Illegal tactics by Life Storage located in Newport News, VA
I gave Life Storage, located at 10429 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, VA 23605, my 30-day notice of my vacating the storage. In fact, I gave them a 36-day notice. However, they deactivated my PIN well before my payment became due. I moved because when I first rented the storage 14 months ago, it was $50. They kept increasing my rent almost every other month. By the time I vacated the storage, my rent was $170. When I went to clear out my storage, all of my items had rodent poop EVERYWHERE!!! My sofa, bedroom dresser, headboard, mattress, bar stool, bar stool chairs, computer desk, office chair, 4 pairs of sneakers, 75-inch TV, clothes, etc. were literally destroyed by rodent poop. I had to throw all of those things away. My 75-inch TV was destroyed. Besides the rat poop. I'm guessing the rats had urinated on the TV because it would not turn on. The rat poop was so bad, it stained everything. Worse, Life Storage CLAIMED to be climate control, but what rat poop didn't destroy, the mold did. The smell was horrible and made my brother, mom's boyfriend, and me vomit. It smelled like death! I couldn't believe how bad it smelled and how damaged my belongings were in a unit that was supposed to be climate controlled. Anyway, I savaged some clothes, but I had to throw everything else away. I threw away all the items damaged beyond repair. I had insurance I purchased through Life Storage and took pictures of everything. Furthermore, I also paid my last month's payment. Shockingly, the insurance company denied my claim because one of the totes had a bottle of lotion in it. The lotion bottle was intact too! In fact, the tote the lotion was in was one of the only 2 totes I was able to salvage! The lotion did not spill or leak on anything, but the insurance company claimed because it was a liquid, my claim was denied. I got out as much stuff as I could the day I went there. We had to leave a couple of bags because Life Storage was closing. I closed the storage up and locked it. Even though I had already submitted my notice, I figured since I was paid up, it would be okay for me to return to get the 2 bags in a couple of days. When I returned, my PIN did not work. I called the office repeatedly during business hours and no one answered. My mom went there twice during business hours, and they were closed. All the calls and visits occurred over the course of a week. When I finally got someone on the phone, the male was hostile and extremely disrespectful. The male I spoke to hung up on me. So, the frenzy of calls started again. I was finally able to speak to a female. She wasn't as hostile as the first person I spoke to, but just as UNHELPFUL. She told me I had to get the lock off the unit and they (Life Storage) would continue to charge me until I did so. I told her my mom would be there to get the lock off the unit the following day. When my mom went to get the lock off the unit the next day, she learned my PIN had been deactivated! For several days, I called multiple times and my mom went to the office at least 3 times on separate days. All calls and visits were during business hours. My mom went twice on a Saturday and the other 2 times on a weekday. Fast-forward to today, Life Storage mailed a total of 6 letters saying I am in default! 3 of the letters were addressed to my mom. When my mom opened the letters, they had my bill information in them. My mom NEVER spoke to them and never gave them her information. My mom did NOT rent the unit with me and NEVER paid the bill. I only gave Life Storage her name so that when she went there to get the lock off the unit, they would know who she was. Those people literally sent letters to my mom for me. If I could, I would give that garbage place negative stars! I plan to look into their illegal debt collection practices. Also, Life Storage, located at 10429 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, VA 23605, lies about climate control! They have a rat infestation!