Public Storage Try Working For this Company! employee of Public Storage inside story, I will be terminated for tenant's late payments. Antioch California Nationwide

To Paul in Anaheim, I bought a brand-new Harley-Davidson and a Pontiac Trans Am, both for cash, before I even worked for PS. Honest cash, that is. I'm a straight shooter, pal. I will not commit a crime just to spite the company I work (or worked) for. See you in the unemployment line when they catch you ripping them off, dude.

To Randy in Walnut Creek, how do you know? I did my job as it was explained to me and how I was trained. The "trainers" did not tell me everything. My DM did not tell me everything. Thanks to a wonderful co-worker who brought me up to speed, I actually managed to get by for a while.

This kind of work is not what I do. I was told (by a relative of my former DM) that the job was a handyman/maintenance position that involved some retail sales and computer work. I was told by HR that they hired people only with experience in credit and collections. I found that to be untrue. Other managers have backgrounds in retail and sheet metal fabrication, for example. I was in the printing industry. I agree, I should have looked into it further, but my family was in a very bad spot and PS was an immediate solution to many problems. I took the job to help my family and that's the only reason.

As far as I am concerned, I wash my hands of Public Storage. I am no longer subject to the "Storage Mafia" attitude of the higher-ups. My DM was (and is) a good person who is too good to work for this company, but he was in the same position as the managers. Being threatened with termination is a great motivator and I do not blame him.

I have been with the company for 3 years now. The one thing that I know is that we are not calling the tenants to harrass them. We have a job to do and that is to get the numbers down. You can make a call to all past due tenants every other day if you have to to get ahold of them. We are to make a call to every tenant between the 1st and 10th then from the 10th to 20th and then 20th to end of month. If you do that then you can get your numbers down. Also everyone that works for this company knows that out district managers are trying to run 6 to 12 properties at a time they are very busy people. I do know that with our district manager we do have to remind him either by phone or by fax of the things that we need. We also know that if we can not get through to the DM then we are to call another property and ask them for help. I am not sorry that the manager at the Antioch property was fired he put himself in that position. I know that the people in my district admire and respect our DM.

It should be realized that there are always two sides to every story. This company is in business to make money. Benefits, job requirements, etc are made known at time of hire. This is America, so if you don't like the job requirements, find someplace else to work. This company might need some help with employee relations, but it is still in business to make money.

Unfortunately, pay is structured so that employees of this company gets paid the same as another within the position. That is if you are a manager doing your job according to company policies, you get paid the same as someone who just shows up and collects their pay, or someone who goes over and beyond (stays late, works off the clock to go the extra mile to help a customer,etc.). When the company finally gets tired of all the excuses the slacker employee puts forth for not doing what the job requires, then that employee is rightfully terminated.

Employees of any company would be wise to take heed of the fact that any position requires certain talents, abilities, knowledge, etc specific to a particular position. A person either is able to perform the duties required or is not. Nothing personal. Having said that, a company that wants to keep its best employees should strive to provide an employee friendly environment as a happy employee goes the extra mile everytime for the employer and morale remains high. This is a chain reaction that reaches directly to the customers and the company's chief goal--$$$$$-- are realized.

In Antioch's case, it is known that the recently relieved of his duties manager, did not always do
his job as required. This company certainly did not require him to pay tenant's delinquent accounts to keep his job. That was his choice to do so. Furthermore, it should be realized that calls to customers are made until we reach them and actually hear the intended date of payment. So the customer can avoid those calls if they would just call the manager on or before the due date and say when payment will be made. Options to move to a more affordable unit or vacate altogether are options available to everyone's satisfaction. However, until we talk to the tenant, how are we supposed to know.

Finally, a comment on auctioned units: Tenants who are placed in that position are frequently in violation of contract on several levels--Fail to keep manager updated with current contact information, pay rent as agreed, refuses certified mail and does not respond to telephone requests to call the office. How long is a company supposed to continue to store goods under these circumstances without payment. That is why all legal remedies allowed by law are taken by storage companies.

Thanks for listening.

Does your company promise one thing and deliver another?

Well, hey then, do them one better!

One little rental for public storage. And two little rentals for me!

One big box for public storage. And two little boxes for me!

Why be miserable at a terrible job? Public storage sound like a great place to me! I'm sure I'd do well there. New corvette. New computer. All on my $7.70 an hour. Oops, make that $10 an hour.

The best part; my new corvette would have a nice big storage unit to stay in. So it would stay nice and clean and smelling new inside. Thanks, public storage! You guys are the bestest company in the whole wide world!

Working for a cheating, lying, rip-off company? Those are the best kind! The benefits are great there!

Ah, the smell of leather interior in the morning! It smells like...... victory!

For the past two years my wife and I have been resident managers of a self-storage in Tucson. The company we work for is an independent management company.

From what we have seen of the large chains (Public Storage, Storage USA, etc.) we would not be interested in working for them. We cannot understand why a company would hire someone to "manage" a facility and then require them to act like robots.

A 5-percent delinquency rate is not all that bad. Delinquencies are pretty much a reflection of the neighborhood where the store is located and the store's appearance. If Public Storage wants to lower its delinquencies it should build in better areas. (I once rented from a Public Storage in Phoenix and the store was a piece of crap.)

Getting fired for posting your report was kind of predictable. Your boss can fire you for just about anything.

If you are still looking for work in the self-storage business, I would suggest contacting smaller management companies. The work is the same but the treatment is much better.

The president of the company read this and I was terminated yesterday. Apparently I signed a "loyalty oath" or some kind of thing saying I would never speak ill of Public Storage, when they hired me. If a company wishes to have loyal employees, they should strive to give their employees something to believe in. I am loyal to three things, the USA, my family and my friends. Public Storage does not deserve my loyalty. Their policy is to rule with fear and threats. A company directive is that District Managers should be feared, that's the only way to keep the peons in line.

The company is in the process of eliminating on-site managers within the next three years. The District Managers were told to lie to the Property Managers if they asked about this because the rumor is going around that they are going to be kicked out so PS can convert the apartments into more storage space.

Thanks, Ripoff Report. I hope that I may never need y'all again. Keep standing up for Truth, Justice and Free Speech

As of this point, I have finally gotten through to somebody with th HR department. It finally took an Email to the Director of Human Resources to get noticed. The lady I spoke with was very helpful and actually interested in what I had to say, even taking time out of her holiday weekend to speak with me regarding my issues. She would be the one to approve or deny any request to terminate my employment, and she has promised to investigate the circumstances behind my Final Written Warning and see to it we receive proper training in collections.