Shurgard Storage Rip-off - Seattle, WA ..do NOT use locks supplied by storage facilities

After storing things safely at Shurgard/Seattle for several years, I discovered that a very expensive TV, a smaller TV and TV cart had all been stolen from my storage space. The lock on the unit had been picked. When I was in the storage office reporting the theft, another Shurgard customer said that he too had had things taken and that he thought he knew who did it, that the police possibly had someone in custody that had a locker full of things,for reasons that I will not go into here.
I later came to believe that that indivdual may have been the person that took my things.

The Shurgard person on duty that day did not seem particularly interested in looking at any videotapes: "Do you know how long that would take?" was his response to my request. He threw up his hands. Later, in another conversation with the Manager, I was treated more considerately.

After filing the police report, when trying to contact them again to follow-up, I either got a busy signal or was told that they would contact me if they recovered the property. They did not want to be bothered by people looking for their property or asking questions.

Be sure you do NOT use locks supplied by storage facilities. Get your own locks, and make sure they are top of the line (I got Medco). If you have a good lock (better yet, two) on your unit, the thieves will go someplace where they can steal with less hassle. Once the stuff is gone, the liklihood of recovery is slim.

Properly insuring all goods is also a must. Many insurance companies will not write standalone policies for goods in storage, but most offer riders where you can get insurance through a homeowner or renter's policy.