U-Haul Moving & Storage of South Towns

I’m having mixed feelings about my current U-​Haul choice. When I signed up online I was told the first month was free. NOT! When I went to the facility to view my storage unit I signed up for autopay. Another NOT!
The info that is provided online is not correct. You are not able to do anything with a storage unit. Online access is provided for managing truck rentals. I received an email from U-​Haul saying that my monthly service fee was due. After an afternoon negotiating the website trying to decipher what was actually going on, I saw that I was kinda/​maybe signed up for autopay and that my current balance was 0. Ok. Cool. Short lived euphoria.
Today I get a call asking if I plan on paying for my unit and I reiterate what thus far has transpired. Local office has no idea about what I am speaking and asks for a credit card? What is going on here? I explain about the free month which, they tell me, only applies to people who are new to the area and move in with a U-​Haul vehicle.
Lots of double talk and no one seems to know what is going on. Unit is being shut down this month.