All Locked Up

Mr Trifectagirl had a storage lock-up.  Updating details at the storage facility was one of the many things that we just never thought of. The lock-up pre-dates our relationship, and was initially filled with both his and his mother's stuff. Since he moved in with me we've done some juggling and now a fair proportion of the contents is my gear, and we've been regularly stowing grown-out-of baby gear in there too. 

Mr Trifectagirl got sick with the access codes to the lock-up facility in his Brain (not the one in his head, but his palm pilot that he called his Brain, which of course I don't know the access code to). So I never got the the access code. I have the key to the unit, but not the codes to the facility.

My sister has her baby due in about 5 weeks, so I figured it was high time to get out the infant stuff I've been promising her so she can get prepared. This required accessing the unit.

So I called the company late last week and explained that my husband passed unexpectedly and I need access to the unit. 

And I was told they were not going to give me access.  They've apparently gotten in trouble before for giving spouses access to storage units..  Ummm, I KNOW THE LOCK UP EXISTS, it's not like he was hiding it from me!!!  Makes you wonder who's hiding what from whom out there.

First they said that Mr Trifectagirl's friend M (who was groomsman at our wedding) was on the access list. So he could have access. But I couldn't.

So I asked what I needed to do to get access myself.  Apart from having M go there, get the codes and give them to me.

They asked if I could produce:

• the Death Certificate - yep, got one of those, and marriage certificate for good measure.  And thanks to a minor obsession by said sister as a child, I keep wanting to type 'Death Star', not Death Certificate.  
• a Copy of the Will - no, he died intestate.
• anything granting me executor status on his estate - nope, he died with so little, probate was not needed. And as spouse everything goes to me under the relevant Act, anyway.

After much to-ing and fro-ing, they said if I produced the death certificate and a copy of the death notice from the paper, I could get access.  I don't carry a copy of the death notice with me.  And some people may not actually wish to place a death notice in the paper.

At this point I tell them they are the ONLY organisation that's given me any trouble following the unexpected death of my husband.

They finally acquiesced to death certificate, marriage certificate and ID. 

I arrive at the facility to get the codes and show all the ID.  I don't think the lady was expecting me to enter with a toddler in tow.  She enquired during the process of checking the documents if I'd only need access the once.  Ah, it's full of my stuff, so no, I'll need ongoing access.  When would we be vacating?  We're paid up until April 2013.  I'll probably take the last of it about then - I ain't dealing with it all right now.

During the course of the conversation, the lady says 'I called R', and I figure she's referring to the head honcho she said she had to check things with over our numerous telephone calls.

Nope. Turns out the R she's referring to is the Best Man from our wedding, who was listed as an alternative to hunt down if the account wasn't being paid and they weren't hearing from Mr Trifectagirl.  She apparently called him to check my story that my husband had died.

So basically the storage facility would give access to the best man and groomsman, but not the wife!!  

And apparently a death certificate isn't evidence enough of someones death.