Public Storage false advertising, owed refund but sent to collections! Amherst New York

In March 25, 2006 I rented a Public Storage rental unit, which was advertised as being for $1.00 for the first month. In early April, I got a call from one of the owners who said that I owed a partial payment for the pro-rated month of April, some $35.00. I asked her why and told her I planned on leaving before the month was up, but she wanted payment anyway, which I paid.

I moved out of the unit on 4/15/06 and have a written receipt from their office stating that I owed nothing else.

I then realized that I had paid for part of a month that I didn't use and they knew I wasn't going to use. I was told that it was going to be taken care of and got phone messages from regional managers telling me that in just a few days I should get a check in the mail for the difference. I never received the check, but at the point I was just glad to be rid of them.

Today I received mail from AlliedInterstate stating that Public Storage had placed an account in collections for $35.00.

I tried calling their customer service #, which specifically states that their collection department is open until 5pm PST on Saturday, and lo and behold it was closed. I talked to general customer service who told me that they don't have any managers on duty, nor do they provide last names or employee numbers.

As a last ditch, I tried contacting Allied Interstate at 888-886-1807, and after a few seconds the number disconnects me.

Do I have legal grounds to file a lawsuit for the time and aggravation that this has caused me?

They're threatening to report me to a credit bureau and I don't have the time or patience to mess around disputing this with all 3 of them.

Matt
Amherst, New York
U.S.A.