this may certainly be a weakness in this biz but do you..

Ever feel bad, when ur goin thru peoples **** they obviously wanted
Sometimes perhaps needed, an then u see the family pics with the kids an ****.

Cant lie. Kinda feel bad when that kinda stuffs in there.


I try and send them back the pics and paperwork cus of it.

You?

Yes. Decided after first couple units that I can't get caught up in all that stuff because it will just drag me down. Finding pics of the kids when I have all their toys and clothes still tugs at me a little, but have to sell it and move on. I would think it gets to be less of an issue with time and more units. The veterans will have better perspective.

Can't say it affects me much. It is too bad that the kids have to suffer because of the parent's mistakes, I will admit that, but there is also this.

I think the kids are pretty sure to hold on to at least some of the stuff that is really important to them instead of letting mom or dad put it in a "big closet" they can't get to. Sure, there will be exceptions, but I can't tell you the number of times I've found EMPTY game disk boxes and never found the game either (psp, etc). I think the kids kept those out and the games that went with them (in a big binder no doubt).

As to returning the pics, old birthday cards, letters, etc the managers tell me that about 98% of the time when they are able to get ahold of the frm owners they still don't show up for them and the managers end up throwing them away on some kind of time schedule.

*****
In the safe lkr I got in late August there were a ton of photo albums from not only the lkr owner, but from her parents as well. After initial failed negotiations to sell her back her whole contents, I never heard from her again until two of her friends came to the facility yard sale where I was trying to sell her big furn items. After they bought a couple of pieces of leather motorcycle wear they asked about the pictures. Since a full 5 weeks had passed since I had talked to her I simply told them the truth..."I made your friend an offer for EVERYTHING, never heard from her after day one talks, and after a few weeks, all the personal stuff went in the trash. I'm not in the business of storing other people's stuff."

I swear some people are just as stupid about asking for their personal items back as they are about getting behind on payments. 3 or 4 weeks after someone lost a unit, they were asking for photos and trophies back. If that person really wanted those back you gotta make a CL post the day you lose your unit or before(if you know you can't pay up) you lose it.  Even then don't expect anything back. Next unit I get at my sealed bid auction I will attempt to locate the owner if I find photos and such but I am not going to hold onto someones trash longer then I must.

Yea when you first start doing this it pulls at your heart but after a while the photos and the units just all start to run together and it doesn't bother me so much. The only ones that still bother me are the units with children were it is apparent one of the parents died, thus causing emotional and financial trauma, causing the loss of their property. I have also found units where a child has died and perhaps the emotional stresses lead their parent/s to financial problems and losing their property. Most of the time it's a divorce thing, and although this can be traumatic, it is manageable for the kids and they end up getting new toys and clothes once every settles into place.

  We had one unit a few years ago that had all of the young couples  school year books , wedding pic's and video , plus Her wedding dress all sealed up .
 There were a ton of letters with a lot to Her aunt , who was very close to Her by the letters , that lived less than a mile from Us . We called the aunt and told Her that We had an won the auction of Her Niece's storage locker  and offered the aunt all of there personal stuff .
She hung up on Us ?
  We did find His court papers and Her Diploma from RN. School   ( were thinking drugs took them down )
Bandit
Ps
 Regarding the wedding dress ,  Our neighbors brothers fiance looked great in at at there wedding .

Haha.^

I just got back in the game. But I had a locker before that belonged to a service man. He had some of his ribbons and such in it. I think his divorce got the better of him. The owners of the storage unit said he paid via credit card for over 3 years. then suddenly the credit card got declined and all 3 numbers they had for him was disconnected. The manager said that the guy was 6 months behind before he did the auction b/c he knew he was a former army guy.

  Had quite a few family pictures and tons of vacation pictures.

its the kids stuff and older peoples stuff that gets to me sometimes.try not think to much about it because it can be sad.

Ya. I mean i try to get lockers that look more like disposable income rather than forclosed family home

Other then kids stuff (since I have 2 myself) I don't worry about it.  I purchased the land we live on at forclosure.  The guy had died and his kids just ransacked the place for valuables and such.  I found old army decorations and citations for valor (think WWII vet) mixed in the rubbish they left behind.  Made me a little sad but mostly angry that they didn't care.  So personal property in a storage auction doesn't bother me anymore.  I just box up pictures, letters, and such and return it to the storage facility with the date & unit #.  They mostly toss the stuff out after 6 months but do ask everyone to return the stuff so I do.