Big Apple Mini Storage

There is a serious customer service problem with this location. I have stored my items here for almost a month and twice the hours have been changed without advance notice, covering 3 days. Yesterday the storage location closed at 4pm (no prior notice, no sign, just a verbal notice after the fact) to paint the floor. Today the location was closed because the floor was painted, but no notice was given yesterday that the location would be closed today. What is even more telling is the distain in the voice of the manager.

As much as moving and storage can be a pain, storing here has been a great experience. The staff have been incredibly helpful, they have competitive prices, and clean and secure units. I highly recommend these storage units and I will use them again for any future storage needs!

I just moved in my stuff in a 10×12 ft room. I have a queen bedroom set, living room set, kitchen items and about a dozen boxes. And they all fit comfortably! I am one who has quite a bit of stuff and everything fit plus there was several feet of space left over.
Sammy is awesome, cool, smart, down to earth guy. Great location close to ²⁄₃ trains

I’ve been using this place for a few years for storage for my business; I am there twice a day, 2 to 3 times a week. It has been a great experience. Sammy really runs a tight ship.
Note: they are not open late nor on Sundays. This is because they are very hands-​on in running the place. No one gets into the building unless they belong there. There are two ways to get upstairs to the units: the passenger elevator, which only takes you to your — and only your — floor once you swipe your card; and the freight elevator, which is always manned (by Lafayette).
This is huge. I used to have a unit in a different facility that had after-​hours access. Great in principal, but in reality, once the staff left for the evening, the place turned into, quite literally, a homeless shelter.
In fact, here at Big Apple West, I have, on more than one occasion, accidentally left things outside of my unit — and once, even left my unit unlocked! In all cases, my stuff was just fine and untouched when I returned 5 or 6 hours later! Remember people, this is still in Harlem!

This is a place where I feel my stuff was under good care. Sammy is super kind, helpful, personable, and understanding of unique situations. And that wasn’t just me – I heard him with other customers, too.
Think about your purpose for renting storage, though, such as how often you want to access your stuff and when. Along with the «mom and pop feel» come shorter hours: they are closed on Sundays and not open late in the weekdays.
Big Apple included free pickup which was helpful. Additionally, to my surprise, the driver — and the warehouse operator — both helped me move my stuff, even though Sammy had been clear over the phone beforehand that I couldn’t expect help when moving (just in case I relied on it). But it was all quick and easy.

This place actually threatened to sue me for posting an honest review of my experience!!! They called me and my husband over and over telling us they would sue!!! After 2.5 years of overpriced storage, they treated me like trash while refusing to tell me who was the manager who could help resolve my problem. One guy said he was the manager then put me on hold for over ten minutes. Then picked up the phone and said he was putting me on hold again to go to the BATHROOM! Then their Irish management made an agreement with me, and broke it after I did my part. Then they threatened to sue me for posting this review of my experience. Too bad my husband recorded the entire conversation. AGAIN, THIS IS THE WORST STORAGE IN NEW YORK. High rates. Short hours. Closed on Sundays. No garbage cans anywhere in the building or outside. Outrageous fees for everything– even using a credit card. They nickel and dime you and don’t tell you about hidden fees. Plus when I took something from my storage, suddenly an adult bedbug was on my bed. Suddenly I caught 5 adult bedbugs in my apartment! None had bitten me before so they came from somewhere while already adults! I had to pay for two exterminations and no longer wanted to take risks. This storage has rats traps too. If I could post a picture I would. The competitor is less than half the price and they have a shuttle to pick you up and drop you off! I wonder how they get customers at all. For me, they were close to my apt, so I thought it would be convenient, but ended up spending much more on cabs than with the shuttle and they were usually closed so it was very inconvenient and just ridiculous rates that creep up automatically. Sami is a phony who’s hand is always in your pocket. Read ALL the FINE PRINT in their crooked contract. NIGHTMARE STORAGE!!!

Don’t use.
Primary reason:
Do NOT trust the estimates they give you online. They will recommend a unit WAY too small to lead you to believe their services are cheaper. Then, the rooms are not actually as advertised — they are awkwardly shaped so you aren’t actually able to use all the space. When you arrive with your movers, they smugly try to upsell you when it’s too late to change.
Management is totally slimy. This was the worst of it for me.
Use someone else!!! You’ll leave this place feeling like you’ve been taken advantage of, which isn’t ideal given you’re leaving your possessions in their hands.

Great place! The staff is so friendly and helpful. Excellent rates and flexible scheduling. I would not go with any other self storage place than this one.