Public Storage, West Covina, CA Public Storage West Covina, CA Theft - June 2014 - Insurance denied claim because thief picked the lock vs. forced entry!!! West Covina, CA Nationwide

FYI - Hope this Helps

1.    I have a inside 1st floor storage unit at Storage West that was recently burglarized and things stolen. Many inside 1st floor storage units are vulnerable with little or no security features or prevention, no matter which storage facilty it is if no inside security cameras, if thief can ebter storage units from the hallway due to gaps (spaces0 above the storage unit, if the storage buildings are kept unlocked after the office is closed, etc.

On 5/25/2015 I learned this the hard way; I learned for the 1st time the storage buildings are never locked, and the posted gate entry/exit hours are misleading. This could be the same in your case. Don't believe or rely on what a storage facility (employee/employees or ads) say or state. The gate hours posted 7am to 7 pm hours; in reality, which the this storage facility LIKE MANY OTHER STORAGE FACILITIES DON'T POST IN THEIR CONTRACTS, DON'T POST IN THEIR WEBSITES, DON'T POST ON THEIR FACILITY GATES IS:

a.)   Many customers have 24 hour access in/out the gates & in/out the storage buildings.

b.)   Because of this, storage facilities WILL LEAVE STORAGE BUILDINGS UNLOCKED ALWAYS,

       24 hours a day, 7 days week.

c.)    Ads about onsite managers os deceitful, misleading ads because:

        It doesn't matter if a manager lives there - once the office is closed, the onsite

        manager is OFF DUTY to the storage unit Customers/Renters.

d.)    If the inside of a storage building HAS BEAMS that go through the HALLWAYS and also ABOVE AND OVER the STORAGE UNITS, that HAVE GAPS (open spaces between the beams) THIEVES DON'T NEED TO PICK ANY LOCK....THIEVES CAN ENTER A STORAGE UNIT FROM THE HALLWAYS using a ladder and entering inside storage units through such gaps (spaces) created by DEFECTIVE/FLAWED BUILDING DESIGNS and WEAK SECURITY. This is how thieves got into my storage unit and stole things and for years I was led to believe the storage buildings were:

d1.)   Led to believe bldgs. were patrolled after hours by onsite manager - they weren't;

d2.)   Led to believe the buildings were locked up shortly after or around the time the office was closed - they weren't (locked up at all)

d3.)   Led to believe the inaccurate, misleading advertised and posted Gate Hours;

d4.)   Led to believe ads about security cameras throughout premises meant it included security cameras being inside the storage buildings - which they aren't;

d5.)   Led to believe staff (employee or storage facility business) bothered to look at the tapes security camera videos - which most often they don't bother to do. Most storage facilities are UNDERSTAFFED, only 1 employee there to do everything and no time to review security camera video feeds/footages because UNDERSTAFFED facility employee(s) are TOO BUSY ANSWERING PHONES, TAKING RENT $$$, SHOWING POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS STORAGE UNITS, TALKING TO PEOPLE AT THE PREMISES, etc., etc., to HAVE TIME FOR INVESTIGATING THEFTS; TO HAVE TIME TO WRITE ANY INCIDENT REPORT, or TO HAVE TIME TO REVIEW SECURITY CAMERA VIDEO(S).

2.)  STORAGE FACILITIES constantly mislead the unsuspecting public with deceitful ads and statements. Storage businesses worry more about getting $$$ in and worry more about their so-called storage facility "Being SECURED; great security reputation" being tarnished  instead of worrying about the existing customer, so they don't like to acknowledge reported burrglaries, thefts and weak security of their so-called secured storage facility. They instead either ignore the customer when burglaries or thefts are reported to them; make lame excuses to insurance procedures, customer service & legal procedures, etc., or won't cooperate with the storage renter/victim and won't cooperate with the police. Storage facilities don't want to acknoewledge LIABIILITY and also DON'T WANT TO SPEND THE MONEY TO MAKE THE FACILITY MORE SECURE, when SECURITY BREACHES, DEFECTS, FLAWS, WEAKNESSES, &/or VULNERABILITIES are pointed out to the public storage business.

3.   FYI - always do an "OPT OUT" whenever you get any notices of changes to your contract, to the storage business new rules and requirements, etc. Its for your protection and STORAGE FACILITIES FORCE CONTRACT CHANGES ON CUSTOMERS THAT ARE TO THE STORAGE BUSINESS BENEFIT & PROTECTION, not the for the consumer/customer/renter/tenant's benefit or protection. So alwats READ MAILED NOTICES & "OPT OUT" to protect yourself. 

4.    File a complaint online with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) of false advertisements and false storage facility webpage statements regarding incorrect gate hours, misleading customer service, misleading stated procedures, misleading security statements about the faciulty's security cameras and onsite manager (staff), etc., at: www.bbb.org

5.    File a similar complaint with the Federal Trade Commision (FTC) at:  www.ftc.gov

6.    Try contacting TV news agencies like I doid. If enough people start contacting TB news channels and complaint and report these kind of bad storage facility experiences and practices, then a TV news station may start putting it on the news.

HOPE this Helps. Signed:   Concerned Citizen