StorSafe of Port Washington

Very easy to deal with and helpfully.

The unit I received doesn’t fit what I need to store and every time I try to call I get sidelined, I’m refusing to pay for what is essentially a rip off

Great value and secure location. Signing up and ending the lease was trouble free. No issues during my ~ 8 months of storage. Best pricing compared to other options in the Port Washington/saukville area.

Don't rent from these folks. Short take: Onerous, spotty 10 page contract shown only after you've paid, numerous fees to pay both up front and after rental starts, ineffective customer service, never got access to my locker, no human to talk with--all automated responses.

Port Washington Self Storage was evidently recently acquired by StorSafe. I tried to rent a locker at what is now Storsafe of Port Washington. Their web site made me pay before showing me the contract. That should've been my red flag.

The contract was 10 pages of small print, not savable or printable from the web site. They required a photo of my driver's license, a declaration page from my insurance and permission to keep my credit card information on file for 'autopay' to avoid an additional monthly fee.

It's customary in this area to rent a storage locker by providing the first month's rent plus a small security deposit of $20-100 depending on the size of the locker. Contracts are generally 1 page long together with a concise list of site rules. Storsafe required a $29 'administrative fee,' a 19.99 'lock disc' fee, plus a $1 sales tax--for the never-provided 'lock disc.'

The contract had some very onerous terms--they reserve the right to sell the contents of your locker if you're 5 days late on your payment. Another clause was the warning that the Owner does not promise safety for personal information including payment information and the Renter waives the right to hold the Owner responsible for invalid payment method usage or other identity damages. Another clause warned that no vehicles of any kind are allowed to be stored, yet a few clauses later they asked for the description, VIN number and license number of the car to be stored. I've rented lockers for decades now for winter storage for my classic cars and never seen fees like this or terms this draconian.

The only reason I forged ahead through all of this was that they already had my money. But with the heavy lifting done (or so I thought), I expected to receive prompt and professional service. Two days later they decided to email a copy of part (not all) of the contract, signed by a Tyrone Battle, who claims to be the site manager (not the Mark that everyone is writing about here).

I wrote back asking for access information. Over the course of the next 24 hours they sent four identical messages with the combination for a so-called 'Da Vinci Lock' that they said locked my unit. That lock was to be returned as soon as I took occupancy, according to the contract, or I would face a large penalty (one of many penalties spelled out in the 10-page contract). Knowing the site has an automatic entrance gate with a gate code, I wrote and asked specifically for the gate code. Again they sent me two messages with the Da Vinci lock combination, but no gate code.

Thinking the gate code must be the same as the Da Vinci lock combo, I drove the 8 miles from my home to the storage site. I tried every number they had sent--the lock combo, the lock serial number, the contract number, a 10-digit number pre-printed on the contract before I signed it labeled 'access code'--the gate would not open. I called the number posted on the gate to ask for help but only got an answering system. I left a message and more than 8 hours later I got (you guessed it) two more messages with the DaVinci lock combination, but nothing on the gate code.

I wish I'd never embarked on this disastrous adventure and am contacting my attorney to find out how best to extricate myself. My preferred storage locker company (I've used 6 different outfits in the area) is out of lockers the size I need, but has a locker about twice the necessary size for about twice the price. Envisioning the world of pain StorSafe has in 'Stor' for me, I'm thinking paying double to be treated professionally and fairly is looking pretty good.