenant and confirm that they are allowing this person access to their unit.  Most of the time, if I am not able to contact the tenant (or in the case of a business, the employer) the person trying to access the unit will be able to call and get the code directly from the tenant themselves, at which point they may enter the code and proceed as normal.  In this specific case, the time the gentleman had to wait seems excessive, but unfortunately it happens, and the manager would be at risk of liability had they not verified the employer.

As for being overcharged, and claiming they attempted to stall your move-out, you haven't given any information on that.  How were you overcharged, and how did they attempt to stall you?

Do you want someone with nothing to do to waste 1/2 to 1hr of your time just so they can justify their job?

Yes, if they are stoping someone who didn't use a pass code to get in.  After all keys can be stolen.