Public storage self storage in Olympia Washington advertises $1 pays your first month's rent, but they don't advertise the fact that if you are 6 days late on a payment, they charge you $20. A day after the month has passed, $50, and another on the 6th $20 before they could auction it off the next week an eager crowd. Thats your childhood photos, your mountain bike, your grandma's recipes, books, camping gear, supplies for a lifelong project. Effectively, if you are 37 days late on a $70 storage unit they charge $90, more than the rent for that month.
I came in on the 1st of February with funds for January and February. They had already tacked on a $50 “lean fee” (in addition to a late fee in January), and the manager Diane would not have any compassion for the fact that I showed up 20 minutes after they opened to take care of it, I in truth did not know about the lean fee either. Without waxing too poetic, it is easy for people behind a counter to heartlessly charge fees that may be very fair to them, but the cheap first month's rent brings in customers who may not pay on time, making them subject to these fees that however unreasonable, may leave them open to losing all their possessions. For some people, it is stories like this that brought them from troubled in transition to destitute on the street. All for $90 in fees sometimes these things come down to. So, when it comes down to it, Public Storage is just yet another example of a chain business excerting their powers to contort funds and possessions from people who sometimes are unprepared for their predatory nature. I urge all those who are considering a storage unit to go for someone more local, with a fair game, and a mind for service to their community, even if places like Public Storage advertise state of the art facilities, I am sure that other local businesses have similar setups. So if it is convenient and viable for you to explore a more local and friendly option, I encourage you to.
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