Choosing a storage company

Eight questions. Anyone who answers all eight without evasion is worth considering.

1. Where is the facility, and does it have a real address? You should know which district your things are in, even if you never go there.
2. Is it climate-controlled, and at what temperature? In this city this is the most important question for wood, leather, books and instruments. Ours hold 23 to 25°C.
3. What is the security? CCTV around the clock, access control, routine professional pest control.
4. How much does the protection cover? Ask for a number. Ours covers up to 100,000,000₫.
5. What does it cost to get one item back? This is the fee most often buried. Ours is 299,000₫ a trip.
6. How will I know what I have stored? A receipt saying "12 boxes" is not an answer. An item-by-item inventory with photographs is.
7. What happens if I cancel? Ours returns everything free within the first 30 days.
8. Will you take what I have? Ask in advance about oversized, high-value or unusual items. Nobody accepts anything illegal, dangerous, perishable or alive.

Warning signs

• They will not say where the facility is.
• No published pricing, only a phone number.
• They cannot put a number on the protection cover.
• No way for you to see what you stored.
• Pressure to sign a long contract immediately.

Why not just rent a unit

A self-storage unit sells you an empty box. You hire the van, you carry it, you pack it, you try to remember which carton the thing went into, and every time you want one item back it costs you an afternoon.

This sells you the work instead. We come to you, pack, photograph each item and take it away. When you want something, you look at a picture of it, tap once, and it arrives. You never need to know where the warehouse is.

Frequently asked