This wasn’t a planned video at all but Cubesmart upsets me every time I go to pay my bill! So I made a video about it. I’m pretty sure I’ll upset Cubesmart but hey, I owe it to the community to share my experiences and hopefully Cubesmart gets their stuff together.
So thanks Cubesmart for being the catalyst for this video. May the YouTube gods allow this to go viral!
Anyway, I have a problem with Cubesmart self storage. Every month they try to rip me off by stating that my due date is actually a whole day and a half sooner than it really is. Check the video out for proof. As extra proof I made sure to upload it the day I filmed so the whole world can see my word is bond!
So this event prompted me to make a video comparing the lovely Extra Space Storage to the scam that is Cubesmart. (Can you see already who I like most?)
So, as I go over in the video, there are 6 main things I look at when shopping for storage units. I only realized these things in hindsight after renting from two simultaneously. The list is as follows:
1. Clean spaces! I can’t really stress how important this is. This definitely will require a visit before renting, and even if you book something because you saw a great price online first, they will still allow you to do a walkthrough of the property and the storage unit you’ll personally be using. So take advantage of this!
Finding clean storage units, (and you really want storage units located indoors) ensures that your items will be stored safely away from vermin such as rats, mice, and all types of bugs looking for a new home! In addition to the wildlife, dirt, will be all over your items potentially ruining much of them.
I checked on both units after 6 months and my stuff at Extra Space Storage just looked like stuff in someone’s house. Whereas my car over at Cubesmart? Well, it looked like it had been abandoned for a decade! Don’t cheap out on this!
2. Secure location- This is another area you definitely don’t want to skimp out on. Ultimately, my car would’ve been better stored near the airport so when I fly down I don’t have to catch an hour-long Uber. But once I told the reps at Extra Space Storage and Cubesmart what kind of car it was, they all unanimously told me to keep it on the North side in one of the safer storage units, lol.
With that said, making sure that they have a gated entry is important. I don’t mean some PVC pipe gate either, you need a large metal gate that would total your car if you rammed it. Even with all of this, if the storage unit is in a sketchy part of town, you run the risk of your things being stolen or vandalized.
3. Doesn’t force you to buy their locks. This is pretty simple, of course the execs at Extra Space Storage and Cubesmart would prefer you to buy their locks because they make a killing on resale, but both reps at Extra Space and Cubesmart both were cool and told me I could find them cheaper across the street at Lowe’s. Customer service at both places were great!
4. Reasonable insurance price. If you have a car you’re storing away, this should be free as long as you have insurance yourself; but if you’re storing your household items, Extra Space Storage REQUIRED me to have insurance. I don’t know if it goes by the size of the unit, but mine is $11/mo for a 10 x 30. I didn’t think that was too bad but you guys let me know!
5. Cheap prices and coupons! The next thing you want to do obviously is find some good prices. It’s a little easier it seems to find Cubesmart coupons and Cubesmart discounts online. Extra Space Storage discounts vary between location to location and were harder for me to find, but, being nice to the lady helping me check in (ended up being the manager), gave me my first month free anyway. Awesome, awesome customer service!
What I usually do is just google “Cubesmart coupons” or “Extra Space Storage coupon code”. Something like that. Or I check on retailmenot. You let me know where you typically find your coupons online from.
Another thing to note is the time of year. The property manager at Extra Space Storage told me that the Spring time was the best time of year to rent storage units as it’s cheaper then…. SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER. So if you have a choice in the matter, shoot for a Spring move-in.
6. Fair billing. Finally, we get to billing. The whole reason I ended up making this video. I can’t speak for any other company because I’ve only ever used Cubesmart and Extra Space Storage, but Cubesmart has some really shady business practices when it comes to billing. Also, their price-hike is so much that it’s VERY noticeable and will make you want to switch self storage units. Extra Space Storage went up on me too as I discovered during the video, but it was only $10 and I didn’t notice that hike until, well, TODAY!
That’s pretty much it. At least all I can think of. If you have any other tips for self storage units let us all know in the comments.
Thanks for watching!
#extraspacestorage #cubesmart
