What did you want to be when you were growing up?
As far back as I can remember I wanted to be a vet. I’m unsure exactly where the inspiration came from, but I guess it was my love for animals and wanting to work with them. I thought it would be a great job to spend all day cuddling different types of pets, tending to them when they were sick and helping them get back on the road to recovery. Being so young I hadn’t appreciated it wouldn’t always be that way. As I grew older, and with the insight of James Herriot’s stories, I realised that I wouldn’t be able to save every animal, that there would be times when some pets and animals couldn’t be saved or helped any further; it then dawned on me that I felt I wouldn’t have been able to cope with that.
I then decided I wanted to own a farm and become a livestock farmer. I soon realised I would be the poorest farmer ever on the basis I would want to keep all my animals and not sell any of them for produce – unfortunately that put paid to that idea.
How did you become part of the PadStore Team?
When I left school, I joined a vocational training provider and worked as an apprentice in an office environment. This enabled me to complete my NVQ’s in Business Administration and Customer Service. Since then, I have always worked in administration and customer service rolls in various sectors: Furniture and Kitchens, Debt Management, Convenience Store, Private Ambulance and Health & Safety.
My previous employment was coming to an end, and I was very fortunate to see an advertisement for an office administrator at PadStore Self Storage. Although I had no idea about self-storage I applied for the role. After my interview I knew I wanted to work for George and was so happy to have been offered the position.
What does a standard day consist of at PadStore, for you?
Wow, it’s such a difficult question to answer as my role is so varied. I am probably the first person you’d speak to if you called us and perhaps the person that would deal with your booking when hiring a unit. George works extremely hard, so I am there to support him with whatever work requirements he has, as well as supporting our current and prospective customers with their storage hire needs.
Why do you Think People Choose PadStore?
I like to think it’s our winning personalities when potential and existing customers contact us, but perhaps it’s more likely that we are a friendly and professional team, with competitive rates, and offering clean, secure facilities. There are no hidden costs, and all our prices are available to view on our website. Although most bookings are remotely managed, we’re always available at the end of the phone or email.
How Easy is it for People to Hire a Unit at PadStore?
We’ve tried to make it as simple as possible for potential customers to hire a unit from us. Whatever the reason they may require storage, customers will no doubt have a lot to sort out and the last thing they need is another pressure when they are needing to hire storage. We have a simple ‘Instant Quote’ feature on our website, and if the customer would like to hire a unit, they can go straight through to our online booking form. Everything is dealt with remotely and we keep our customers updated via email and text messages in the run up to their chosen start dates. This alleviates any concerns over arranging times to meet up for the handover of keys and allows customers complete control over their storage.
