Extra Space Storage My bad experience with Extra Space Storage Fairfield Ohio

I am an ordained minister that specializes in several different types of counseling services, and I work by appointment only. My income fluctuates from week to week due to that, but I normally have a "bottom line" that I can count on as far as income for the month is concerned, because I have regular clients established. I have had to live in extended-stay type facilities while I have fund-raisers going to raise funds for a permanent space to work and live out of, and have had to store most of my belongings in the meantime.

First of all, keep in mind that all those 5-star reviews on Google are from people that are getting a discount on their first month's rent if they give a favorable review. That being said, I don't so much have a problem with the facility itself, or the staff, but with the company that owns and runs the facility. From my experience with storage spaces, their rates run middle-of-the-road to high, and I have found their late fees to be outrageous. So you had best make sure that you are going to ALWAYS be able to pay your fees on time, or the fees with rack up fast and high.

This facility changed hands 3 times since I first rented a space with them. First it was "My Storage Space", then "U-Cube Storage", and now "Extra Space". And each time it was sold, the fees went up and so did the late fees (I had my space for 8 years). I had no problems with the staff at any time, and the facility itself is secure, clean, and safe. When I first rented the space, it was before the banking crisis in 2008, and the fees were very easy for me to pay on time. Like everyone else, my finances suffered from the economy taking a dive. But as the economy got worse and worse, my storage fees kept getting higher and higher, and my income was going lower and lower (I pull in about 1/3 of what I was making in early 2008 when I rented the space.). So my storage fees that were once very easy for me to pay on time became a financial hardship. While other storage companies are being a bit more accommodating about HOW they allow you to get caught up on your fees (like breaking them up into smaller payments), this company still acts like it's 2007 and the economy is still booming. They always demand that the total amount be paid, or not at all. If you get behind on your fees, and they become too large for you to pay in one lump, they will cut your lock off and auction off your belongings for whatever they can get for them (I think the owners have been watching too much "Storage Wars" on cable.). That is not the employees fault, it's the owners' fault. Now what does it matter if you pay your fees in 2 or 3 payments until they are caught up, as long as they are paid? None that I can see, especially if you are still paying extra via all the late fees. Yet this company still insists on the total amount in one lump or lose your belongings to some stranger who bids on your personal treasures for a mere fraction of what is owed on your bill. That doesn't make sense to me. If I was a relatively new customer that went into default right away, I could maybe see it. But not for someone who has had belongings stored in the facility for 8 years and, for the most part, paid their bill on time. I obviously didn't have "worthless crap" stored there, or I would not have been paying to store my things there for so long. I had household items, my personal clothing & shoes, a computer on which my daughter had stored a ton of photos of my grandchildren, and holiday decorations that I had collected over time...things that I did not want to fall into the hands of a stranger.

The late part of 2014, and early January 2015 my income was way below normal. I got behind once, and was able to pay the fees and get caught up. Then I got behind again, because I was having to pay other bills that were let go to pay all my fees in one lump the first time. So by the beginning of January 2015, Extra Space was once again threatening to auction off my stuff if I didn't pay the full amount (Oh, and no certified letters to notify you, either. The letters were sent in the same plain white envelopes that they use to send your normal invoices, and no one had to sign for it.) Unbeknownst to me, the exact date of auction had been sent to me, and it sat at the front desk where I stay for who knows how long without me seeing it. So the very day that my things were going to be auctioned off, one of the gals at the facility calls me and says I had to come up with "X" amount to keep my things from being auctioned off, minus the auction fee. But if I paid that amount, it would pay me up until the end of January, and I would have to remove my belongings by January 31st. They absolutely would not work it out so that I could keep my things there at least until Spring, when the weather was better. I literally had 1 hour to get money to them to do that. So I had to call a friend and ask them to go pay the fee for me (I was preparing for a work appointment at the time). Luckily, my business started picking up the 3rd week of January, and I was able to make arrangements for another facility, and a truck to collect my belongings by the 31st - not knowing what type of weather I would have to deal with on that day. I was fortunate enough to have good weather, when I should have been dealing with snow and ice (Thank God!). But I had to move everything myself, and the entire ordeal was so stressful that it severely aggravated 2 health conditions I have that are made worse by stress. I was sick for days afterward, and actually had to cancel work appointments. All of which could have been avoided if Extra Space would have just worked with me on paying my bill, and allowing me to keep my things where they were until Spring.

So my advice about this facility is, if you need long-term storage you should probably shop around and find a facility that is more accommodating to long-term customers. Either that, or don't plan to have your things there more than a few months, and make sure that you are going to have the funds to pay your fees before the 5th of each month. Otherwise, you'll find yourself with the same problems I had.

Sure, the gals that work there are nice enough - they are PAID to be nice. And they will be just as nice when they're telling you that they have cut off your lock and will be auctioning off your belongings.

* For the record, I have half of my belongings in another storage facility that allows me to make payments on my bill until it is caught up. And I have 24/7 access to that facility (I don't have to worry about being locked in if I'm not out by 10 PM, like at Extra Space.), and the people there are nice, too. I have had things stored there since Fall of 2007, and they have never threatened to auction off my belongings, or made it impossible for me to pay my bill. The entire facility is climate controlled, too, and the fees are less. There ARE cheaper and more accommodating facilities out there than having to deal with Extra Space holding your belongings hostage. Knowing that, I would NOT recommend this company to anyone.

* Note: the last 3 paragraphs of this review are posted on Google in correlation with the facility that I used.