Golden Bear Storage

Manager is relax and nice guy. He works with me when I’m late on storage. I appreciate that. I have had no issues since I started my acct here a year or more ago! Keep up the good work!

My daughter rented a storage unit until the end of November 2015. I had already paid for December & was told we’d receive a refund. It is now January 21, 2016 &, after many calls & promises, we still have not gotten our refund. Both my daughter & I have spoken to the manager with no results.
2÷1÷16: Still no refund. Although I did receive a call over a week ago from the manager, David, saying my check had been returned to them due to being sent to a wrong address even tho I had given him my correct address. Went over the address with him again & he thanked me for being patient. Thought surely I’d get the refund check by now…

Wow, the customer service here is horrible. I called to ask about their weekend hours and they demanded to know who I was and what storage unit I had. I said I would just like to know the weekend hrs. The man said, «10am, there!»

First ever Unilocal review, leaving it because the place is a joke. We’ve called to ask about reserving a unit, they said we had to come in to get one, we were tolls they had our size so we went in, size wasn’t available and they said they’d been at full capacity for weeks. Every time we’ve called they’ve had no focus on customer service or retention, we’ve stored here before but we’re now done. What a joke.

Boo… I’m a long time customer, but never again. They told me on the phone this morning that they had a unit in the size I’m looking for (8×8). I said great, I’d be by in a couple hours. Packed my car full of boxes, drove over, and a different employee told me they are at capacity, have 0 units available, and could offer me a 4×8 a week from now. No apologies, no explanation for why I was given the misinformation earlier. Good luck staying at capacity with customer service like this, buttheads.

This is my review for the short service I did have with them. I seriously needed a last-​minute place for storage and my friend recommended them. I really liked the prices they offered and called right when they opened to make sure they had space… to which the employee responded, «…uh can I call you back later?»
I was so shocked at that response I didn’t even bother to give my number. I understood it must have been super busy with everyone moving out of the dorms that day, but if they’re gonna make customers happy and get business that’s not helpful at all. I called back three times with no answers and decided not to risk it.
The first sentence of their description on their website starts with «We take great pride in our friendly staff, our excellent customer service» and I don’t know but that was the worst service I’ve ever dealt with.

Seeing as it’s in my neighborhood, I have been using this facility for several years. While there have been a couple of management changes over the time I have been a customer here, it really hasn’t caused any particular problems for me. Everyone is at least cordial whenever I have required anything from the front office.
I appreciate that they go the extra mile to ensure the place is secure, and while the idea of 24-​hour access seems like a good one, it would add all sorts of new security issues for people and their possessions. Let’s face it, the neighborhood can be sketchy and dicey after dark.
All told, this is an excellent storage option — particularly if you live in the west Berkeley neighborhood.

Not sure what all the [Yelp] fuss is about, but we had a smooth experience setting up our storage unit. The prices are great, and while the hours could be longer, at least they are consistent. Good value, good location.

If I could give this place less stars I would. I returned to my storage unit after 7 months to find all my belongings had been rained on. Yes, my mattress, boxes, electronics were all wet because of a leak in the roof. Management informed me immediately that they were not liable, because of a clause in the contract that indemnified them from ‘natural disasters.’ They wouldn’t refund my storage costs or help the defray the costs of replacing my things.
It gets worse. I had renters insurance and insurance agreed to cover the costs of replacing my things if the storage company could confirm that it was a a natural disaster rather than pure negligence on the part of the owners that had caused the leak in the roof. 2 months later, management has still not bothered to send a roofer to look at the roof. If your things are in a unit at Golden Bear Storage, don’t assume they’ll stay dry.

The staff at the desk is friendly and helpful. I always feel welcome when I go there.

Definitely agree with the previous reviewer — the management shift made this place just kind of creepy. We were glad to get our stuff out!

We started out there about a year ago, before they changed management, and were very very happy with the service and the facilities, even with their limited access hours. We liked the people.
Then they changed everything. It has, from a people point of view, and upper management point of view, gone down hill from there. We are now finally out of there, moving to ExtraStorage on Cedar St below 2^nd., and they’re still trying to charge our bank card. So today we called asking about that. The manager yelled at us such that my roommates could hear her yelling over the phone from across the room.
The storage is good, the hours are limited, and the management sucks.

My experience with Golden Bear Storage was great. If I could give this place 4.5 stars I would, because the only reason it doesn’t have 5 is that it isn’t 24-​hour access, or even longer access. Maybe I just keep long hours? :)
The manager, Leigh, is awesome, straightforward, and helpful. The facility is large, with a wide variety of storage sizes. I was able to get a great student 3-​month package deal complete with free lock (ask for specials?). The freight elevators and hand carts are convenient, and the business is fairly green because the units are made out of old freight shipping crates. I’d definitely do business here again!