Please Read Carefully Before Calling for a Locksmith
Learn about Locksmith scams !!!
When a person is under a stressful situation, he or she is in a vulnerable position and it's more likely to fall into scams. Unscrupulous locksmith companies take advantage of this to deceive their clients; For example, the anguish that a person may feel when locked away from home, can obfuscate them, so they won’t notice immediately the fraudulent practices of the company they called to assist them in the middle of the emergency.
One of the best known locksmith scams is the service overcharge. The person calls and asks for a service and the locksmith scammer offers a very low amount as starting price, usually its 25" or 35" and up.. the client think it's a miracle, the locksmith arrives, does the service and when the bill comes, it turns out to be a lot more than the amount agreed hundreds of hundreds . If the customer complains, they tell them that the rate does not include night service, labor or anything else.
If the customer refuses the service when the locksmith arrives, because he discovers the difference in prices, he is forced to pay the starting price, since that is the amount charged by the technician only for going there and diagnosing the problem.To avoid becoming a victim of these false locksmiths who make a career of deceiving people, it is necessary to learn what their tactics are and how to recognize them.
Look for this warning signs
Locksmith company offers an incredibly low service price:
if something seems too good to be true it's because it is too good to be true. Normally these false locksmiths offer their services for ridiculous rates. That's the hook to catch victims.
- When you call them, they answer only with "locksmith service", they do not immediately identify with the name of the company.
- There is not much information in their ads about who they are or their business. Basically, they are almost anonymous offering their services informally. Surely are not even registered as a company.
- They don't give a precise budget, with fixed and detailed rates for their services. They always charge an "starting price" and refuses to give you specific amounts or an explicit budget.
- They are advertised as a local service, but the phone number has another area code or they are toll free. This is made in order to make them almost impossible to track and advertise Local Listing in the entire United States.
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- Unmark Vehicle and no Uniforms.
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Save your money for the next vacation
What should you do?
- The first step is to breathe deeply and try to remain calm. Although the situation you are experiencing is an emergency, you need to be calm in order to make the right decisions.
- Save in your cellphone the number of a local and trusted locksmith service, so you will be prepared for any emergency. Find recommendations and check the reputation of the company.
- If you do not have a local locksmith services in your emergency contacts, you can use social networks or an applications like Yelp to find locksmith services. Don't be afraid to call several numbers and ask for budgets.
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- Ask for information about the company, including their exact location and address. They should have a real location, a mortar and brick place, where you can go in case of complaints. Look for family and traditional businesses, that can give you guarantees.
- Request the information of the person who will attend your emergency. Ask your technician name and information about his locksmith license. The technician is a stranger who will go to your home, so the company will know how to understand your caution and should provide the information without any objection.
- Ask what is the flat rate, the price range for that service and the cost of possible additional services. Ask if they charge extra per hour, for night services, among other things. You should know precisely how much the service will cost you before you accept that the technician will assist you.
- Ask about the techniques they will use to open the door. An expert locksmith is able to open easley any lock without piercing it or without having to change it, unless something unusual occurs. If they insist too much on changing the lock, begin to suspect, as they may be trying to force you to buy a new lock and pay for that service.