OKLAHOMA CITY - The Barrett family says a bunch of their belongings and keepsakes were ruined after something went wrong with their storage unit rental.
Spencer and Ashley Barrett paid Cool Box Portable Storage hundreds of dollars to haul and store their personal belongings and furniture on one of their portable containers.
“They just said they can't be held responsible for any damage whatsoever,” Ashley said.
The Barrett’s say Cool Box is denying their damage claim.
A company spokesperson says they inspected the unit and found "no signs of wind damage or other defects."
We know that container with the family's stuff was brought to Cool Box's East Oklahoma City storage yard, where it sat for about two weeks.
Less than a mile down the road sits a Mesonet weather monitoring station.
Data collected there shows the area where the Barrett's stuff was being stored got heavy rainfall, over 5 inches of rain during that same period.
Ashley was able to salvage her silk wedding bouquet.
“We had to throw a lot of stuff away,” she said. “I should have thrown away my wedding bouquet, but I couldn't. I could not emotionally throw that away.”
The couple submitted their damages to Cool Box, but say the company keeps denying their claim.
“’Well, you signed a contract, sorry we're not responsible for anything no matter what, so we're not going to cover it, sorry,’” Ashley said.
The Barrett's submitted a second claim to their insurance, Liberty Mutual.
Their homeowner's policy covers their personal belongings in storage, however it "does not afford coverage for water which leaks through a roof where there is no storm created opening."
Meaning, if Cool Box failed to maintain their unit, then Liberty Mutual is off the hook.
“That doesn't sit well with me, Ashley said. “We saw damage.”
Here’s the thing.
Liberty Mutual can't prove the leak wasn't caused by a storm, because Cool Box refuses to let the family or their claims adjuster do an inspection of the container, which could be the best thing to happen to this family.
Without proof, Liberty Mutual appears to be willing to make an exception for the Barrett's, meaning they're still on the hook for the deductible, but their policy will be honored after all.
We'll keep you posted.