Trapped inside of my storage unit compound

[BigSki]

Last Friday, I goes to my storage unit (AKA "shop") and do work in preparation for a long Saturday wrenching on the Jerp. It's about 10:30 when I leave. I get to the gate, enter my code and get a response that says: [paraphrasing] "Exit denied. Past regular business hours."

Oh really?? I tries the code once more. ( don't know why a second attempt would be any different, but it was one of 'those days') same answer from Mr key pad.

I look around for answers. There's a big ass sign for public storage on the gate that's in my way, so I call the number. 10 minutes of electronic detours to get to a voice mail box for the property manager. I'm less than happy...

My inner jar head kicks in: i'll be damned if I'm spending a night here. I have a boobaru full of tools ( and a storage unit full of implements of destruction) so I grab a socket and a ratchet, I unbolt the chain that moves the gate open and closed, then manually open the gate and drive away.

The next afternoon I get a call from a local law enforcement officer wanting to hear my side of the story. Apparently the storage place saw the open gate in the morning, viewed the video from the night, saw me doing what I did, and called the police for the "destruction" of their gate.

Excuse me, mother fooker??? Your system failed and entrapped me inside of the compound. I tired to do any reasonable thing by calling a posted phone number. You failed on multiple levels, I'm left to do something on my own so I carefully dismantle your gate to let myself out. Your think that classisfies as 'destruction'?? You haven't seen shit yet...

The cop that I spoke with was completely on my side. He watched the video and saw that I tried to let myself out, when the key pad failed, I bumped it up 1/2 of a level. No malicious intent, just a guy tying to get out. The cop refused to press any charges, but he still had to make a report.

I haven't heard a thing from the pubic storage since, even after talking to the property manager the next day , offering to re-attach the chain.

Opinions? I feel like I didn't do a damn thing wrong.

 

[Krakker]

Tell them your emotionally damaged, some type of PTSD and that you've not been able to sleep without having nightmares about being trapped in there and eaten by an alien living in one of the units.
You being human, acted in a responsible manor, "their" system failed and you could have been handicapped, female, lesser intuitive person, etc. Then what???? Call the police, fire dept. and have them CUT the gate off. You could be sueing them, so tell them NOTHING accept for your welcome and that your not a sueing type of person and don't hold them responsible. That'll get them thinking.

 

[WHITE-TRASH]

If some other dick head had left the chain off and came in and stole your crap I'm pretty sure you'd be a bit more inclined to understand the fact that their first line of theft defense was left inoperable whether it was malicious or not.


Maybe next time you'll be a bit more mindful of the time.

 

[Sarra]

I'm assuming this is a self-store (no pun intended) storage unit complex. In which case, the gate and it's fancy electronic BS is really not that 'secure' in the first place. The lock on your storage unit is the actual security. Regardless of leaving the gate open, he didn't open any other units, or leave anyone else's property open, so there's really no issue there. Anyone entering the complex would be trespassing, and the storage unit manager's problem.

I doubt that a circuit judge would ever side with the storage unit manager on this one, since the OP tried to get out using the posted info, and the management failed to take appropriate action at that time.

 

[wings_of_fire]

After the door is fixed, hire a con man to run a bulldozer through that door.

 

[C*H*U*D]

I would have done the same as you, but I would have called the cops myself before unbolting the chain and making my escape. And I would have bolted everything back up before driving away. Other than that I side with you.

On a side note though, I'd look for a more secure storage facility. This one has obvious flaws if a Jarhead can break out and nobody shows up until the next day :mrgreen:

 

[STANG KILLA SS]

did it feel like you were in shawshank redemption?

what guy hasnt always wanted to break out of prison and get away with it:mrgreen:

 

[JeremyH]

I've been locked in one before....I actually got the company on the phone and they told me that there is nothing that they can do. I told them that was fine, I would just remove the gate with my winch. They had someone out there in 5 minutes.

 

[Natedog]

I would have done the same as you, but I would have called the cops myself before unbolting the chain and making my escape. And I would have bolted everything back up before driving away. Other than that I side with you.

On a side note though, I'd look for a more secure storage facility. This one has obvious flaws if a Jarhead can break out and nobody shows up until the next day :mrgreen:

X2 "thumbsup"

I've been locked in one before....I actually got the company on the phone and they told me that there is nothing that they can do. I told them that was fine, I would just remove the gate with my winch. They had someone out there in 5 minutes.

:lmao::lmao::lmao:"thumbsup" Nice!

 

[59sled]

My only question is if the gate slid open after undoing the chain then the gate should have slid closed without said chain. Why wasn't the gate closed when you left.

 

[CM9000]

I woulda called the wife or gf.. had her bring me a cot, some food, and some beer. waited it out till the morn. show my face on the cameras located throughout. and then in the morning. leave. and come back with a police report. saying I was locked on their premises. not pressing charges. but they could fix that shit to where you can come and go as you please because its your property locked in there. and nobody can hold my chit like that hostage overnight. open 24/7 365... to those who have access within the compound that make those payments for their stuff to be held...

most around me are like this. 24/7 365 days a year.

but that's not me. I would have done the same thing. if not worse.

 

[BigSki]

I would have done the same as you, but I would have called the cops myself before unbolting the chain and making my escape. And I would have bolted everything back up before driving away. Other than that I side with you.

On a side note though, I'd look for a more secure storage facility. This one has obvious flaws if a Jarhead can break out and nobody shows up until the next day :mrgreen:

:lmao:

I honestly did consider calling 911, but I thought that it wasn't worth having a cop show up because I was locked in. I left the gate open so that some poor schmuck wouldn't be stuck outside waiting for a gate to open that was never going to open.

I spoke with the property manager yesterday, who was basically in the middle of a district manager that refused to call me directly and myself. I explained my side and offered to put the chain back on. He got back to me today and told me that the district manager already put in a service ticket to the service vendor. I am not going to receive a bill for anything and they apologized for my inconvenience. Whomever the closing manager was definitely didn't do their job by making their rounds on the property before closing time.

It's all over now. They'll have a funny video to show at a party and I'll have a funny story to tell. Thanks for everyone that chimmed in "thumbsup"

 

[The Violator]

You should have said you were a black trans muslim gay woman and were forever scarred at the racist homophobe transphobic islamphobic company. Because if you were white the gate would have opened. Tell them you were just lucky there were no guns on the premises that would crawl out of the boxes and kill you. And you need $150,000,000.

 

[BJoe]

 

[thecrusader]

Should have put the gate back together.

I get panic attacks and am claustrophobic. Would have meant nothing to me to
freak out,go through the gates in my vehicle and drag the gates home on the top of the car.

Saying that i would have bolted it back together had i unbolted it.

Which dumbo bolts a padlock latch to a gate? haha. Thats what i was wondering
through the whole story. Why wasnt it welded on? Defeats the purpose of having the lock.

 

[HyperMark]

Which dumbo bolts a padlock latch to a gate? haha. Thats what i was wondering
through the whole story. Why wasnt it welded on? Defeats the purpose of having the lock.

It was the chain the moves the gate that he unbolted, not a lock plate. ;-)

 

[BigSki]

For the crusader-

 

[thecrusader]

Makes sense now.

Ive seen some stupid shit in the past but that would have been up there.