Palladium IRA Custodian Woes - Anyone Had a Smooth Ride with XYZ Inc. or ABC Corp? Looking for El Paso input!

• •Alright, so I’ve been sitting on a chunk of my retirement in a Gold IRA for a while, about $180k now, mostly gold and silver eagles.
• •I’ve been doing my homework, mostly online, and the names that keep popping up are XYZ Inc.
• •For instance, I saw one forum post ripping XYZ Inc.

Alright, so I’ve been sitting on a chunk of my retirement in a Gold IRA for a while, about $180k now, mostly gold and silver eagles. But with the palladium market looking spicy, especially with all the industrial demand creeping up, I’ve been seriously considering diversifying an additional $30-50k of my portfolio into a Palladium IRA. The issue? Finding a custodian that doesn't feel like they're still operating out of a dusty back office from the 90s, or worse, one that nickel and dimes you to death for every little thing.

I’ve been doing my homework, mostly online, and the names that keep popping up are XYZ Inc. and ABC Corp. Both seem to have decent reviews, but you know how it is – for every rave, there's someone else screaming about hidden fees or abysmal customer service. For instance, I saw one forum post ripping XYZ Inc. a new one for a $150 annual storage fee on a relatively small account ($25k), which just feels steep. Then again, I don't want to get stuck with a fly-by-night operation just to save a few bucks. Here in El Paso, it sometimes feels like we're in our own little world when it comes to these niche financial services, so I'm really keen to hear from folks who might have actual experience with these guys, or even better, a local recommendation.

What I'm looking for specifically is straightforward fee structures (none of that "call for a quote" nonsense), reliable storage solutions (physical palladium is a whole different beast than stocks), and ideally, customer service that isn't a headache to deal with. My current Gold IRA custodian is alright, but they don't do palladium, so I'd be setting up a whole new account. Seriously, am I asking for too much here? Is it just universally a bit of a pain when you're dealing with precious metals IRAs, especially something less common like palladium?

Any El Paso folks (or even you desert dwellers from down south in Juarez who've had dealings with US custodians) have insight into who they've used for a Palladium IRA? Or someone who handles other PGM IRAs smoothly? It feels like crossing the border sometimes is easier than figuring out these custodian fees. I'm trying to grow this nest egg, not constantly worry about it evaporating in surprise costs. Thoughts?