Public Storage — Attraction in Scotch Plains

Avoid this storage facility at all costs — unsafe, negligent, and dishonest.

I had a truly awful experience at the Public Storage on US 22 in Scotch Plains. I was assigned a basement unit without ever being told that the basement is known to flood. When I arrived, there were floor fans, dehumidifiers, and dumpsters filled with damaged belongings. Staff admitted this was an ongoing issue. I even spoke to other renters who told me their items had been destroyed by flooding — devastating to hear, and something that should have been disclosed up front.

Allowing new customers to rent basement units while knowing they are flood-prone is a serious breach of duty of care and shows clear negligence. Customers have the right to be told the truth about the safety and condition of the unit before moving in. Offering insurance is not an excuse — you can’t knowingly rent out flood-risk units and expect insurance companies to cover the damage while hiding the risk from the customer. That’s not how responsible business is done.

To be clear — I understand that extreme weather happens, and sometimes flooding is out of a facility’s control. But that doesn’t excuse the lack of transparency. If this is a known, reoccurring problem, they should be required to alert customers before move-in. I would have gladly paid more for a safer, upper-level unit if I had simply been told the truth.

After raising concerns, I was told I could switch to a second-floor unit — but after checking, they said no such unit existed. I had already spent nearly four hours moving over 20 large boxes into the basement, only to then move everything back out on my own. The district manager herself was handling the situation, and when I asked if she would personally feel comfortable storing valuable items in a basement unit at that location — given the flooding — she couldn’t give me an answer. That silence said everything. She likely wouldn’t store anything down there herself, and that told me all I needed to know.

Eventually, I was offered a transfer to their Mountainside location at the same rate, but I still had to rent a truck and move everything again without assistance or compensation. I wasn’t even asking for reimbursement for the truck — but one or two months of free storage would have been the bare minimum after the amount of stress, time, and physical labor I was put through.

To make matters worse, I was lied to on the phone when I signed up. I was told my rate would be locked in for 6 months, with a max 5% increase after that. When I brought this up, the district manager said that wasn’t true at all. More false promises, more miscommunication, and zero accountability.

And when I tried to resolve this through Public Storage’s customer service, it somehow got even worse. I was hung up on or disconnected by five different employees when I called for help. No one could give me a straight answer or offer any resolution. It’s clear that support is either unwilling or unable to address serious issues.

This facility completely lacks transparency, professionalism, and integrity. If you’re considering storing here, do NOT rent a basement unit — and honestly, avoid this...

This location has terrible customer service. We had an appointment for Saturday to do the paperwork to downsize. The attendant, Dan, saw us come in yet a few minutes later when we knocked on the office doors, he was nowhere to be found. Turned out, he was running errands during business hours which resulted in us just sitting there for 30 min waiting on him. In addition to that, he didn’t lock in the rates that he quoted to us just a few days earlier and said there was nothing he could do (that’s a $26/month difference) and that’s on top of the $20/month they keep adding annually. He made no effort and showed no interest in accommodating whatsoever. About the facility itself - it’s very dusty and I heard from a few people there is a problem with rats, which I personally can’t confirm. There are also not enough rolling carts (only 3 for the entire facility and one of...

I’ve been renting a 10x10 unit at this location for about 2 or 3 years now and have been completely satisfied with the cleanliness, use of carts and available hours to access my unit. Never had any issues at all. With regard to the property manager, Tammy is her name and if possible, I would suggest working with her. From day one, she has been extremely responsive, caring, helpful and has worked hard to accommodate any questions or concerns I may have had. The few times I’ve left a message her call back was perfectly timely. Any time I’ve gone into the office on site she always greeted me with a smile. The storage unit is the storage unit, but the property manager is the one who makes the experience good or bad. Tammy is an asset the Public Storage is fortunate to have as...