Milford Mini-Storage, Inc.

Response to Customer Concern [redacted]I have reviewed the customer's first and second response to complaint ID [redacted].  I personally spoke with all employees and reviewed the documentation. I maintain my previous response to this complaint. The Delaware Code governing Self Storage was followed with regards to the sale of this customer's personal property. There was no motive or profit gained, monetary or otherwise, to sell this customer's personal property.

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.The response by the company is a complete lie and it is very shameful that these people would concoct such blatant lies to cover their mistakes. They will have to answer to God someday for these terrible lies. I was in contact with  Manager [redacted] on a monthly basis and was assured that my account was in good standing.  Nothing was ever sent to my current address. I went into the office in January 2014 and gave my new address and contact numbers.  Mr. [redacted] never mentioned anything about selling my unit  nor demanded full payment during our monthly telephone/payments calls or visits to the Milford Rent-All office.  I called on October 3rd, 2014, spoke with Mr. [redacted], and made a payment on my account. I also asked to speak to [redacted] as he had left a message on my daughter's phone. I asked Mr. [redacted] what [redacted] wanted and he said that he did not know so I left a message for [redacted] to call me. I also asked Mr. [redacted] if there was any problem with my storage unit and he said no. [redacted] did not return my call and there were no phone calls on October 6th nor did anyone at anytime ask me to come to the office and sign an "In Lieu of Sale" agreement. Again, this is a blatant lie!Procedures were not followed according to the Delaware Code governing Self Storage. 
Regards,

Mitford Mini-Storage, Inc. has verified that the charges assessed to the customer's account were and have been accurate. On August 12, 2014 when the customer made a payment, she states her balance was $260.00. At that time, her balance was actually $315.00 (afterdeducting her payment.) This...

would have been indicated on her payment receipt. At this time, the customer was ref used entry to her unit, as would any other customer.   It is our policy, which is clearly stated in the Rental Agreement, that access to the storage u nit is restricted when the customer has a past due balance.All procedures related to the sale of the customer's personal property were followed according to the Delaware Code governing Self Storage. A certified letter was sent to the customer's last known address on July 2, 2014 and returned to our office "Unclaimed, Unable to Forward.'' Milford Mini-Storage, Inc. advertised the auction according to the Delaware Code in a local newspaper  of general circulation.On October 6,2014,the day prior to the auction, contact was made with the customer.  The customer agreed to come into the office that day to sign an "In Lieu of Sale" agreement. This would have prevented the customer's property from being sold, as long as she continued to make payments according to the agreement. The customer never came into the office to sign this agreement as discussed.It is our policy to make every effort to come to a resolution prior to the sale of a customer's possessions. We are in the business of providing storage solutions. We do not like to sell our customer's property.  We regret that we were unable to come to a resolution with this customer prior to the sale of her possessions.

Review: I rented a storage unit from this company beginning February 2010, a few months after the death of my son. I was injured by my spouse on Dec 11, 2013 and Jan 11, 2014. I then had to reside in a domestic violence shelter for months of Jan and Feb 2014. Due to my husband's incarceration and my loss of income, I missed a storage payment in Dec. 2013 and April 2014. In December, I spoke with Asst. Mgr., [redacted], and informed him of my situation. Mr. [redacted] stated that this would not be a problem and advised me to keep paying on the account as I could. On Jan. 7, 2014, I went to the office and again spoke with Mr. [redacted] and made a cash payment of $110.00. At this time, I gave Mr. [redacted], two new contact numbers and my current address. I also discussed the missed payment due to injury from domestic violence (a fractured ankle and foot). Mr. [redacted] again assured me that there would be "no problem with me losing my storage unit". During the following months, I made contact with Mr. [redacted] by phone or in person keeping him informed of my situation. Each time, I was informed that there was "no problem". I paid the following: 1/7/14 cash 110.00, 2/10/14 Visa 110.00, 3/6/14 Visa $120.00, 5/12/14 Visa $120.00, 6/9/14 Visa 110.00, 7/7/14 Visa 100.00, 8/12/14 cash $110.00, 9/8/14 Visa $110.00, 10/3/14 Visa $110.00. When I came into the store on 8/12/14 and made a cash payment, I again spoke to Mr. [redacted] about my situation, as I did every month. We also discussed moving my items to a smaller unit. Mr. [redacted] stated as soon as I was caught up on rent, then I could move my items. I inquired about entering my unit to retrieve a few items that I could sell but I was refused entry. According to my records, my amount in arrears including their late fees, as of 8/12/14 was $260.00. I was assured that due to my circumstances, my account was okay. On 10/3/14, my daughter received a message from [redacted], requesting that I contact him. I called on 10/3 and left a message for [redacted]. I also spoke to Mr. [redacted] and made a payment with my Visa card. I asked Mr. [redacted] if there was a problem with my unit and he stated "no". I asked him why [redacted] called and he said he" did not know". On Oct 13, 2014, I was hospitalized for surgery and was in the hospital for 35 days. On 11/1/14, I called to make a payment on my storage unit and was told that my unit was sold on 10/7/14. I was devastated. I have made many attempts to obtain documentation and speak to the owner, Mr. Wiley and [redacted]. My phone calls were never returned. I was able to go into the office and speak to Mr. Marshall on 1/6/14. He refused to give me requested documentation from my account. I was never notified about potential sale of my unit by phone, certified mail at my new address, or by email. I was able to obtain a printout of their record of payment history. After review of this record, I found $215.00 in overcharges since Feb 2014 by Milford Rent-All. I was not only overcharged but my unit was sold despite a verbal agreement and without legal notification to myself. I was charged $110.00 rent for Oct 2014 when they had planned in September to sell my unit per an advertisement in a local paper. I live in Salisbury, MD and do not read Milford newspapers. They are claiming to have sent a cert. letter on 7/2/14 to an old address which I have not been to or resided in for over a year. They had my new address! I believe Milford Rent-All deceptively stole my storage unit in an effort to boost sales for the storage auctions held at their facility. I also believe that they have poor book-keeping practices and lack of communication between their staff.Desired Settlement: As I stated above, my son died in an accident in 2009. After difficulty in dealing with the grief, I decided to relocate. I had resided in Milford for 31 years. My friends packed up my house and I rented the unit at Milford Rent-All. I paid on this storage unit for 4 1/2 years. It has been my plan to return to Milford in 2015 at which time, I would retrieve all my belongings from the past 40 years of my life. All of my furniture, garage and outdoor items, and my children's belongings were in this unit. I also had a locked 4 drawer commercial filing cabinet with irreplaceable family photos, baby books, and documents. My daughter moved to Japan in 2010 with her husband, who was in the Air Force. I also stored many of her personal belongings in this unit. I estimate that the replaceable items in my unit have a value between 8 and $10,000. I need to do some research on the value of some of the antiques and vintage items that were stored. Milford Rent-All has made no attempt to retrieve any of my items or reimburse me for what I have lost or apologize for what they did. They had my new address but failed to notify me. My daughter's phone # is new as she has recently returned from Japan to the United States. If they had her phone number, then they had my new address. I wrote it down on two different visits to the store. Also, when I spoke to Mr. [redacted] on October 3rd and left a message for [redacted], he did not return my call.

Business

Response:

Mitford Mini-Storage, Inc. has verified that the charges assessed to the customer's account were and have been accurate. On August 12, 2014 when the customer made a payment, she states her balance was $260.00. At that time, her balance was actually $315.00 (afterdeducting her payment.) This would have been indicated on her payment receipt. At this time, the customer was ref used entry to her unit, as would any other customer. It is our policy, which is clearly stated in the Rental Agreement, that access to the storage u nit is restricted when the customer has a past due balance.All procedures related to the sale of the customer's personal property were followed according to the Delaware Code governing Self Storage. A certified letter was sent to the customer's last known address on July 2, 2014 and returned to our office "Unclaimed, Unable to Forward.'' Milford Mini-Storage, Inc. advertised the auction according to the Delaware Code in a local newspaper of general circulation.On October 6,2014,the day prior to the auction, contact was made with the customer. The customer agreed to come into the office that day to sign an "In Lieu of Sale" agreement. This would have prevented the customer's property from being sold, as long as she continued to make payments according to the agreement. The customer never came into the office to sign this agreement as discussed.It is our policy to make every effort to come to a resolution prior to the sale of a customer's possessions. We are in the business of providing storage solutions. We do not like to sell our customer's property. We regret that we were unable to come to a resolution with this customer prior to the sale of her possessions.