Negative 5 stars. Extremely traumatizing experience.
They sold my unit after I missed just one payment. I have experienced periods of homelessness over the years and have rented from different companies, but I have never experienced anything like this.
They sold everything I had inside the unit, including my grandmother’s ashes and important personal documents. Everything is gone. They showed no remorse or empathy ive been crying for days. All they kept saying is "They arent supposed to take personal items"
This experience has been devastating and deeply traumatizing. I would strongly caution anyone considering renting from this company.
SW
Stephen W.
A bunch of scammers
1230 Lakeshore Rd E, Mississauga, ON L5E 1E9
Shame on them ....This storage place is run by scammers...l went there with three other customers because of the low advertised rate...we asked at the time of booking how long the promotion would run for...we were told they were only at low 80% capacity and the rate would remain the same until that capacity increased...Three months into the contract they put our rates up.. when I questioned them, they said they told us the rate was only for three months.. That was a lie. At no time were we told this. Do not believe anything they say..There are so many choices
EC
Edward C.
MOLD,MOLD,MOLD
This place left all my things completely molded. Apparently the AC went down and completely molded everything in there you can smell it as soon as you walk in. Not to mention the very high and what seems illegal rent increase after a couple months.
KK
Kelly K.
I rarely leave negative reviews
I rarely leave negative reviews, but unfortunately my experience with SmartStop Self Storage was disappointing.
We cancelled our storage unit a couple of weeks ago because of repeated price increases. Before leaving, I specifically confirmed the cancellation in person with the employee working there to make sure everything had been taken care of.
Today, I received an email stating that my monthly rate had been adjusted and listing a new monthly payment beginning July 3. Naturally, I was concerned that my cancellation hadn't actually been processed, so I called the office to verify.
Instead of simply checking my account and reassuring me, the receptionist immediately became argumentative and dismissive. She insisted the email was only because of the next billing date, but that explanation didn't make sense given that the unit had already been cancelled. Rather than helping resolve my concern, I was left feeling like I was inconveniencing her for asking a reasonable question.
Mistakes and automated emails can happen, but customer service makes all the difference. Unfortunately, this was some of the poorest customer service I've experienced in quite some time. I hope SmartStop places more emphasis on clear communication and treating customers with respect.
KT
Keylee T.
Expensive mistake storing at Russell and Nellis
My unit was broken into on May 16, 2026 & June 1, 2026. Workers caught the perpetrators during the 1 st incident, they got spooked when questioned, and took off. I was making plans to get back, take inventory, and move my belongings in June. I was informed that they had returned before i could do this. I had 2 of the recommended locks on my unit. The way the unit looked following both incidents you can tell that they were in the unit for quite some time. With their "24 hour surveillance " it is crazy to me that these people felt so comfortable to break into multiple units in broad daylight, and return to finish the job a short time later.
GN
Grace N.
This facility is the absolute worst…
This facility is the absolute worst storage I have ever used. Yes, the young women who are in the office are fabulous, but the reality of the facility is just awful. We have had our belongings there for about five years or so. When we moved in, everything was spotless. The price was reasonable and it wasn't too far from our house. Within about two years, things started going downhill.
First, we noticed how many homeless people were using their storage to sleep in during the day. An odor of human feces and urine started to permeate the indoor facility. Then the rats moved in.
I hadn't been to my storage for awhile because I was caring for my elderly parents, so was super wrapped up with their care. When I finally went inside my unit, I found rat feces and urine on ALL of my belongings and called to complain. Nothing was happening by talking to the office staff, so I went up the chain to the district manager, who just fed me a lot of lip service.
About this time, my parents got really sick and I had no time or desire to be dealing with finding a new storage facility. My parents both passed away last year, and I finally mustered up the courage to face the reality earlier this year. I had found a spotless facility elsewhere at ONE-THIRD the price and I am currently in the process of moving. It is a HORRIBLE experience. My husband and I have to wear a respirator, gloves and goggles to avoid contamination. I have to pack up a load, take it to my house where I'm using three kiddy pools to wash, rinse and bleach each box, item, etc. Then repack it into my truck and unload it in my new storage.
I have rental insurance through my homeowners policy, so I'm trying to decide if I should file a claim. I do know that I want to sue the facility for their complete lack of management of many problems that were never addressed, no matter how much I complained. All I can say...GO ELSEWHERE.
CG
Chris G.
99% Price Increase after moving in
Rented a 10x10 unit for $100 a month in Jan 2026. 3 months later they increased my price to $199. Thinking it was a mistake I called the company and was told the price increased based on demand. However, if you look at the website they are advertising the same size units for $107. If you do 2 minutes of research you can see the average price for a 10x10 storage unit as of 17 April is $70. Not sure how they can justify a 99% increase from one month to the next. They know how difficult it can be to move out once you are moved in. As a disabled Veteran who cannot move my stuff alone due to injuries, this is absolutely unacceptable.
CONTRACTUAL FRAUD & MISREPRESENTATION (DEC 9, 2024 CONTRACT)
Management is utilizing a contract dated December 9, 2024, to support a legal lien, yet they have systematically violated every term of that agreement. While the contract rate is $125.50, they have hijacked the ledger to $228.00, representing an unauthorized 100% hike. They are further misrepresenting fees by charging $170 "Lien Notice Fees" (capped by law at $20) and $42.40 "Gate Lock Fees" not found in the original agreement.
II. THE MARCH 2025 "CREDIT-STRIPPING" DATA CONVERSION
In March 2025, management performed a fraudulent "Data Conversion" on Units I077, A285, and C029. During this process, the facility intentionally "ate" hundreds of dollars in legitimate credits that would have covered rent through April 2025. To conceal the embezzlement, they relabeled credit card payments as "cash" while continuing to charge a "50-cent recurring fee"—a physical impossibility for cash transactions that proves Document Forgery and Audit Tampering.
II. THE JULY 2025 DOUBLE-THEFT & ILLEGAL RENT HIJACKING
In July 2025, the facility withdrew two separate payments from my account: a POS withdrawal on July 19 and a regular debit on July 22. Management intentionally withheld the July 19th payment from the ledger to manufacture a false deficit. This was used to facilitate an illegal rent hike—violating the contract rate of $125.50w/t $119.00 w/o and plus $12 insurance premium then jumping $212.00 in October 2025 ballooning further to $228.00 with a forced, unauthorized $16.00 "Fake Insurance" hike in May 2025 (after I explicitly provided proof of my own insurance). Going from a $23.84 "6 Day Gate Lock Fee/charge". to a $42.40 "6 Day Gate Lock Fee", which according to my receipts is charged on the 1st of the month. However. on two different documents the dates are different as well as well as its representation charges.
III. THE NOVEMBER 24, 2025 IDENTITY THEFT "PLUG"
On November 24, 2025, management manually entered a payment of $159.06 into the ledger. They fraudulently recorded this using a credit card reported STOLEN on November 13, 2025. This is a felony act of Identity Theft (Texas Penal Code § 32.51). This payment was actually the stolen funds from the July 19th POS withdrawal, recycled onto the ledger 128 days later to hide their embezzlement and the unauthorized rate hikes.
IV. THE FEBRUARY 1st ILLEGAL LOCK-CUT & EXPLOITATION
On February 1, 2026, the facility cut the locks on my units without providing the mandatory 14-day Notice of Claim (TPC § 59.042). Management is knowingly exploiting Barry Dyson, my contractor, who is a terminally ill, incapacitated elderly man (Hospice/Kidney Failure/Pancreatic Cancer). Despite recognizing me as the primary payor on recorded lines, they are making illegal demands for a Power of Attorney (POA) from an incapacitated individual to block my access to my property as a natural disaster victim.
V. MARCH 11th EXTORTION & CONTINUOUS ILLEGAL LOCKOUT
On March 11, 2026, I paid the full demanded "ransom" of $981.20 ($981.10 via Cashier's Check marked VC and .10 cents in cash). Mack accepted the funds but has illegally denied me access for 22 consecutive days. He removed the green lock but not in my presence and not before I made sure that I secured my unit immediately after being given receipt with a 0 balance. After I left for having waited an hour for Mack to remove green lock I left and returned after hours only to find Mack replaced it with a Red Overlock specifically to hide the theft of my inventory. Since March 11th, the facility has changed my gate code three times, eventually providing a bogus, non-functioning 13-digit code (1212121212...).
VI. APRIL 1st FRAUD & THE "14-DAY" STALL TACTIC
Yesterday, April 1, 2026, the facility accepted $228 for April rent via the app. Despite taking my money, the red lock remains. I found a fraudulent "14-Day Vacate" notice (signed by Patrick Shields and Angela Lawson) attached to my unit. Accepting rent for a service you are actively denying is Theft of Services and Consumer Fraud (DTPA).
DEMAND FOR DAMAGES:
Immediate Access to I077 Today: Remove the red overlock and provide a functioning code. The lien was satisfied on March 11th.
Audit of all Transactions: Account for the July 19th POS withdrawal and the source of the manual November 24th credit card entry.
Triple Damages: Under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA), I am demanding $300,000 (3x the $100,000 inventory value) for the illegal conversion, damaged property, and emotional duress caused to a natural disaster victim.
Criminal Investigation: I demand a police-escorted inspection of I077 to document the property Mack and his team have stolen during this 22-day illegal lockout violating ch 59