Storage facility charges thousands to return fire-damaged goods despite minor
After a July fire, Public Self Storage charges customers thousands to retrieve goods with minimal visible damage.
A July fire at Public Self Storage in Scoresby, Melbourne, left thousands of items locked inside. Customers were told their goods were unsalvageable, but photos sent to them showed some items with minimal visible damage.
Now the company is demanding thousands of dollars from each customer to retrieve their belongings. Mark Bugeja said he cannot pay the $10,000-plus bill.
Among the items locked away are cremated ashes, wedding dresses and children's belongings. The company told 7NEWS that photographs cannot show whether items are truly safe.
Smoke and soot residues may not be visible in photos. Customers had until last night to pay and collect their items.
There are fears the company may destroy anything not retrieved.
- $10,000-plus per customer
- Minimum retrieval cost cited
- Scoresby, Melbourne east
- Facility location
- July
- Fire date
Why it mattersIrreplaceable family items and ashes risk being destroyed unless owners can pay unexpected retrieval costs after an insured facility fire.
AustraliaMelbourne residents affected by the facility fire face thousands in costs to recover stored possessions, raising questions about storage industry liability.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 9 d ago
