Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I went to Wise Choice Self Storage on July 1, 2023 to retrieve a gold rope chain that my late Grandmother had given me years before her death. I was wearing a heart pennant that contained my late son's ashes, which was worn with the rusted chain. My son passed away on March 17, 2023. I planned to replace the rusted chain with the gold rope chain.I opened my storage unit at Wise Choice Self Storage to find a mess. The gold chain that I went to retrieve was gone as well as all of my other jewelry that I had hidden in the unit. I notified storage management of the theft and filed a report with the **********************, #CR23-004270. I later noticed the Asian unit holder next to me was robbed also. The police were notified.A suspect achieved access to our units from the ventilation holes at the top of the south walls, which were improperly constructed. The holes were made big enough for a grown person to crawl through, which I demonstrated to the police and storage unit management. The suspect took advantage of the situation. The suspect entered through his own unit, crawled into the Asian man's storage unit and stole valuable belongings, then crawled into my storage unit and stole all of my jewelry that I had hidden. I believe other items were stolen, but nothing was as valuable as my jewelry, some of which, I had been collecting since I was in high school. I reported the theft to my ins **** but they do not cover the full value of stolen items due to policy limits.The storage owners have not taken responsibility for me or the Asian man's stolen property citing their rental agreement policy forbids it. But, I feel, there was negligence on their part because the two south walls on the two storage units were not built to the proper specifications which gave the suspect the ability to gain unlawful entry and steal.Wise Choice Self Storage is negligent for improperly building/securing the units. The unit on my opposite site had no flaws.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/12/2024

  I am the owner of Wise Choice Self Storage.  Upon renting a unit, all tenants sign a contract that states that they are solely responsible for the contents of their units.  We just rent them the space to store their belongings, we are not responsible for any loss or damage to their contents for any reason.  In fact, we recommend they have insurance for their property and have them check a box acknowledging this in several places on the contract.  ********************************* signed this contract.  

  
  Aside from this, we do not know how anyone could have accessed her unit without a key.  In fact, as the police report states, her unit, as well as her neighboring unit, had the locks intact and there were no signs of forced entry of any kind. Our entry gate also requires a unique code to enter the premises. So, no one could have accessed her unit without a gate code and key. 

  Please address any further correspondence to our attorney, ***********************, who has already sent you a letter regarding this issue.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/22/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:Hello,
   
  I was just able to read your email of January 12, 2024.
   
  Wise Choice Self Storage is very aware the thief got into two units from the inside ducts, therefore, there will be no signs of forced entry to either storage unit that the thief accessed.
   
  I confirmed theft and the gentleman next to me reported theft of his belongings as well.
   
  The thief would have not have been able to gain access to either unit if the walls were properly constructed.
   
  Please reopen my case, Complaint ID: ********.
   
  I do have evidence that I would like to submit that proves how the thief accessed the two storage units.  THAT WAS FAULT OF CONSTRUCTION.
   
  Wise Choice Self Storage falsely advertised the security features and are not accepting that their facility was improperly built, which allowed a thief to access my unit (and the neighboring storage unit) via the ducts FROM THE INSIDE.
   
  The north walls were properly constructed, but he south walls in my unit and the neighboring units were not properly constructed.   I used Wise Choice Self Storage as I believed the security features they advertise were proper.  Their security features were not proper as the construction of their facilitys south walls in at least two units were not constructed properly, which allowed for theft.
   
  I DO NOT ACCEPT THEIR EXPLANATION.
   
  Please reopen my case as I do have evidence to prove my claim.
   
  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/05/2024

  Hi, as was stated in our original response, tenant's belongings are the sole responsibility of the tenant. That is a provision in your signed contract as well as the recommendation to obtain insurance for your contents should you suffer a loss. Also, as was also previously stated, no one else reported any missing items or break-in of their unit, which includes your neighboring tenant, who is still a customer.  No units had any visible signs of forced entry, and all doors were locked. The air vents you mention are inside, between units, so a unit would have to be broken into in order to even access an air vent. There is no outside access.

  I am sorry if you are missing items but only someone with a key and an entry code to the gate would have been able to access your unit.  

  This is the last time I will be responding to this complaint on this site.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/06/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:

  February 6, 2024
  
  Dear BBB,
  
  REG: Complaint #******** for ********************************* vs Wise Choice Self Storage / Unit 71A
  
  I the former tenant and victim,*********************************, agree that I signed Wise Choice Self Storages rental agreement with the understanding that their advertisement was accurate and that their storage units were built properly enough to secure my personal belongings. 

  
  Wise Choice Self Storage committed fraud by advertising that their facility is secure.  From the outside that appears to be so when viewing the security key code panel, security gates, several cameras, barbed wire, and on-site staff. 

  
  In reality, they failed to notify me that their structure had some construction flaws that made me more likely to be a targeted victim by an unscrupulous party, which I believe to be a former tenant.   I have photographic and video evidence of this flaw.
  
  In my case, my storage unit was found to be poorly constructed on the south wall, which allowed another tenant to enter by crawling through the ducts into the adjacent unit which then allowed access into my unit.   I have photographic and video evidence of this.
  
  This unlawful access allowed another tenant, who entered through his own unit with a key, to access two other units unlawfully by crawling through the ducts, and he committed grand thefts of our property.
  
  The neighboring tenant (an elderly Asian man) and I were at Wise Choice Self Storage at the same time after I reported the theft as he was called to the facility by storage unit management. 
  
  I have evidence, of the neighboring tenant, who verbally confirmed with me that he was also robbed (from the inside / this eliminates the need for forced entry).   The **** representative lied on his BBB response when he stated no one else experienced theft.  
  
  The elderly Asian man and I were both victimized and Wise Choice Self Storage knows that we both reported thefts.
  
  I have photographs of the neighboring tenants disturbed unit.  I also took photos after he approached me with an empty container stating that his family heirloom was missing.   I also have photographs of his truck, packed with boxes, that he removed from his storage unit for safe keeping.  It seems he did not trust that some of his personal belongings would be safe at Wise Choice Self Storage so he elected to take those boxed items to his home. 
  
  During some of my discoveries the Wise Choice Self Storage manager was present (a male).  When I found some evidence, I was not able to use my cell phone to take photos of the evidence, so the **** manager let me use his personal cell phone to photograph the evidence, which he then texted the photographs to my cell phone.  This evidence has not been erased from my cell phone and clearly shows the phone number from which the evidentiary photos came.
  
  The male Wise Choice Self Storage manager said to me, I guess were going to have to fix those holes.   The female Wise Choice Self Storage manager said to me, We think we know who the suspect is.  The suspect was not the elderly Asian man, but the man in the unit next to him. The Asian mans unit was between us. 
  
  At the time, the mans unit next the Asian man was LOCKED by WISE CHOICE SELF STORAGE.  The **** manager told me that guy had not paid his bill.   BEING UNABLE TO PAY BILLS GIVE SOMEONE MOTIVE TO COMMIT THEFT.
  
  The fact that the neighboring tenant chose to remain as a tenant does not mean he is not a victim.  In fact, it took me a few weeks before I could remove my belongings and vacate the facility.
  
  I took photographic and video evidence from within my own storage unit that will allow me to prove unlawful entry was possible from within, and that my belongings were disturbed, and stolen.
  
  Filing an improper police report is unlawful.  Please be reminded that I filed a police report with the ********************** immediately after discovering the theft.   
  
  I always possessed all keys to my storage unit.  No one else had keys.  No one ever entered my storage unit unless I was present.  Wise Choice Self Storage records the comings and goings to each unit. That will prove that I was the only person to access my unit by entering my gate code, unlocking the lock, and lifting the door.
  
  I have photographic evidence from within the neighboring unit, and my unit, that proves unlawful trespass, from within our storage units that required no forced entry because the thief got in by first accessing his own storage unit with his key and using ducts to gain access to our units.
  
  Had Wise Choice Self Storage inspected their units, after construction, to make sure other tenants had no ability to enter adjacent units, front within, then these thefts would never have been possible. 
  
  **** is liable for my stolen property in this case.  I am demanding that Wise Choice Self Storage file a claim with their insurance company to reimburse me for the value of my personal belongings.
  
  Wise Choice Self Storage is trying to dodge their responsibility by indicating they would not be responding to any more of my inquiries. 
  
  
  Wise Choice Self Storage is in breach of their agreement due to poorly constructed storage units and failure to inspect their facility after construction to make sure it was properly made and secure from within.
  
  Wise Choice Self Storage falsely advertises as a safe business for which people can store their belongings.
  
  I paid my monthly bill timely during the time I was a tenant.  I demand that Wise Choice Self Storage acknowledge their error and pay me for my stolen property.  I will continue my fight, with or without their cooperation, until they make the WISE CHOICE to acknowledge and resolve my claim.
  
  *********************************