"I Fell For The Locksmith Scam"
There are lots of honest locksmiths out there -- but there are dishonest ones too -- and they're notorious for bullying helpless consumers out of a lot of money. Here's the scenario: You're locked out of your car, so you call a locksmith. You're quoted a price that seems reasonable, but when the "locksmith" shows up, he bullies you into paying more money -- a lot more.
Alison Prezler, from the BBB, told MSNBC's Consumer Man columnist, Herb Weisbaum, “They have made taking advantage of people who are locked out of their house or car part of their business model."
Sadly, this is the exact scenario recently faced by reader Kaitlin. She was locked out of her car and used Google 411 to find a locksmith, and would like to share her story as a warning to others:
I locked my keys in my car Monday afternoon. It was in the parking lot of a bank/grocery store. i waited a couple hours for my boyfriend to bring me an extra key. when he couldn't find it, my dad came to try to break into my car. No go. My 2005 Focus cannot be slim-jimmed. So, after almost 4 hours, I decide to call a locksmith. I used google 411, and picked a locksmith that was supposedly on a road nearby, because i thought it would be quick. The two I called before I got this one didn't answer their phones. A1 24 hr Locksmith answers and tells me $39.99 + about a $19 service charge. I tell him the kind of car, the address, etc. They say 25-30 mins.
I start to think things might be weird when I get two calls from two different people to confirm the address, my name, etc. The "locksmith" shows up over an hour later, in an unmarked car, with no uniform. I show him my car and he decides that my 2005 ford focus is VERY hard to break into, and that the labor charge is gonna go up to $125, for a total of $177 after tax. About $19 does not = $125. I'm sure he saw 20 year old female college student and thought $$$$$. He is very intimidating. He tells me he's charged people $260 to get into their cars, and that he is giving me a deal, it is late at night, what am I gonna do. He insists that I have to pay him for the service charge anyways. It's almost 9, I've been locked out of my car for almost 5 hours with only a sweatshirt, and I'm cold (live in the seattle area). We argue awhile. I, on the verge of tears, agree to pay him. It takes him all of 2 minutes to unlock my car. I give him my credit card, and ask him if he has a business card, invoice, etc as I was planning on reporting them to the BBB. He could not give me anything that linked him to a business of any sort. This all seems way too suspicious. I drive home, seething.
When I woke up and won't to work the next morning, I noticed that the door of my car was all bent up. I didn't see it in the dark the night before. I decided to call the company back and ask for a partial refund, due to the bait and switch, the late locksmith, and especially the damage to my car. The manager lies, saying that he didn't even have an appt with me. I said "well, I have the license plate number of the car. I will just call the cops to report it, and cancel my credit card." He suddenly "remembers" me. Refuses to discuss the damage to my car or a partial refund. He just kept repeating that it wasn't a scam since the driver told me the price before he did the work. I told him if he wouldn't help me, that I would file a charge-back and report him to the bbb, etc.
I called my bank and they were very helpful. They canceled the card so it could not be used again, and began the charge-back process. When I researched online, there were all kinds of stories about a couple companies back east who have local numbers with made up addresses and ads all over the country. People have lost $300 and more. They dispatch the calls in their main offices, and send out local contractors. They do this all the time- there are hundreds of horror stories, and some of them are about A1 24 hr locksmith. Hopefully the charge-back works. These people lie, and kick you when you are down. Its really hard to google the business name or check out it's reputation when you're locked out of your car in a parking lot. I shudder t think what the charge (and intimidation) would have been like if my dad hadn't been there with me.
Is there anyone else I can file complaints with? I want to get them in trouble and I want to keep this from happening to other people. Businesses should not be able to get away with this. From reading the stories, I doubt they were even licensed, etc. Out of curiosity, I contacted more locksmiths and got the same sort of response. Finally, I got one who seemed reputable. He told me it would be $60 flat no possibility for change, etc, and said he had helped an old woman who was charged $200 to be let into her car
You've already done the right thing and reported this shady company to your credit card company. Be sure to keep following up with them and file any paperwork request in a timely fashion.
Next, report the locksmith company to the BBB, because they like to keep an eye on this sort of thing. Finally, file an official report with your state's attorney general and/or department of consumer affairs.
And, now that you know what its like to be taken advantage of by a shady locksmith, check your credit cards to see if they offer roadside assistance for when you're away from home -- and find a local locksmith that's dependable for when you're not.
(Photo: mullenite )
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Comments:
I had a similar ordeal. Cost me $130 for about 30 seconds worth of work. He used a balloon and a stick.
Yelled at me and wouldn't let me leave until I paid him.
I just try to think it will come back on him eventually.
Ugh!!
I guess a good solution is to get a recommendation on a good, local locksmith and put the number in your cell phone, and also maybe let any family/friends know so that if you ALSO lock your cell phone in the car, they'll have the number available.
Most people are auto signed up for roadside assistance with Verizon Wireless. Despite the bad reports on this site, I have never had a problem with them. Had to call them twice. Once the guy showed up in a Impala, and popped my door 1-2-3, and the next time it was a tow truck. After that, of course, I keep a spare door key zip tied to my car frame in a spot not noticeable unless you have the car on a lift. But the two times getting unlocked were more than worth the small monthly charge on my bill. You could also try calling the local police dispatcher, and see who they might recommend to do unlocks. They prolly have a list of reliable companies who won't rob you.
while i dislike GM immensely - OnStar can unlock your doors if you accidentally lock your keys inside
I demand that the picture of a GREEN key ring be taken off. It is demeaning to ALL green key rings, insinuating that green key rings are stupid enough to be locked in inappropriate places.
What is happening in this world?
Many cities require a license to practice locksmithing, you need to see if yours does. Then report him to that agency.
If your auto insurance does not include "glass coverage", tack it on. It makes the decision a little easier to break a window as a last resort.
TIP: get a cheap key dupe made at the hardware store and drill a hole through it (or get your fave local handyman to do it). Then place said key behind your license-plate with screw through hole.
This will keep it secure and it's rare that you'll be stranded without SOMETHING that can be used (dime, piece o'metal by road, helpful person's screwdriver) to remove the screw and access the key.
This $2 fix has saved my bacon many times. Those magnetic boxes are OK but they can dislodge when u hit a pothole.
I would've had the boyfriend come pick me up or take a cab home and then deal with it tomorrow when I could call my mechanic and see if he had any advice. A locksmith would've been my last and final option, but definitely not something I would do while I was upset. And believe me, I would've been upset!
I had something similar happen to me. I ended up paying something like $150 for the guy to spend all of five seconds opening the door with his little gizmo. Having also paid about $90 for a two-mile tow a couple of months before, I finally joined AAA (for a yearly fee of less than half of what I paid the stupid locksmith). I also had a spare key made that I now keep in my purse at all times. I will never, ever call a locksmith again, even if I'm locked out of my house and it's -20 degrees outside. Them's bad people.
@bsalamon: Don't you need to be paying for the service? Or can onstar charge a one time unlock fee without monthly service?
If you're outside of a business when this happens, it pays to go speak to their security, facilities guy, or even manager in a pinch. They've had this happen before in their lot and generally have one or two companies they can vouch for. The locksmith company won't screw you over because they don't want to mess with their referral system.
I pay $4.99 a month for roadside assistance with AT&T (which I decided to get after I locked my keys in my car in their parking lot). I've never had a problem with them and I've called them at all hours of the day. I've never had to wait longer than an hour. Any locksmith I call through them cannot charge me a dime.
I always keep an extra key in my purse (now) but on the rare occasion that I change purses, I always seem to a) neglect to put my new key in new purse, and b) lock my keys in my car that day.
Thanks to AAA, though, I've never had to wait more than half an hour. I do love my AAA (not a spokesperson!)
And, as Clobberella said, I think the yearly membership is probably cheaper than one nasty (or even semi-nasty) road mishap (flat/tow/lock-out) might cost. (I say I "think" because it's a family plan through my parents..)
@ajlei: I've had AAA for 15 years now. I look back at one particularly nasty year I had where sadly all the local tow truck drivers knew me by name. I still think of that one year every time I get ready to renew, it's so worth the peace of mind.
@dripdrop: yeah, it's pretty easy to do. Just pry the window away from the rubber a little bit, insert the air bag (it's more like a hot water bottle than a baloon), inflate it until the gap between the window and the rubber is big enough to slide the stick through (metal rod with a hook at the end, not an actual twig or anything) and if you're lucky, you can just pop the inside door handle and the door will open. The things you learn working car rental!
@dripdrop: yeah they hammer a wedge in between your door maybe tw then insert a heavy laod airbag inflates with a aircompressor(any portable tire pump works) and then they usually just have a bent heavy gauge wire or stick to reach in and unlock tehd oor. I paid 200 a long long time ago. Unfortunatly my car was running so time was of the essence.
At least here in California, AAA will make, at no charge, a plastic duplicate of your car key in a card that will easily fit in your wallet.
@MercuryPDX: If you break your own window and then try to get your insurance to pay for it, couldn't you get nailed for insurance fraud?
If you have some sort of road side assistance, it might cover locksmiths. If it does and pays in full for these services they can't attempt to gouge you for extra money. If they tried you can turn them in to your roadside assistance program and they would probably no long get service calls from that program.
@yetiwisdom: I do pretty much the same, but I use a magnetic key box and hide it somewhere hard to see, but easy to reach. So far I've never had one fall off. After a few weeks under the car they get enough mud on them to look like part of the car, and anyway a thief isn't going to waste time looking for a key when he could just smash a window.
A friend and I once locked the keys in the car while at a gas station. It was cold and raining, and a weekend. Our coats were in the car too... But there was a locksmith a few blocks up the street, so I ran there in the rain and he came to open the car... Drenched and shivering, I stood there with my friend for about an hour as he fiddled with the locks... and in the process, managed to break the locks on both front doors. As he went back to his truck for yet another tool, a car full of guys showed up at the gas station, saw two girls in distress, and within 30 seconds, had one of the still-functional doors open. The locksmith came back to the car and was dumbfounded.
After several minutes of arguing that escalated to yelling, we got it through his head that no, we weren't going to pay him a cent since he hadn't actually opened the doors, broke them instead, and took more than an hour to do that - and yes, he was going to fix both doors free of charge on Monday - since we had somewhere to be on the weekend and couldn't do it then. We spent the whole weekend climbing in through the back doors. Took the car back on Monday and he did indeed fix them - without any sort of apology at all.
AAA helped me out when, after a night of $1 shots at the bar, a girl I took home locked her keys in the car. AAA came and got rid of her for me.
@The_IT_Crone: Yes, but usually they want some kind of ID and/or proof of ownership to cut a key. A thief isn't going to bother and risk being identified; they can steal the car almost as easily without a key as with one. This also may not be available for cars with electronic anti-theft systems, and it won't work if your car has ever been re-keyed.
@yetiwisdom: That is the coolest most simple tip I've heard. I guess you just need to make sure there is no part of the key exposed past the edge of the license plate. Nothing a simple Dremel can't solve I'm sure. Thanks for the tip!
Luckily my car is a '96 and doesn't have remote door locks. I have to physically lock the door from the outside to lock the car and set the alarm. I am going to do your little key tip for my Mom's car though.
@The_IT_Crone: Not at any local shop, not without contacting the manufacturer, and not without jumping through a number of hoops to prove ownership.
@yetiwisdom: Works unless you drive a car with a theft-deterrent device in the key (some Buicks, Mercedes, Audi, BMW, etc.) I drive a 2005 VW that the cheap valet key costs $85 to replace. They are only cut in Germany and have to be ordered and shipped. Guess that's what you get for wanting German quality...
How wrong would it be to smash your window and claim it on your insurance?
Makes $65/year for AAA well worth it. I did this twice; first time, I left my kid in the car with the keys. That was a 911 call. Second time, was just my keys, and I called AAA. the guy who showed up got $10 from my pocket, and told me that typically they charge $50-$125 to do it, depending on the car.
Most contractors will charge you a set minimum price, no matter how long the job takes, like $75 for the first half hour, and then another $75 for each hour after that (broken by quarter hours) If they didn't charge a minimum price, they wouldn't make money, and that's what they're in business to do. So no complaining about how little work it seemed like to you. You couldn't do it, could you?
I locked myself out of my car in small-town South Dakota once, about 400 miles from home. A motel clerk offered to get her friend to come help, and gave him a call-- at the bar he drank at. A sunburned guy in a cutoff shirt showed up about ten minutes later, reeking of beer. He produced a coat hanger, and bent it into shape on-the-spot. 30 seconds later my car was open, and all he asked for was $15. This was 2004...not many decades ago.
@CFinWV: Same for me...the lockout, then the tow I needed from a busy intersection when the alternator went. Well worth the annual cost.
Of course, now I have AAA, Onstar, and roadside through my insurance.
@ajlei: I'm a big BIG fan of AAA. Member since 2003. Membership pays for itself after 1 tow / flat tire. Your membership card functions as a bond card, so you don't have to give up your license when the cops pull you over for speeding. You get discounts everywhere. And, if you still don't think you're getting your money's worth out of them, stop by their local office and pick up some free maps and talk to one of their travel agents for free. It even works if you're not the driver!
I'm not a AAA spokesperson by any means, and never had it before getting a membership as a gift, but I'll have it till I can't drive anymore, and will gladly pay for each of my kids to have it, especially when they head off to college.
FYI - Check BEFORE renting to see if your rental car company's so-call "roadside assistance" will help you get into your car. I called Avis roadside assistance and was told the coverage does NOT include keys locked in cars. The stupid thing about it was that my car was in the airport arrivals area (the red zone has ALWAYS been for loading and unloading!). They could have just given the shuttle driver a key, and I'd have walked over to the bus pick-up zone to get it.
Luckily I had AAA.
If this happens to you, it's often cheaper just to break a back window and be on your way. I learned this lesson after waiting 2 hours for a locksmith to show then watched him break the window himself trying to unlock the car.
I recommend calling the non-emergency line for the local fire department. This has worked for me and my friends many times here in Texas (at least in "small" towns). Just sign a release saying you won't hold them responsible for damages, they get out their axe and scare you, then use the wedge/balloon/stick methode mentioned earlier.
The axe thing is classic though.
@ajlei: I would HIGHLY recommend AAA, they can take care of pretty much any roadside disaster and since its already paid for you will not get ripped off. They tell you they will be there in an hour because of delays every time however usually they get there in 15 min or less, of course if you call on a busy snow day it will be longer. Honestly the price of membership is much better than even one tow or one locksmith call, and you have piece of mind too. The membership has other benefits as well such as free travel planning and other discounts. I think my membership already paid for itself this year since I had to call a tow truck for a jump when my car battery suddenly died.
Do BBB's actually do anything? I keep reading conflicting answers.
Submitted for the approval of the midnight society.
Even you people with a chipped key, go to your local key copy place, and have a door only key made, without the plastic cover on the end. Then place that in your wallet. If you lock both your regular key and wallet in the car, sell the car and stay home... :P
AAA is totally worth the price. You get reliable lockout service and piece of mind, plus discounts on lots of other stuff. The amount of money I saved on eyeglasses alone more than made up for the $50 yearly fee.
@heltoupee: Yup but at least in most cars a simple cut key will open the doors. If the keys are in the car you could get to them and then you can use the real key to start the car.
@yetiwisdom: FWIW, some people steal license plates. I would hate to give them my whole car if all they wanted were the plates...
Yes, I am gonna be one of those guys.
so... carry a spare key in your wallet/purse. Also hide a key somewhere on the underside of your car (dont use that lame hide-a-key magnetic box) & somewhere outside your home. And or give a spare set to your friend or family member.
@heltoupee: The one time I needed a locksmith was when I locked the keys inside a running rental car. Coincidentally, I was in the parking lot of my local AAA office (I was picking up maps) so they called for me!
I locked my keys in the trunk once and had a locksmith come out to cut me another key using AAA. He couldn't manage to access the doorlock, which I guess he needed to get a code off of or something - but after working on the car for about an hour, he apologized and didn't charge anything. I eventually got AAA to just tow the car home and had a key cut using the VIN for about $6 at a local lock-shop. If the car is already locked (and not a convertible, like mine) it might make more sense to just abandon it and get a new key cut the next day.