BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. – People renting units inside a Downriver indoor, climate-controlled, storage facility say they’ve each lost thousands after discovering mold on their belongings.
They reached out to Local 4 for help. Reporter Kyla Russell has spoken with more than a dozen people impacted.
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A few months ago, Stephanie Campbell’s storage unit was filled to the brim with items from her late fiancé, David.
But, earlier this month, she found out about a mold issue. When she walked in, things were covered. Now, there are only a handful of priceless items she’s able to keep.
“This may seem insignificant to some people, but this was his racing number for one of his races he was in. I know it’s covered. It’s gotta be,” Campbell said, holding a race bib of David’s.
Last year, David died in a tragic accident.
Pregnant with their child, she packed away their most precious possessions in this Public Storage unit while she moved.
“All of my furniture,” Campbell said. “My late fiancé’s clothes, items, kids toys and whatnot that I planned to unpack when I moved into a new home.”
She pays $224 a month. She says she specifically chose this unit because it is climate controlled.
“When did you first hear about the mold?” Local 4 asked Campbell.
“I found about it on the fourth of September,” she said.
She tells me she wasn’t notified by Public Storage, but found out about this on Facebook.
“There was mold all over my car seat I had in here,” she said.
That was just the start. She had to get rid of nearly everything.
“I found a lot of his stuff was covered in mold – his shirts that I planned to make blankets out of. Stuff that may not hold a lot of monetary value, but a lot of sentimental,” she said.
On Wednesday, she was there while it was all put in this dumpster.
She started to connect with other people in the same boat.
“In this? There’s 16,” she said, speaking about a group chat those impacted by the mold are communicating in.
Local 4 talked to over a dozen people who say the same thing.
When they reach out to management and ask what caused the mold, they say they hear the same thing.
“They are quiet about it until they finish their investigation,” she said.
There’s an insurance agreement that may help cover some of the expenses for them, but they each tell me it’s not nearly what they’ve lost.
“I want to say at least $15,000,” Campbell said about what she’s lost.
Local 4 has been trying to get answers for them. We emailed their corporate office and went in person.
While in person, the property manager said Local 4 needed to call the chief legal officer, but did not have a number.
So, Local 4 called a number they could find. There was no answer.
Local 4 also messaged the company’s Chief Legal Officer on LinkedIn.
Campbell says she wants other people to know what they’re facing.
“It’s insignificant to some people, but it’s really important to me and his kids,” Campbell said.
