Hurricane Sandy Victim Has Stored Property Auctioned Off

Hurricane Sandy Victim Has Stored Property Auctioned Off

By Jessica Tyner

Darren kept valuables, keepsakes and important documents in his Public Storage mini self-storage unit in New York. Like many other people, he assumed it was safe, maintained and that the managers would respect his property — he was wrong, according to a story he posted in a complaint forum. There are numerous horror stories like Darren’s about Public Storage wrongly auctioning off property with little or no notice. Even if you read the fine print carefully, little can be done once your property has been sold to the highest bidder.

Take a look at the TV show “Storage Wars” and it’s easy to see how many people are desperate to purchase your stored items at a bargain. While “Storage Wars” faces its own lawsuit for false advertising and being rigged, storage facilities like Public Storage in New York are also under fire. Here’s Darren’s story. Sadly, there are many other Public Storage victims just like him.

Public Storage Rental Hikes

When Darren first rented his unit, he was told that the rent may increase a small amount in six months. This should have been his first warning sign, since nothing was put in writing, but he didn’t think much of it. At the six-month mark, his $125 per month storage unit was raised to $200 per month. Numerous times, he saw deals featured for Public Storage, but he never received any of those benefits even as a new customer. However, it was when Hurricane Sandy hit that he really began to suffer.

Darren is one of Sandy’s victims, and he was scrambling to get back on his feet after his life was turned upside down. He was one month late on his Public Storage rent, and that’s when he found out 30 days is the sole grace period. However, Public Storage didn’t put everything on the auction block just yet. First, they raised Darren’s bill by 30 percent, hoping to squeeze a little more out of him he believes. If he couldn’t afford the $200 per month rent, he certainly couldn’t’ afford back rent plus a 30 percent penalty.

What Loyalty?

When Darren hit his rough patch, he had faithfully paid Public Storage on time for six years, but he says they didn’t care. Customer loyalty didn’t mean much when he was late, even though he tried to work with them and explain he’d lost his belongings and job because of the natural disaster. According to Darren, Public Storage doesn’t care about their customers at all, and they operate on an increase the rent and late fee model to make money.

Once you’re late on your rent, the property is no longer yours. It doesn’t matter if you’re storing your grandmother’s jewelry in a storage unit — it’s never a good idea to put irreplaceable things in storage. Auctions often happen quickly, and it’s sometimes impossible to take legal action in time. However, the numerous complaints against New York public storage units have been snowballing into a storage class action lawsuit investigation.

Did You Get Wronged by a New York Storage Company?

Are you the victim of rental hikes, auctioned-off property or a storage facility that didn’t protect your belongings? If so, you might have a storage company legal claim. No matter how valuable your property is (or not), you paid for protection and you deserve it.

Discover more today by visiting the New York Mini Storage Property Seizure Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. After you submit your public storage story, an attorney will get in touch if you have a case. You’ll be able to discuss your storage unit claim review at no charge.

Updated June 17th, 2013

All class action and lawsuit news updates are listed in the Lawsuit News section of Top Class Actions