Customer Service and the Storage Facility

When you consider storage facilities while you look at self-storage, you’d probably have a list of things you want to check out. The size and range of the storage units, the security at the storage facility, its opening hours, the perks, and the cost – these are all probably high on your list of considerations. What wouldn’t appear on most people’s lists is customer service at the storage facility.

In truth, the customer service at a storage facility – the experience of the staff, how willing they are to help, the services the staff can provide – should be one of the most important factors. When you’re using self-storage for the first time, nothing is going to be more helpful than a storage facility with knowledgeable staff members, who are willing to help in any way they can.

Customer service in a storage facility means staff able to provide advice – whether it be on packing your things, ensuring your storage is safe and durable, or ensuring your storage unit is packed well. Storage facility customer service means staff that help you into your storage unit, and help you pack your storage efficiently. Who give you all the information you need on the storage facility and the services it can provide.

Customer service in a storage facility means staff that care about your storage as much as you do. It should be one of the most important things about choosing a storage facility.

How Storage Units Can Help Your Hobbies

We've discussed using a storage unit to house collectibles and sporting equipment, and a running theme is beginning to form. Using a storage unit to house your hobby and professional equipment can save you space at home, and will also give you a central location to return to when you need to do things.

I don't just mean a storage unit can house precious statues, war medals, or skiing equipment. A storage unit can be handy for all sorts of hobbies and interests. Film and drama students might find a storage unit useful to keep costumes, set pieces, camera equipment and lighting technology. A storage unit could be shared between a number of students, who could access the storage unit freely whenever they have need of it.

Maybe you're a teacher who frequently decorates their classroom, maybe you're a Halloween enthusiast who keeps a lot of fancy dress outfits hidden in their closet. Maybe you want to keep the Lego and matchbox cars and dollhouses your children seem to have grown out of, just in case. A storage unit is the perfect opportunity to clear these things from your home, to give you and your family more space. And when they're kept in a storage unit, you'll know exactly where everything is, so you can easily find them again when you need.

Hiring a storage unit can help to keep your hobbies under control, and give you home a bit more space. Start looking into a storage unit today.

Access Self Storage's Centrally Located Facility

There are a number of reason's why Access Self Storage's centrally located facility near Melbourne's CBD makes it an incredibly convenient storage facility. And it's not just because it's in close proximity to Melbourne suburbs like St Kilda, South Yarra and Windsor.

Although it's near to the CBD, Access Self Storage isn't located in the CBD. So when you need to return to your storage unit urgently, you won't be hindered by heavy CBD traffic. But its central location does mean it's easily accessed even if you're not coming from home. A trip to the Access Self Storage facility could easily become part of your route to or from work in the Melbourne CBD. You could incorporate a visit to the grocery shops in South Melbourne with a visit to Access Self Storage, and pick up an unused dining table from your storage unit before you buy food for your dinner party.

Location is really important when you're considering a storage facility, which is why Access Self Storage chose their location carefully. It's easy to get to, so fetching your storage from Access Self Storage is never inconvenient. It's easily accessible by main roads, on the corner of Normanby Rd and Montague St, so moving vans will have no problems driving to and from Access Self Storage. And it is conveniently located to numerous suburbs in Melbourne, which means Access Self Storage is a very convenient location to many Melbourne residents. Check out the Access Self Storage facility today, and find out just how convenient using self-storage will be.

A Variety of Storage Unit Sizes at Access Self Storage

Access Self Storage offers 60 different sizes in storage units at our storage facility in Melbourne. Is it really necessary to have quite so many differently sized storage units?

Obviously our answer is 'yes', but let's take a look at why. Bigger units are slightly more costly, and the smallest unit is also the cheapest price. But rather than just offering a bigger storage unit and a small storage unit, Access offers a range of sizes, because no two storage rentals are the same. When you book your storage rental with Access Self Storage, our experts will ask you questions, so we can understand exactly what you want to get out of your storage rental.

We'll want to know the size of your bulkiest items, so we can find you a storage unit that will match their width or length. We'll want to know the amount of storage you'll be keeping in the storage unit. We'll also want to know how often you'll want to access your unit - whether you'll be returning frequently to go through your storage rental, or if you want to just hire a unit and leave it there. If you're wanting easy access to your storage unit, that's going to make a difference to the size of storage unit you'll want - because you'll require more space.

Rather than just offering two variations in storage units, and getting you to adapt your storage items to fit one of the sizes of storage units, in a way Access Self Storage is able to adapt to you. After all, surely 60 different options is a much better way to go than a one-size-fits-all kind of deal.

The Tetris Effect with Packing Materials

Stuffing a truck full of reasonably heavy boxes into a relatively small storage unit might sometimes seem a little daunting. You have to get all of the boxes to fit, and keep them accessible. Irritation sets in pretty quickly when you’re trying to match up oddly shaped appliances in a small, potentially hot storage space.

That’s why buying packing materials from your storage facility is the best idea. Tetris is a fun game, sure, but when you’re trying to make shapes stack on other shapes by physically lifting them around, it becomes tiresome. Proper packing materials – book boxes, tea chests – are designed to stack neatly together. It’s like playing a game of Tetris with just squares. Less fun, maybe, but certainly much easier. The storage boxes will stack one on top the other with ease, fitting perfectly together, and saving a lot of space. Best of all, you won’t get teetering towers of boxes in the storage unit – instead a sturdy base that can also support the other items in your storage unit.

The Tetris effect in your storage unit will help you pack efficiently, safely, and quickly. It won’t look nearly as cool as a perfectly designed Tetris game might –but really, it’s so much easier. With packing materials of similar size and shape, your storage unit will be able to fit as much as it possibly can, while still being easy to navigate to retrieve items during your storage rental. The Tetris effect – it’s the only way to go.

Storage Rental: Helping You Keep Your Vintage Favourites

Did you ever raid your parents’ wardrobe or garage when you were younger? Trying to find the perfect bomber jacket, or a vintage typewriter, somewhere deep in storage? Maybe they weren’t in mint condition, but there were always some gems hidden away in questionable storage conditions. Nowadays, self storage has improved somewhat, with our modern apartments in Melbourne CBD, or terrace houses in Albert Park. However, we have more of a tendency to throw things out - especially when we’ve got no extra room for storage.

But fast-forward fifteen or twenty years, and your teenagers won’t find those same gems that we found, hidden away in our parent’s houses. They won’t be able to use your old clothes, or your old camera, thanks to the lack of storage space.

Well, hiring a storage unit might just be the solution. Even if it’s just until you get a bigger place, out of your apartment in Melbourne City and into a more spacious accommodation in Toorak, storage facilities could be the perfect place to store the designer clothes you’ve no intention of wearing again, or the Polaroid camera you’re on the verge of chucking out. A storage unit offers a lot more protection for your stuff than your parents’ garage ever did, so it’s sure to be in better condition when it comes time to look for them again. And it’s good for nostalgia as well. This way, you’ll be able to revisit your glory days by taking a visit to your storage unit. It’s the best solution!

Access Self Storage Presents: The March of the Pedestal Fan

It looks like we may have finally hit summer. Melbourne’s temperatures have been steadily rising, and although we’ve been mired in rain for the past week, times are probably about to change.

It’s around this time that an amazing parade starts happening at Access Self Storage. It travels along Montague Street, around to Normanby Road, and into the storage facility itself, before circling into each storage unit and parading back out again.

It’s quite a thing to see. And it’s pretty easy to get involved. It will probably make your life much easier. We call it “the march of the pedestal fans”.

Those pedestal fans stayed in their storage units throughout the winter months, biding their time, and waiting it out. Because come Spring, when it’s time for the march, the storage unit doors will creak open, heaters will be wheeled in, and the fan’s time will come.

Held up high on shoulders in the shining sun, waving gently in the breeze – the pedestal fans march out of their units, and out of Access Self Storage, for the next six months of warm weather and sunshine.

It doesn’t take much to get involved in the march. Just come on down to Access Self Storage, and you too can have your own storage unit, in which you can keep your pedestal fans. Don’t leave them in your houses, unused, while their heating counterparts smugly whir in the lounge room.

Give the fans their march next summer. Hire a storage unit. You won’t regret it. 

Keeping Electronics Safe in Storage

If you’re looking to store some excess furniture – for instance, if you’re temporarily moving to a smaller apartment in Melbourne’s CBD - chances are you’ll want to use a storage unit for a few electronics.

Access Self Storage offers great security in a convenient South Melbourne location, but security isn’t the only concern when you’re locking up your electronics. When electronics are staying in a storage unit for a long period of time, there are a few extra things you can do to ensure their safety.

Storing computers, TV’s and HiFi systems in their original boxes is one of the best ways to keep them safe. Although this may mean oddly shaped boxes in your storage unit, it does mean they will be better protected. If you have to use your own boxes, or if you haven’t kept the originals, make sure you pack out any gaps with bubble wrap to minimise any damage.

If you’re planning on keeping computers in the storage facility for longer than six months, it’s best to consult your retailer about it. Be sure to tell them about the conditions of the storage unit as well.

Remove the batteries from all other electrical equipment as well, so no leakages occur during your storage rental. Electrical cords should be taped to the sides of appliances, as dangling cords in a packed storage unit can quickly become dangerous.

These are just a few ways to ensure your electrical equipment comes through storage rental in the best condition possible.

Access Self Storage's Top Storage Tips

Keeping Your Storage Items Safe

The whole point of using a storage facility is to keep possessions that you don’t have space to keep at home. With this in mind, it’s ideal to keep these in good condition inside the storage unit. There are a couple of ways to ensure your things stay well looked after during your storage rental.

Packing Materials

Recommended packing materials are the way to go. Making sure your items (especially breakables) are wrapped carefully with packing paper will help to prevent breakages. Packing boxes should have a layer of packing paper on the top and bottom, to give it that extra protection. Silver should be wrapped in non-acid tissue, or in plastic bags, which should prevent any tarnishing.

Preparing Furniture Before Storage

It’s also best if fridges, washing machines or dishwashers are completely drained of water or frost before being packed in the storage unit. Leakages in the unit can cause some pretty major problems. Make sure any items placed in these larger items won’t rock around inside and cause any damage. Taping the doors of things like wardrobes is a good idea, but leave the doors to fridges and freezers open, or you’ll be left with a seriously bad smell. Crumbs and food stains should be vacuumed and cleaned thoroughly from furniture, so vermin aren’t attracted to the storage unit.

Pretty easy steps, but they might just help keep your things safe during your storage rental, and while they aren’t being kept under your watchful eye.

Inspecting Your Storage Facility

You might think rental storage is a fairly simple thing. You hire a unit, pack up your stuff, pay the bill, and then come collect it all when you need it again. But careful thought and planning should be undertaken before you choose your storage facility – because all self-storage is not created equal.

It’s important to consider what you really want out of your storage unit. For storage of valuable items, you’ll want to see what kind of security the storage facility offers. Are there security cameras and alarms? Who can access the storage unit? How often does the company check the locks to the storage containers? You should also consider insurance – Access Self Storage provides free insurance cover up to $5000, but are you going to need more cover than this? Your insurance company might already cover items you’ve put in storage, so it’s best to check this out.

Looking at the unit itself before choosing a storage facility is also important. You will need to see how clean the storage units are, what the space looks like, and whether the company provides good quarantine services. Also consider the packing materials you will need. Access Self Storage has a variety of packing materials available onsite – will you need anything else to store your things?

Spending a bit of time considering the storage facility itself is important, and is sure to help you find the right storage facility that suits all your needs.