We had stored our belongings with U-Store-It while we were transitioning between two locations. Our belongings were stored for approximately two months (mid February through mid April).
When we went to retrieve the belongings, we noticed that the unit had leaked and, as a result, damaged our king-sized mattress which was less than 18 months old. The water had dried, leaving black mold on the mattress. What should have been a clear-cut case of poor facility management (our experiences with U-Store-It are fodder for at least 15 usacomplaints.com) was instead ruled as resulting from "atmospheric conditions".
In other words, this company determined that the mold on our mattress was caused due to humidity. Humidity that somehow left all of our other belongings intact, including several cardboard boxes full of clothing, two box springs for the aforementioned mattress, and multiple wood items that would surely have warped in the severe humidity that would be needed to cause mold on a mattress. Humidity that, somehow, decided to cause mold in a random somewhat circular spot on the mattress, and not anywhere else.
Their stated reason was that the pictures we provided (there was damaged insulation on the ceiling which is where the water leaked in) did not show any water damage. The ceiling was constructed of insulation (covered by a reflective surface facing in to the unit) and metal - in other words, it wouldn't show water damage in the first place! Because they couldn't see the source of the damage, they defaulted to "atmospheric conditions" faster than a confused doctor declaring a bout of "irritable bowel syndrome".
Just a word to the wise - if you utilize a storage company, make sure they are not using the Bader Company (also known as Bob Bader Company) as their insurance provider. If there's a problem, you will never see a dime from them.
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