Complaints

This profile includes complaints for SmartStop Self Storage's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

SmartStop Self Storage has 247 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  SmartStop Self Storage

  10 Terrace Rd Ladera Ranch, CA 92694-1182

  
• 

  SmartStop Self Storage

  2380 Fenton St Chula Vista, CA 91914

  
• 

  SmartStop Self Storage

  2845 E. Riggs Rd Gilbert, AZ 85298

  
• 

  SmartStop Self Storage

  145 Wicksteed Ave East York, ON M4G 4H9

• 

  SmartStop Self Storage

  69 Torbarrie Rd North York, ON M3L 1G5

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:04/04/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  In February 2024 I rented a storage locker from SmartStop's, ************* facility in ****, ******* based on the "Online" price advertised on their website. After registering and signing the agreement, I was taken for a facility tour during which the staff member casually told me that the price is reviewed and will increase every six months. I was shocked because this is not mentioned anywhere on the website nor by the staff member during the registration process. This is an important piece of information to leave out.I sent a letter of complaint to the President in ********** regarding transparency on pricing, which was followed up by the (*******?) District Manager. He wrote "...we have two rates listed on our website, the lower is a promotional rate and the higher one is the regular rate for the unit. We do review rates on a regular (about 6 monthly) basis and make adjustments that are appropriate. If you were the beneficiary of one of the promotional rates then the increase would seek to bring the new rate closer to the regular rate." The wording for "promotional rates" and "regular rates" is distinctly different from what they say on their website which is "In Store" and "Online" respectively. Wording aside, for me, that's an increase of 67% after six months. Why was I not told? Why is this not transparent to the consumer? Twice, I asked these questions of SmartStop but were ignored by the District Manager. In his second response, received after 10 days, he simply quoted a sentence from the almost 300 word Rent clause which reads "Operator may change the monthly Rent or other charges by giving Occupant thirty (30) days advance written notice." They way SmartStop conducts their business is uncontionable and manipulative and needs to be addressed. For those who use customer reviews to make decisions, the ****** Reviews on their website are vetted to show positive reviews. My review has never appeared.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2024

  Thank you ************ for reaching out. We understand your frustration and hope to clarify. Rental agreements with SmartStop are strictly month-to-month, therefore, rates are not guaranteed for any specified amount of time. With regard to rent changes,SmartStop informs customers of rent changes by the method of communication selected on their rental agreement at least thirty (30) days in advance. SmartStop regularly reviews its rental rates and makes rental rate changes to align with current market conditions. Proper notice is given on all adjustments. For the reasons mentioned above SmartStop has followed the policies laid out in our lease agreement and therefore cannot guarantee rates will not be reviewed based on market changes. Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/06/2024

  Thank you for this response. This is consistent with past communication in that SmartStop ignores my complaint about transparency and that none of this was explained to me when I signed the agreement. It's a ************ response with no attention to customer service. So, naturally, I'm not satisfied with this reply but this back and forth is a waste of my time. Rider Dyce

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/12/2024

  Thank you, ************,for your response. After reviewing your account, it does not appear that your rate has changed. As we previously stated, Rental agreements with SmartStop are strictly month-to-month; therefore, rates are not guaranteed for any specified amount of time. If your rate changes, you can contact your local office at ************. We are happy to review your rate and discuss what options are available to you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/03/2024

  Type:Product 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 was lied to upon signing up about the price of my unit. They decided to illegally overcharge me by $50/month, WITHOUT notifying me. They refused to help! They told me that they made my initial payment a promotional rate so they could raise it after 6 months! This is disgusting. I want my money back.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2024

  ****************, thank you for reaching out. Our District Manager reached out and reviewed your rental increase. As an act of good customer service, he agreed to adjust your rate. We are glad that you are happy with this adjustment and that our District Manager was able to address your concerns. Please understand that rental agreements with SmartStop are strictly month-to-month;therefore, rates are not guaranteed for any specified amount of time. With regard to rent changes, SmartStop informs customers of rent changes by the method of communication selected on their rental agreement at least thirty (30)days in advance. SmartStop regularly reviews its rental rates and makes rental rate changes to align with current market conditions. Proper notice is given on all adjustments. SmartStop cannot guarantee rates will not be reviewed based on market changes. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/01/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  On 3/2/2024 arsonists and thieves damaged my belongings at Smart Stop. They told me my unit was a "total loss", but I can see that books, tools, photos, and other personal items survived.The problem is that they won't let me have access to my belongings, which are now exposed to the elements and being further damaged.I seed IMMEDIATE access to my belongings.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2024

  ****************, thank you for reaching out. Our District Manager was able to assist you with this situation and you were satisfied with the resolution. If you need further assistance, please reach out to us directly at ************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/04/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/24/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 rented a unit on 3/20
  When I arrived and was verified, i went to the unit and there was a lock on it from the previous tenant and not ready for me to move in.
  ******r stated he will have the lock removed.
  Called the next day and it had not been done.
  ******r was working on it.
  I called Friday the 22nd and this had not been fixed yet and his manager was going to be there so he can get it fixed. Stated i needed to move in on Saturday 3/22
  I called 3/22 and nobody would answer the phone
  I called corporate and they said they would forward it to the DM
  DM never returned my calls.
  I called several times on 3/22
  I never used the unit and they sent me a move out receipt with no refund
  I am attaching what i paid on 3/20 and the move out receipt from 3/24

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/27/2024

  Mr. ********* thank you for your time. The district manager has tried to contact you and left a voicemail informing you that your refund has been issued. You should receive it within the next 30 days. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Have a great day!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/28/2024

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 21480600, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  **** ********
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/09/2024

  Type:Order 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 rented a 10x15 storage unit at the ****************************** location in September 2023 and signed an agreement for $242/month. Now six months later I received notice my rent is increasing to $367/month!When I contacted support, they stated there was a promotional period that had ended, and that prices are adjusted monthly to market rates, and they could not adjust my rent back to the agreed price. I never received any notice of this promotional period or price adjustments until this point. This appears to be a blatant bait and switch to get tenants settled then jack up the price.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/14/2024

  Thank you for contacting us. Our district manager has reached out to you via phone and email with information regarding your storage unit. Please feel free to reply to that email if you have any additional questions. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/02/2024

  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.

  My storage unit was broken into on the night of February 26th, 2024. No resolution was given to me other than to file a report with the police. They did not notify me other than me finding out on my own because I showed up on the 27th to move my contents into a smaller locker. They knew about the break in to the building before I found out about my unit being broken into but clearly did not know how many units were broken into yet. They did not offer any compensation on my unit, or any way of using their offered content insurance. This building has no security whatsoever, as anyone can walk in when the large bay doors are open. There is a long timer for when the garage doors are open, and they do not shut for 5-10 minutes or until you manually shut them which most people do not do. You need to keypad in, but if you go in without key padding in, your locker does not have an alarm system to set off an alarm, so there is no way to trigger someone breaking into your locker if they have not keyed into the building. If you are walking around after the time the building closes (10pm), there are no motion sensor alarms to trigger police presence, and when windows are broken in the middle of the night, there also is no alarm to trigger police presence. There is absolutely no security. The ceiling of every unit is also wide open, covered with wire, so anyone can see right into your unit if they are nosy enough, and if they bring a ladder and some wire trimmers, they can get right into your locker, which is what happened to my locker, and this is what happened to my locked, the other peoples lockers who were broken into, and everyone elses who were broken into over the last few years the exact same way. Our contents were stolen and bins of stuff thrown all over the place, contents broken, and absolutely no resolution or change to the building to ensure that this is being stopped or protected against future break ins.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/08/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us. Our District Manager and Regional Manager have tried contacting you and left you their phone numbers. Please return their call at ************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/16/2024

  Type:Order 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.

  09/04/2023 rental storage unit, 67 month as of 01/012024 . rental unit increased 50% to 129 per month. bate and switch .Smart Stop 7611 ************** ** ***** ************** mgr *******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/21/2024

  Thank you for reaching out and expressing your concerns. Our District Manager attempted to reach you and left a message. Please return his call at your earliest convenience. We hope to speak to you soon

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/26/2024

  the manager has not contacted me.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/29/2024

  Thank you for reaching out and expressing your concerns. Our District Manager attempted to reach you and left a message. Please return his call at *************. We hope to speak to you soon

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/08/2024

  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.

  my storage unit was broken into, police report was filed. They sent me a letter that it wasn't there fault, but the lock was manipulated to open my unit. I want to speak further to the ***************** on their findings. I have been leaving messages since 1/26/24 for ***** in Claims about this and have not heard back.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/13/2024

  Thank you for reaching out. Our claims specialist is awaiting additional documentation from you to review the case. Please send any supporting documentation to *******************************************. Once your documents are received, a claims specialist will contact you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/01/2024

  Type:Billing 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.

  On Jan 31, **** beginning at approx 11:00, I was looking over my payment receipts and noticed one of my four units that I rent at the *********** location on *************** wasn't paid. I requested a payment link, per usual, to make the payment before midnight. I received the link and prepared to pay, when I clicked the link, the lead to a page that says there was NO information about my accounts. I tried several more times, sending myself the link and opening the link. (See attached email of me receiving the link) but was told that there was NO information about my accounts.So, I tried making the payment via phone FIVE times. Each time, I was told that there was NO information about my accounts. This caused my account to go into Lien status, making my payment more than double the amount. My checking account was hacked and I no longer use auto pay, but I called customer service again at approx ***** on ******, and the young man, who's name escapes me because he didn't repeat his name after I asked for clarity, he said that the system was down at the time I was trying to make my payments and he would leave a note for someone at my location to know of this.I called customer service THREE times just trying to get someone to get back with me regarding this issue to no avail.(See phone screen shots)I should not be penalized for attempting to make the payment on time. If the company's system.was down, per customers services...and or if the phone payment system was not accepting my payments as well.I tried the avenues available to me at the time to make good on my account.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/05/2024

  Thank you for reaching out and expressing your concerns. Our District Manager attempted to reach you but has not heard back. Please return his call at your earliest convenience. We hope to speak to you soon

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/01/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  SmartStop self storage more than doubled my rent. That is exorbitant and there are other storage places for less. I assumed they enticed me with a lower price at first, but this kind of corporate greed is excessive.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/05/2024

  Thank you for reaching out and expressing your concerns. Our District Manager attempted to reach you but has not heard back. Please return his call at your earliest convenience. We hope to speak to you soon.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/11/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:

   

  I spoke by phone with their mgr., *****, he offered a refund and monthly price reduction. I have not seen the refund on my cc acct. yet and I am waiting for that.

  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************