It depends which problem you have. If your phone is working but the gate won't open, check that Bluetooth is switched on (smart entry talks to the locks by Bluetooth), that you're inside your site's access hours, and whether we've texted or emailed about a temporary change to those hours. An unpaid balance can also stop entry. If none of that explains it, call us. Our phones are staffed in office hours, which are normally 9am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 2pm on Saturdays (your site's hours are in the table below); before 9am, after 2pm on a Saturday, in the evening and on Sundays there may be nobody to answer. In office hours, ring your site's direct line (listed below) or 0800 2545585 and we'll check who you are and help you in. If your phone is dead, or you don't have a smartphone, a fob is the answer: tell us when you book and we can supply one instead of the phone, and if you visit early or late, charge your phone before you go. At Chipping Norton you don't need a phone at all: you choose a PIN that opens the doors, and your unit takes your own padlock.
At the gate right now
If your phone is working and smart entry won't open the gate, the doors or your unit, try these in order:
- Check Bluetooth is switched on. The locks respond to a Bluetooth signal from your phone.
- Check the time. Access is normally 6am to 10pm, but check your site's page for its hours; if you use Cheltenham, confirm your hours with us.
- Look for a text or email from us about changed hours. Our terms let us change access hours temporarily, and we'll try to warn you by notice at the site, text or email (clause 12).
- At your unit door, touch the light on the lock to wake it (it turns green) before you unlock from your phone.
- If your account might be behind, that can be the reason: we may refuse access while money is owed (clause 15).
- Call your site, or 0800 2545585, during office hours, with your name and booking details ready.
Why a flat phone matters more than you'd think
Where your site's page describes smart entry, it works from your phone. It opens the gate and the building doors, and it's also how your unit opens: you touch the light on the lock to wake it, unlock from your phone, and slide the latch. Unlocking turns off your unit's alarm, and sliding the latch back locks the door and sets the alarm again. The lock responds to a Bluetooth signal from your phone.
So your phone is your key to the gate, to your unit and to its alarm. That's what stops anyone else opening your unit, and it's also why a dead battery stops you at the gate. For the same reason, when you call us we'll check it's really you: our terms let us ask anyone for proof of identity and refuse entry to someone who can't give it (clause 14).
Before you set off
Run through these before you go, especially before an early start or a moving day with a crew waiting:
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Phone charged, and a charging cable or power bank with you | Your phone opens the gate, the doors and your unit |
| Bluetooth switched on | The lock responds to a Bluetooth signal from your phone |
| Your site's number saved in your phone | So a failed entry is a quick call, not a wasted trip |
| You're inside your site's access hours | Normally 6am to 10pm; check your site's page. If you use Cheltenham, confirm your access hours with us before an early or late visit |
| No texts or emails from us about changed hours | Our terms let us change access hours temporarily, and we'll try to warn you by notice at the site, text or email (clause 12) |
| Your account is up to date | We may refuse access while money is owed, even before a formal demand (clause 15) |
| A fob as a backup, if you often visit before 9am, after 6pm or on Sundays | Ask when you book whether you can have a fob as well as smart entry. Where your site uses fobs, one in your pocket means a flat phone doesn't end an early visit when nobody is answering the phone |
If you'll be storing things at a site where the phone signal worries you, or you want to know whether you need your phone to get back out of the building, ask us when you book. We'd rather answer it on the phone than have you find out at the door.
If a friend, family member or removals firm needs to get in without you, set up their own access in advance. We can't let them in over the phone on your behalf. Our guide to sharing access to your unit explains how.
If you don't have a smartphone
You don't need one to store with us. Let us know when you book, before your move-in date, and we can supply a fob instead. Before you book, ask us whether the fob opens your unit as well as the gate and doors at your site. It matters because at sites whose page describes smart entry opening the unit, the phone does three jobs (gate, unit lock and alarm), and you need to know the fob covers all of them before you arrive with your belongings.
A basic mobile that isn't a smartphone won't run smart entry, but it's still worth carrying: it's how you'll call your site if anything goes wrong at the gate.
If you're booking for someone else, perhaps an older parent, it's worth mentioning at the same time. And if you're setting up smart entry for the first time and aren't sure of it, our advice is to move in during office hours, when you can reach us on the phone while you're standing at the gate.
At Chipping Norton, entry works differently for everyone: you choose a security PIN when you book, which lets you through the doors, and you bring your own padlock for your unit (or buy one from reception there). Your PIN also sets and unsets your unit's alarm.
Who to call
Save your site's number before your first visit. You can also call 0800 2545585 for any site, but don't count on an answer outside the office hours above.
| Site | Direct line | Office hours |
|---|---|---|
| Alton | 01420 629233 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Bath | 01225 800248 | Mon to Fri 8:30am to 5pm, Sat 9am to 3pm (ask about Sundays) |
| Bristol Hengrove | 0117 462 8800 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Bromsgrove | 01527 222321 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Burton on Trent | 01283 515633 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Cheltenham | 01242 800270 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Chipping Norton | 01608 656300 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Dorking | 01306 774111 | Mon to Fri 8:30am to 5:30pm, closed at weekends |
| Leatherhead | 01372 386916 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Lincoln | 01522 453022 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| March | 01223 344944 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Marlow | 01628 769004 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Reading | 0118 957 1573 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Shipston-on-Stour | 01608 532162 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Tewkesbury | 01684 642499 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
| Warminster | 01985 208118 | Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 2pm |
The other offices are closed on Sundays. When you call, have your name and booking details ready, and expect some security questions before we open anything. One Leatherhead customer who was locked out described exactly that in a review: a call to the support number, a security check, and then help into the site and the unit.
Getting set up right from the start
If you have a question about how you'll get in, whether that's a phone you don't trust, no smartphone, or someone else who'll be visiting, the best time to sort it is before you move in. Call us on 0800 2545585, or get a price online and tell us about it when you book.
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