lost items

Once your items are sold, Is there anyway to locate the new owners? Is it possible to retrieve any of the sold items?

Depends on the storage facility and their policies, or the privacy laws in your particular state. I would start by asking the management if they will contact the buyer on your behalf to retrieve the items you're looking for.

I did do that but I just keep getting the run around. I have called several times before the auction and even the day of and after the sale of my items. I emailed the company, but no one will follow up with me. I live in another state from where the sale was done so it is difficult to go to the business. The messages I left did state for the manager to contact the new owners if possible and have them call me.

The messages I left did state for the manager to contact the new owners if possible and have them call me.

Perhaps he did and the new owner has chosen to not make contact with you. If all storage auction laws were followed, then the new owner is just that, the new owner. Being such, they are under no obligation to make contact.

If you can show that the laws regarding the auctioning off of storage units were not adhered to with your unit, then you have legal grounds to file theft charges with the police and ultimately have your items returned to you.

Why did you lose your unit?

The messages I left did state for the manager to contact the new owners if possible and have them call me.

Around here if the old owner wants contact with new owner.....
Facility gives auctioneer contact info.  Auctioneer contacts bidder.  If new owner wants contact, up to them.
Only under one circumstance will auctioneer give new owners contact info out.
That's if there was personal effects in unit a AND auctioneer KNEW there was personal effects in unit AND he knows you made no effort to return personal effects.

Theoretically if you called the facility before they auctioned your unit they, or the auctioneer should have announced during the auction that the owner has asked that his personal property be left for him (photos, important papers etc...) The buyer is obligated to clean out that unit in 24-48 hours (maybe longer if it was a large unit) so if they didn't come up with any of your stuff within a couple days the odds are it's gone gone gone. It's a bummer but not all auction buyers are ethical or caring and may have ignored the request. Heck, they may not even speak english and didn't even listen to the request. I feel bad for every person that loses their belongings but the reality is that it is just stuff.....

Why did you lose your unit?

Former owner has made no response to THAT question as of 3/25/2013.

His out of state location compared to where the locker was doesn't bode well for getting anything back when so much time has passed.

We don't know what kind of relationship the former owner had with the property managers, but from the many managers I've talked to about tenants who have lost their goods to a lien sale, the vast majority of them are combative and take little to no resposility for what happened. They take the attitude "You can't sell MY stuff!".

On the other hand, some of those folks ARE bailing out their stuff before the lien sale happens and we can thank the TV SHOWS for that. Good for the lkr owners, good for the storage facilites, not so good for us as the number of lkrs for sale has declined especially over the last year. (in my area, IMO)

I did not reply because I was away from the computer. But to answer the question I am on a fixed income and I left the state of CT to try and save some money to be able to live. I was using my monthly income to pay my storage and take care of my 10 year old. I was in contact with the storage place on a daily basis making payments until my income got delayed. I am unemployed and in and out of the hospital with no help from anyone. The ashes belonged to my mother and grandmother who up until their deaths were assisting me. I know I made my bed and must lay in it but I did not give this company the impression to sale my stuff. I begged them to take $600.00 of what they wanted me to pay which was $1080.00 and the manager told me NO. Even tried to reach out to him to call or even email me for a month up until the time of the sale and there was no response. When I did speak to someone not the manager at the storage place it was always "I will have the manager call you back." If it was case to where I didn't want my stuff I would not be trying so hard to get them back or even offer the person who purchased the unit the money they spent out in return. I know it's just stuff which can be replace and I thank god me and my child still have our life but EVERYTHING I owned was from my mother and grandmother and could not be replaced.  Times are hard for us all I just never knew things would get this hard.  But Thanks for all the help.

I begged them to take $600.00 of what they wanted me to pay which was $1080.00 and the manager told me NO.

I know this won't help now, but just out of curiosity...why didn't you show up at the auction and bid on your own unit? You might've won it for a few hundred and got a chance to get all of your important items out, had money left over, plus walked away from the storage facility with it free and clear.

In Georgia (check with your state) buyers have 100% ownership of EVERYTHING in the locker.

The storage facility was in Connecticut.

  Glory be to the most high!!!! I have great news everyone. I just got off the phone with the lay who purchased my unit. I can get my stuff back! Now I just have to get to Connecticut! Thank you to the person or persons who mention for me to call the auctioneer. Thank you all for your input.

Now I just have to get to Connecticut!

From where to where exactly? Maybe someone here that is attending an auction is going your way.