May 2020 by CFA
Five Stars - My experience with AAA storage was not at all the same as the May 2017 review, which only makes sense if there are key facts missing from the story presented. One key fact that does stand out is back-rent due. I rented a container to be delivered to my yard so I could clear out my house, then re-absorb the things I wanted to keep, and throw out what I didn't. After getting quotes from a few different places, a friend that worked with my brother (and who always hunted high and low for the best deal on anything) recommended AAA; he had used them and was satisfied they were the cheapest. He was right. And not by a little either. All prices below are out of date by at least 5 years, so you've gotta do your homework for today's prices, but this shows the differences I found when researching having a rental container delivered to my property. AAA charged me $150 to drop off (this included the final pick up expense as well) a 20 foot by 10 foot by 10 foot metal container, brand new, and $71.69 monthly rent. $10 if I wanted their lock. So it was $221.69 up front for drop off, pick up and first month's rent, then $71.69 each moth after. Cheapest by far with the most room by far (if you have the space to fit a 20 foot container on your property - it might be more space than you need). I paid $938.59 for the full 12 month rental. I even got a second container for a few months in the summer and had no issue with either of the drop offs or final pick ups - the driver was a really cool guy who recommended I buy my own lock because it was cheaper than the one they offered at $10, and the woman at the office was always easy to deal with. I never had to visit their place of business - I only talked to her over the phone, and had no problems at all. I rented for a whole year and never noticed any condensation on my stuff or any temperature issues even in the New England winter. Other bids at that time (2015) and one I got in 2012 just for comparison: 1) Door to Door Storage Services (11/24/15) ($59 a month) - they offered me a 5 foot wide, 7 foot tall, and 8 foot deep wooden container (they stated wooden containers were more breathable than metal, so less condensation build up which can lead to mold or mildew) and added into the estimate an unasked-for $9 monthly insurance fee ($108 a year for coverage I already had with my homeowners insurance) and a $10.63 one time cost for the lock they'd supply you. The Drop-off fee was $99 with a $10 Fuel Surcharge expense. so a 5X7X8 storage unit for $178 first month, then $59 monthly after that; not counting the pick up fee and fuel charge at the other end of the rental - presumably another $99 + $10). 2) Packrat (11/25/15 bid) offered the choice of 8 foot, 12 foot, or 16 foot deep containers for $180.49 monthly - same price for all sizes. No insurance or lock fees...$99 to drop off, $113 due at time of pick up at the end of the rental. So $279 up front, then $180.49 a month after that, and $293.49 for final month rent & pick up. $2,377.39 for a full year, a lot more than double the $938.59 I paid - 250% of my cost. 3) PODS quote was from 5/9/12 and was $149 a month for a 16 foot container, and $58.53 drop off with a $5.85 fuel charge, and $49.95 pick up expense with a $5.00 fuel charge. No lock or insurance offered in the quote. So for a 16 foot container: $269 initial, both pick up and drop off included, then $149.95 a month. = $1,759.28 for the whole year. Almost double the amount I did spend. My rental began in the December of 2016, and ended a year later in December 2017. A couple of times I was a few days late - but I called and spoke with their office manager and explained payment would be late but paid soon and she said that was fine. The container I rented was huge and in good shape. (The one I rented in the summer was banged up a bit but worked fine for its purpose - if having dents bother you, you can request one without). The locking mechanism was simple - I'm not someone used to industrial equipment, and found it easy to get in and out of
