Rockford Storage 815storage Rockford's Free Storage Free Storage Was paid late over time and never received final paycheck Rockford Illinois

For those of you considering employment at Rockford Storage, located at 1034 Short Elm St Rockford IL (also known as 815-Storage) or even considering a storage unit at this facility, please read this before considering.

I am writing as a previous employee who has been taken for a ride by the owner, Michael Montrief. When I responded to the online posting, Michael called me about a week later from a phone number I did not recognize as it was a California phone number.

I am used to getting employment calls from nearby area codes but not from distant places so I thought this was strange. Long story short, the owner lives in Southern California, he runs the business from California and he shows up to Rockford whenever he feels he needs to fly out to visit. I accepted the job because I needed work and struggling to find a job.

When I began as property manager of this place, I notice issues with the paperwork and I discovered unpaid bills. Michael's response was to blame the previous staff. With much regret now, I bought into his excuses. He would talk about how the previous staff would not do things correctly and how they placed him into this mess.

In order to get paid, I was required to open a checking account at a bank here in Rockford that he banks with. He held a business account at a bank that was guaranteed to have a branch here in Rockford and a branch in Southern California. I understand this type of banking practice but having to open a new account so I can get paid seemed bizarre, considering most employers don't require this.

I went ahead and did it because I need to get paid. I would withdraw the money and move it to my personal account at my original bank. I noticed was getting paid the full gross pay amount with no tax deductions. When I asked Michael about this, he stated that I was an independent contractor.

This is not what I signed up for and I never completed a 1099 form for him, which is a requirement of being an independent contractor. I also did not sign an independent contractor agreement. Throughout the course of my employment at the storage facility, I found it challenging to please Michael. He always seemed to be angry at me constantly, telling me that I was doing things wrong or that I wasn't "using the right vocabulary" with other people I was communicating with.

He would also criticize me whenever something I did would not satisfy him. Michael was also persistent with his way of conducting business, even though no other company I have worked for would never consider his ways, such as using the "cheapest" laborers for maintenance matters, which turned out to have shoddy results.

Michael also has many vendors that he owed money to. The fire sprinkler system had been worked on with a bill that was in the thousands of dollars range that he supposedly still owed money on. I also received various phone calls and even a couple of visits regarding the recovery of corvettes. The taxes were always paid late, if ever.

He owed a roofing contractor who did roof maintenance (when the roof needs more than maintenance). I remember some accountant from Wisconsin claiming that Michael owed him money a few years ago for coming to train previous staff onQuickbooks. I would tell Michael about these and he told me that I need to deal with these people using the "right vocabulary."

By the way, he could never tell me what I need to say to these people but wanted me to figure it out on my own, despite the fact I knew nothing about these past issues. When I first started customers would ask me what happened to the 'last guy and would mention that this place always has too much turnover. I would tell them what Michael wanted me to tell them.

He instructed me to tell customers that he moved on to a different job. The truth was the guy left because he was not getting paid, which I found out two months later from a long-term customer who heard it from him and previous staff prior to him. I also noticed my payroll was being delayed, which Michael always ad an excuse for the delay.

After several delayed payroll deadlines, I addressed this with Michael. He was on the defense, telling me that he will pay me when he pays me. I told him that he is required by law to process payroll on time and no less than twice a month in the State of Illinois. This threat did not work on him, unfortunately.

The supposed last paycheck I was supposed to receive I did not receive so I finally quit and held the keys to the facility and told him I would return the keys as soon as he pays me. Unfortunately it did not work because he had the locks changed instead. I later found out through the grapevine that others have done the same thing with the keys and he just gets the locks changed.

The maintenance of the facility is a major issue. Michael would always talk about how he wanted things updated and functioning. It is definitely a plus, except for one major problem: MONEY!!!!! The business cash flow does not draw in a sufficient cash flow to support capital projects.

Also, the facility is at an age and condition that requires much needed repairs that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The roof is in need of major repair by a professional company. He has hired second hand laborers with limited training to repair the roof and the results were awful.

The restrooms were not functioning and a port-a-pot was substituted (this may have changed since I left). Several beams are cracking. The office heat is inadequate. The freight elevator has constant issues and is not certified. Michael claims that the elevator does not need to be certified, just don't let anyone ride the elevator and keep the buttons inside covered up.

Most of the emergency lights and exit signs don't work. The main part of the facility had only one emergency exit, but I have noticed a new exit added since. The concrete to the right of the receiving dock area is ready to collapse in a possible tragic manner.

I have had several customers complain to me that their belongings have been ruined while stored. The biggest complaint has been water damage. Michael has this policy that everyone must cover their stuff with a 50 cent piece of plastic (mainly used as a painter's tarp) that is almost impossible to cover stuff once everything is in the unit and has been ineffective for many customers I have personally dealt with.

Michael's way of facility maintenance is a band-aid repair and he swears by it. He also owns several rental homes throughout Rockford and he does the same thing with his maintenance on the homes. Tenants have complained about the homes and has even referred to the landlord as being a slumlord.

The man himself Michael Montrief is another story. This man is very dishonest in his business dealings. He claims that he graduated high school early with excellent grades and went off to college. He claims to have a law degree but chose not to pursue the legal field.

Internet research show the total opposite, claiming that he has been banned from the bar. Michael will brag about himself and tell people how intelligent he is and what he has accomplished in life. He has also created websites that brag about him and wrote them in third person to make it appear as if someone else wrote the articles.

Earlier I made mention of Michael not paying his vendors. This is another one of his way of handling business matters. He will hire someone to do something and make a promise that they will get paid at a certain point in time.

Payment is never made to most people. If a down payment is required he may pay that just to get the project completed and flake on them. If he gets threatened with legal action, he may send them some money to make the vendor go away for a period of time. His goal is to not pay and hoping his vendors will forget all about it or just give up.

Let me not forget to mention what Micahel sees in Rockford. He claims that Rockford is making a comeback and that the storage facility will see amazing growth. He also believes the storage can attract a great clientel of customers from all over Northern Illinois. The fact is this facility is only catering mainly to the people who live minutes from the facility and store at Rockford Storage because it's their only option.

Many who live in the neighborhood have talked negatively about the business and former customers have expressed buyers remorse. Very few come from outside of Rockford. Since I left, I sought out people to speak with who store elsewhere. They tell me they chose their current facility because of close proximity to their homes and security that satisfies their comfort level.

When I would bring up Rockford Storage and mention the prices, all I have spoken with told me they would not store there because of its undesirable location. One person told me when she was looking around for storage, she saw the Rockford Storage website and liked what she saw until she saw the address and decided to keep looking.

A huge matter that bothered me: Michael wanted his Google presence enhanced by demanding that I find customers who are willing to leave positive feedback. He was determined that more 5 star reviews will improve his Google ranking and place the business at the top.

I would just give him the typical OK response but honestly I refused because I felt it was dishonest and I was also concerned that someone may even leave negative feedback and mention the fact in the review that the company was seeking people to leave positive reviews.

I have come across reviews like this before when I researched other business for my personal benefit. Rokford Storage had a couple negative reviews posted before I began working at the facility and it has increased since. Michael wanted me to find out who these negative feedback characters were and try to offer them cash in exchange for removing the review.

I just told him I will see what I can do. I really wasn't going to do it because I felt this may possibly open a can of worms or possibly put me in danger of backlash. I told my grandpa about it and he strongly advised me against it. Bottom line: ***If you are a potential employee seeking work at Rockford Storage, you are better off looking elsewhere.

If you do have to settle on this job, I will advise you to keep looking for another job while you work for Michael until someone else hires you. ***If you are a potential vendor, don't provide your services to Rockford Storage nor anything else associated with MichaelMontrief (He also owns rental properties). ***If you are a potential customer, find another facility to store your belongings. ***

If you are a current customer, depending on how long you plan to store, I would advise you to find another facility to store your belongings. You can find plenty of facilities in Rockford at a decent price with 24 hour access.