$19 Locksmith? Nice Price! But Beware!
By Jorge Rodriguez
 Beware of locksmith companies that advertise or quote you $19-$29 charge for services. The truth is they just use those numbers to reel you in! Once they arrive to your location they will come up with an excuse to rack up the fees, and in an emergency situation you will have no choice then to pay them. They will also use tactics like “the service fee is $19 or $29 plus parts and labor” Again a big space of uncertainty that they will use to rack up the price. Or they will tell you that the lock you have is a hard one to pick, again an excuse to charge more. Bottom line is you will not be paying less than a $125, for service that a legitimate locksmith would normally charge $60-$75.
How these companies operate, typically they are all from out of town. They are just a call center that receives your call, and forwards it to some unknown unqualified local person. That will make 50% of the bill, that’s why they have to charge excessive prices to cover their time. Just do the math; if they quote you lets say $29, 50% of that would be $14.50. That’s not realistic when they have to drive to your location, and spend at least 30 minutes to solve your problem. They are also using phony company names in their advertising, and of course they are using phony local addresses to make themselves look like they are local. They buy huge blocks of local phone numbers to saturate the internet and deceit you further. It is really difficult for the regular consumer to spot these phony locksmith companies, especially in an emergency situation. So don’t be afraid to ask them for their address, if they refuse to provide it avoid them. If they are an out of town call center avoid them, these are question you have the right to ask.
If these companies are using shady tactics to reel you in, and are using phony local addresses, phony company names, to deceit you. Why would you trust them to deal with your personal security and most of all your credit card?
The only thing you can do to protect yourself from these scammers is to ask questions, and check the company name at http://www.sunbiz.org. This is the official State of Florida website to check the required fictitious name registration of all companies. If the name does not appear in that list avoid them, and if it does appear check their address. If it is not the address they claim in their advertisement find someone else.
About the Author
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| Jorge Rodriguez, U-Locked Locksmith
12752 SW 266th Ter
Homestead, FL 33032
786-232-7149
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