Scammers
They’re everywhere and could very well be brilliant people had they put their talent to good work. Instead they take the road attempting to rich quick at other peoples expense. The stories heard of people getting taken advantage of in our field of work is truly disappointing. This is really something you wouldn’t think would happen in this line of work, right? So how do they scam you?
It starts with the use of something we all use when attempting to find something- a search engine. So using one of the most common search words “Locksmith near me” you’ll find a few different options show up. Most of us have decent SEO usage, plus show our location which gets our names get pulled to the top of the list. However, if you scroll down you’ll start to see names like “Affordable Locksmith”, “Your Trusted Locksmith” or “Locksmith Locator”. What’s wrong with these companies? A lot. They advise it’s a $45 lock out fee but in reality it’s $45 to unlock the door, $145 to come out and another charge for the hourly rate. Also, these tend to be contracted locksmiths who are not experienced enough and instead of having the knowledge on how to pick or open the lock, they drill it open. Leaving you with a door that won’t lock properly and a needing new hardware. Which they likely do NOT have on the truck. Oh and mentioning that they’re contracted locksmiths, they’re contracted due to the company is actually a call center located most times in another State.
So what do you need to look for?
A storefront: Check out the website, make sure they’re an legit company. Having a local storefront helps ensure they’re invested in the business and are established.
Identity: Inquire how you will be able to identify the employee who is taking your job. A legitimate company will have a company truck that is marked and they will be wearing a uniform and/or can provide a company business card.
It’s all in the name: Check that they have a real company name. That folds into my above point as well. A lot of times these scammers steal names and will tell you they are someone they aren’t to get your business. Don’t hesitate to question what the address is where THEY are located.
Confirmation of price: We want transparency with what you’re expecting to pay as well, just like any business should. If you are proceeding with a company round your bases and don’t hesitate to ask for a written estimate prior to the start of the job. This will help bypass any surprise charges they may have in store.
Quick story time: Last Summer we had a customer call to inform when searching via Bing for our number it provided him a number he knew was not ours. And he was 100% correct. We decided to call this number and inquire if this was McCausland Lock Service. Well they claimed to be us, so we took it to another level, not telling them that we were actually McCausland Lock Service we told them we were locked out of our vehicle and needed a Locksmith. The scammers advised a technician would be here in about 20 minutes. Upon his arrival, we approached him, asked for his name of business. He just claimed to be a Locksmith who was contracted by a call center. He showed up in regular clothing in a plain work van. Who knows if he was insured and what kind of experience he had. Scary right?
From this experience to seeing and hearing about destroyed locks and customers unable to lock their doors again after a simple lock out to getting scammed out of money in a moment of need, we highly suggest rounding your bases prior to hiring a Joe-Schmo.
All our technicians are trained prior to be placed in a truck, we conduct routine in house training and dispatch jobs as fit per each technician. We are insured and want you feeling safe and satisfied after our work is done.
Nutshell: Ask questions to round your bases and don’t hesitate to do some investigating prior to calling out a professional.
