Extra Space Storage

I used to store my items at Extra Space storage when I moved here to Alameda. Very convenient from my home down the street.
Just a safety tip. The street Clement and Willow can be dangerous. Be careful driving in and out of extra space storage. A lot of speeding cars go by when you pull out of storage space. Blind spot on left as you pull out from the parked cars on Clement.
Anyway…from reading these other reviews I now realized that I got in for around $ 78 per month then shot up to believe around $ 110? I then decided best to store my items at Alameda Point Storage. A larger unit for around $ 73 per month.
The regional managers just happened to be at that location when I was moving out. I told them I could not budget that with my income at that time.
The regional manager asked what he could do to make me stay.
He said he couldn’t match the other price I was getting.
I really wanted him to know the other reasons and should have… I never found the staff at Extra Space friendly. Whatever… I could deal with that.
I didn’t like the monthly phone calls I would receive to remind me when my rent would be due. I told them to please stop calling me every month. I know when my rent was due each month. They still called anyway. Also when I would walk over to pay my bill at times they wouldn’t allow me to bring my service dog in. I asked why? He said…“all dogs bite“
I believe in live and let live. I let it go and moved on.
I go to extra space storage from time to time to help friend or clients with their storage needs.
I was there today emptying a 10×25 storage. A lot of stuff. The storage grounds were very hot from the sun beating down on all the metal units and no breeze.
My helper and I worked without our shirts on to help stay cool. My helper also uses an electric cigarette.
One of the Extra space staff came by in his golf cart and said there was no smoking. I said… oh that’s just my friends electric cigarette. He said… come on guys I can smell the cigarette smoke. His tone with us was that he didn’t believe us and talked down to us like we were a couple of hoodlums and he was a cop. «Hey guys… you need to keep your shirts on too. I politely said no.
He then left.
Shortly after the other female staff stopped by and told us also to put our shirts on. I said no. She then said «excuse me… what did you say» she made me feel like I was in the high school principals office. I just kept quiet and finished my job.
I then asked other tenants if it bothered them that we didn’t have our shirts on. They couldn’t see what the big deal was?
The staff there continues to be unfriendly and didn’t even ask nicely «hey fellas… we would appreciate it if you kept your shirts on»
I will never return there or recommend them. I will also turn down any future work on there property.

The worst bait and switch business model I have ever seen. They try to sell 10×20s that are actually two 10×10 and they call them multi-​door. Yeah right… i got a reservation for a 10×20 I didn’t call and ask for two 10×10s. They tried to sell me a 10×15 for more money. The carts dont work. They have no lighting. They suck.

My experience with the space, location, security, and service were all fine (that’s why they get 2 stars instead of 1). However…
Just as others are saying, they get you in with reasonable rates, then raise your rate as often as possible, as outlined in your contract. Of course, we all signed our contracts, so it’s not like they did something they weren’t legally allowed to do. However, just because you CAN raise rates doesn’t mean you should. The raising of rates is exactly why I got out as soon as I could. I moved out this week and I will not rent from Extra Space ever again.

Buyer beware, bait-​and-​switch!
I needed a place that was easy in and out that I could swing by before or after work because of the odd housing I had at the time. They did have the best gate hours of any of the places that I called in the area.
I ended up getting an drive up access unit near the back with 2 large steel swing doors. The unit was wide and shallow, not a big deal just odd. I did get my first month free but not a great price after that. I have another storage unit out of town that is indoors with climate control for $ 32 compared to the $ 81 I was paying here. The doors to my unit are right in the sun so everything gets hot during the day. The way the unit is built looks like the rain would come right into the unit from the top during the wet season.
After being here only 4-​half months I got a notice of rate increase for the start of my 6^th month. I went to the office and asked why and got the generic it comes from above and they can ask for a price reduction. After a week or two I went back to the office and asked what the outcome was to find out they never even heard back from management. I asked again and this time did hear back with a solid no. They did try to offer me BS like downsizing and other useless ideas that do not fix the problem of the unit being over priced.
The office staff was very nice and were trying to help but there was nothing they could do. I gave notice and moved out before the start of my 6^th month.

It really is a bait-​and-​switch model of doing business. As soon as you’re settled, the rates go up, seems like about 14% every 6 months or so. This place is fine for holding your things a few weeks between moves, but if you want to be happily settled in your new home with a little permanent offsite storage, don’t try to do that here.

I would give no stars if I could, we have been renting from this place for ten years. It has changed hands & names and the service level has dropped considerably. We were trying to consolidate 2 spaces, took the lock off one to swap for the other and didn’t replace it. The very next day, they rented it out, even though we have paid for it for another 2+ weeks. They won’t give us our money back and they won’t give us our space back. I’m fuming.
Don’t waste your money here, they will take advantage of you at every opportunity, I.e., huge increases in rent. I am a very dissatisfied customer.

Look…
I was helping a senior friend of mine in a rough financial spot clear out his storage unit at this place… My older friend was a long time customer here, and said the manager, JASON PARR, who knew him by name and face. Well. he delivered poor business/​customer service today let me tell you…
After paying what little cash he had for a months worth of storage on a freaking closet size unit ($ 70, ridiculous price for space by the way), he was there for 72 hours when I offered to help him clear it out so that he could stop a needless monthly payment. ANGELA BECK assistant manager claimed she had no power to reimburse any of the cash payment made for 72 hours of storage. lol BS. They absolutely have the power by the way, all management does (if you can take a payment, you can make a payment). She advised me to call for my friend the next day, today, to speak with manager JASON PARR for a «slim chance» he would do it. More evidence mind you refunds are completely do able. So with his robot answers from corporate, he explained how he couldn’t help because they pro-​rate for future storage but wont give money back. HA, please…
What is this AIG? We take your money but will never give it back, no exceptions? Sorry but good business doesn’t work that way. Especially not in a little town, where people know your name, and you’re working with the elderly? Come on guys!
Ive been treated better at a Oakland McDonald’s… seriously. This is completely garbage business ethics.
Do you think their corporate office is going to fire/​reprimand a «manager» for doing customer service to long time customer? Seriously? We are talking about $ 20 or $ 30 bucks, that’s it… and not a credit card mind you, simply a cash transaction.
You know the saddest part? I explained calmly in person and on the phone to JASON and his some how all assistant management team standing around lol, that this seemed to be poor business to me and my friend and that with Unilocal and review sites being heavily utilized they were playing a risky customer retention game.
They just smiled and wouldn’t make eye contact.
Ah well… good thing there are a thousand other places for you reader to go put your things. … Cause let me tell you, this aint the place you want to go. We wont be back.
ExtraSpace? No, it’s ExtraCrap.

To give you a full picture of this company I rented from extra storage space in Berkeley before moving my stuff to Alameda. While I was a customer in Berkeley my 10×10 storage unit fees increased around 11% every 6 – 9 months. When I moved my stuff out I was paying $ 349 per month!
So I moved to Alameda not realizing that the scam these guys are running comes down from corporate. I started with $ 109 per month for an 8×8 which I felt was a good price after paying $ 349. I told the site manager about my problems in Berkeley and he suggested I sign a one year lease so that I could lock in the price. Right away they started charging me $ 119 a month with a story about insurance that of course I wasn’t told about up front. They said if I had my own renters insurance policy they could remove the insurance fee. I get my policy, scan it, email it, call 3 – 4 times and finally the insurance fee is removed. Then 3 – 4 months go by and they start charging me $ 119 again. I called in and the manager said this was a normal increase. I explained that he had suggested, and I had agreed, to a one year lease to avoid at least a year of charge increases. He then said to me «That’s just the cost of doin business» I was in disbelief at this point, frustrated and angry. I stopped in the office a few weeks later and the manager had been let go or quit and someone was there taking care of things in the interim. I vented my frustrations to him and he took care of the overcharge for now. But soon the increases will come again and he said there is a ceiling but he doesn’t really know where it is. So expect to pay 10 – 20 percent a year more to store your junk every year. As one Unilocaler suggested, «save yourself a hell of a lot of money and just throw it all in a dumpster»!

I just received a refund check for a large unit my 83 year old mom thought she would need, but never stepped foot in. Thank you Earl. Wish we could have spoke.

And yesterday… another 11% raise. This is ridiculous.

I needed a clean, secure and friendly place to store all of my belongings for six months while I traveled and Extra Space Storage in Alameda fit the bill. The manager Earl was super sweet and set me up quickly. Angela and the guy on site helped me when my friend jammed the elevator. After six months of storage, I spent almost a week going there every day to repack my stuff to ship it cross country and I had a lovely time each day. It was very quiet… almost meditative and the bathroom on site even had a superb fragrance. They dealt with my movers fabulously and I really appreciated it that a staffer actually lives on site. I also saw the staff be very kind with someone who was clearly in a domestic violent situation and was afraid her husband was going to take things from her unit. The staff was kind and gentle with her… all of which makes me miss Alameda already!

Beware of this company, they lure you in with reasonable rates and then VERY quickly raise them. I opened an account in June 2010, it is now June 2011 and I have had the rates increase by approx 15% twice already. (once in August 2010 and once in April 2011). Neither time was I notified by mail, only by a phone call after the fact that my account had not been paid in full. Neither time did I receive any notification, even though they said they had sent it; but eventually realized they did not include my unit #. I asked twice to have this rectified, but it has not been done yet.
I called today and the manager said that I was given the ‘street’ rate and until it gets back to the ‘normal’ rate, it will continue to increase. He also said, after two years, the rate of increase will ‘slow’. So basically, you will continue to pay what they dictate as the ‘normal’ rate and have to deal with increases.
I am out of this place as soon as possible as there are several options in the area. I recommend getting a written commitment of rates when you sign up if you choose to go with them.
Also, their on line payment system is dreadfully slow. We’ve paid online several times and they have not received payment for up to 7 business days.
As far as a review of the facility, the units are okay, not top of the line, but not bottom of the barrel either. Basically the walls and doors are painted plywood with a lock on them. Easy forced open if need be. I’ve actually never seen a security person patrolling, but there are numerous cameras. Access is easy for bringing items in and out of units though.

I had my storage facility with Extra space from July 2005 until May 2010… When I first got the unit the people were friendly and helpful. By the end they were rude and condescending… The first year it cost me around $ 60 a month and in the end it was $ 161 a month… all of my things were moldy and wet and I decided that it just didn’t matter anymore because my things were ruined. Needless to say I stopped paying for it, they cleaned out my unit and sold all of my things. Now they have sent me to collections stating that I owe them almost $ 600. They are not a good company, and I would suggest that if you need to store something to find somewhere else to do so.

Clean, seemingly safe, but not necessarily well secured.
My experience was more frustrating than the other reviewer. I checked out extra storage because it was much less expensive than near by alternatives (High St bridge/​A1 storage/​coliseum storage). Larger units (5×5 and bigger) have big steel doors, but the smaller unit I saw inside was a dinky wooden door. I think the big driver in price between this place (and similar places like public storage) and the higher priced ones on high street is that the more expensive have an alarm on every unit.
The staff was not very friendly though, and when I asked about break-​ins and security, she was stand-​offish, not directly answering my questions and turning it on me: «Have you had problems with security before?» Given that its Alameda, I figure its okay, but I never did get a straight answer.
Regardless, I was all set to sign up, but there computer system was having issues giving me the price they had quoted me over the phone. After 20 minutes waiting and being told I would have to sign the contract for a higher than originally quoted price (where they would later adjust the price to the cheaper quote), I decided to walk away. I don’t think they were trying to pull any funny business, but just having issues with their computer system.
However, the place is clean, has a good access hours, and is well priced.

Well, we have to sell our house! One income just doesn’t cut it with the high mortgage. So storage we need close by before relocating overseas with some of our stuff while other things will stay in the (no longer quitw so) Good OLE USA for a future part-​time return.
After checking on Unilocal for storage spaces in Alameda, and finding only 2 rated, poorly at that, I was gonna go with the place across the High Street Bridge which has great ratings. Then one of my pharma rep friends whol ives on the island told me about this place on Clement which she likes. I told Jack to check it out. He did and rented us a space the other day. He told me how nice and helpful the staff was. Today I saw it for he first time. Clean, attractive, and the staff really is nice. They even let us borrow a dolly to help get big, heavy boxes down our front stairs. Thank you!