A little background

We really lost a lot. A LOT.

I have tried to reason with these people, and their lawyer, because I really want to avoid the expense, STRESS and hassle, and YEARS of a litigious process. Which would suck and I would hate.  But I cannot absorb this loss. It is essentially starting over. The lies throughout the experience made matters worse.

It is also interesting to note that while this was happening, these dicks had the audacity to paint and re-carpet the facility! Too cheap to properly exterminate rats and mice, redecorating  probably cost thousands--it is a big place.  Talk about putting lipstick on a pig! They ignored and allowed the pest problem to continue to escalate for months. . I am so not the only one. I do think I was the hardest hit. People who also lost stuff to rodent damage, and did have--I did not--their shitty insurance tried to make claims, and were denied

Yep.  

The location is in East Rogers Park, and the neighborhood is weird, as are some clientele residents tenants. It is convenient and there is parking and it is across from the Redline L, at charming Howard St., connected to a Dominick's and the L station. Mice-o-rama!

Clearly, the owners know this, and look the other way on a lot of things (including obviously proper extermination and precaution for a traditionally infested area). There are people LIVING there (very illegal, incidentally). The so called management accepted partial payment,  (and, it as been SAID, pocketed it), fixing access for people (which was blocked if you were in arrears).

A FUCKING CRACK WHORE TURNED TRICKS IN BOTH A LOCKER AND THE JOHN (pun intended), caught on tape.

People were ripped off. In return they make money because the poor people either paid, or they lost all of their stuff. THEY in turn looked the other way because they were poor or challenged or ex cons or insane or druggies, or illegal, and are able to LIVE THERE too, for under $200 a month. I have sympathy for them (many were actually nice and friendly),

I did a lot of my work there at one point because it actually had free wifi (and Starbucks!--although no toilet  paper or soap in the washroom!).  I was able to store material in my unit and work online right there, which initially was pretty awesome. So the in period when all this came to light, I was there a LOT. Their other locations seem to have better reps.

Yeah, fellas, fuck the poor and underprivileged, cuz you THINK you can get away with it.

There are cameras everywhere and they are operable and thus subpoena-able. I have seen the video in their office.  MICE running around the building are on it, as is the human activity, IF IT HASN'T been deleted. 

I was never in arrears in payment, never stayed past the allowed access time, and NEVER STORED FOOD OR CHEMICALS. 


All of the assholes that own or work for this company think my shit being DESTROYED IS OK! (except ONE GIRL, who they fired under pretty dicey circumstances).


Another interesting note is owners +Jean Jodoin and +Chris Barry also own a company called Cobalt Commercial Construction. The LSC facility was originally part of a mall and the space was portioned out of it, sold to them d/b/a as Life Storage, THEN CONSTRUCTED (see where this is going?) into storage units. It was then sold to Simply Storage, who went bankrupt, and Life Storage bought it back--under receivership in late 2010. Probably for a song and a really sweet deal for them--they had already made the money on the sale and probably paid themselves for the construction, IF they didn't somehow get TIF money from Joe Moore (Ald. 49th). I do not know that, but it is very possible. That may or may not be for another day. ed; perhaps the original sale to SIMPLY STORAGE WAS OWNER FINANCED BY LSC ANYWAY..EVEN SWEETER DEAL, HUH, CHRIS?

Now really, who do you think did the REALLY SHITTY construction? I mean, drywall installed with several inch gaps from the floor---the mice just slid  danced in and out--and wire fencing ceilings on the units. Which at one point were (I was told by another tenant) wire snipped and cleaned out at night.  The building is no way up to code. Doors often didn't even work. I wonder how/if/when it was inspected.  I do know that the City Dept. of Buildings, after complaints, claimed it was not granted access, during business hours, and thus could not inspect and investigate the complaint.  WTF?