DEL VALLE, Texas -- Enough clothing and dishes for one week. That's all that the Serrano family left unpacked in the Del Valle home they're preparing to put on the market. Everything else went into storage, and when they arrived to unload the last of their belongings, they found their storage unit ravaged and many of their belongings gone.
At the advice of their realtor, every family photo, memento and keepsake, as well as electronics and valuables, went into a Public Storage unit in North Austin, halfway between their old home and their new one. On Monday, the Serrano family discovered it had been broken into by thieves. They said about 75 percent of what they put in the container is now gone.
"Yes, they're just things, but they're things that kind of tell the story of your life," Trisha Serrano said. "And they're things that you've worked really hard for. And that you're very proud of. And to have it all gone, it's devastating."
Especially since Trisha said they tried to do their due diligence in selecting a safe place to store their belongings, but now believe a Public Storage employee misled them.
The family says after the theft, they discovered the storage facility's security cameras guarding their unit are broken. The an employee also told them the nightly security checks were conducted visually, rather than actually checking each unit to ensure a secured lock. Then there was the lock itself, which the Serranos say the business told them was due to be replaced with a more secure model.
They said their attorney advised them the contract with Public Storage protects the business against paying for the loss, even in cases of negligence. Trisha said she wanted to warn other customers to ask tougher questions.
"Don't trust," Serrano said. "Verify."
The family did purchase insurance offered by Public Storage, covering losses up to $3,000, but Serrano said she has had difficulty getting anyone on the phone since filing.
"If it was just this one branch of their business, and I got a phone call from any one of these people that I've left a message for to say, 'We're so sorry that this has happened,' you and I wouldn't be having this conversation," Serrano said.
KVUE visited Public Storage in person Friday but the person at the desk said she couldn't offer comment. KVUE also called and emailed the regional manager, but did not get a response.
