Even with bait and traps, rodents caused over $10,000 worth of interior damage – and it won’t start, either.
Andre Morehead, a car-loving grandfather in Jacksonville, Florida, bought his Chevy Impala intending to fully restore it and keep it in the family. He’s made great strides, with the exterior and interior in showroom condition.
“I bought this car when my son was an infant, and now I’m a grandfather,” he told First Coast News. “It just goes to show you how long I’ve had the car.”
He kept the engine running perfectly too, to make sure the car was always drivable. Recently, though, he’s noticed his “upgraded” storage unit has some uninvited guests who gorge themselves on his possessions. Namely his car.
“It looked like five or six rodents come in about a week’s time and just wreaked havoc in my unit and on my equipment,” he said. Plastic bottles were chewed through, his items were covered in rat urine and feces, and the interior of his car was being chewed up, too.
“The interior is about $10,000 to get it completed,” he said.
Initially, the storage company seemed willing to help with rodent damages
Morehead quickly alerted the storage company, CubeSmart, of the rodent issues. The company offered him $1,000 for the damages done to his property. He felt nervous when the company asked him to sign a waiver releasing the company of any liability.
“My concerns were that if I sign this release…I wasn’t going to get anything done,” he said.
To add insult to injury, the car has had issues starting after the rodents arrived.
“The car won’t crank now and it would crank on a dime before. I’m pretty sure that’s due to the rodents,” said Morehead.
Reporters have contacted upper management with the company, though they haven’t heard anything. Until then, Morehead is looking into whether or not a rodent infestation is the facility’s responsibility or not.
