Atlanta

Customers irate after finding rodent damage and dead rats at local storage facility

ATLANTA — An Atlanta storage facility is fielding complaints from irate customers demanding compensation after these customers found their items damaged by rodents, as well as dead rats in the hallways, throughout the past week.

Channel 2 Action News spoke to three customers from the Public Storage location on Howell Mill Road in Atlanta who reported finding rats and destroyed property within the past seven days.

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“I never thought in a million years that rats would eat my belongings,” said Kelly Walton, a customer who said she found approximately $10,000 in damage inside her unit.

When she showed up to the Public Storage location last Saturday to get her things, she found that rats had chewed through almost everything, from furniture to plants.

She shared pictures of rat droppings inside her unit with Channel 2 Action News.

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“There were rats running around,” she said. “They had eaten through everything. There was rat feces all over everything.”

Another customer who spoke to Channel 2 Action News over the phone said that everything she had stored for herself and her kids inside a second-floor unit was also hit by rats.

She said she had to throw out damaged mattresses, clothes and other essential items she was storing while waiting to move into a new home.

“You can imagine the tears that was coming down my eyes because this is all I have,” said Lacorey Wimbish. “Me and my kids have to sleep on air mattresses now.”

Calls and messages to the manager at the Howell Mill location on Friday were not answered.

Customers whom we spoke to said they have not been compensated for damages.

It’s unclear how many more units have been affected or if affected customers will be notified.

Walton said she will be following up with county health officials about getting an inspection done as soon as possible.

“They wouldn’t allow rats to run rampant in a restaurant,” she said. “So why they are allowing them to run rampant in a business?”

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